Tuesday, September 29, 2015

Solitude

To dare to live alone is the rarest courage; since there are many who had rather meet their bitterest enemy in the field, than their own hearts in their closet.

                                        Charles Caleb Colton

 I started this painting at least five years ago.  Hours and hours went into painting those rocks until I couldn't look at them any more.  Into the corner this one went to join other unfinished projects.  It stares at me forlornly every time I walk into my studio.  Finally this past week I stuck it up on my easel and did a little work on the sky and added the mountain on the left.  It seems like such a lonely place.  I believe it is called Peg's Cove.  I know I copied it from a photograph of a painting from some magazine.  Of course, the photograph is somewhere but after three moves in five years I can't put my finger on it.  Anyway, my idea is not to copy any more but to use it as a base painting for ideas and techniques I have picked up since I first started it.  So off we go!  It looks like such a lonely place so for now I am calling it Solitude.  Maybe I'll put a few people in the boat and a dog by the house.  Maybe.

Friday, September 25, 2015

As the births of living creatures at first are ill-shapen, so are all innovations, which are the births of time.
                            Francis Bacon

 Since my last post was about death I thought I would post today about birth.  The above is the birth of a new drawing I have started of an old woman deep in contemplation.  I lightly penciled in a rough sketch placing a few prominent points off which to measure the entire drawing.  Now that she is placed on the paper where I would like her to be I have started shading in her scarf and hair and am slowly working my way down.  Using both graphite and charcoal pencils and working on the larger shapes first I will probably work my way down this drawing four or five times.  By the time I have finished she and I will be great friends! 

Tuesday, September 22, 2015



                                                 There is no such thing as death,
                                                 In nature, nothing dies:
                                                 From each sad moment of decay
                                                 Some forms of life arise.

                                                                            Charles MacKay
 
          Once again this poor pot sat in the corner of my studio for weeks.  Something was wrong (well, actually, more than one thing but more about that later.)  The idea was to depict the last bit of a large flower arrangement left to die in a huge pot.  I was so intent on using some radiant white that would stand out against the darker edge of the pot that I kept going over and over the flowers working on getting a dynamic contrast.  Of course, dying flowers are not vibrant ~ not vivid ~ not bursting with energy.  They are limp, sad, and most of all, dreary.  I have toned these down quite a bit but they still need more work.  How does one paint sadness and decay???  And once that distressing feeling is visible in the flowers how will they still maintain their proper place as the focal point?  Should have thought this through way before I put the first dab of paint on this canvas.  Composition, color mixing, technique, on and on ~ so much to learn!