All Together Now

3x4 inches, oil on board

More Gray Paintings

One hard thing about my posts is that I have to wait for the paintings to dry before I can spray varnish them and then scan them and by that time I'm into something else and can barely remember (or really want to remember because I'm thinking about what I'm thinking about now) what my motivation was when I painted this last week. I'm sure it was basically working on getting a good gray color and feeling like it was ok to explore this. It has led me into thinking about something else which I guess I'll leave until I post new paintings. It always feels so good to let one painting lead you to the next.

Kristi Grusendorf's Painting

I'd like to start posting both my student's and reader's paintings and anything they have to say about them. So please email me jpegs of your paintings and I'll post 'em!!!
Kristi's website is kristigrussendorf.com
Kristi was in the Utah Watercolor Society workshop last month and she just sent this beauty.
Here's what she wrote:
Every year I do a Christmas still life. This year I did a red/green one with a bit of blue thrown in.
Since your workshop, all but one of the paintings I've done has been in the complementary pallettes (not the exact colors you use). I've always limited my colors so I suspect I've been doing it a bit already but your workshop has encouraged me to think in terms of the complements more often. Even though "size doesn't matter", this one is 10 x 12.

Kristi

Gray Skies, Gray Painitings?

It's been rainy all week but the autumn colors look great against the gray skies. I didn't make the connection until this minute as I posted the paintings I worked on this week. It just felt right to do gray work!!
All paintings are oil on board; some are for floater frames and some for the regular type.

Floater frame

Please forgive the photography on this one. I repainted a painting. Something I've never done before but I thought I'd give it a try cause it was already in a floater frame and it is hard to get out and in again. I usually just toss them when they don't work. I'm going to try another one (or two) tomorrow on slightly larger boards that can be framed differently. Wish me luck!
"Red Tablecloth" 2 1/2" x 3 3/8" oil on board.

All of a sudden I've been struck by the idea of using gray backgrounds. I can't remember exactly how it happened. I think it was a combination of looking over the work in my studio and seeing Colleen Cox's. I mention this because it wasn't until seeing her work that I gave myself permission to go ahead and have this idea of doing a group of gray backgrounds. Why do we have to get permission? Isn't being an artist a good enough reason?
"Pink Creamer and Apples" 3x4 inches oil on board
"Pink Creamer and Apples" 2 1/2 x 3 3/8 oil on board

Miniature Pastel

"Pink Creamer and Apples" 3x4 inches pastel on board

Two Handed

"Stillness IV and V" 3x4 inches oil on board

Duplicity

Doing two or more at a time is freeing in a lot of ways. If you mess up one you still have the other. I also like the idea of keeping one for myself.
"Two Pitchers, Two Onions" one is 3x4 and the other is 2 1/2 by 3 3/8 inches.

Daylight Savings Time Ends

I've always been totally dependent on sunny days to do my paintings. (It's so ingrained in me that when I see it's cloudy out I find it nearly impossible to get into the mood to paint- anyone else like that?) I use north light and a desk lamp that has warm and cool bulbs (which I usually use only the warm) to mix colors and do my paintings.
An epiphany struck just as Daylight Savings Time ended.
I woke up the other morning and had the idea to use a 500 watt bulb when its dark or cloudy.
I was concerned that the colors wouldn't be the same. I've been pleasantly surprised that this is working out especially since the days are so short this time of year and it seems we are getting so much rain. This is just great. It expands my working schedule tremendously. I just have to be careful about not leaving the bulb on for too long or go away and forget about it!! I've read about people using all different kinds of lighting but it never seemed to work for me.
I aim the lamp at the ceiling and still use two desk lights. Another thing that's great is that I didn't have to buy anything. Just used what was in the closet. This bulb really lights up the room. My husband suggested a 250 watt bulb. I guess I'll try that after I've burnt out all the 500's that I have!
"Blue Vase and Orange Slice" 3x4 inches.