Winter Practice -- January

  January has so far been a fickle month, a usual state of the climate here in New England.  A few days have allowed this plein-air painter to at least sketch a scene briefly and work on the "rough draft" back in the studio.  Here is a photo I took at low tide in Apponaug, RI:

Photo taken at Low Tide

  Several days earlier I had stopped at the site with my oil set-up and painted a rough picture which I later touched up in the studio:

Low Tide, Apponaug , O/C 12x16

  The motivation behind the painting -- besides this outdoor painter spending too many days indoors!-- is the range of color, the brightness, the reflections in the muddy foreground, a painter's delight.

   Another photo I took was of Wheeler State Beach last week:

 The beach is still recovering from Hurricane Sandy and it is a favorite summer painting site for me during the waning light of day.  My memory of beautiful late afternoons spent at Wheeler as well as this reference photo helped yo create a "virtual" plein-air state of mind.  The result is the 14x18  oil shown here:

Wheeler Beach Afternoon, O/C, 14x18.

                                             

Transitioning to Winter Ops

Smithfield Orchard, O/C, 12x16

Fall is one of my favorite seasons since , in the early part of the season, there are numerous comfortable and luminous days that beckon the plein-air painter.  The painting on the left was an effort to capture the feel of the orchard in early-to-mid September.  I had originally painted a large tractor with an apple gatherer attached, but the painting then defeated my intention; it became the portrait of the tractor.  So now you see the rock grouping which has its place in the rocky New England soil.  The rocks become merely several of the denizens of the space with as much right to be there as the apple trees themselves
    One of the challenges associated with this painting was the fickle nature of the light.  It started out a cloudy day, but with frequent interruptions of sunshine.  One of my teachers (Ted Jacobs) had warned me to take two canvases out to paint a single scene.  The first canvas upon which you begin your painting can be set aside for the second if the light changes significantly.  If you persist with the same canvas, you risk making the contrasts too feeble -- or (and this is what I had attempted) you can use memory to freeze the scene mentally and proceed to paint.  

An Old Dutch Port, Oil on Linen, 11x14

And as the days become more frequently uncongenial to those of us who are spoiled by modern comforts, there is opportunity to exercise
studio skills.  The painting on the left is an example of this.  I used an old (circa 1930) photo reference and some memories of my painting harbor scenes to pull this one off from the comfort of my studio seat.  The painting was done in two sessions of probably two hours each.  During the first session I pretended that I was out at the scene and began in typical plein-air fashion (blocking-in, etc.).  The second session at the easel began with a certain amount of "oiling out",using a small amount of retouch varnish.  This brought up the colors that were beginning to sink in and enabled me to treat only those sections which I felt needed correction/emphasis/de-emphasis.  While I was pleased with the result of these studio efforts, it does not compare with the joy experienced in the experience -- of being there to register in the mind and soul the subtle hue saturations, contrasts, and surprises of nature.  Incidentally, this painting now hangs at Galeria United (200 Main Street, Pawtucket, Rhode Island) which has a Grand Opening on December 12 at 5 PM. (Who can forget the date, 12/12/12?)

Jessica, O/C, 14x18

   Also, I have been more active in portraiture as the days darken early .  At left is the most recent portrait I painted at Kate Huntington's Studio.  Again this represents an effort completed in under three hours and so finish is, as usual, lacking.  It is always inspiring to paint a model like Jessica whose hair cascaded in curls and twists, picking up highlights and darker accents as well.  In addition, she wore an interesting fur hat which offered a variety in texture. I simplified the background considerably, biasing its colors to agree with the hues and tonality of the model's flesh tones.
  Of course, when there is no live model available for a portrait , then I resort to still life which can still exercise those seven principles that C.W. Mundy talks about: drawing , value, color, edges, design, composition, and paint handling! 

Plein Air and Portrait

Wickford Front Yards, Oil on Canvas, 16x20"

In between the rain storms, a plein-air painter is able to tackle more complicated scenes such as this one painted from a viewpoint afforded by a seafood shop.  It was an afternoon with uncertain light, but the scene before had actual elements in place that drew attention to the tranquil scene.  First, of course the dinghy, moored where it was.  Such an element is not only inviting, but assists in adding dimensionality to a scene containing distant horizontal elements.  Note the presence of verticals that help here: the pilings supporting the dock, the tall trees, and the (lucky) appearance of the sail returning at the end of day.  This October painting was also blessed with some accents of autumnal color.

Becca, Oil on Canvas, 14x18"

 I paint portraits not only because I enjoy doing so, but also because they exercise many skills that are necessary for all painting, whether still life, landscape, or seascape.  Again, the process of painting a model in under three hours is akin to plein-air efforts in that (1) there is a time limitation, (2) subtle changes in the model must be detected before corrections can be applied, and (3) The value structure and preliminary block-in stages are very important.  The major differences in approaching the subjects of landscape and portraiture are the following (1)  The portrait demands for its completion a good likeness of the model whereas the landscape is more forgiving on that score to the artist, (2)  adherence to the nature (hue and temperature) of skin tones in shadow and light is required both to aid likeness as well as help convey the mood of the model , whereas in landscape these elements may be "designed in" to convey mood.  I find both landscape and portraiture, however, demand strong drawing skills -- at least for the representational lean of my own work.  Personally, I find both landscape and portrait wonderful exercises in the management of color and tone.  So the painting of a three-hour portrait can be likened to an etude on the piano, keeping the color and tonal senses sharp!  My thanks to artist Kate Huntington for hosting portrait and figure sessions on Monday and Wednesday nights in Providence!

October's Pace

The oil painting , 12 x 16 on canvas, on the left was conceived after I had purchased a small blanket with a colorful Southwest design.  I knew then that a small eggplant would lend a nice accent to a still life arranged on the blanket.  As you can see the other characters in this "drama" included my favorite green-glass wine bottle and a bosc pear.  (A still life sketched just before the one shown included three bosc pears supported by a tarnished silver lotus-shaped dish.  The still life shown here, called "Baby Eggplant"  is far more colorful.)  The fun, of course, in this exercise was in registering the chroma and its harmonies, observing reflected lights , and working edges and translucent qualities associated with glass and its shadow.  I carefully grew a patina of dust in some areas of the bottle which I think gives its texture more tactile quality.  Although the background is dark , the chroma of the blanket and objects keep the painting on the happier side in mood.  Now I can eat the eggplant!

Brittany, O/C, 14x18

 The portrait on the left represented another mode of escape for this plein-air artist.  The artist Kate Huntington started up her weekly portrait and figure  sessions upon her return from Provincetown, and I couldn't resist sharpening talents in this area.  The model was amazing in her coloration.  Skin a pearly opalescent and a full mass of red hair.  Others remarked how closely Brittany's coloring resembled a Renoir waiting to be painted.  The light airiness of that master was, I found, hard to achieve.  My only excuse ( and I'm good at finding at least one) in not achieving the quality of a Renoir in this sketch was that I painted in an area of the room with uneven lighting.  Usually low-level lighting, I find, forces chroma , but sometimes hues cannot be properly matched.  In the past I could have used the excuse that the model moved, but not here.  The model sat perfectly.




Late Afternoon, Narragansett, O/C, 16x20

 I show a few plein-ar sketches here to show that, despite some rainy days and days on which the light was variable, I tried not to let the weather "get me down" and surrender to the life of a still-life painter -- not that there is anything wrong with that! 
This painting was inspired by the gorgeous sky that happened to be playing above the shore that day.  It is really a cloudy day scene made happy by the colorful illumination from above.



October Trees, Oil on Board, 12x12

 October Trees, left, is a labor of love, since I do love trees -- and who doesn't?  Especially in the period of early October when the transitions to fall foliage are very subtle here in southern New England.










The Youngster, O/C, 9x12

  The Youngster, left, was painted later in October in the same area as the painting above (in Goddard Park).  The sapling seems to have grown more mature (in color) than the older trees around it.  Again such a grouping allows study of values, chroma, and atmosphere.

Roses and Apples

This unfinished oil painting, entitled "Roses and Apples" , was mainly  an attempt to study colors and values.  It was fun to play with hues and their complements under a warm light source.  Even in its present state (done ala prima in 2011), it was enough to attract a collector who admonished me "not to touch it".  (I still feel the urge to bring it more finish and have held the collector at bay, by mentioning it needs my signature before I part with it!)  The painting represents a few hours work -- not including the two-hour set-up time-- and succeeds, I think, in the intention of it being a study.  Bringing "finish" to a study does seem somewhat of an oxymoron.  Perhaps the best that can be done with a study is to make it more "presentable" as a painting if it is intended for exhibit.

  This "unfinished" oil is of more recent vintage and had as its object the study of the same observable factors; namely hue, value, and complementary colors under a warm light source.  In addition, I wanted to weave into the chroma and shadows the dimension of expression , still keeping the forms recognizable.  I think both paintings use light, spatial arrangement, patterns of light and shadows as well as chroma to express mood.  The mood in the earlier painting seems to be lighter, airier; whereas the mood in the more recent study perhaps seems deeper, more intense, without any note of pessimism.  Keeping the shadows on the  tablecloth transparent, airy, I think, helps. Note:  I put my signature (lower right) on this one, although I would like to finish it a little more before bringing it to a "serious" exhibit. The goal is to bring greater depth of expression to painting without becoming an abstract expressionist.

   As far as "finish" goes for any painting, we can say a painting is finished (to the painter) if it achieves the aim of the painter.  But anyone outside the painter-- say the collector, the art loving public, the non-family viewer--can help stop the disease of "over-finish".  I'm waiting for the vaccine!

Teachers

At left is a self-portrait done by my first teacher of oil painting.  Pat Corso, educated at the Art Students League in New York, came to Rhode Island around 1981 -- just in time for my return from a temporary assignment in Washington, D.C.  I remember seeing his photos of his realistic work in the local newspaper which also announced that he would be giving lessons for $15 a head at the Guild in Wakefield, RI.  Three of us showed up to take lessons from this outspoken artist, but two of them backed down, intimidated by his harsh, critical manner.  He asked me if I would be willing to take private lessons at the rate of  seven dollars for a couple of hours.  I agreed .  Surprisingly, he knew what I was after -- the knowledge and craft of Monet.  He yelled back that it would take years and years to begin to paint like that.  (At the time, I thought the words an exaggeration, but now I know better!)  His three dogs would often require his attention -- usually through his threatening to kill them when they misbehaved or had their family squabbles.  When I completed what I thought was my best painting, he barked, "You'll be a good painter -- in twenty years!"
       While instruction from him seemed to put this student on the edge of a razor for each session, his urgings were essential to the serious-minded. "What color do you see in that tree trunk?"  "Purple", I hesitatingly replied.  "Then paint it that way!!"  He was always prodding one to LOOK and COMPARE.  He was difficult, proud. " Father Sicilian, mother Jewish".  An outstanding painter up against the incursions of modern abstract art .  I can still hear his urgings in my subconscious, even though I could be called a rather poor student of his for only a year or two.  My mistake was to push his in-your-face instruction away too soon.  A greater artist, a greater soul would have stayed the course for at least another year, with the ability to ignore all the melodrama, acidic criticism, and insistent pessimism.  With all that, I am indebted to him for the strong start he gave me in painting. One other artist, Solace Loven , also counts Pat as one of her teachers.  Corso passed away in 1989, victim of a "routine" hospital procedure.

   After Corso, I had several other teachers, nationally known, and a few of which were his contempory artists at the Art Students League.  From each teacher, I have gained another way of looking at nature , of turning paintings into art.  Here are a couple of experiments inspired by some of my readings :

       .   At left is actually a painting of sunflowers, despite the presence of "my little teapot".  It's an oil on linen, 16x20.  Past still life work I have done was a little more "realistic" and perhaps had a tonal mood, but here I was after a little more expressiveness.  An artist must paint with emotion, according to the teachings of Sergei Bongart.   I have also done a still life with roses, with the same thought in mind.  ( I reserve this painting for the next blog opportunity.)

 

Plein Air Productions

The image on the left , an 11x14 oil sketch, was done at Pt.Judith toward the end of day.  I found a wonderful perch , a circular concrete base for an old gun emplacement, where I could face the fishermen on the rocks across the way and paint/study fairly undisturbed -- until some youngsters came along to toss some of the rocks into the sea.  Such a spot is almost too good to be true for a plain-air outing.  The Point is usually breezy, so no worries about being bitten by pesky flying insects, and the hottest day can be pleasant here.  Since I was able to accomplish much uninterruptedly, very little, in my opinion, is necessary for "finishing".

The next image , a blurred one I'm sorry to say, is of an old fishing boat, Artemis II which I sketched in Wellfleet on Cape Cod.  It was a beautiful day with a mellow sun late in the afternoon.  The whole charm of the scene had to do with low tide which had the vessel pitched forward, her screw out of the water aft.  Of course, with the changing tide, by the time I left, the boat was afloat by the dock.  Plein air work is indeed a combination of observation, imagination, and memory work!

  
  Artemis II seemed to me more picturesque than seaworthy -- but that was its lure to this artist.  I think to help the composition, studio assistance might include some other boats in the harbor .

These last two images are oil sketches of scenes within one or two miles from my present studio in East Greenwich, RI.  The top is a view of the harbor in East Greenwich just as the sun is close to retiring for the day and the other image is the most recent sketch of one of my favorite local subjects , the Green Boat.  Again both of these remain as sketches until more thinking about them is accomplished -- before any "improvements" are made!