Pastel Painting - Samford Hall

Samford Hall

11 x 14 pastel on Wallis sanded pastel paper

I did this pastel of Samford Hall on the campus of Samford University for a collegue who was leaving the University after 20+ years of service. He worked in this building over those years and I wanted to give him something to remember that time in his career. He hired me into my current position.

Please excuse the lousy photograph. I had already framed the piece before taking the photo and the light was weak.

Art Blogs of Note

The greatest surprise thus far with blogging is my discovery of so many outstanding art blogs.

Below I’ve listed 5 noteworthy blogs and artist. This group is very talented, very inspiring and really has sparked my interest. Listed below are links to specific post that capture their love of art and the ups and downs of life and creating art…

5 Blogs of Note

http://djsstudio.blogspot.com/2009/10/palette-knife-thread-to-rescue.html “As you know so well, in an online group, we call a conversation a "thread". I feel I'm having psychological conversations with my paintings these days, so I'm tempted to call them "threads" in lieu of a "series." - DJ



http://shaylapn.blogspot.com/2009/10/life-and-breath.html “The inspirational spark for this painting was from Neil Young's song "Heart of Gold." It was the yearning in "keeps me searching for a heart of gold" part that resonated. Somehow in the painting it became more literal.” - Shayla



http://jeane-artit.blogspot.com/2009/10/had-to.html “so I grabbed the biggest canvas I could find - an old painting that I did about 7 years ago - I made the first marks and then worked for two hours solid! It was so fun!” - Jeane



http://katherinetreffinger.blogspot.com/2009/09/deep-sea-diving.html “My process of working is to create chaos and bring it to a peaceful place and lose it again into chaos until it becomes an interesting and finished piece.” - Katherine



http://pbbell.blogspot.com/2009/08/if-at-first.html “I've been painting with thought for 5 years now and i'm still struggling for a style that suits me so i can take off and explore things other than just learning to talk.” - Pat

Project #4

“Moon”
11x14 on illustration board

Materials: gross heavy gel medium, gesso, sand, shelf liner and acrylic paint.

This was one in a series of four mixed media pieces I did a few years ago. They all utilized a gel medium for providing an interesting surface to work with. Using a plastic knife, I apply the gel creating various shapes and textures. You will note the interesting effects I got by dragging a sponge across wet paint that had been laid down across the gel surface. The moon design was created using shelf liner. I cut out the design, applied to the illustration board and then covered the surface with a white gesso and sand mixture. You then pull back the shelf liner to reveal the design. It provides some dimension and great texture. It is really fun to experiment with these different techniques and just go with the flow.

You are an artist.

5 Favorite Artists from the 2009 Bluff Park Art Show

It was a picture perfect day for the 46th annual Bluff Park Art Show. I twisted some arms and got Brannon and Brett to join me for a picnic and walk around at the art show. They were good sports. Jenny was at the lake for a reunion with her best buddies from college.

5 Favorite artists at the Bluff Park Art Show :

1. Bethanne Hill

She is my favorite local artist. Her ability to create a sense of movement and wonder is so unique.

From her website: I have always been drawn to rural landscapes. Growing up in Alabama with my family meant long, hot car trips, spent looking out the window as my parents pointed at the scenes which reminded them of their childhood homes in the farmland of southern Ohio. They told their stories and I half-listened with a child's short attention span. As an adult, these memories hold strong emotion for me, and they represent a time that is lost. I would give most anything to hear my parents' stories now. I would pay close attention this time. I believe my fondness for these landscapes springs from these memories.

http://www.montystablergalleries.com/artists/hill/hill%20page.html

2. C L Cunningham

This artist produces mixed media works that are nostalgic in their theme. There is a craftsmanship to the work as the artist uses many different materials in creating these pieces.

http://www.clcunningham.com/

3. Virginia Dauth

I have a love of pastel paintings and this artist is as good as you will find with her pastel landscapes.

From her website: She creates her landscapes from the classical sense to the modern and sometimes stylistically in between. Virginia defines her style as expressive colorism, with the use of bold stroke and the pushing of intense color.

http://www.virginialdauth.com/default.htm

4. Bruce Holwerda

His work is so original and imaginative. The detail work here is amazing.

From his website: I've always loved working with the figure and so combining the human form with simple ideas, energetic poses or surreal portraits is fuel that generates my art. I almost alwayspaint with Acrylics on different surfaces; canvas, wood panel,and acid free papers.

http://www.bruceholwerda.com/

5. Pamela Watters

Yes, another pastel artist. She makes the best use of the pastel medium with a bold use of color.

From the website: Pamela Watters is an artist who uses the medium of pastel in painterly fashion. “Pastel is my medium of choice because my objective is to create bold & dynamic art with gestural energy. I love the pure colors, the immediacy, and the feeling that the pastel stick is an extension of my fingers. Practically any effect that can be achieved with any other medium can be accomplished with pastel. In pastels I have the best of all possible worlds; speed, directness of execution, permanence and vivid color.”

http://www.pamelaart.com/

Next Project

I have a huge painting planned. It will be one of my biggest projects yet. Unfortunately, I'm talking about our marked up kitchen. It's long over due for a fresh coat of paint. Right now I'm actually kind of excited about it. These projects are so easy to plan and finish. I'm really struggling with my art right now and running short on ideas and motivation. Painting the kitchen will be a release of sorts.

Any inspiration you can offer would be welcome.

Project #3 - Self Portrait

“Self Portrait”
7x11 on paper

Materials: Graphite transfer paper, charcoal stick, charcoal pencil, black ink, brush


I started with a basic pencil drawing of me. The thing that really jumped out – man that guy has got a big head. …too bad that doesn’t equate to smarts. Once the drawing was complete, I utilized graphite transfer paper to copy the drawing to other sheets of paper. This enabled me to play around with different media and ideas. This can be an effective tool for experimenting without having to redo the sketch each time. Once the drawing was a reasonable likeness, I could use it over and over again.

You will find 3 examples above:
1 Original drawing used for transfer
2 Charcoal drawing
3 Brush and ink rendering

You are an artist.

Favorite Artist

One of my favorite artist is Bethanne Hill. She is a local artist who I've followed through various art shows over the years. She currently has a showing at the Hoover Public Library and is a must see. Her work (as is the case with most artist) must be seen in person to fully appreciate. I've included a link to give you a small sampling.

http://www.southernartistry.org/Bethanne_Hill

Pastel Paintings

These two pastel paintings have just sat unframed in my basement. A blog provides a great opportunity to do something with it. I wanted to post something while I struggled with the self portrait that was mentioned a few days ago.

Self Portrait

My brother has issued me a challenge : a self portrait

I have never done one and struggle with where to even begin. It seems kind of self indulgent, but an interesting challenge. Most of the great artist did some sort of self portrait and demonstrated various approaches. The fact that the subject matter will be me removes a great deal of the pressure. I knew immediately that my approach would not be conventional so don't be looking for a "likeness" of Matt.

I would entertain any suggestions. Charcoal drawing, pastel painting or mixed media?

Project #2

“The Color and Shape”
11x14 Construction paper cut out

Materials: Tinted charcoal paper, assorted construction paper, glue, scissors


It’s all about color and composition. The beauty of the paper cut out is the opportunity for trial and error. You begin by cutting and working with various arrangements. Once you have decided on the final design, you begin pasting the cutouts to your paper.

Try to mix cool and warm colors. The yellow and orange draw the eye while the cool blues provide the contrast.

Try to maintain the proper balance. Note that none of the shapes divide the work in half or are centered perfectly. This is more interesting to the eye. Also, I’m working here in threes which is more effective to the composition than pairs of shapes.

Technique: Using the paper cut out to express yourself can be very rewarding. It’s all imagination and a few simple design concepts.

You are an artist.

Project #1

“Circular Study”
5x7 Acrylic on illustration board

Acrylics: Gold, Alizarin Crimson, Cadmium Yellow
Materials: Cling Wrap, Shelf Liner, Graphite Pencil, Brush

Cut your shape of choice into the shelf liner and stick to illustration board. Apply a heavy watered down coat of Gold acrylic. While still wet, cover the surface with a wrinkled layer of cling wrap. Let dry.

Remove cling wrap revealing a newly created pattern in gold. Randomly apply strokes of Alizarin Crimson and Cadmium Yellow acrylic. Remove the shelf liner design and wash in color as desired. Bring out the edges in the design with the use of the graphite pencil.

Technique: Cling wrap and shelf liner can provide some interesting options in your contemporary compositions.

You are an artist.

Learning the tricks

This is a brand new header that I created at Picnik.com. It was amazing how easily I uploaded a pic, edited it the way I wanted it, and then added it to my blog. This could become addictive.

Framing

Continued this evening with some small cut out works (see Matisse example "The Sky"). I would like to start using painted paper instead of construction paper. The colors are richer when painted. These pieces are easy to frame using an inexpensive picture frame. Also, the picture frames allow you to easily remove a work and insert a new work.

Paper Cut Outs

I'm really excited about my discovery of the paper cut out as made famous by Henry Matisse (see "Icarus" example). So simple, even a caveman could do it. As Matisse discovered, the cut out allows the artist to be totally free from the restrictions of the drawn or painted subject matter. You are working with shapes and color only. It's all about composition and this is obtained by varying the size of the cut outs and utilizing the right color combinations.

For those not familiar, a "cut out" is a work of art where you cut out shapes from colored paper (either construction paper or painted paper) and paste them to your working surface (a flat sheet of white or colored paper). I have really enjoyed this medium and look forward to competing more works.

First Post

This will serve as my first blog post. The purpose of this blog is simple. Promote the joy of creating art. It will provide an outlet for me to publish ideas and thoughts regarding the process of creating art.