Cityscape and a Focal Point

Bright City Lights,  8x10, oil, SOLD

In my last post I shared the beginning stage of my latest nocturne cityscape. Above is my finished painting. I maintained my established structure but allowed my story to evolve as I painted.

Bright City Lights, 8x10 WIP

Throughout the painting process it's crucial to keep in mind that only the subject of the painting (or focal point) will be in sharp focus. The remainder of the objects in the scene are seen in our peripheral vision and will be slightly out of focus. This is how our eye actually views a scene.

You can prove this to yourself by looking at one object and without moving your eye, use your peripheral vision to see the surrounding objects.

Forgetting the importance of a strong focal point and not painting the scene as the eye would naturally see it is a problem very often seen in student paintings. Everything is in sharp focus. The eye doesn't know what to focus on and the whole painting looks unnatural - often uncomfortable to view. Remember - one focal point per painting! 

Foregrounds can be another problem area. They are the areas closest to you and if you are looking straight ahead to your focal point - the foreground is definitely not in focus! 

An interesting painting gives us a lot to see. The eye wanders around exploring the scene but is always drawn back to the focal point. And leave your painting a bit unfinished. Don't tell the whole story. This bit of mystery allows your viewer to become a part of the painting's story. 

Thanks for visiting with me. Stay warm. Spring will be on the way soon, I hope.

Celene

And please remember to visit my new Facebook page - 

Celene Farris, A Maine Artist 

And My Ebay Store

www.CeleneFarris.com

Cityscape In Progress

Checking my blog this morning, I was amazed to see that my last blog post was over two months ago - in November.  Our Decembers are always a whirlwind of activity. Then comes January when our Maine winter begins in earnest. Cold, snow, ice. No wonder the animals go into hibernation. Now it is early February and another gloomy, gray, cold day. Snow everywhere and ice underfoot - but like the groundhog we are up and looking forward to spring.

I thought I would share the beginning of my newest cityscape nocturne. These are complicated paintings and require a strong under-structure of perspective lines and value patterns.

Reference photos are a must since there is no way I could be in all these places to take my own photos. I borrow bits and pieces from many photographs to tell my own story.  

For this under-structure I use acrylic paint (black and white with shades of gray) because it covers well and dries quickly. Corrections and adjustments are easily made. I found that trying to create this layer in oil paint is difficult as the oil stays wet and corrections are messy.  

In this example, I am working on a red, acrylic toned canvas. I have established my perspective lines and a strong value pattern. And, yes, I use a ruler! I found that horizontal lines can be fudged a bit, but unless you want a cartoonish look, your verticals must be correct.

When I am satisfied with my composition, shapes and values, I will complete the painting using a full colored oil palette.

Work in progress, 8x10

I hope your holiday season was great. Wishing you all a very happy New Year. 

Thanks for visiting. Stay safe, sane and warm.

Celene

www.CeleneFarris.com

 

 

More Nocturnes

 Thought I would share a few of my favorite nocturnes with you.

Rainy Night, 5x7, oil. SOLD

Number Please, 5x7, oil. SOLD

I hope you will visit my new Facebook page - 

Celene Farris, A Maine Artist

Thanks for visiting. 

Celene

 

My Ebay Store

www.CeleneFarris.com

Love of Nocturnes

My paintings seem to jump from one subject to another. Lately I have been focusing on nocturnes with their dark, haunting images and the mysterious stories they suggest. 

I have always loved the old black and white  movies - the dark, gritty detective stories and the haunting classics such as Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights. Nocturnes, or night paintings, are a challenge to paint - but great fun!

The Stranger, 7x5, oil, SOLD

This painting was available in my Ebay Store or directly through me. 

I hope you will visit my new Facebook page - 

Celene Farris, A Maine Artist

Thanks for visiting. 

Celene

 My Ebay Store

www.CeleneFarris.com

Learning Social Media

Last week I attended an on-line, intensive, "Social Media for Artists" workshop. 

Then I spent the rest of the week on the computer, bouncing back and forth from sheer amazement to utter confusion, while weaving my way through setting up "Social Media for Business" Facebook and Instagram accounts, and then separating each account into two different pages. A total of two accounts and four pages - and then linking them all together.

I split my Facebook/Instagram accounts into two different pages to separate my two vastly different painting subjects and styles.

My first Facebook/Instagram page is Celene Farris, A Maine Artist. This page features my traditional Maine landscapes and seascapes, traditional still life, florals and figurative oil paintings. Also some miniatures.

My second Facebook/Instagram page is Celene Farris, Night Painter. This page features my new subject of Night Landscapes and Cityscapes.  

Success! My two accounts are now active, my four pages are now complete and all has been launched! 

And two days ago I had my first "internet/social media sale". How great is that!

I now have both my original Ebay Store  and my new "Social Media Sites" as internet selling platforms.

Last week was a very busy but productive week. This week I hope to paint!

I hope you will visit my new Facebook and Instagram Pages and "Follow" me through this journey into the world of social media. I will be adding more of my paintings on a regular basis and showing some older works as well. Hope to see you there!

I would love to hear your comments.

Thanks so much for visiting with me.

Celene

PS... A little follow-up a few months later - Downsizing -  I have eliminated my Night Painter page and combined it with my Celene Farris, A Maine Artist  page.  It was just too time consuming. Too many pages to monitor. Not enough painting time!  So please visit me on Facebook and Instagram at Celene Farris, A Maine Artist. Thank you!

My Ebay Store 

My Web Site

Northern Lights

Who knows where our painting inspiration comes from... 

Right now, in the middle of a summer (and a political) heat wave, I'm thinking of the peace and quiet of our Maine winters and the beautiful, mesmerizing and ghostly colors of the northern lights that often dance across our night skies.

Fire in the Sky, 5x7, oil

   

Winter Skies, 5x7, oil

The scientific explanation-

The Northern Lights (aurora borealis) are shafts or curtains of colored light visible on occasion in the northern night sky caused by collisions between electrically charged particles from the sun that enter into the earth's atmosphere. These particles are attracted to the poles by the magnetic fields found there and react with gases in the atmosphere, causing the gases to glow. The lights appear in many forms from patches or scattered clouds of light, to streamers, arcs, rippling curtains or shooting rays that light up the sky with an eerie glow.

I think it's more than that.....

These paintings are available in my Ebay Store or directly through me. 

Thanks for visiting. I wish you peace.

Celene

 

My Ebay Store

www.CeleneFarris.com

Studio Sunshine

Our July, so far this year, has given us an over-abundance of cool, rainy, gray days. The outdoor flowers and greenery may love this weather but it's so hard to get motivated when the house is dark in the middle of the day! Today - 3PM - it's 67 degrees and drizzling. 

So I've spent quite a bit of time in my studio, lights on, music playing. Here are a few new paintings to bring a smile.

Carnival Lights, 5x7, oil SOLD

Number Please, 5x7, oil SOLD

I remember being so excited as a child when the carnival came to town. And who could forget the phone booths and searching for some change to make a call? The operator had to place the long distance calls for us. After we dialed "0", she would come on the line and say, "Number please." No cell phones in the good old days!

These paintings are available in my Ebay Store or directly from me. Thanks for visiting.

Stay dry and busy. 

I think I'll bake a batch of cookies before returning to my studio.

Celene

www.CeleneFarris.com 

My Facebook Page