COME TO THE ART SHOW

Bluff Park Art Show is this weekend!

Use the link to get a map for the free art show and free shuttle ( no parking at the show)

Birmingham (Hoover) Alabama - off Alford of I65

Saturday only!

Hope to see you there!

STILL LIFE DEMONSTRATION

PAINTING DEMONSTRATION study, 12x16, oil on linen panel

Sometimes I take chances. If I have a failed painting, it seems I have nothing to lose by painting over it. Underneath this study was a landscape - a lovely twilight scene that never quite made it. Our painting teacher selected still life as the subject of the class recently. We turned off the overhead flourescent lights to better see the set up. The other students diligently gathered 'round the teacher to watch the demonstration. FRom where I stood in the back of the room - WOW what lighting! I treated what I saw as a liquid drawing, just trying to capture the halos of light.

What he was painting was the arangement of "Velvet andFringe" you saw in August on this blog. When the other students settled down to work I squeezed my easel closer to the onions and jar sitting on that beautiful green shawl.

BETWEEN SUNSET AND DUSK

BETWEEN SUNSET AND DUSK 9x12, oil on linen panel

Since there isn't a full moon, I gave just an ordinary sunset a try this evening. Geeze. I know full well that lighting changes fast. Just when I think I might have the values and colors right the sunset blazed and obliterated most of the values and colors.

What nervous fun! I was standing in the middle of the road in our development - we are at the end of the street.

Wishing you a beautiful evening too......

MOON CRAZY

Moon study, 6x8"
I know what they mean by "moonstruck" now. Full moons are almost as fascinating as sunsets. My art room has an east facing window, and I can see the moon rise periodically from that window. Last week the weather cooperated, and as I finished computer work, I decided to just go out and paint the moon.
Painting moonlight has its' own challenges, as I found out. In a hurry to catch it before the moon was covered by clouds, I just sat down in the road with my pochade box. Didn't take the time to set up the tripod - no time. There was a streetlight behind me, and it didn't really shed much light on the palette. So I just dug for blue paint in the corners where I usually place those colors. I felt around for cad red light to modify the blue to grey. This is really not a good painting, it just shows an attempt to try something new. I didn't catch that velvety look of the dark trees in the moonlight. Or the edges of clouds that were both illuminated by the moon and darkened in other places. O well, 'till the next full moon and lovely summer night.......

KEEPING IT LIGHT

KEEPING IT LIGHT

both 6x8" oil on board

Gave myself a challenge this week. Tried to keep these little ones in a high key - meaning nothing darker than a value 7 in artist terms. I was getting heavy handed and dark. I felt just like a joke I heard on the Click and Clack radio show (NPR) - "She's so dense light bends around her." These really did help the ham fisted look I had been using on recent paintings.

THINKING LARGE

24X48 needs a title - 3 feet square, also needs a title
THINKING LARGE
These are two of the larger water series. The third is horizontal 24x36. Usually I show stages of development, but the third one just won't behave and I don't want you to see it until it gets under control.
Painting these allowed me to stay cool. The left painting is one of several versions of the Sipsey river. I need to find the name of the river of the right one.
Any suggestions for titles?