The Colors of August

This month's painting and computer time will be taking a back seat to canning and freezing. My studio has moved to my kitchen and is full of color.

Strawberries 

Strawberries and raspberries have been transformed into freezer jam and sauces. So many reds!

Raspberry Freezer Jam

Today I canned the bushel of Jersey peaches we ordered through our local Amish store. Maine blueberries have also been ordered and I will order a bushel of Pennsylvania peaches in a few weeks. Our vegetable garden is doing well and there are green beans to can and beets to pickle. Red tomatoes, bright green and yellow squash and more. So many colors!

Jersey Peaches before

And after

And we can't leave out the lush green fields and bright blue sunny skies. The abundance of color everywhere. The list is endless. We have so much to be thankful for.

More art news:

I was so pleased to be invited by two well-known artists to join their new art groups on Facebook. Artist Sandy Askey-Adams’ new group, Professional Fine Art Artists Gallery Group and artist Allen Bunker’s new group, Oil Paintings for Sale. Since these are “membership by invitation only,” I feel honored.

Our Virtual Paint-Out Group is visiting the Monterey Peninsula in California this month. I’ve been exploring the area via Google Street Maps and hope to paint a few scenes. I snap digital photos from my computer and transfer them to my Kindle. I can then use my Kindle in the studio.

In September, artist Leslie Saeta will host another Thirty Paintings in Thirty Days Challenge. I hope I will have enough free time to participate. Last year I was too busy with the garden produce to paint as much as I would have liked. I will try harder this year. I find that it is a great exercise in discipline to challenge myself to paint every day. We will see what happens this time.

I hope you are enjoying your colorful summer. Thank you for visiting with me.
Celene

www.CeleneFarris.com 

Day # 29 - September 30/30 Challenge, Man and His Dog

A Man and His Dog, 5x7, oil SOLD

Memories of our trip to Stonington, Maine.


Thanks for visiting,
Celene

Day #27 - September 30/30 Challenge, Wind Song

Wind Song, 5x7, oil SOLD

After another busy day, we were sitting outside enjoying the late afternoon sun.  I heard the gentle sound of my wind chime and it seemed to be saying, "paint me".  So I did.

This painting has a new home in Maine.

Thanks for visiting.
Celene

Playing Hooky

September has been a very busy month at our house. We had the sale of our gallery building on the 3rd and the last of the accounting and legal work. Tony is hurrying to finish the outside chores before the colder weather arrives and I am harvesting and canning the last of the garden vegetables.  My painting time is limited and I haven't completed as many paintings as I hoped for the 30/30 challenge. But I'm not giving in yet. Today is zucchini relish day, tomorrow is pickled beets - then I should be done with canning.

Yesterday was so beautiful we decided to skip work and run away for the day.  We drove up the coast to one of my favorite places - Stonington and Deer Isle.  I took lots of pictures - great inspiration for paintings.  I'll share a bit of our day with you.

Deer Isle - Stonington Bridge 

Tony & Ginger

A future painting.

Picked up sandwiches in Stonington.  Parked here for lunch.

Leaving Stonington.

Cape Rosier still has dirt roads.

A cobalt blue day.

Inspiration.

Thanks for visiting.  Time to start the zucchini relish.

Celene

Day #19 - September 30/30 Challenge, Evening Light

Evening Light, 5x7, oil

Day #19.

This painting is available on my Ebay page.

Thanks for visiting.
Celene

Day #18 - September 30/30 Challenge, The Sentinel

The Sentinel, 5x7, oil SOLD

Day #18  I'm still exploring a more neutral color palette.


Thanks for visiting.
Celene

Day #16 - September 30/30 Challenge, Harbor Moon

Harbor Moon, 5x7, oil

Day #16.  Still experimenting with color.

This painting is available on my Ebay page.


Thanks for visiting,
Celene

Day #14 - September 30/30 Challenge, Low Tide

Low Tide, 5x7, oil SOLD

Day #14.  This painting has a new home in Maine.

Thanks for visiting.
Celene

Day #12 - September 30/30 Challenge. Misty Morning

Misty Morning, 5x7, oil SOLD

Still experimenting with color and gamut masks.  This was painted using a very limited palette of white, raw umber as my neutral, yellow ochre pale, ultramarine blue and alizarin crimson as my modified primaries.

Thanks for visiting.
Celene

Day #11 - September 30/30 Challenge, Morning on the River

Morning on the River, 5x7, oil SOLD

September 11th.  A day of reflection.

Thanks for visiting.

Celene

Day # 8 and #9 - September 30/30 Challenge, Snowbound

Snowbound Morning, 5x7, oil SOLD

I am still experimenting with color gamut masks. These different color harmonies are the result of shifting the position of the gamut mask on the color wheel. Working with a limited palette of modified primaries is interesting and sometimes complicated, but at the same time, it simplifies the painting process by limited the colors you can use. I will continue to work on this until I can simplify the concept in my mind.

As you can see, although it is the same reference photo there is a difference in the scene.  I don't like to paint the same scene twice.

Snowbound Evening, 5x7, oil SOLD

Thank you for visiting.

Celene

Day #6 - September 30/30 Challenge, Moon River

Moon River, 5x7, oil SOLD

Thanks for visiting.
Celene

Day #5 - September 30/30 Challenge, Maine Wildflowers

Maine Wildflowers, 5x7, oil

Day #5, still experimenting with color gamut masks.  I do like the color harmonies that result.  Will explain more as I learn more.  These little studies are painted within a limited time frame.  It will be interesting to see how this all works with a more involved studio painting.

This painting is available on my Ebay page.

Thanks for visiting.
Celene

Day # 4 - September 30/30 Challenge, Quiet Cove

Quiet Cove, 5x7, oil

Day #4.  Still working with gamut color masks.

This painting is available on my Ebay page.

Thanks for visiting.
Celene

Day #3 - September 30/30 Challenge, Evening Star

Evening Star, 5x7, oil SOLD

Day three, still working with my gamut color masks.


Thanks for visiting.
Celene

www.CeleneFarris.com
www.TheWorkingArtGallery.com 

Day #2 - September 30/30 Challenge, High Tide

High Tide, 5x7, oil SOLD

This is my second painting using a color gamut mask.  I am really enjoying this new (for me) concept.  I choose from a selection of triangular masks and apply the chosen mask to my color wheel.  The three points on the triangle indicate the chroma of each of my new, modified primary colors.  I mix all my colors from these modified primaries, eliminating all the other colors.  This is basically working with three primaries with a bit of a twist.  All the color mixtures within the margins of the triangle can be mixed with these three colors. All colors outside of the margins are eliminated.

I can alter the color scheme by shifting the triangular mask over the color wheel giving me many possibilities. I have stayed in the safer ranges, but will try to be a bit more daring as I continue.

If you want to read more about gamut masking, check James Gurney's Blog and his book, "Color and Light".  I find this to be very interesting.  More to come.....

This painting is sold.

Thanks for visiting.
Celene

Day # 1 - September 30/30 Challenge, New Moon Rising

New Moon Rising 5x7, oil SOLD

This is my first painting using color gamut masking.  I like the color harmony and will experiment with other combinations as this challenge continues.


Thanks for visiting.
Celene

www.CeleneFarris.com