Experiment in Vitamin C-minor

There's something magical about sun through a glass. It's even more so when I see how light gets refracted through a drink. In this instance, the glass contained a mix of cranberry and some powdered health mix. Just had to explore the subject with pen and ink and a little Prismacolor® pencil for added sparkle.

The Three Amigos`

Three Amigos
7" x 5" • acrylic on panel

Getting ramped up for the new year, I pushed myself to do this painting in a day. It's a good discipline. And in 2010, I'm planning to put this type of painting at auction on eBay. At least one a week will be posted to auction.

I'm pleased with how this one came out. I'm learning to glaze in lots of layers of color to get the effect I want. The green pears were REALLY green outside and in. : >D

Finding the Light

It's been busy, as it is for everyone else, but I've slid some time in for the painting. The lighting is closer to what I'm looking for in this image. It goes slow. I'm attempting to build the kind of lighting found in some of the Old Masters paintings.

In my art history classes they talked about paintings and artists who use this lighting labeled chiaruscuro. It's a technique these painters used to create a dramatic effect. They did this by painting a dark, sometimes silhouette, objects or figures in the foreground with strong lighting dominating the middle ground. Two of my favorite paintings using this type of lighting are Vermeer's enigmatic Allegory of Painting and Rembrandt's powerful The Risen Christ at Emmaus.

If you'd like to read a pretty good article explaining chiaruscuro with some nice examples of paintings that use this lighting technique, go to emtpyeasel for a quick read.

Takin' it to the Next Step

For the next phase I try to block in the lights and darks more. Then I push some initial colors in here and there to see if the lighting will work. This is still rugged, but it has taken me awhile to push it to this place. I'm still not certain of the color scheme, and still defining the figures and some of the candles.

The next phase should start solidifying the image. But it always feels like a roll of the dice with acrylics. They dry quickly. Sometimes that's aggravating when I'm trying to model an object so that the illusion of three dimensions is believable. Who knows, I may yet move back to oils for their slower drying times and the way they blend.

Building an Image

In all of my years of painting, I've found myself rotating between approaches. Sometimes I paint a direct image "alla prima" — just blocking it in and letting the chips fall where they may. Or I may begin with a detailed drawing, or I will paint a detailed underpainting in raw umber or cobalt and umber, depending on the image. Lately, because of eyesight problems, I've returned to the underpainting approach. It helps me to work out the structure of light and tone and image placement.

Thought you might like to see the development of a painting this way, so I'll be posting photos of the painting as it progresses. Should be interesting for both of us to observe. Cheers! : >D

Study in Light and Color

She Rocks and Watches
approx. 11" x 8.5" • acrylic on paper

Created for The Painted Soul book, I wanted to experiment with light and color. The model is my wife. But I wasn't trying to get an exact likeness. I was more interested in seeing how warm colors and bright light influence the feel of a work.

The Painted Soul

Self-portrait
approx. 11" x 8.5" • acrylic on canvas

"A man in search of his identity is traveling the wrong road."
— William Kirk Kilpatrick