Keep Tustin Clean

This is the first out of the 2 paintings that I have prepared for the Tustin Art League’s juried show. The theme for this year’s show is “Scenes of Tustin”.
I had hard time taking photo of the painting, so I decided to post 3 pictures in different lighting:
 click on each picture to view larger

Keep Tustin Clean - 16x20 inches,

Oil on Canvas Panel

 





 



Keep Tustin Clean - 16x20 inches,
Oil on Canvas Panel

Keep Tustin Clean - 16x20 inches,

Oil on Canvas Panel



My inspiration for this painting:

When I came to know of this show, I decided to drive around the part of Tustin that I was most familiar with, to take some pictures. The Tustin Marketplace and the Golf course was on my mind. In the midst of that bright and sunny afternoon, I drove around that area and told my daughter to click pictures from the car. As we were going on the Tustin Ranch Road and passing through the Irvine Blvd, I spotted a Trash Can and some trees behind in the corner, something about that scene appealed to me. I told my daughter to quickly take picture. And that was it… I had to use this one as inspiration for my painting.

For the composition, I really had only 2 things on my mind…

One – the rule of 3 - things that come in threes are inherently funnier, more satisfying, or more magically mystical. Hence I chose to paint only 3 trees in my painting.

Two – the viewers eye somehow should stay within the painting, I think the Trash Can on one side and the partial wall on the other side serves this purpose.

I will be happy to hear your comments and suggestions.

White Cactus Bloom - SOLD

Cactus plants are to be found all around in the wilderness trail behind my backyard. I am facinated by the colorful blooms on these plants. The most common ones on our trail are currently bearing fruit - an oblong red kind of fruit. One day I am going to paint that too... But this one I painted from a photo reference on Wetcanvas forum (thanks to whoever posted the beautiful pictures!).
I painted this using the palette knife and using the new techniques I learnt during the January Workshop (see earlier blog post). I have the pictures of stages 1 and 2 below. I couldn't take a picture of stage 3 because it progressed so slowly, and somehow it looked so ugly to me that I was about to quit doing this painting. But filnally! I am so happy to be done with this. Hope you like it!


White Cactus Bloom - 11x14 inches, Oil on Canvas Panel

SOLD

Following are pictures of Stages 1 and 2. By the end of stage 2 as I progressed further, my flower was turning colorful. I wondered, is this thing ever going to turn out white... !?  :) :)

White Cactus Bloom - Stage 1

White Cactus Bloom - Stage 2

Here's the inspirational picture I used for this painting. As you can see I have changed things around in my painting, specially the background.

White Cactus bloom - reference from Wetcanvas forum

From the Color Intensive Workshop in January 2011

Here I am happy to post my studies from the Susan Sarback's Color Intensive Workshop in Jan 21st to 27th. These were some exercises I completed in "full color seeing".

First - Study of a Red block placed under light:

Stage 2 - Red Block Study

Second - This is a Study of an Orange


Orange Set up




Orange Stage 1

 

Orange Stage 4



Third - Study of an Apple


Apple - Stage 2



Apple - Stage 4

Here are my finished Orange and Apple:

Finished Orange and Apple

Fourth - Study of Bottles and a Pear:

Bottles and a Pear Set up

Bottles and a Pear Stage 1

Bottles and a Pear - Stage 4 - Finished Painting

Fifth - Study of Flower in a Vase:

Flower in a Vase - Stage 2

Marsh at Sunset - Palette knife study

This is another simple landscape demo from Susan Sarback's book - "Capturing Radiant Light & Color in Oils and Pastels". It is all done using palette knife - new technique that I wanted to learn... I am enjoyong the experience using the palette knife because I don't have to worry about cleaning the brush while working with different colors during the painting session. Just wipe the knife with tissue and ... ready to go for the next color. In the demo, the painting is done is 4 stages and I decided to take pictures of each stage (except I somehow missed taking picture of my stage 3).
As the title suggests, this is a painting of Marsh at Sunset. The goal in this painting was to study the effect of light in the atmosphere using this simple composition. So here is stage 4 - which is the final painting.
( scroll down for stages 1 & 2 )

click to view larger

Marsh at Sunset - 8 x 10 inches, Oil on Canvas Panel


Stage 1 is about simplifying the landscape into different masses using cool and wam colors as is done below. Cool colors are used for shadows and warm colors for areas with sunlight. Also typically local is not used in this stage.

Marsh at Sunset - Stage 1

Stage 2 is about refining the color masses, example greens are added to the bushes in the right corner and in the central marsh area as required. Cool color is added to water etc.

Marsh at Sunset - Stage 2

Stage 3 - Forgot to take a picture, but this stage is used to add further color variatons to bring about depth in the painting. Stages 1 and 2 were relatively simple. But I found Stage 3 to be rather fuzzy... there is lot of trial and error in this stage and yet a feeling of incompleteness in the painting.

Stage 4 - Is the final painting - shown as the first picture. This is a real fuzzy stage. I kept changing the colors back and forth, eg: for water - kept expermenting with different shades of blues, purples and pinks and finally white for highlights. There is no set pattern to work with colors - I kept changing. (this is where I found knife very useful). I also messed around a lot in the central marsh area with yellows and oranges and greens. And finally, I called the painitng as finished after visually inspecting from far, near, with full light, with medium light etc..

Hope you all like it and yes, critiques and comments are always welcome.

A Bowl and Two Vases

A very Happy New Year to all - my first post of the year 2011!

This is a study that I followed from the book - "Capturing Radiant Light & Color in Oils and Pastels" - by artist Susan Sarback.

Here are few things that I learnt from this study:

1) First time used the Palette Knife to paint - it felt so awkward at first to paint... getting used to it slowly.

2) How to paint the effects of light on shadows of different objects - bowl here is an opaque object, the blue Vase is transparent object and the orange Vase is translucent object.

Notice that the green bowl being an opaque object, its shadow is darker towards its base and becomes lighter at the other end. The orange Vase is translucent, so typically shadows of such objects are light towards the base and grow darker towards the ends. The blue Vase is transparent, see how its shadow dithers in no specific pattern as seen below.

click to view larger

8 x 10 inches, Oil on Canves Panel

I hope to do couple more studies from this book. The next in turn is a simple landscape study... stay tuned!

As always, Critiques and Comments are always welcome.

Time to celebrate - Happy Holidays - SOLD

Wish you all Happy Holidays!!
The photo reference for this painting is from my friend's garden. Although I don't like red wine I liked the setting in her garden and with this glass of wine - the color is heavenly! This is the first time I have tried painting glass objects. I am happy and feel accomplished to get this done.

click to view larger

11x14 inches, Oil on Canvas Panel

SOLD

I am a little Teapot...

This teapot reminds me of the nursery rhyme my daughter used to sing...
I am a little teapot. Short and stout.
Here is my handle. Here is my spout.
When I get all steamed up, hear me shout.
Just tip me over and pour it out....

Fun times !!
I love the shape of the teapot, it is really unique. Besides..., this painting fits perfectly in the fall color scheme.
I got this picture from Wetcanvas forum, one of the October events.

click to view larger

11x14 inches, Oil on Canvas Panel