Morning Bouquet 3

The father of every good work is discontent, and its mother is diligence.

Lajos Kassak

Lots of big changes since the last time I posted. First of all I darkened the upper right corner and started blocking in the tablecloth. Here comes the "discontent" part. I don't like the tablecloth at all. The decision now is whether to even leave it in. That's one of my big problems ~ sometimes I get impulsive and add things that I don't like the next day. Then its time to balance discontent with diligence. Should I keep working on the tablecloth until it pleases me or give in to my discontent and get rid of it now? I do, however, like the way the vase is starting to shape up. And, I'm also pleased with the placement of the greenery and the flowers. Anyway, guess I'll live with this one on the easel for awhile the way it is before I make any changes.

Morning Bouquet 2

There is no royal road to anything. One thing at a time, and all things in succession. That which grows slowly endures.

J. G. Holland











I like the quote above ~ slow and sure wins the race! Here is the result of my second session with the Morning Bouquet. Although there doesn't seem to be too much progress at first glance there's actually a lot of new stuff going on. The table has taken on more dimension and the vase is starting to appear in the background. Another thing that is becoming very clear to me is that there is too much light in the upper right corner. Although it's not quite so obvious in person, the photograph really brings out the contrast. I had originally thought I would do red flowers but now am thinking maybe white. For now, I'm just going to keep working on the background. Once I darken the corner and add a little more green it will be easier to reach a decision on the flowers. No rush ~ steady progress.

Morning Bouquet

Be regular and orderly in your life like a bourgeois, so that you may be violent and original in your work.

Gustave Flaubert










I have hit a wall in several of the projects I'm working on and finally decided last night that I just needed to start something new and get a brush back in my hand. Keeping with the theme of "nothing is working right" this photograph doesn't come close to showing the colors on the canvas. For some reason my camera has decided to do its own color editing ~ whatever. I am not in the mood to pull out the manual and figure it out this morning. This picture does, however, capture the values that I'm going to be working with ~ at least as I have them so far. Bright light in the upper right hand corner will reflect off the left hand side of the table while the left top of the picture will fade into darkness as will the edge under the table. Getting started on the background of a painting is always the loosest painting I do and for me the most creative. I'll do a couple more sessions on this background before I begin the bouquet. I need to know where the color is going to go with this before I decide on the flowers. Next time I promise a better photo.

As far as the quote above, being "regular and orderly" in my life explains the lack of posts recently. It was thrilling last night to put aside my bourgeois existence, turn on some Beethoven and become "violent." I highly recommend it.

The Sailor

Roll on, thou deep and dark blue ocean ~ roll!
Ten thousand fleets sweep over thee in vain;
Man marks the earth with ruin ~ his control
Stops with the shore.

Lord Byron


When I was twelve years old I crossed the Atlantic aboard the SS Stavangerfjord with my parents to visit my father's homeland of Denmark. In the middle of our crossing we encountered an enormous storm and for over a day we were tossed about by waves over 40 feet tall. My father had been a sailor in his earlier days. He thoroughly enjoyed the storm and his serene acceptance of our situation calmed all my fears. Peering outside it was quite a sight to watch the sailors crawl across the open deck clutching a rope above their heads that had been strung from the main part of the ship to the bridge.

While I hoped to convey some sense of alarm in the sailor's face above, I also hoped to convey that same sense of acceptance my father wore on his face. We live in the middle of many storms over which we have no control ~ might as well accept it. But just like that storm on the sea, the calm eventually comes.

Wildflowers

Faith moves mountains, but you have to keep pushing while you are praying.

Mason Cooley


I love this little bouquet of wildflowers. There was no source material for this painting ~ sometimes I just like to see what shows up on the canvas. As far as the quote above, it just seemed to fit right in with how I'm feeling about being an artist right now. I'm not sure where it's going but I'm just going to keep on plugging away.

Oh, a little update on the Megilp. While cleaning out some files I found an article from the June, 2005 Artist's Magazine saying that the new medium from Gamblin ~ New Megilp ~ doesn't yellow or darken over time but still provides a luminous quality to oil paint. Now I'm glad I bought that bottle at Pearl!

The White House

Always design a thing by considering it in its next larger context ~ a chair in a room, a room in a house, a house in an environment, an environment in a city plan.

Eero Saarinen

I have always loved cities ~ particularly those that are laid out beautifully. Washington, D.C. and its many circles, New York and its parks, and, of course, arguably the most beautiful of all cities, Venice and its winding canals all come to mind. An antique etching of a house perched along one of the canals in Venice was the source for this small oil. As I got closer and closer to finishing this painting I was struck by how it began to look more and more like an abstract. Venice, built centuries before the abstract movement was born, like all cities is merely a product of countless components. Great cities, like great paintings, depend primarily on great design.

Going Fishing 4

Inconsistency is the only thing in which men are consistent.

Horace Smith


The only thing consistent about this blog is that I consistently come back to it. Anyway, I finished this little painting this morning. While visiting New York I picked up a bottle of Neo Megilp at the Pearl Paint store on Canal Street. It's a medium to be mixed with oil paint that the woman in the store guaranteed me would not only provide a lovely gloss to the paint but help it go on more smoothly. Before I started painting this morning I cleaned out some of my files where I keep notes on all sorts of tips and helpful hints . Wouldn't you know I came across one that said not to use Megilp as it causes darkening and cracking. I decided to use it anyway ~ after all, everyone has an opinion on what works and what doesn't. That goes for just about everything in life too, I've found, not just painting techiques. Anyway, my fishing boy is on his way.