Picaroon

Picaroon

6"x4" watercolor and gouache on paper

A little sketch for a future woodcut. This dinghy lives in Rockport, Maine. The double o in the name was actually the two eyes of a skull and cross bones, but I couldn't make that work. I'll post a better picture tomorrow, when I can take one in natural light.

The Martha-Gayle

The Martha-Gayle

4"x5" watercolor on paper

NFS

The Martha-Gayle is a lobster boat from Port Clyde, Maine, which we saw on our recent boat trip. Painted using the Jo MacKenzie approach.

White House Monhegan

White House Monhegan

4"x5" watercolor on paper

NFS

Just a quick small watercolor of the white house on the east side of Main Street on Monhegan.

This is my 501st post. Thank you all for your support over the last five plus years!

"Red House Monhegan"

"Red House Monhegan"

8"x10" oil on linen panel

NFS

Red House Value underpainting

Red House photo in ValueViewer

Red Houses

Today, our last day on Monhegan, I tackled the famous Red House. I used ValueViewer on the levels setting to show me the scene in 3 values with a 4x4 grid. I don't measure the grid on the panel, but just estimate it by dividing each side of the panel in two, and then in two again. I used the grid to place the most important corners, then estimated the rest of the drawing from that. The value block in came next, and then the color on top of that. I can see posting this that I was chasing the light at the end. I might use the photo of the value painting and the Value View to fix things a bit, but I was happy with what I did. Especially after yesterday afternoon, when I had trouble on Fish Beach. But not as much trouble as the lobsterman who had beached his boat and was then worried about it tipping over as the tide came back in. You can learn a lot plein air painting!

Monhegan Dock

Monhegan Dock

8"x10" oil on linen panel

NFS

I'm on Monhegan with Mary Sheehan Winn, such fun! Yesterday was gray and sprinkling when we arrived and I didn't post my lackluster effort, but today was bright, sunny, and warm. I stood near the dock for three ferry arrivals and captured the trucks as they came and went.

Red Sailboat Watercolor

Red Sailboat Watercolor

4"x4"

Red Sailboat darks only

Red Sailboat darks and midtones

 

Palette, sketchbook, and brush

One of the fun things about Leslie Saeta's 30 paintings in 30 days challenge, is checking out the other paintings and painters. I've really enjoyed the watercolors by Jo MacKenzie, and reading about her process, which is to paint dark to light, the way we do in oil painting. So I bought her book, and above is my first attempt at using her process. I like it!

Tree Study Process

Tree Study

8"x10" oil on canvas panel

NFS

Tree Study: shapes within shapes

Tree Study - color block in

Tree Study: values

Today I worked on a tree study using the method we learned last week from Anne Blair Brown. I am missing the initial step in these posts, which is a set of four small value studies in my sketchbook in pen or marker. I did them, but just keep forgetting to take a photo.

I got a question on yesterday's post on this approach, which was "how do you keep from picking up the underlying burnt sienna?" There are several factors involved: using enough paint, lightness of touch in going over the value study, and consistency of the paint. Initially I thought it was all about the consistency of the second layer, but I now think that the first two are more important. Anne had us mix pools of paint for the color block in, with an emphasis on making big pools. Try this: Paint a stripe of dark burnt sienna (add a little ultramarine blue to darken it), and then with a good bit of paint and a light touch, paint a stripe over it of another color. Try medium or gamsol to vary the consistency of the upper layer, and I think you'll find a way to make this work.

"Grimes Cove"

"Grimes Cove"

11"x14" oil on linen panel
NFS

This was our second and final day in the workshop with Anne Blair Brown. If you get a chance, study with Anne. She had us all out of our comfort zones, and into expressive brushwork. I'm looking forward to spending some time practicing this.

"Ocean Point Rocks"

"Ocean Point Rocks"

8"x10" oil on linen panel
NFS

I'm off my boat theme today and tomorrow, since I'm in a workshop with Anne Blair Brown. I could watch her paint for hours! My day 1 painting is above. We started with four composition sketches, from which one was chosen for the painting. Then a value block-in, followed by a little tuning of each of the student paintings by Ann. Then we did it again and proceeded with color.

Red Sailboat Watercolor

Just a little watercolor in my sketchbook of my three favorites from the previous post.

Scott Christensen Workshop

"Plantation Drive"

6"x8" oil on Canson oil paper

NFS

 "Plantation Road" phase 1

A couple of weeks ago I attended a workshop taught by Scott Christensen, held at a wonderful spot on the Cooper river, near Charleston SC. Despite a lot of rain, it was an incredible experience. The focus was on making quality paintings, and the things one needs to do to make that happen. And how those things involve your brain more often than your paintbrush. I don't have a lot I want to show, but this one I was particularly pleased with, and I think it illustrates some of what we learned.

The phase 1 photo shows my initial stab at the painting. With Scott's help, it became the version at the top. Though the orientation and even value of the road was in reality more like the phase 1 image, I think the foreground of the finished painting is much more effective and gives a better flavor of the place. What do you think?

Woodcut Progress

A print after the blue layer, which is green due to the yellow layer underneath. A little white shows on the boat cabin, from cuts prior to printing the yellow layer.

The block after an initial print of the blue layer, with additional cutting (the light areas).

Today was day 3 of working on my woodcut project with Don Gorvett. On the first day, I transferred my drawing to the board. On day two, I made just a few cuts that would show the white of the paper, and printed the yellow layer. I'm not showing a photo of that, it's really pretty hard to see anything but yellow! Today I did a lot of cutting, to expose everything that would be left yellow. The top photo shows one of today's prints. The blue came out pretty green, due to the yellow layer showing through. I was able to vary that from print to print, some are more blue. The bottom photo is the block after an initial print, just to get an idea, and then some additional cutting. The print above was done with the block in this condition. One more day and it will be done, a reduction woodcut series of eight prints.