Fixing a problem painting

I received an interesting question. “How can I fix a painting that isn’t working? I’ve tried everything, but it just gets worse.”

My thought is, "maybe you can't."

When I have a painting that doesn’t work, I step away for a few minutes and return with an objective eye. For me, the problem is either technical or the subject matter. If the basic structure of the painting is wrong, no amount of fiddling will correct it. If I’m not excited by the subject matter, I know it will be a battle all the way and I will probably lose. My solution is to admit to myself that this painting will never work and that I need to wipe it off. If I can’t remove enough paint and think the remnants will bother me, I can either throw it out or repaint the entire canvas with a flat, neutral tone and put it aside to dry.

It’s empowering to wipe out a failed painting and start over. Without a new beginning, no amount of fiddling or reworking will succeed. When a painting is working you can feel it. You are in “The Zone”. If that spell is broken by distractions, stop and take a break. Some days painting is easy, other days it is a struggle. I don’t have as much time for painting as I would like, so I’m not going to waste my time on a compromised painting.

If you feel that your painting isn’t working, put your brush down, step back and analyze it for composition, subject matter, drawing, perspective, values, colors, mood - all the many technical components that make up a good painting. Be honest with yourself. Admit that the painting isn’t working and try to figure out why. If you continue to overwork a bad start you will be frustrated and the results will be stiff and unsatisfactory because the underlying problems are still there. So have the courage to wipe off your canvas and start fresh.

When working from photographs, it’s not enough to just copy what you see. That's what a camera does. It captures everything - the good and the bad. You are an artist and need to make the necessary technical corrections while imparting a bit of yourself and your emotions into each painting.

Failed paintings are necessary for growth. How can we improve without making mistakes? Learn from them. Accept them as part of the learning process and don’t let them overwhelm you.  

Another thought. If you have a recurring problem, try to find the solution in your art books or ask an artist friend for advice. I'll often ask my husband for his honest opinion and he often points out things that I didn't notice.

If all else fails, it's a great satisfaction to throw the failed painting in the trash. Out of sight - out of mind. Grab a cup of coffee and start over.

Happy painting.

Celene

My Website -  CeleneFarris.com

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Email me at - mail@CeleneFarris.com

May's Virtual Hike - Florida Keys

May's destination for our Virtual Hike Painting Group, using Google Street Views, is - The Florida Keys. 

This was a fun destination. The colors are so bright and festive it was hard not to get carried away. This painting has a bit more detail than I usually add, but it was hard to stop!

Colors of Key Largo, 9x12, oil on canvas panel. Available

You are invited to join our virtual painting group. It is great fun, it's free and no strings attached. And you can interpret the scene as you wish. We use Google Street Views from Google Maps to explore our assigned monthly destination. Then we send a picture of our painting, with the Google Map link, to Marla and she puts it on the group's site on her blog. It really is a fun adventure. And it's interesting to see what the other artists have created!

For more info and to join - just click on Marla's link The Virtual Hike Painting Group .

This painting is available in my eBay Store. And, as always, you can purchase this painting, or any of my paintings, directly from me if you prefer.

Thanks for visiting. Happy painting. Happy exploring.

Celene

My Website -  CeleneFarris.com

My eBay Store -  Celene Farris, Maine Artist

My Facebook Page - Celene Farris, Maine Artist

Email me at - mail@CeleneFarris.com

All those extra tubes of paint

Ok, so you want to simplify your palette of colors but what about all those extra tubes of paint you bought?

Sorting - Get out all your tubes of paint and sort them into 7 piles. A pile for each primary color - red, yellow and blue. And a pile for each secondary color - orange, green and purple... And one pile for all the "odd" colors.

Now choose two versions (a warm and a cool, or a bright and a dull) of each of the three primary colors  - 2 reds, 2 yellows and 2 blues. This is your basic double primary palette. Six tubes of paint.

As you become familiar with this simplified palette, you can begin to expand your primary color range - example - substituting a purple or green for one of your blues, or an orange or purple for one of your reds, etc. See image above.

You can also add special colors for a special needs. But try to limit your palette to 6-8 colors, plus white.

You now have an interesting and controllable range of colors that you can adjust as needed.

(Remove that "odd" pile of colors and put them away for another use.)

After you have sorted through your tubes of paint, you might find that you have enough choices so that you won't have to buy any more paint - except maybe white - for a long time. Isn't that great!

Happy painting!        

 Celene

My Color Palette

I'm often asked, "What colors do you use?"

Since we know that all colors are created from the three primary colors, this is a good place to start.

I start with a double primary palette - two versions of each of the primaries - red, yellow and blue, plus titanium white. I choose a bright and a dull version of each. You can vary your choices for these three primaries. This will give a slightly different nuance to your color mixtures.

Often a painting will require a special color. I add these as necessary but I always start with the basic primary colors and build from that.

When painting landscapes, I will add orange and burnt sienna - two very helpful and convenient colors to mix with blue to create a variety of greens.

If I am painting lilacs, I will add purple. I can mix a purple, but nothing says "lilacs" to me except Dioxazine Purple.

And seascapes will see the addition of Veridian or Thalo Green.

But I aways start with my basic 6 colors and add the extras. By keeping your color palette simple you will have better control over your color mixtures.

So, to answer the question, “What colors do you use?” Here is my current basic double primary palette.

Cad Yellow Light & Yellow Ochre

*Light Red & Alizarin Crimson

Ultramarine Blue & Cerulean Blue

Titanium White

Other colors as needed

*Just a note - Light Red, an earth color, is a very saturated, dull red. It is very strong, so just a bit goes a long way. A bit added to white makes beautiful, gentle pinks, just a bit added to other colors imparts warmth.

For a brilliant red, mix Alizarin Crimson with Cad Yellow Light. Interesting!

Now what to do with all the tubes of paint you bought and don't need... See ideas in my next post.

Happy painting!     Celene

My Website -  CeleneFarris.com

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Email me - mail@CeleneFarris.com

April's Virtual Hike - Germany

 

April's destination for our Virtual Hike Painting Group, using Google Street Views, is "The Romantic Highway" in Bavaria, Germany. 

This picturesque village of Schwangau, Bavaria, high in the mountains, with its quaint houses and red roofs, and the towering Alps in the background seems lost in time.

The golden statue of Aphrodite in the village green is a surprise. Constructed in 2013, she is 15 feet tall, covered in 24 carat gold and points the way to the Royal Crystal Thermal Baths.

The Royal Crystal Thermal Baths are modern, inspired and styled after the nearby Neuschwanstein and Hohenschwangau castles. The spa's name reflects the use of 15 tons of gems and semi-precious stones in its décor. It is also known for its spectacular views of the royal castles and the Allgau Alps.

Schwangau, Bavaria, Germany
9x12, oil on canvas panel

The exploration and local history is another fun reason why I enjoy the concept of this painting group. We certainly live in an interesting world!

You are invited to join our virtual painting group. It is great fun, it's free and no strings attached. And you can interpret the scene as you wish. We use Google Street Views from Google Maps to explore our assigned monthly destination. Then we send a picture of our painting, with the Google Map link, to Marla and she puts it on the group's site on her blog. It really is a fun adventure. And it's interesting to see what the other artists have created!

For more info and to join - just click on Marla's link The Virtual Hike Painting Group .

This painting is available in my eBay Store. And, as always, you can purchase this painting, or any of my paintings, directly from me if you prefer.

Thanks for visiting. Happy painting. Happy exploring.

Celene

My Website -  CeleneFarris.com

My eBay Store -  Celene Farris, Maine Artist

My Facebook Page - Celene Farris, Maine Artist

Email me at - mail@CeleneFarris.com

Hello April - Goodbye March

March in Maine is a long month, acting like a spoiled child - sweet and all smiles one day and temper tantrums the next. That was our March this year. Cold, gray, gloomy days of snow, then rain. Ice, then mud. Then sunshine. Repeat.

It was a good time for spring cleaning both our house and my studio. And a good time to inventory my work for the coming season. I did find quite a few unfinished paintings that showed promise. And, of course, some that went in the trash.

And the first of the month means a new destination for Marla's "Virtual Hike". I look forward to each new adventure. It's interesting to explore the area and that leads up to researching information about my chosen sites. I find it fascinating and hope to chose two sites each month!

Our Maine landscape colors are quite neutral right now - an assortment of browns and grays for the bare trees and fields, the birches, the road and the patches of old snow. Dark green for the evergreens. Raw sienna for any lingering leaves left on the trees and for the dry, wild grasses. A variety of browns for mud and dirt. The sky a grayed blue but often there is a bit of pale orange in the sunlit clouds. The colors may sound a bit dull, but there is a feeling of awakening and a nice warm harmony of colors with all these neutrals. It reminds me of an old tweed jacket, a bit shabby but still warm and comfortable.

Soon our landscape will change into a riot of bright colors. Green grass and all the spring flowers!

Thanks for visiting with me. Happy painting!

 Celene

My Website -  CeleneFarris.com

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Email me at - mail@CeleneFarris.com

Surprised and honored.

I was wonderfully surprised and so very pleased to have my painting of apple blossoms chosen as the new banner for the Facebook Group - Still Life Artists/Painters on March 25, 2025.

I wish to sincerely thank the group administrator, Lin Anne Luciano Fiore. It is an honor I will always remember.

Apple Blossoms
Framed 9x12, oil on canvas panel. Available.

Celene

My Website -  CeleneFarris.com

My eBay Store -  Celene Farris, Maine Artist

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Email me at - mail@CeleneFarris.com

March's Virtual Hike - Australia 2

March's Virtual Hike, using Google Street Views, continues in Australia. 

I continued my travels along The Great Ocean Road to Wrecks Beach at Great Otway National Park. This coastal area is known as "The Shipwreck Coast" for a good reason. 

From the parking area, it is a steep, 350 step descent to wild Wreck Beach. There the rusted anchors and various metal debris of the Marie Gabrielle and numerous shipwrecks can still be seen at low tide, a haunting reminder of the lives claimed by this treacherous stretch of water. More remnants are submerged in the deeper waters. 

Park signs are posted along the beach warning visitors to - "Be aware of local and tidal conditions and be well prepared". Access to this beach is only at low tide.

Wreck Beach, Vic. Australia
11x14, oil on canvas panel

The exploration and local history is another reason why I enjoy the concept of this painting group. We certainly live in a fascinating world!

You are invited to join our virtual painting group. It is great fun, it's free and no strings attached. And you can interpret the scene as you wish. We use Google Street Views from Google Maps to explore our assigned monthly destination. Then we send a picture of our painting, with the Google Map link, to Marla and she puts it on the group's site on her blog. It really is a fun adventure. And it's interesting to see what the other artists have created!

For more info and to join - just click on Marla's link The Virtual Hike Painting Group .

This painting is available in my eBay Store. And, as always, you can purchase this painting, or any of my paintings, directly from me if you prefer.

Thanks for visiting. Happy painting. Happy exploring.

Celene

My Website -  CeleneFarris.com

My eBay Store -  Celene Farris, Maine Artist

My Facebook Page - Celene Farris, Maine Artist

Email me at - mail@CeleneFarris.com

March's Virtual Hike - Australia 1

March's Virtual Hike - Australia 1

This month's Virtual Hike, using Google Street Views, takes us along The Great Ocean Road - from Port Fairy to Barwon Bluff, in southern, coastal Australia. 

This area is called "The Shipwreck Coast" for a good reason. I started my journey in Port Fairy and after searching around I found a side road that led to the sea. I came upon this scene and it was perfect - the bright orange against all that lush greenery.

Now I will travel farther along the coast and look for another fun scene to paint!

The Orange Kayak
Port Fairy, Vic. Australia
11x14, oil on canvas panel

This painting is available in my eBay Store. And, as always, you can always purchase my work directly from me if you prefer.

You are invited to join our virtual painting group. It is great fun, it's free and no strings attached. And you can interpret the scene as you wish. We use Google Street Views from Google Maps to explore our assigned monthly destination. Then we send a picture of our painting, with the Google Map link, to Marla and she puts it on the group's site on her blog. It really is a fun adventure. And it's interesting to see what the other artists have created!

For more info and to join - just click on Marla's link The Virtual Hike Painting Group .

Thanks for visiting. Happy painting.

Celene

My Website -  CeleneFarris.com

My eBay Store -  Celene Farris, Maine Artist

My Facebook Page - Celene Farris, Maine Artist

Email me at - mail@CeleneFarris.com

February's Virtual Hike - Paris, France

February's Virtual Hike, again using Google Street Views, takes us to Paris, France.

What a beautiful city to explore! We truly live in a fascinating world. I could spend hours on the computer just roaming around. The buildings are amazing!

And then, of course, there is the history of the area ... more hours on the computer.

So, for starters, I looked up the Eiffel Tower. It was constructed in 1887-1889 of wrought-iron lattice, standing 1083 ft tall. Built for the 1889 World's Fair and to celebrate the centennial of the French Revolution (1787-1799). 

One of my favorite books is Charles Dicken's "A Tale of Two Cities" about the French Revolution. More computer time.... 

This was an interesting scene that I really enjoyed - so I painted it twice.

Paris in the Morning 9x12, oil on canvas panel

Evening in Paris 9x12, oil on canvas panel

Sidebar - Do you remember the perfume - "Evening in Paris" that came in a pretty, cobalt blue glass bottle? It was my favorite when I was a teenager - many, many years ago. So I had to look that up too ... Soir de Paris (Evening in Paris) is the most known fragrance by Bourjois, which was created by Ernest Beaux in 1928. It was discontinued in 1969, then reorchestrated and relaunched in 1992. (It probably doesn't smell the same...)

These paintings are available in my eBay store. And as always, you can always purchase any of my work directly from me if you prefer.

You are invited to join our virtual painting group. It is great fun, it's free and no strings attached. And you can interpret the scene as you wish. We use Google Street Views from Google Maps to explore our assigned monthly destination. Then we send a picture of our painting, with the Google Map link, to Marla and she puts it on the group's site on her blog. It really is a fun adventure. And it's interesting to see what the other artists have created!

For more info and to join - just click on Marla's link The Virtual Hike Painting Group .

Happy painting, happy exploring.

Celene

My Website -  CeleneFarris.com

My eBay Store -  eBay Store Celene Farris, Maine Artist

My Facebook Page -  Facebook Celene Farris, Maine Artist

Email me at - mail@CeleneFarris.com

Tell your own story.

Waiting for Spring, 9x12, oil. SOLD

January's cold, snowy days are a perfect time to sit in my studio with a cup of hot tea and pull out my art books. No matter how many times I read them, I still find something interesting to think about. Today it was landscapes.

Landscape books often recommend beginning with the sky. The inference is that the sky's coloration and mood set the key for the whole painting. It is also suggested that we paint from the top down, working back to front. Supposedly when we reach the foreground, the painting should be complete. Maybe yes, maybe no.

To me and my way of painting, it make more sense to begin with the most important aspects of my painting - the focal point and the story I want to tell - and key my painting to that. I don't want to be hindered by trying to force my painting into a certain structure. I would rather just paint and see where the painting wants to go. 

Because my paintbrush often has a mind of its own, a sunny day in my reference photo might progress into a stormy day or even a night scene. Starting with the sky doesn't work for me.

So when you start a painting, decide what you want to show and the story you want to tell. Establish your focal point and then just paint. Put the photo aside and enjoy the process. Tell your own story - in your own way.

My thought for the day. Happy painting.

Celene

My Website -  CeleneFarris.com

My eBay Store -  eBay Store Celene Farris, Maine Artist

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Email me at - mail@CeleneFarris.com

January's Virtual Hike - Greece

January's Virtual Hike - Greece 

Somewhere in Greece
8x10, oil on canvas panel   SOLD

Our first destination in Marla's new virtual paint-out group - The Virtual Hike - was Greece, along the route from Athens to Marathon with side trips allowed. It was very interesting to explore this area. There was a lot to see but I had difficulty in finding something to paint, so I took a side trip to the coast. There I found an old abandoned chapel, all white and blue, shining in the sun. I don't know the name of the town, but it was south-east of Marathon. An enjoyable painting adventure.

How the group works - Every month Marla will choose a new destination and post it on her blog. Using Google Street Views we explore the area looking for a scene to paint - without leaving home - a virtual paint-out. 

When your painting is finished you email a photo of your finished painting and it's Google Map Link to Marla. She will post it on her blog as part of a monthly display. It will be a lot of work for her. Thank you so much, Marla.

It's a great concept - from exploration to finished painting. I hope you'll join us. It's free, fun and no strings attached.

If you'd like to join us, click below to meet Marla and read about the group and how to post your work to the site. 

https://marlalaubisch.blogspot.com/2024/12/greece.html

I hope you'll join us. It really is great fun.

These paintings will be posted in my eBay Store, but you can always purchase directly from me if you prefer.

Celene

My Website -  CeleneFarris.com

My eBay Store -  eBay Store Celene Farris, Maine Artist

My Facebook Page -  Facebook Celene Farris, Maine Artist

Email me at - mail@CeleneFarris.com