Along the Road - Finished Work

Finished this 14" x 11" acrylic and mixed media painting yesterday.  As you can tell, when comparing this photo with the photo posted time before last, http://www.skinnerfineart.com/2012/08/along-road-work-in-progress.html, I have toned down the vibrancy.  I always have a tendency to work with highly saturated color.  I don't believe that that's a bad thing - I'm just contemplating my habit of doing so.  It may have something to do with my studio lighting or color, too. I need to research that!

"Along the Road"
framed acrylic
SOLD
(framed)

While working on this I was thinking about Gustav Klimt.  I admire the strong design elements in his work.  I believe I have achieved a strong sense of design with this piece, perhaps a bit shy of Klimt's level of ability, though.  Ha!  This was an experiment, so I do not feel too bad about my results.  I still have uncertain feelings toward acrylic paint.  The speed of drying time is fantastic, but, of course, the workability of the paint is sacrificed.  So, more experimentation is due.  I had planned for this acrylic painting to be the first in a series based around the same subject, but I have another series in mind based on some photos I took of some pine trees.  Maybe I'll just work on two series at once?!  That's do-able!

I'm getting ready to order some stretcher bars for some large format paintings - I'm pretty excited about it - not gonna lie!  I would love to make the stretcher bars myself, but the table saw I have is ancient and has no safety features.  It is an intimidating piece of equipment!  I have really become fond of my fingers and would hate to loose them!  I don't have a wood shop and the old klunker table saw is stored in our shed.  In other words, no place for a new saw.  Aw, well, that is why I love mail order!

Please share any thoughts or questions you may have.

As always, thank-you for looking!

In the Company of Trees

This 14" x 11" oil on gessoed panel was started in Greensburg Park during the paint out last Friday, 8-3-12.  I blocked in the basic shapes and colors using brushes and palette knives while standing under the tree.  I really liked the way the light was filtering through the branches of the tree and I was able to capture some good photos of the tree before I left for the day.

I have started a few other sketches in my journal from these photos.  I plan on working on a much larger scale when I get a fuller sense of the direction for this series of trees.  I'm envisioning many more layers of paint and multiple divisions of shapes.  More divisions of shapes = increasing color divisions, as well.  

Please leave comments or questions in the space provided below.

This is a work in progress!

14" x 11" oil on gessoed panel

on the easel

Thank you for looking!

Along the Road - A Work In Progress

I took the above photo about 3 years ago.  I apologize for the photo's blurriness.  It was the same time of year, if you couldn't guess.  Queen Anne's Lace and Cornflowers...they always bloom together in summertime. 

This is the first day's work.  I sketched everything very loosely in vine charcoal.  I adhered decorative paper and string on the gessoed board with matte medium.  Not really sure where I am going at this point, but I had to let it sit and dry anyway! 

SOLD

Second day's work.  Wow!  That is some vibrant color!  I think I will tone this down a bit!

I'm working with acrylic paint on this painting/mixed media piece.  I have been

experimenting - trying to obtain a certain amount of transparency with the acrylic paint.

Still more work to do.  Update to follow!

Thanks for looking!

Janet

Galaxy 500!

If you are checking out my latest painting I MUST ASK that you PLEASE 

listen to the Reverend Horton Heat's You Tube video which I have linked here:  

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yb_juTPQJUc

This song is partially responsible for my latest plein air (on location) painting completed in the Greensburg, IN, Paint Out today.  It comes in a sturdy black frame and is for sale at the Greensburg art Gallery.  

The MAIN reason I chose this as my subject is the simplicity of the composition.  I love the color of the bricks and the car.  I also, like the way the roofline of the building gently slopes from upper right to lower left.  Relatively straight-forward!  

Also, today, I started a painting of a rather sparsely limbed pine tree from the park in Greensburg.  It will be a zoomed-in abstraction of the tree.  I'm pretty excited about it - I hope it comes out as I am envisioning!

Galaxy 500

oil on panel in black frame (not pictured)

$150

Thank you for looking!

Janet

Fair Warning

Stone Flowers

32" x 28"

oil on canvas

This is a departure from the "norm" for me.  I am working toward creating some more contemporary-feeling pieces.  I have been "doodling" in my journal for quite some time... years.  My journal is not some gorgeous piece of artwork that could be displayed like other artists keep.  Mine is rather sloppy... full of notes, ideas, photos I have taken that have translated into paintings, and doodles of line, shape and value.  These doodles are pretty straightforward...simple compositions, but they make me happy and, for some reason, I have decided I need to create paintings based on them.  That's it, in a nutshell!  

So, when my blog/website takes on a non-cohesive look, this is why.  You have been given fair-warning....