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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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

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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