Learning Pastels

May 29, 2024May 25, 2024mayhewjnm 2 Comments

For a long time I have admired the luminosity and colors of paintings done using the pastel medium, but have considered it too messy of a process.

In February, I saw Alain Picard’s ‘Portrait Week’ advertised. His portraits really appeal to me, and I wanted to know how he achieved his effects, so I signed up.

I found that he is a very well-organized, knowledgeable, and encouraging teacher.

My reference photo, from Raw Umber Studios, UK

The finished product, at the end of the week.

This painting has some wild color choices (how do pastel artists achieve color harmony!?—in oils we use a limited palette of colors; I have a lot to learn!).

Additionally, the pastel marks are too linear and scribbly. Making more blocky marks requires breaking the pastel sticks into smaller pieces; I just couldn’t bear to break up my lovely sticks yet!

The 3 x 3 block on the lower left shows my color choices for the skin tone palette, cool to warm across, and light to dark downwards. (This seems to be the first step in controlling color harmony).

Overall, for a first attempt I was encouraged enough to keep going!

So I signed up for his six week ‘Painterly Portrait Course’, held in March and April…

Portrait Society Conference 2024 #2

May 27, 2024May 25, 2024mayhewjnm 2 Comments

One of the great aspects of the Portrait Society Conference is the opportunity to draw from life—the wonderful models they engage for the conference time.

The first drawing here was from a breakout session (workshop) which I had chosen. The model was dressed and posed very similarly to a drawing by John Singer Sargent. We also had a copy of that drawing to refer to.

The other two drawings were from an evening open studio. There were three models present, and during the 3 hours of the studio we could choose one, or all three. Several faculty were present, to give advice when needed.

All there drawings are on gray-toned sketch paper.

I also loved watching professional artists paint people from life, receiving critiques from professional artists on my own paintings, learning some very helpful and interesting information from the talks and lectures, and meeting up with faculty and attendees that I’ve met at the previous conferences.

Portrait Society Conference 2024, #1

May 24, 2024mayhewjnm Leave a comment

Per-Conference Workshop

In April I went to the annual conference of the Portrait Society of America, this year in Atlanta, GA. I had a wonderful time!

I took an all-day pre-conference workshop with Louis Carr, on preparing for painting by doing color studies. He was a great teacher, starting with a fascinating talk on human perception and the illusions of color.

All 30 people in the class painted color studies under his direction, from small photos of other paintings, just trying to match their shapes and colors.

Fiona from a screenshot

April 9, 2024April 9, 2024mayhewjnm 1 Comment

Fiona, Talking to me, 9 x 12 ins. oil on canvas panel

As I was talking to 6 year old Fiona on a screen call, the lighting and the colors caught in the late afternoon sun captivated me, and I quickly moved my finger to take a screen shot. I took several more photos in that pose, and chose this pose to paint from.

I posted this on the Ian Robert’s Mastering Composition Community and was really pleased when Ian Roberts chose it as one of the Community Paintings to comment on in the monthly Community Zoom call.

He said, “That just the portrait, love it, love it. I mean, just so much character to it, and it’s not overpainted over and over trying to get it all right; it just got it right and left it, and had a photograph good enough, that gave us the lights and the darks that allowed it to happen.” (Transcript of Zoom words). That was rewarding!

Holding On—No Longer

December 15, 2023December 15, 2023mayhewjnm 2 Comments

(I wrote this post earlier this year, but then did not want to publish it, as my mum was declining. Now that she is gone, I feel I can honor her by publishing it. She liked the painting and had a print of it made and kept it in her kitchen).

I miss her. This painting brings me good memories.

Oil on Canvas Panel, 16 x 20 ins

This is a painting of someone very dear to me. She was widowed at age 74, survived a lymphoma at age 79, and here in this painting at 86 is still living a brave, determined and out-ward focused life.

The painting won First Place in Oil Painting at the Wabash Valley Art Guild Spring Show this year.

Catch up—Bold Brushwork course 2023

December 8, 2023December 8, 2023mayhewjnm Leave a comment

December 07, 2023

(I wrote this a couple of months ago, but a lot of October and November has been taken up with the end of life of my mother. She has now passed away, and I’m attempting to return to my ‘usual’ practices).

Following on from the Mastering Composition Course (Ian Roberts) which I took in January-March 2023, I then signed up for the Bold Brushwork Course (April-June). This was only open to people who had taken part in the Mastering Composition Course.

The first lessons and exercises were to practice value scales, edge scales and gradations in paint—(Ivory black and Titanium White). Most students used oil paint, although some used acrylic, watercolor, gouache, or pastel.

Then we painted compositions in black and white, concentrating on values, shapes, and edges, using a ‘Paint It and Leave it’ approach.

The next step was to consider color temperature, and to do this we added yellow ochre to the palette to indicate warm light, and used the ivory black to indicate cool light. (Our paintings were limited to warm light and cool shadow situations for the learning purpose).

In the final part of the course, we added an extra color dimension and used Ultramarine Blue, Cadmium Orange and Titanium White. Now there was more intensity to deal with, either to mute or to use in small amounts as an accent.

It was a very rewarding course. I felt I improved at putting on thick paint and ‘one touch’ brushstrokes, and gained a much better understanding of color temperature.

Frozen For a Moment

September 20, 2023September 20, 2023mayhewjnm Leave a comment

The photo I took of her wearing the dress I bought for her.

After painting ‘Katherine in Grey’ I decided to try a full color painting using a grisaille underpainting. I bought an online class to help me—Oil Painting Portrait Glazing class by Will Kemp.

For all of the figure and dress I used two simple triads of colors—Mars Yellow, Chinese Vermillion, and Turquoise light, all by Sennelier, plus Ultramarine Blue, Burnt Umber and Titanium White by Geneva Fine Art.

I enjoyed the process of all the steps and layers. Maybe I’ll try it again!

Katherine in Gray

August 26, 2023August 26, 2023mayhewjnm Leave a comment

After doing some underpaintings in Black and white (and gray!) I started this one of Katherine. I used an app called Value Study to get the basic idea. The background is a light layer of burnt sienna.

I was planning to paint color layers over it, but so many people said they like it as it is that I left it!

Portrait Society Conference 2023

August 16, 2023August 16, 2023mayhewjnm Leave a comment

In May I attended the Annual Conference of The Portrait Society, my second year to go, this time in Reston, VA. I had a wonderful time, meeting people from last year, meeting new people, learning new things and receiving critiques.

This year I attended a pre-conference workshop, 9 am-4 pm on Thursday before the Conference started. From the 4 options available I chose ‘Drawing on Emotion’ with Mary Whyte. She gave us drawing instruction in the morning and I drew each of the two models.

In the afternoon she guided us through considering how to instruct and pose the models to depict a certain, chosen emotion. Again I drew the two models. She walked around and gave us helpful critiques on our drawings.

The first main event of the Conference on Thursday evening was the ‘Face-Off’, where 18 artists paint or sculpt 6 models, 3 artists to each model. Attendees could walk around and watch the portraits in progress—all very different approaches!

I also enjoyed two breakout sessions, several main stage demos and talks, the Gala Banquet, and the talks with artists who were the finalists in the International Competition. A highlight for me, as last year, were the lunch time Critique Sessions. I showed my portfolio to six different artists and received very helpful advice.

All in all it was a wonderful four days of learning and inspiration!

William T. Thurman Plein Air competition

July 17, 2023mayhewjnm 1 Comment

White Chapel, Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology

Oil on panel, 9 x 12 ins

My vantage point to paint the White Chapel. On the first session out, 6/22, I did not think to include my easel in the photo.

This Plein Air competition, the first of its kind in Terre Haute, was run by the Swope Art Museum and the Indiana Plein Air Painter’s Association, 6/22-6/24, 2023.

I have not done much plein air painting, but was keen to join in because I thought it was an encouragement to do more, and support this community event.

All participants had to present their blank canvases (max #5) to the Swope Art Museum for a stamp on the back to verify it was blank.

I was delighted to find that my painting of the White Chapel was given an Award of Recognition!

The winning paintings from the event (including this one) are on display at the Swope Art Museum from July 14-Aug 19, and all others painted over those 3 days are on display at the Arts Illiana Gallery for the same time period.

marymayhewart

art from my life

Author mayhewjnm