Painting with Artistic License

It took me years to realize that permission

to change things was granted when

I picked up my "artistic license."

I love to look back on my own process and see where certain decisions got made about the direction of a work.  Somethings can be changed as the closing marks are laid down but some decisions get made right up front.

photo of a parkway overlook, cropped by folding

I liked the shadows in this photo made by the light coming through the trees.  But I made some executive decisions when I laid out the piece in a black/white/grey underpainting.

Already you can tell that I wanted more sky and background and that the brightest lights would be in the sky, the edge of the largest tree and then to the road.  I liked this layout and really thought it worked fine as executed.  The bits of orange I was trying to leave were from a painting underneath.  As I choose my final color palate however I decided not to leave them.  (Perhaps I should have stopped right here?)

I did ok  keeping my middle tones together and laying out where I thought I wanted the lightest lights to go.  

Then I lost all organization and decided to abandon the piece for a bit.   I had lost most of the original lights and the darks were mostly a blackish brown which was not very interesting.  I began to lose interest when I realized I had not kept the light areas connected as they originally were.

NOT looking at a piece for a while can be as helpful as taking the time to look closely.  I would occasionally set it back up on the easel and play around a bit never really being totally satisfied.  Keep in mind that the reason it has blue tape around it is because I was painting it in the frame.  Yes! Not something I suggest you try at home but I was experimenting on top of an old piece that I could not remove from the frame so what the heck...the fact alone made me willing to take some chances.

finished?  for now.

So I'm done.  I think.  It changed a lot and I still believe the foreground could use some simplification.  But nothing ventured, nothing gained.  I used my "license" not only for permission to change the reference photo but for using up the surface of another painting.  I don't think I made a silk purse out of a sow's ear but I do want to use this reference again in a different palate - I believe my rehearsal was well worth the time.  I may even take a white marker and redesign bits of it just for future use.  And, while you cannot see it here, painting on top of another piece made for a very interesting texture.  Onward....

Using My License to Practice (art),

Cindy

Flower Power

Spring has done funny things to me.

Like now I am painting flowers.  Yep, flowers!

Something I have rarely painted before...never

say never I guess.  You never know, so I guess you do.

I have hundreds of flower photos.  At times I think I want to learn botanical illustration and I get all ready and...nothing.  I have clipped bouquets and brought them to the studio to paint only to find 100 other things that suddenly need doing.  Was I avoiding the subject?  Let me tell you, they are not easy.  So no time like the present to tackle a tough subject.

I cut myself a lovely stash of rhododendron stems and placed them in water in the studio.  I've learned that if I deem a piece "not precious," i.e. "practice," it takes the pressure off, enabling me to play a bit without a fear of wasting expensive materials.  So I grabbed a couple paintings I did not like and decided to paint over them.

Both of these were done from the live bouquet, not a photo.  I experienced all of the challenges that a live model brings: shifting perspective, lighting changes, movement etc.  This model did not need 15 minute breaks to stretch but I assure you, the painter did!

The major problem the model gave was that after several days (I was working so slowly) the flowers began to bloom and get fuller and more beautiful. Even the colors began morphing. Ahhhh, the pain.  But remember: it didn't matter so I played and played, my buds, most of them, blooming along with the model.

Here they are.  Two very different versions of the same gathering.  Two different backgrounds and looks.  Two slightly different sizes.  Do you have a preference?  Let me know because just as I had decided to frame one ($) and not the other (dumpster time) someone came in and oohed and ahhhed over the one I had rejected.  Oops.

So do tell.  And never say never.  Hint: more flowers are on the easel even as I type!

BLOOMING IN COLOR,

Cindy

Spice Market Magic

Just as "luck" is where preparation meets opportunity,

painting "magic" is where persistence meets inspiration.

Why is that old work ethic such a vital ingredient...

and why do we expect we can be the lone exception?

Back to the souks (markets) in the medina (walled city) of Marrakech: color! shadow! light! all tempt the artist in me.  With such over-the-top visuals it 'should' be easy to replicate the feeling one gets in the narrow dark labyrinth of shops displaying their wares. Right? Right?

This image was so clearly burned into my minds eye that I doubted I would need the photo for reference.  I began in watercolor....not very successfully I judged.

But I took the time to do something all my instructors have urged: evaluate. I made notes, I drew lines, I pretended to be the teacher.

I made another pass, slowly this time, taking care to refer to my notes. Watercolor is (have I said this before?) so unforgiving.  But I liked the light cast.

Now to try a different medium.  Since it dries quickly I decided to do an underpainting in acrylic paint.  This would serve as a guide for my light and shadows and let me get into the guts sooner.  Like warming up with musical scales or stretches before a run.

The Spice Trade

8x 6 oil, available framed,  $50

And I began to work with the oil.  So clearly now I can see where it needs loosening up and reigning in.  I am just now beginning to understand how I really want to execute this scene.  I don't think we

are finished with this yet.....but I feel the "magic" starting to bubble.

Back to the easel,

Cindy

Practice, Practice, Practice...Makes Perfect!

Quite a while back a trend started when a group of painters challenged themselves to paint one painting every day.  Not just to start a painting, or to work at painting, but to complete one a day.  Most of the work was in the 8 x 10 or 5 x 7 size and therefore affordably priced.  Word begin to spread and smaller groups sprouted up accepting the challenge.  To no one’s surprise the work of the participating artists improved exponentially!   Two of my painting buddies were savvy enough to catch the wave and join Daily Painter Originals which posts the work of daily painters on-line .  They employ incredible discipline and commitment to keep up with the daily ritual of finishing a complete work.  To find out what drives them, I chatted with Carmen Beecher and Carol Schiff:

Leap for Joy, Carmen Beecher, oil

Ladies, just what is a “daily painter?”

Carol:  As the name implies, it is someone who tries to paint most every day.

Carmen:  In our group we commit to doing three to four small pieces each week, minimum.

Why did you decide to join this group?

Carol:  Several reasons: I wanted to put myself on a schedule to paint daily to increase my production, to advance my skills and to bring new readers to my blog where I post the work.  I have been retired several years and I felt it was time to put a little pressure into my life.

Carmen: I’ve always admired others who had made the commitment and I wanted to see if I could meet the challenge.

How has this affected your art?

Carmen:  In very positive ways.  I have a new tempo, I’m painting faster and I look forward to a new one each day.  The group is inspiring because they do high quality work and everyone is very supportive.  My dream is to meet them all in one place someday.

Carol:  In addition to a much larger inventory of paintings available, I have really improved my skills.  My brushwork, color knowledge, composition skills and so on are on a much higher level than when I was painting less regularly.  Just like Mom said about the piano: practice, practice, practice!

Carol Schiff's Green Onions

Do you sell these pieces?

Carol: Yes, I have two sites on Etsy: www.CarolSchiffStudio.etsy.com and www.CarolOnEdge.etsy.com.

Carmen: Yes, I am also on Etsy at www.carmensart.etsy.com and you can also connect to me at the daily painters site: www.dailypaintersoriginals.com

Do you paint other works as well?

Carol:  Recently I have been experimenting with some abstract work using lots of texture and mixed media as well as trying out some collage.

Carmen:  Yes, I have done several large pieces in the past year inspired by a trip to the Everglades.  I do try to take a break now and then and paint something larger.

How long are you going to be a ‘daily painter?’

Carol: Good question…I have no idea!

Carmen:  When I get really busy I ask myself the same thing!  But I have to admit that I am really hooked.  It improves my work and I like the discipline.  I’ll just see where it leads me.

Both artists invite you to visit their blogs where they post their daily paintings with commentary.

Carol is at www.CarolSchiffStudioblogspot.com and Carmen writes at www.carmenbeecher.blogspot.com.

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