sketchbook page

Copied a couple of Cezanne still lifes. 

This was an enjoyable exercise and I hope it will help me understand how Cezanne designed the space in his paintings.

classwork

                                                                 8x10

A barn swallow painted in SaltyWaterArt's Tuesday bird painting class. Painting birds is always a pleasure ...

first daffodil

Plucked a daffodil bud from the yard and put it in a vase in my studio. 24 hours later ... the first daffodil of spring 2024.

These are some quick takes done without drawing. I'd like to do a sheet full of these to become easy with the shapes and attitudes of the daffodils and to try to channel my inner Emil Nolde

old palettes

I used to use Cheap Joe's "piggyback" palette, which holds a lot of colors--upward of 32, I think--and has a 15-well palette (which you can buy separately) that fits into a space on the palette's lid.

It was the heyday of my discovery of Daniel Smith, and I used the piggyback to squeeze out my new colors to try.

Turns out I rarely used these, but I'm going to set them out to encourage myself to try/use them. Especially the quinacridones (top left).

One I do consistently use, though these aren't all Daniel Smith colors--the hematite, which I love, is DS--is my neutrals palette, which, in addition to the colors you might expect has Joe Z's gray (or is it black?) and two colors I was introduced to in a Carol Carter workshop--in person! Shout-out to Rhonda!-- shadow violet and shadow green.

I can't resist a color with the word "blue" in it and I like the two blues above. But, I don't know why, they're "soapy," which is unpleasant. 

Love how the shadow violet separates into red and blue. I wonder why the green doesn't separate-- how disappointing!

Raw umber violet surprised me: I didn't expect the color to be so pretty!

Venetian red and Minnesota pipestone I can do without; never attracted to the warm muddy reds, but perhaps that's because I live at the shore, where such colors arent prominent.

classwork continues

Working on more small versions of  the paintings I'm doing in my Susan Abbott class: trying to use stronger, less neutralized color but still find harmony.

classwork

                               12x16

Painted in SaltyWaterArt's online class.

We practiced mixing greens and painted this scene square by square trying to get light, medium, and dark greens.

A fun exercise and some people in class got some great abstractions in their squares.

And below, a work in progress. It's a bit of a mess: sloppy washes, went back in too many times. Plus this is Arches paper, but it really couldn't take it-- buckled, paint lifted ...

Going to add darks. Refine shapes, if I can.

I think I went too big on this one: it's 16x16. I may try again 12x12.

classwork

Some messy limited palette explorations for the paintings I'm doing in a class with Susan Abbott.

Trying to get a push-pull or warm and cool ...

I want to paint the house too but don't know what color? A light green? A low chroma yellow? I just don't know.

I'll live with these for a day and see if they prompt any new ideas.

classwork

For my class with Susan Abbott: take my value sketch, grid it. Grid a larger piece of paper and without drawing, do an ultramarine underpainting.

Which I started ... But it really got away from me.

Going to leave this one as is and begin again.