I have finally finished updating my website. It was long over due.
After many long hours and numerous calls to our son, Mike, for assistance - I can finally call it finished. Now I can get back to painting!
I hope you will take a look at it. Thank you!
Celene
Happy painting!
Celene
Last month we lost our 10 year old dog, Ginger. We buried her beneath the dog tree in our back yard. Five dogs now sleep beneath that old pine tree - an Irish Setter, two English Setters and now, two Golden Retrievers.
"No more dogs" we said. "It is too hard when we lose them!"
But we have always had a dog. The house is too quiet. There is an empty space in our house and in our hearts. Her toys are still in the corner. We automatically look for her. Is that her scratching at the door?
"No" we said. "We are too old to have another dog. All the work, the chewing, the training, etc, etc... No more dogs!"
Then, a few days later, our son stopped in and told us about a new litter of Golden Retriever pups at a local farm. Our first response was no, but the seed was planted... By the next day, after seriously talking it over and knowing in our hearts that we needed another dog, I called the farm.
We are now waiting on a new Golden puppy. She will be ready to come home with us on July 1st.
Rest well, Ginger Dog. We will always miss you.
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I don't know why I enjoy pirate paintings - but I do...
I just finished this little painting. Now it has to dry, be varnished, then it will go into my eBay Store.
What ever subject you choose, you will enjoy the painting process if it makes you smile. Pick something that you enjoy!
Spring is coming, the red wing blackbirds are back. That's good for a smile, too....
Happy painting.
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| Pirate's Cove 5x7 oil |
Celene
Celene
The reasons for an underpainting.
Trying to juggle shapes, values, composition and color all at once often result in frustration, muddy colors and unsuccessful paintings. Breaking the painting process into two distinct parts will greatly simplifiy the process.
A painting can be broken down into two basic steps -
1. The Foundation (underpainting)- establishing the composition, shapes and values. This is done as a monochromatic underpainting, creating the structure of your painting. In this step you can easily add, subtract and move objects around. Here you also establish your value pattern.
2. Color - To the finished, dried and correct underpainting you now only have to worry about adding color with all its subtle nuances and complications.
The underpainting is done in either thin oil washes or in black and white acrylic. If I am outside painting I do an underpainting in thin oil washes that will dry quickly in the outside air. In my studio I prefer black and white acrylic. Acrylic, a water based paint, dries quickly, covers well, is easy to work with, and has no odor.
I ask my students to think of baking a cake. You cannot frost the cake until it is baked. And if the cake doesn't have good ingredients, no amount of frosting will make it better.
In painting, if you don't have a strong foundation, no amount of color will make the painting better.
So break the painting process into two steps. First create a strong, correct foundation (underpainting) of shapes, values and placement. (Your cake)
Then you can concentrate on adding color, with all it subtle nuances. (Frosting)
This is such a logical way to paint. Painting is difficult - so why not try to simplify the process a bit by breaking it into steps?
Below is my black & white acrylic underpainting. I worked on it, making changes and adjustments until I was satisfied. The second picture shows the beginning stages of adding the colors.
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| The Blue Bottle - black & white acrylic underpainting. The composition, shapes and values are established. |
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| Now I can begin to add the color in oil paint. |
Last week I decided to paint a still life. I looked through my collection of "stuff" in my studio. I was looking for - a tall object, a shiny glass object, something colorful and some small fill-in objects.
Back at my easel, I placed my objects in my shadow box in a pattern that appealed to me. I use a shadow box to confine my objects and eliminate any distractions. My single light source comes from a spotlight. (You can see extra highlights from my regular studio lights but I ignore them.)
So now I had my basic composition. A little boring perhaps.
After laying in a basic underpainting as a foundation, I rarely look at the set up again. I just paint. I try to remember the basics of good composition - unity, variety, balance, color, edges and values.
I'm not interested in just copying these objects. I'm not creating a catalog for a department store - I'm creating a painting.
As you can see in the finished painting - I changed the little glass vase and added the flowers. And then made a few more changes...
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| My set up |
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| Late Summer Roses, 9x12 |
