Still Life Christina - 14" x 11" - Acrylic, and gesso on Masonite - $300
Christina took a different tack and I really like what she did. First of all, her perspective was completely different. She cropped the picture to only include the tops of the bottles. Then she played with just a silhouette and then changed that up a little. She did a great job.
Still Life #1 - 14" x 11" - Acrylic, and gesso on Masonite - $300
This was a fun, quick exercise. I taught the kids a few things about drawing and how to see. Then I showed them howI paint with a little color, then gesso, then let it fade into another color. How we don’t try and make things look realistic, but rather, just enjoy the colors and play with them and make them look good. We had fun.
My family, diligently creating art
I have been working most of the day down in my studio. My family has plans for this evening (New Years Eve). I am to supposed be a part of those plans.
Realizing that I can’t finish all the paintings I need to and still have time to be with my family, they came up with a plan to help me finish this challenge. We are going to paint as a family and get a batch of paintings done.
Are these paintings all mine? No.
But I am teaching a “class” and my “students” are creating the paintings. That used to count in the old days, right? Even today, experts don’t know if certain paintings are the masters’ or their students’ paintings.
We are going to try the same thing.
Let me take you back to the beginning…..
For Christmas this year, we wanted to focus more on what we can DO for people instead of what we could buy or the things we were given. So, we came up with the idea of giving of ourselves. Each of us were to share a talent with our family and teach them how to do something we can do.
Christina had the boys help with Christmas dinner. They learned how to cook Chicken cordon bleu, yams, green beans, etc.
I was going to teach the family how I paint. I just haven’t had the time to do that yet. However, today we made the time, and I got 5 paintings painted in the time it takes me to paint one.
I set up a still life in the middle of the dining room table and we all drew and painted it from our own point of view. It was really fun and everyone came up with something completely different. We had a good time.
Tuscan Fields #4 - 14" x 11" - Acrylic, watercolor pencil and gesso on Masonite - $300
I started this one and really didn’t like where it was going, so Iscraped the paint off and was going to use it again.
My wife came into the studio and saw the scratched off painting and said she loved it. She is always uber-supportive, so I had to make sure she was serious. She was. So, I decided to finish it. It turned out OK, I think.
Tight Like Unto a Dish - 14" x 11" - Acrylic, watercolor pencil and gesso on Masonite - $300
This is one of those paintings that turned out just like I was picturing it. Not the subject matter, necessarily, but the technique. I like this one.
The reference is from religious literature where a traveler is to make boats that are “tight like unto a dish.” This is the shape I always imagined them to be, kind of like a football.
Erin (Señora) - 14" x 11" - Acrylic, watercolor pencil, mixed media and gesso on Masonite - NFS
I have mentioned my brother and his wife before. They are the ones that went to Europe and brought back a ton of great photos of the cities they visited.
Well, a couple of days ago, I tried to do a portrait of them from a photo. It didn’t turn out very well. In fact, I gessoed over the photo so I could use the panel again.
Well, I decided to give it another shot. This time I chose a picture of Erin where only her eyes are showing. I figured I could at least do her eyes!
I used scrapbooking paper in the negative space around her head and another piece to represent the fan she is holding.
I think it turned out pretty well considering I dumped my last attempt.
Time Flies - 14" x 11" - Acrylic, watercolor pencil and gesso on Masonite - $300
PAINTINGS COMPLETED TODAY: 17
PAINTINGS COMPLETED TO DATE: 101
Today is the last day.
The article in the Sun newspaper saying there is this crazy artist that wants to paint 100 paintings in 100 days is coming out tomorrow. I hope hundreds, if not thousands of people will read it.
What happens if I don’t do the 100 paintings like I said I would? Nothing really, but is that much of a story? I don’t think so.
Abstract #24 - 14" x 11" - Acrylic, watercolor pencil and gesso on Masonite - $300
So, I am “bound and determined” to get the 100 paintings done today. Here we go!
The first painting I did today turned out to be “Time Flies.” I just now realized how appropriate that was for today. Time has flown and I don’t have any more left in this challenge.
I started with an automatic drawing (really just scribbles) and the clock flying was what came out of that. Maybe I really am able to access my subconscious after all. Maybe these 100 days have been useful after all!
Yosemite - 14" x 11" - Acrylic, watercolor pencil and gesso on Masonite - $300
After all these abstract paintings I have been doing, I figured it was time to do a few landscapes. I did one of Yosemite and Yellowstone. Yosemite turned out a little dark. I didn’t put enought light/dark contrast in it, but I don’t have time to go back and change anything now.
Yellowstone turned out really well, I think. When I saw the photo, I knew right away how I would abstract it out and was able to do it pretty much like I envisioned it.
Yellowstone - 14" x 11" - Acrylic, watercolor pencil and gesso on Masonite - $300
You know, that really is the key. I see a lot of my paintings in my mind’s eye, and they are perfect. Then my brain gets in the way and tells me how it should look and it turns out wrong.
Sometimes, I have to close my eyes and listen to what my inner sense is telling me and then almost with my eyes closed, I make it happen. Those are the ones that turn out really well if I can just get my thoughts quiet enought that I can really follow my vision.
Rhythm - 14" x 11" - Acrylic, watercolor pencil and gesso on Masonite - $300
This is an exercise from the Expressive Drawing book by Steven Aimone dealing with rhythm. It was easy to do. What do you think?
Abstract #23 Rings - 14" x 11" - Acrylic, watercolor pencil and gesso on Masonite - $300
For Abstract #23, I used an old school drawing exercise to create an abstract painting. I found a photograph of a few rings. I cut them up and rearranged the pieces of paper and then drew and painted the result.
