NEW PAINT IS LIKE WATER

detail

Blue Boat 16x12 oil on canvas

It's like dipping your brush in the water..............the way oil paint feels. We make ripples, reflections, hard shiny surfaces and soft indistinct forms. We paint glare on glass, fog, leather, rocks, clouds. What magic.

This is the marina at Decatur Al. Painted as a demonstration for our monthly class. See

Robin RobertsArt.com for information about classes. I give an introductory class ( one on one) for newcomers to the class.

BUTTERCUP HILL

BUTTERCUP HILL 20X24

Here is one of the paintings I'm alternating with completing the larger scene of sundown on the river. I'm enjoying the contrast between the deep drama of one and the subtle time of year of this one. A quiet time of year, as the first flowers bloom. Buttercups is what we called them as children. The grown up name is daffodils. Here they just covered the top of the hillside. Like Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz said: "my, things come and go so quickly here". They don't last as long as I'd like.

RIGHT TO LEFT

I decided to work in a different manner on this large painting. The first phase that you saw in the last blog entry was completed in 45 minutes or less. Great fun. Now that it needs polishing, I am working from the upper right corner towards the lower left. I've spent 2 hours just on the corner. Can you see the big X that the design hangs on? Can you see the balance of light and dark that is also the balance of blue and orange? As I've said before - it's so easy to have it fall apart at this stage. I hope when it's finished it conveys that evening light and shadow. We'll see.............. I think this one is 30x36. Oil on canvas

EVERY DAY IS SPECIAL

Another start

Lengthening shadows fall across Clear Creek. ....... I love evening and twilight, and it reminds me that every day is special, whether it ends in a bang like this scene, or whether it's rainy or cloudy. This one is 36x30 to emphasize the drama of the twilight. I can't tell how close it is to finishing. I just know I'm having fun with it. Tomorrow I'll show the start of another painting. Working on both of them -alternating - helps me stay out of the picky details.


This is Clear Creek at Camp McDowell in Winston County ( I think) Alabama. There is a dramatic bluff above the creek. Here some of the bluff is visible, and in other places the trees come right down to the water. All the rocks at ground level and above are flat and have a stacked look.

HURRY UP AND WAIT

Energen Corporation "Wonders of Alabama Art" provided a fabulous feast at the artists' reception. I enjoyed the exhibit and came away inspired. I chatted with winners and with other artists. We get all gussied up and have a good time, then it's back to work, picking up paintings that must go back home. I was fortunate that "Beyond" has a new home, and didn't have to stand in the "hurry up and wait" line. That's part of the artists' life, what we pay for the priviledge to bring a vision to life!

THE SHEEP ARE OUT

It's risky showing paintings in mid stage. You have no idea where I'm headed - and sometimes neither do I!

These sheep were near the road that I use daily going into town. I get excited because the sheep are seldom near the road where I can see and photograph them. So I have learned to stop and take advantage of the photo op. The morning light won't wait, and neither will the sheep. The closest one looks suspisciously like a goat to me. I learn anatomy when painting animals. I guess that's what artists mean when they say they are self taught.

I hope it won't take much to finish this one. I must keep a light hand in this phase.

SPILLING OVER

This is a companion to the previous painting with the blog title " Magic of Water". Sometimes I find it's better to jump in and start a painting without a clue of how to finish it. Lately, most are in this category! This painting made me stop and contemplate at several stages. That's not necessarily a bad thing - it just interrupts the flow of energy.

Practicaly finished, and the color balance carries the energy. Last November the smoky mountains provided the scene. My friends say "how did you get those colors from THAT photo?" My photos may not be good, but they only serve as guides to help remember what I saw. Like the ad for spaghetti sauce - it's in there!

The Magic of Water

Here is the ALMOST finished recent painting.
Water is a force all its' own. We are drawn to water, and it's hard to say why. Add some sunlight, and magic happens. Now, capturing the magic I saw when I was at this stream is another matter. But it was certainly worth trying. I'll determine what final touches it needs, but it may take awhile. Meanwhile, I'm happy with the combination of energy and serenity it has. Oil on linen, 18x24