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