Category acrylics

Value Studies

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6 x 8 inch drawing and value studies

I have been doing these studies to work on drawing & value accuracy.

They are shown in the order that I painted them, left to right, top to bottom.

Numbers 1, 5, 6, 8, and 10 are copies of Masterpaintings; the others are painted from photographs, either mine, or from http://www.Unsplash.com

Most of them are in oil paint; # 8 &9 are in gouache.

This has been very instructive and helpful. I like seeing the progress through them. I know that I’ve become more accurate in my drawing, as I can do a check using the Procreate app on my ipad; I overlay my drawing at a reduced opacity on the masterpainting or photo, and can see how they line up (or don’t!). I’m making fewer adjustments for the later paintings.

Painterly Portrait Course, Spring 2024

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Self-portrait, 9 x 12 ins, pastel on Pastelmat
Photo taken by my sister. I was sitting by a north facing window: there was no other illumination.
Composition Explorations
Color choices and color study, 9 x 12
Placing the features by using comparative distances (with a skewer!) I am really glad to have improved at this skill from the teaching in the Painterly Portrait Course.
The color chart and underpainting (a thin layer of pastel in local colors, brushed with rubbing alcohol).

Learning Pastels

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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 monochrome sketch, with some initial color choices
Trials of 3 composition ideas
Preparations for Painting a portrait
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…

Fiona from a screenshot

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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!

Big Summer Project

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Helping Others Soar, Oil on Linen panel, 24 x 36 ins

This project has been occupying a lot of my summer painting time, and has now come to a happy completion!

The Wabash Valley Community Foundation will be celebrating its 30th Anniversary this year and wanted to celebrate by obtaining artwork from local artists, illustrating in some way their work and impact on the community over the past 30 years. In April they put out a call for submissions of ideas and current work. I made a proposal and was one of 15 people selected to complete a piece of art. The plan was to select and purchase six of those completed.

I visited their offices and studied their history and work. I was drawn to those people who had used their wealth to set up educational scholarships. I chose to focus on this couple, both now deceased, who were successful local, family business owners. (The business continues in the hands of their son, who was very helpful in giving me access to photos of his parents).

They were both keen pilots, owning several of their own airplanes (one is pictured in the back right of the painting) and they established a scholarship for students in the aviation program at Indiana State University, administered by the Community Foundation.

I learned last week that my painting was one of those selected to be purchased and will hang in the offices of the Wabash Valley Community Foundation in Terre Haute.

Portrait Society Conference, 2022

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In April I attended the Annual Conference of the Portrait Society of America, in Atlanta, Georgia. I had a wonderful time!

Before Christmas I did not even know about the Society, but when my husband gave me (for Christmas) the book by Michael Shane Neal, ‘Portrait Painting–My Point of View’, I read about the Society and then looked it up online. I found that there was an annual Conference and I surprised myself by thinking, ‘I could go!’

I met so many great people, attendees and faculty. The demonstrations were fascinating, instructive and inspiring. I went to the free critique sessions on both lunchtimes and obtained advice from four different artists. The evening free drawing session was thoroughly enjoyable; having faculty there to ask for help was a wonderful benefit.

There were so many different styles of painting represented and so many approaches, which was very reassuring! I came home with new ideas, fresh inspiration, and increased incentive to practice and branch out.

I hope to go next year.

Images from the Face-Off session, Mary Whyte’s fascinating talk, double artist demonstrations on the main stage, and a breakout session.

Plein Air today

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8 x 8 ins, Oil on Linen Panel

I painted this from my front porch this afternoon, an exhilarating experience. It was a crisp, clear, windy December day. My focus was the large maple tree in the middle of the front lawn, and the way the nearly-setting sun was lighting it, although by the time I finished (an hour later) the light had pretty much gone from the tree.

I took a lot of artistic license with the view and completely removed the houses across the street (their complexity and presence did not add to my ideas about the tree), so this is not actually the view from our porch, but my ideas about the tree and the light this afternoon. I loved doing it.

Arts Illiana ‘Masks’ Exhibition

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I was happy to have two paintings accepted for the current ‘Masks’ Exhibition at the Arts Illiana Gallery, Terre Haute, March 5-May 21, 2021. The first one I painted is a self-portrait, although I am so masked that it could not truly be called a portrait!

We flew to Albany, NY twice in Dec 2020, first to visit a sick relative and then to attend her funeral. I wanted to have a rest on the flight, so I put on my eye mask, and then thought this was peculiar–my face was now totally covered! With some experimentation I was able to take some selfies with my phone and painted from these after we returned home.

Flying 2020, 8 x 10 ins, Oil on canvas panel

Arts Illiana Small Works exhibit

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Three small pieces (less than 12 ins in any dimension) were accepted for the 2020 Arts Illiana Small Works Show, Dec 4, 2020-Feb 19, 2021.

‘One of A Pair’ and ‘Red Pepper’ are each 6 x 8 ins, oil, matted and framed to be 8 x 10 ins.

‘Lenten Rose’ is 7 ins square, watercolor, framed to be 8 x 8 ins.

All pieces in this Show had to be for sale and to my delight, One of A Pair and Red Pepper have both sold!