NEW BOOK!

I had jury duty last week. Thank God I got out after 1 and 1/2 days. I did bring my lap top and some American Artist Magazines with me. So I got some work done. To my chagrin I can't remember the artist I have stolen this idea from but it was in a recent AA Magazine. And it was a female. She wrote a simplified book which inspired me to write my own. Basically I agreed with her that the most important thing an artist can get into the habit of doing is squinting. When I first started painting I wrote SQUINT on a piece of paper and put it in between me and the still life set up so I would hopefully remember once I got into painting. Here is my new book,


THE BIG ART BASIC BOOK


CHAPTER I HOW TO PAINT

SQUINT



CHAPTER 2 HOW TO DRAW

KEEP CHECKING PROPORTIONS




CHAPTTER 3 HOW TO DESIGN

SIMPLIFY (REREAD CHAPTER 1)




CHAPTER 4 HOW TO UNDERSTAND VALUE

IT’S EITHER LIGHTER OR DARKER (REALLY REREAD CHAPTER 1)




CHAPTER 5 HOW TO UNDERSTAND COLOR (TEMPERATURE)

IT’S EITHER COOLER OR WARMER (YOU GOT IT, REREAD CHAPTER 1)




CHAPTER 6 HOW TO CORRECT YOUR PAINTINGS

GET UP AND WALK AWAY FOR 10 MINUTES. WHEN YOU RETRURN
LISTEN TO YOUR INITIAL GUT FEELINGS; SOME SHAPES MAY NEED TO BE DARKER, WARMER, LIGHTER, COOLER (AND MAYBE IN THAT ORDER)
IF THE COMPOSITION OR DRAWING IS OFF YOU PROBABLY NEED TO START AGAIN.

Floral Arrangements

"Floral Arrangement I " and "Floral Arrangement II" oils, 3x4 inches.

Homage to Morandi in watercolor

After doing the set up in oils I did a couple in watercolor. These are 3x4 inches on RTsTx board.

Homage to Morandi

I recently saw the Morandi exhibit at the Met. Very exciting. Lots of paintings that I had never seen in person or reproduced. If you can't make it to the museum I think they might have stuff on their website. Also, American Artist Magazine has a superb article on the exhibit.
They said he did as many landscapes as still lifes but only showed a few landscapes.
The thing (besides of course the serenity and meditative quality of his work) that got me was the fact that he just did what he wanted to do while everyone else was painting abstractions or whatever the "movement" was at the time. He also used the stuff of his studio.
I was going to set up only bottles to be closer to his work but then realized it was more the spirit I was after and if I like using different objects I should go for it my way.

Winter Landscape

No, it hasn't snowed here yet. I did this from an oil painting I had done a long time ago. Pictures beget pictures.
"Winter Landscape", watercolor, 3x4" on RTisTx board. POR

Bue Vase and Pears

You know how you can be stuck on not knowing how to finish a painting and then months later it just comes to you as if it were the only thing to do, no mess no fuss? Grateful for those times!
"Blue Vase and Pears", watercolor, 4x3" on 5x4" paper. POR

Before and After

I was thinking holidays when I was setting this up. And neutral backgrounds.
POR

Still Life with Rose

I wanted to try the same set up in watercolor (previous post was in oil). It's been raining and dismal for way too many days here in NYC. I always have a hard time seeing color in oils and was hoping that since I had worked it out the day before I could still remember it in watercolor. POR

Granny Apple and Rose

Love it when I get so many days of continuous sunshine here in the northeast.

More Lemons

The highlights on the lemons don't pop as much in person; they just seemed to scan that way. I tried it twice and then tried to adjust it in photoshop. Anybody have any suggestions.
"Lemon, Lemonier and Lemoniest" 3x4inches, oil on RTsTx board, POR

Lemons

I'm continuing my yellow/purple exploration using lemons. A friend gave me some plums which she felt was inedible so I had my purple! I'm using a palette knife to move the paint around. These are my usual size of 3x4 inches. POR

Yellows and Purples

Haven't used this palette in a long while; had fun with it. I was also thinking and looking a lot at Stanley Bielen and felt very inspired. After working with these palettes for over ten years they are still new to me. The top painting has mums in it. I probably should have put more greenery in but it just didn't seem to work. POR

on-line American Artist article

Here is the link to an article on American Artist website. They have a section called "Techniques to Try". It's on using complementary palettes.
Enjoy!

Granny Apples Comp II

This is my second attempt at the same composition in watercolor. I wanted to see it with the grapes darker.
"Granny Apple Comp II", watercolor on board, 3x4 inches POR

Oils and Watercolors

I was inspired by looking at Steven Goodman's blog and the paintings he did while taking Stanley Bielen's workshop. (You can get to his blog by clicking on the link on the right side of this page; under "Other blogs to visit".) After doing the oil I wanted to do the same set up in watercolors. I've also tried another watercolor to paint the grapes darker. I'll post that one when I'm done with it.
"Granny Apple Comp", 3x4 inches, oil on board.
"Granny Apple Comp" 3x4 inches, watercolor on R-Tis-Tx board.

Landscape #0471 with Steps

Landscape #0471 with steps, all images 3x4 inches, oil on board, POR

Floral Composition

"Floral Composition", all images 4x3 inches, oil on board, POR

Landscape 0467 with steps

"Landscape #0467" with steps, all images 3x4 inches, oil on board, POR

Apples and Pear with Steps

"Apples and Pear" with steps, all paintings 3x4 inches, oil on board, POR

Landscape Interior with steps

"Landscape Interior" with steps, all oil on board, 4x3 inches, POR

Landscape #0513 steps

Landscape #0513 with steps, all images 3x4 inches, oil on board, POR

Sunflower Steps

"Sunflowers" with steps, 4x3 inches, oil on board, POR

Cape Cod Beach

These are another set of steps which were included in my book. "Cape Cod Beach" with steps.
All are 3x4 inches, oil on board, POR

Step by Steps

These are four separate paintings. It was the best way I could figure out to illustrate the steps for the book and have a professional photographer do the photography.
So these are in the book. I thought I'd put them up for adoption. Final painting is framed. "Blue Vase" with steps, all paintings 4x3 inches, POR