"Paintings With Personality"
7/31/2014 9:16:11 PM
When Honey and I lived in Japan, I earned a teaching degree in Ikebana. After returning stateside, I taught Ikebana for a few years. I wanted something to paint so I went for a little drive, and tromped through some weeds to cut these branches which I brought back home to paint. I quickly put them in the vase trying (not too successfully) for an Ikebana composition.
“The effect of brilliancy is to be obtained principally from the oppositions of cool colors with warm colors, and the oppositions of grave colors with bright colors. If all the colors are bright there is [...]
7/28/2014 9:49:30 PM
Honey’s favorite summer pastime is fishing. A few years ago, he went for his fishing license where he had to answer several questions while someone else filled out the form. When they said, “hair color,” he answered, “Brown”. After a long and pointed pause, Honey realized his mistake and said, “White.” Honey had graying hair in his twenties and by now it is snow white. Thoughts of fishing must have made him feel young. This brings me, of course, to the subject of color in art.
Color can have the same kind of effect on us as it had on [...]
7/24/2014 11:05:18 PM
An example of a loose rendition of including people in a painting
This is the third and final installment of including people in your landscapes or cityscapes. In my first two posts I emphasized that the figures be kept loose and simple. The landscape is the focus, not the people. If you begin stressing about what figures to paint and what they should be doing you’ll be defeated before you even start.
Paint the figures at the same time you paint the rest of the scene, don’t leave them to the last. Begin with a hint of the shape [...]
7/21/2014 10:39:59 PM
Frenchtown is a little spot in NJ located on the Delaware River. It is a popular place for artists to en plein air paint. This little building is one of my favorites in the area.
In the last post we ended with Practice Practice Practice. I hope everyone enjoyed the challenge as much as I. Unfortunately, Barnes and Noble enjoyed it too. I can’t seem to go to that store without buying something. The key is to stay out of the ‘art section.’ In Thursday’s post I also talked about making the decision to include figures [...]
7/17/2014 10:17:33 PM
I digitally cropped this from my larger acrylic painting 'Yellow Cab City, 5th Avenue'. I thought it would be easier to see the figures without the rest of the painting.
I apologize for Monday’s “hard to read” post. My laptop had a virus and ended up with Best Buy’s Geek Squad. Monday’s post was done on “Honey’s” ten year old computer; he was using his good computer which is slightly newer. I’m very glad to have my friendly and totally healthy laptop back. Today’s post should be easier to read and much easier to upload. Now, on to the post…
Painters [...]
7/14/2014 10:56:38 PM
I’m sitting in a hospice room at the hospital beside the bed of a dear friend, Martha, who turned 100 years old last April. When she was 98 years old, Martha decided she wanted to be 100 and she met that goal. She has survived two husbands and both her children; now she’s tired and ready to leave this place.
How about our goals in art, what do we do when we reach our goal? Maybe if we’re old and very tired we quit. Or maybe we “finally” let ourselves enjoy the process and stop thinking our work [...]
7/10/2014 10:46:00 PM
"Yellow Cab City" is a large painting done in acrylic on canvas. Every time I see Times Square I am struck by all the lights and noise. This is the first time I have painted it.
Wabi-sabi is a Japanese aesthetic that finds beauty in old and imperfect things, like weather beaten boards, broken glass, cracked sidewalks, and etc. It is characterized by being different, rough, and simple. The wabi-sabi belief is that nothing lasts, nothing is finished and nothing is perfect. The opposite of Wabi-sabi is perfection. Wabi-sabi encourages us to slow down and appreciate what is rather than trying to [...]
7/7/2014 10:07:38 PM
Here is a young man I saw on a water bus in Amsterdam, Netherlands. I loved the way he was sitting there silhouetted by the light and his arm propped on a table, just thinking. I only exhibited the painting once and sold it that night.
‘Honey’ and I just got back (the reason I couldn’t post last Thursday). We were in Virginia helping our son and his wife move into their new home. Anything they didn’t want the movers to put on the truck went to the back bedroom where ‘Honey’ and I were sleeping. I walked back there Friday evening, [...]
