All changes, even the most longed for, have their melancholy, for what we leave behind us is a part of ourselves; we must die to one life before we can enter into another.

          Anatole France

Well, I have gotten around to adding the final touches to this little painting of a lighthouse.  I decided to brighten the bushes right up against the lighthouse even though my source photo didn't show the sun shining so brightly on that particular spot.  I think it helps to make the lighthouse stand out even more from the dark bushes.  Yep, still working on those darks and lights!

Language has created the word 'loneliness' to express the pain of being alone, and the word 'solitude' to express the glory of being alone.

               Paul Tillich

This is a much larger painting I have been working on still trying to control my darks and lights.  At first it was so dark you could barely see the produce.  I've lightened the background up quite a bit and lightened the produce up a little bit as well.  It is still not as dramatic as I would like but I am quite surprised at how loosely I have painted this one.  It is difficult for me not to grab those little brushes and make a lot of distinct lines.  Again, this one will sit for awhile to dry and then I will give it another session. Oh, I picked the quote above because painting can be such a solitary occupation ~ I like the idea of  "solitude" rather than "loneliness."

Do not seek to follow in the footsteps of the men of old; seek what they sought.

                              Matsuo Basho

Well, I added a second pot so the geraniums don't look like they are floating in air.  There is still some work left to be done on the fern to make it look looser and more airy.  I will have to let the undercoat dry for a few more days but hope to finish this one up soon.  Although I want to keep working on darks and lights I think this will be the last flowers I do for awhile.  My studio is starting to look like a florist shop ~ or worse yet a funeral parlor!

To say to the painter that Nature is to be taken as she is, is to say to the player that he may sit on the piano.

                              James McNeill Whistler

Back to work tightening up some of the edges on this lighthouse ~ still need to work on some of the perspective and some of the blues in the sky.  There is a door to the lighthouse but I am contemplating leaving it out as I think too much detail on the lighthouse itself would detract from the sky ~ just thinking about it.

There is no excellent beauty that hath not some strangeness in the proportion.

                            Frances Bacon
 
The above quote just seemed perfect for this little painting ~ which is obviously still a work in progress.  In working to get the lighting to be as dramatic as I wanted I kept adding flowers.  When I finally took a few steps back from it I realized that all those flowers and that huge fern could never fit in that one little pot.  Now I am faced with adding another pot behind it for the bouquet which is going to throw the proportion of the table off.  Sometimes it's fun to just let the painting take over itself but sometimes it's not!  We'll see where this one goes.

One of the most difficult things to do is to paint darkness which nonetheless has light in it.

                               Vincent van Gogh
 
This is another little painting I have started to work on attempting to get some really darks in to contrast with bright highlights.  Yesterday I had to paint over all the flowers that will be cascading out on the right hand side ~ first they were too light, then they were too dark, and then they were mud!  I realized too late that I needed to concentrate on the light source to figure out where the deepest shadows should be and the brightest highlights.  I am working from a photograph which doesn't show nearly the contrasts that I am aiming for.  I'll give it a few days to dry and will try again.

It is not necessarily those lands which are the most fertile or most favored climate that seem to me the happiest, but those in which a long stroke of adaptation between man and his environment has brought out the best qualities of both.

                                T. S. Elliot

Before I comment on the painting above I would like to mention an on-line practice community I have recently joined.  Developed by Paul Foxton this site (creativetriggers.com) provides an excellent way to not only improve one's drawing techniques but to make drawing a daily habit.  In Paul's words Creative Triggers offers an "effective way to practice regularly and a structure to learn within."  I highly recommend you check it out.

This little painting above is still a work in progress.  I am still trying to concentrate on getting some really darks into my work.  The dark greenery surrounding the lighthouse really provides a wonderful contrast with the literally "light" house.  My goal now is to tighten up some of the lines in the structure while leaving the sky and landscape brushwork loose.  Even with such a cloudy sky I also want to convey a feeling of peace and serenity to this isolated space.  To me it seems the light house is so at home with its surroundings that it actually feels as if it grew there!

A loving person lives in a loving world.  A hostile person lives in a hostile world: everyone you meet is your mirror.

             Ken Keyes, Jr.

Shadow and light ~ something I have decided to try and focus on more and more in my work.  I love the dramatic look dark shadows bring to any painting.  Recently I was able to visit the Louvre and see some of Caravaggio's original pieces.  His use of darks and lights make each of his paintings a theatrical production!  This small painting above was inspired by his technique.  It was truly an exercise in restraint. 

Many persons have a wrong idea of what constitutes true happiness.  It is not attained through self-gratification but through fidelity to a worthy purpose.

                                                Helen Keller

My instructor at the Crealde Art School (www.mycfcf.org) helped me to visualize this painting as a family ~ the older large pot, two grown pots, and the baby pot out front and center.  There is always a new way to look at things!  The dark shadows in the photograph really gave depth to the composition so I emphasized them even more in my painting.  Because of the subtle colors in the painting I tried to keep the light a bit subdued as it reflects off the pots.  Much to my delight upon completion it was accepted at the juried student art show now in progress at the school. 

Would that life were like the shadow cast by a wall or a tree, but it is like the shadow of a bird in flight.
                       The Talmud 
                                                      
        Another morning working on these pots and I am thinking they are almost done.  Of course, there is some varnishing to be applied as the dark colors have dried very matte.  It's hard not to over do the highlights on a painting like this.  To make them any brighter, I think, would take away from the overall subdued color scheme I was aiming for. 

How important are the visual arts in our society?  I feel strongly that the visual arts are of vast and incalculable importance.  Of course I could be prejudiced.  I am a visual art.

                                          Kermit the Frog

Although this painting is not finished I thought I would take a few minutes and post some "in progress" photographs.  I am finding this one to be quite challenging as far as the shadowing goes.  The photograph I am working from is almost a monotone as it was taken with a strong flash eliminating practically all the shadows.  At any rate there is quite a bit of modeling left to do on the pots and more deepening of the shadows behind them.  Couldn't resist the Kermit quote!

Beauty is unbearable, drives us to despair, offering us for a minute the glimpse of an eternity that we should like to stretch out over the whole of time.

                                                                    Albert Camus

Well, it is 2013 and a lot has been going on.  First of all the three paintings above are the ones I completed for my course at the Crealde Art School in Orlando.  While, of course, I think they could all three use a little tweaking it is almost time for another course to begin so I have been busy picking out subject matter for three more oils.  I like my paintings to have a bit of drama in them and I find strong contrasts help to bring that about.  One of the photos I have picked for the next session is mainly shades of brown so we will see how that works.

Another interesting project I have been working on is a drawing challenge started by Paul Foxton, an artist living outside of London.  I subscribe to Paul's emails which arrive sporadically with wonderful thoughts and lessons on the art of drawing.  Paul has managed to corral about 180 of his followers from around the world to join in a 30 day regular practice event.  We each are encouraged to draw every day and then post about how we are doing.  Today was day 10 and so far, so good.  I grab my sketch book every morning after I check the news and work on a few exercises.  It has been a lot of fun so far to keep up with people from places as far away as Australia, South Africa, and Scandinavia. 

Finally, I am working on a few pieces I hope to submit to the Orlando Museum of Art as a part of their First Thursday Member's Exhibit.  While strongly cautioned not to advertise that any work that is accepted is not to be misrepresented as work that is part of any other exhibit of the Orlando Museum of Art other than the Member's Exhibit, just to be accepted will be fine with me!