Monday, July 29, 2013






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!

Friday, July 26, 2013

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.

Tuesday, July 23, 2013


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.

Thursday, July 18, 2013






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.

Tuesday, July 16, 2013






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!

Thursday, July 11, 2013






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. 

Monday, July 8, 2013



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.