Tuesday, October 27, 2015

October Plein Air


Enjoyed a warm day last week to paint outside. This is looking across our fields toward the Camden Hills. The weather is getting a bit chilly and plein air painting is almost over for me this year. Sigh.....

October in Maine, 9x12, oil.


This painting is available in my Ebay Store under Landscapes.

Thanks for visiting,
Celene

www.CeleneFarris.com

My Ebay Store - Home

Monday, October 19, 2015

A Simple Start

To answer a request from a former student...... "Please help, I've forgotten how to start a painting!"

For me, the start of a painting is very important. If my foundation is correct, the painting will go smoothly. If my foundation is not correct, it will be a battle all the way.

My goal is not to copy exactly what I see, but to create a painting that is well balanced and conveys my feelings about the scene.

Step 1 - The Value Pattern
Step 1 - Beginning with a thin wash of a neutral color on a toned canvas, I lay in my value pattern, breaking the scene into 4 values - dark, mid-dark, mid-light and light. Checking for compositional errors, I adjust shapes, adding, subtracting or moving elements as needed to create a strong composition.


Step 2 - The Foundation Colors
Step 2 - Following my established value pattern, I thinly lay in my foundation colors as correctly as possible and set my extremes - the darkest dark, lightest light, strongest edge and most intense color. These will be my guide points. Then I set the painting aside to dry a bit before working on the finishing steps.


Wilson Stream, 6x8, oil SOLD

Finishing Steps - Respecting what I have already done and using my extremes to guide me, I apply the finishing layers with thicker paint and cleaner colors. I make minor adjustments as needed.


By working carefully and correctly at each stage, you have a good chance for a successful painting.

Thanks for visiting and happy painting,
Celene



Saturday, October 10, 2015

The Philippines revisited.

My second painting for October's Virtual Paint Out - The Philippine Islands.



Sarangani, Philippines  9x12, oil



This painting is available in my Ebay Store under Virtual Paint Out.


Thank for visiting,

Celene

www.CeleneFarris.com


My Ebay Store - Home Page

October's Virtual Paint Out - The Philippine Islands

This month we are traveling to the Philippine Islands, an archipelago comprising more than 7000 islands in the western Pacific Ocean. 

Located between Taiwan, Vietnam and Malaysia, the Philippine Islands are located on the Pacific Ring of Fire and close to the equator making these tropical islands of mountains and rain-forests prone to earthquakes, active volcanoes and typhoons. 

The areas covered by Google Street Maps are limited, but I enjoyed reading a bit of the geography and history of the country before touring around and picking my scenes to paint. I was struck by the beauty and poverty of this region.



Image result for philippines
Plantation
Sarangani, Philippines  9x12, oil SOLD

To see all my paintings from our Virtual Paint-Out tours, please click here.

Thank for visiting,
Celene

www.CeleneFarris.com

My Ebay Store - Home Page