5-value study of the goose fountain

Here is the goose fountain again, but this time instead of 10 I used 5 values.

The 5-value study forces me to simplify the values that I see into the 5 paint values I have. The result has a stronger value pattern/contrast and it shows the slight better. I should keep that in mind when I paint with colors...

5-value study of the goose fountain.

10--value study of the goose fountain.

5-value study of a fountain

Same fountain again (in Lasdon Park, NY), this time I used only 5 values instead 10 values. It forces me to make decisions and simplify value patterns.

I'm happy with this one and I think I'll leave this fountain alone for a little while :-)

5-value study of a fountain.

My subject for the study.

5-value study of the Nina ship in Newburg

Here's a 5-value study of an old ship replica. This one is Nina and it was docked at the Newburg Marina.

I settled to paint the bottom part of the boat to avoid painting all the straight lines. I was painting on the dock and it was moving

5-value study of Nina.

At the end of the session at the Newburg Marina.

Value study of a fountain (again)

Same fountain as in the previous post, with a different view and different conditions. This time I painted the fountain with stronger value difference with a "faded" background. The water at the top is coming out from what looks like flutes that each boy is playing.

Now I see that the bottom pool is not quite in proportion with the other levels. I spent so much time on that part and couldn't figure out what was off...

Value study of a fountain (again).

At the end of the session... 

Plein air painting at Madam Brett Mill Park, Beacon

This was painted at Madam Brett Mill Park in Beacon. To the left there were nice falls, but these reflections in the water were "calling" me to be painted... 

"Untitled", Oil, 8 x 10"

Value study of a fountain

I spent about two hours on this value study... I painted only one of the two boys at the top. At this angle it would have been confusing to paint both of them (for me and the viewer :-).

I couldn't figure out how to make the fountain stand out like the real thing. It was mostly in the shade but brighter than everything else around... I need to try this one again.

Value study of a fountain.

At the end of the session.

Value study of a statue of a women holding a basket of flowers

That was my effort for the day: a value study of a statue of a woman holding a basket of flowers.  The shoulders could be lower a little, but other than that, I'm pretty happy with the result.

Value study of a statue.

At the end of the session... my setup and the statue in the background.

Value study of a goose foutain

I have been doing some value studies recently. Here's one a "goose fountain" (not working at the moment). I dedicated a sketchbook for these value studies: Beta Sketchbook from Stillman & Birn. I use heavy body acrylic by Golden. I use carbon black, titanium white and 7 neutral grays (N2 - N8) in between. So no mixing, just dip the brush and apply. Sounds simple, right?... I spent about 2 hours on this one. :-)

Hopefully, I'll get better/faster at seeing value patterns and better plan my paintings. I'll try to stick to value studies for a little longer...

Value study of  a goose fountain (not working) :-)

Here's the real thing I tried to paint.

Part of my setup at the end of my session.

Bear Mountain Bridge, Oil, 8 x 10"

I put aside my ocean/waves scenes for the plein air season (outdoor painting) which started a little while ago. I try to go as often as possible. It's challenging because on top of painting the scenery in a limited time you also have to deal with other elements: equipment, winds, sun, rain, terrain, bugs, wildlife, people who want to chat...   but it's the best way to learn how to see.

The conditions are changing fast and after 2 hours the initial scene looks completely different. So even though I limit my painting size to 8 x 10" I rarely finish a painting in one session. So if I feel the start has any potential, I may go back to the scene or try to finish it from memory and photographs (and the result is still not guaranteed :-). Otherwise I put it aside for a while (on the stack) and simply use it as a learning experience. Well... let me just stay that the "learning" stack is getting taller faster than the "finish" stack. You will probably not see those...

Here's one that I painted in the morning and finished in the studio from memory in the afternoon.

"Bear Mountain Bridge", Oil, 8 x 10"

Sunny Morning in Beacon

I recently finished this painting that was started in plein air (outdoor) with the Lower Hudson Valley Plein Air Painters last summer. This building used to be a mill and is now converted into a restaurant. And it sits by the falls in Beacon. A lovely place to eat. The building is (supposed to be) round... I'll have to paint this one again next summer...

Sunny Morning in Beacon, Oil, 8 x 10"

Coming show with the Lower Hudson Valley Plein Air Painters (LHVPAP)

I'm happy to announce that the following three paintings were selected to be in a show with The Hudson Valley Plein Air Painters (LHVPAP).

The three paintings were done in plein air. "Falls on the Croton Dam" was completed over two days on location.

"Pelton Pond" was done with a palette knife, because I had forgotten my brushes that day. I really like this one. Maybe I should forget my brushes more often :-).

Here is the information for the show:
The Howland Cultural Center 477 Main Street, Beacon, NY (845) 831-4988
November 2-24 2013
Opening Reception: Saturday, November 2  3-5pm
Gallery Hrs.: 1:00 – 5:00 pm   Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday                          

"Overlooking the Creek at Beacon", Oil, 8 x 10"

"Falls on the Croton Dam", Oil, 12 x 9"

"Pelton Pond", Oil, 6 x 8"

Lake Mahopac in plein air

I went with the Lower Hudson Valley Plein Air Painters to the "gazebo park" in Mahopac to paint this one. It was another gorgeous day and I like the spontaneity of this one.

Lake Mahopac, Oil, 6 x 8"

Plein air study in Beacon, NY

This is a plein air painting done at the waterfront park in Beacon on the Hudson River. I used an orangish ground to tone down the glare of the white surface and to help (supposedly) to with all the greens. I'm happy with the distant mountains and the overall values.

Untitled, Oil, 6 x 8"

Columbus replica ship Pinta, oil, 6 x 8"

The Pinta (a replica ship of Columbus' Pinta) was in Newburgh, NY for a few days. So I went with the Lower Hudson Valley Plein Air Painters (LHVPAP) group to paint it. The owner of Bill Joe's Ribworks restaurant was kind enough to let us use his ground to paint. That was the only place we could get an unobstructed view of the boat. We had a nice lunch there before going our separate ways.

I liked the subtle changes of color of the boat, so I sacrificed the top of the mast to include most of the boat (if I paint it again, I'll include the mast). Early on this boat looked green to me but after lunch it was obviously black :-) 

Columbus replica ship Pinta, Oil, 6 x 8"

Plein air at Pelton Pond

I recently joined the Lower Hudson Valley Plein Air Painting (LHVPAP) group. This is great. Besides improving my painting skills, it will allow me to get to know my surroundings and to paint with other people of the area with similar interests.

Here's a small plein air painting I did at the Pelton Pond with some members of the LHVPAP. I had forgotten my mineral spirits to clean my brushes, so I took the palette knife. It's a lot of greens, but I like it!

Pelton Pond, Oil, 6 x 8"

Here's my setup. You can see the view to the right that inspired my painting.

Setup for painting with oil in plein air. 

Oil study #173 - plein air and Workshop with Virginia Vaughan

I went to a 3 day workshop with Virginia Vaughan at the Fredericksburg Artists' School last week. We had a small group of very nice people willing to work from sunrise to sunset. It allowed me to try things that I wouldn't have done on my own, e.g. sketching farm animals and painting the sky at sunrise and sunset.

This painting is a rework of one of the studies I did the first night. It was supposed to be a warm up study before the study of the sunset but I spent too much time on this one and was not ready for the (fast moving) sunset :(

Looking at this one brings me right back into the workshop. I'm pretty happy with the field and I will try to paint more clouds...

Oil on panel, 6 x 8"

Oil study #164 - plein air

This one has been on the mantel for a few days now and I cannot make up my mind about it. I struggled quite a bit while I was painting it: it was cloudy and I chased the light a few times when the sun showed up. Maybe it's the lack of a (simple) strong value pattern... I'm not sure, so I'll leave it alone and check it again in a month or so.

Oil on canvas panel, 6 x 8"

Oil study #160: Sun on the falls II

This is another version of the falls at Bull Creek. I like this composition better. There was more water than last time. It was mostly cloudy and I ended up chasing the light every time it showed up.

Oil on canvas panel, 6 x 8"

Oil study #153 - plein air

I was happy with this one until I got home and took another look at it: it was much too dark!

I usually put my canvas or panel on another, larger (black) panel to separate the painting from the surrounding scene. I read (Richard McKinley's blog) that if your paintings are consistently too dark, then you should try a white board! I'll have to remember that next time.

Oil on linen, 6 x 8"

Oil study #152: Sun on the Falls I

I like this one! This is another attempt at painting moving water... from further away this time. I like the foreground in the shade leading to the falls in the light

Oil on canvas, 6 x 8"