Apple Stack and Chrome

Apple Stack and Chrome. 6x6, oil on paper

Unfortunately, I've had to cut back on my painting time these past few weeks. I had been maintaining a solid schedule of one or more paintings everyday, but other projects have come up and I've had to cut back to only doing a few a week. I turned out this piece a few days ago and was pleased with out the reflective can turned out. It has a real juicy look that can only be gotten with alla prima painting. 

Besides these daily paintings, I have also been keeping a regiment of drawing from life. I have filled several sketchbooks over the past year of figure drawings and anatomy studies. Hopefully, I'll be able to photograph some of the best of them and I'll post them soon.

Salvation Army Cup

Salvation Army Cup. 6x6, oil on paper

I got this thick glass cup from the salvation army for a dollar. Its nice to have variety, especially when you paint as often as I do. Making a painting is a lot easier if you're excited about the subject and composition. Taking your time to find a set-up that you're happy with is essentially. If you don't find the work exciting, then its doubtful others will.

Breakfast of Champions

Breakfast of champions. 6x6, oil on paper

Two cups of coffee and a hard-boiled egg, that's how I like to get my day started. Of course, enjoying that fresh cup of joe is a even better if you happen to be reading a copy of Kurt Vonnegut's iconic Breakfast of Champions as well. We're both avid readers in this house and Vonnegut is one of our favorites. 

Gateway to Luna

Gateway to Luna. 5x7, acrylic monotype

I made a series of monotypes one afternoon this month that revolved around that crescent moon, which is a shape I've returned to time and again over the years. The moon symbolizes the subconscious and the mysterious, two themes I have always found fascinating.

Sometimes my gerbils take baths in that purple ceramic

Sometimes my gerbils take baths in that purple ceramic. 5x7, oil on panel

I've been painting that purple ceramic since I started doing still lifes. It and the blue vase were in my very first alla prima painting. I like to return to these subjects because its helpful to compare the old and the new, but I also just love these colors. Adding the yellow cup is what really brought this composition together.

And yes, sometimes I fill that purple ceramic with sand and let my two gerbils take a sand bath in it. They love it.

Tasty Fruit

Tasty Fruit. 5x7, oil on panel

Juicy fresh fruit are a joy to paint. Truly, delicious snacks make for delicious art. I try to find really good looking fruit when I'm at the grocery store. It has taken me a long time to learn how to get those saturated colors using alla prima methods. When I first started painting this way, I would usually mix too much white into my paint and get chalky color or else I would fuss with the paint so much that the colors lost their punch. Big shapes, pure colors, and no fuss, thats the key....that and strong values of course.

Two apples and a silver cup

Silver cup and two apples. 6x6, oil on paper

This piece took just over an hour to complete. My wife wanted to do some drawing so I set up this little still life to paint while she worked on the apple. I liked vibrant it turned out, the saturated blues and reds really read well together. And silver cups are always fun to paint.

Wave

Wave. 6x6, acrylic monotype

Another of my geliplate prints, Wave is a good example of how to make the technique work for you. The textures and the washed out effect of the ghost contrast well with the opaque sections. The nature of the method means that it's very difficult to predict exactly what you'll end up with, so it's usually best to shoot for quantity and let the art surprise you. Patience and flexibility are the key here.

Slay The Beast

Slay the beast. acrylic monotype

This is another print from the science fiction themed set that I mentioned in my last post. It depicts a type of great monster, his head like a lizard with the body of a man. He's seated much like the Mayan god Pakal in those famous carvings. A spear is being thrust into the beast's armpit.

Intergalactic

Intergalactic. diptych. acrylic monotype

This interesting little diptych came from a batch that gave me some good ideas for a new science fiction story. There were about nine images in total and they suggested a type of narrative to me after I had finished the work. I wasn't sure about this piece at first, but its grown on me.

Silver Bucket

Silver Bucket. 6x6, oil on panel.

I use this silver bucket in the kitchen to hold my cooking utensils. I ran out of linseed oil just before this painting and so I made a medium from stand-oil and gamsol. It makes fat, juicy strokes with my hog hair brushes.

Bowl of Apples

Bowl of Apples. 6x6, oil on panel

I was lucky and found some free hardwood, also known as Masonite. You can pick this up at Home Depot or Lowes. Its fairly cheap and makes an excellent support. Some people prefer the tooth of canvas, but I prefer the smooth surface of a hardwood panel. Whatever you choose to paint on, be it canvas, panel, or even paper, make sure you use plenty of good gesso!

You guessed it

cup and apples. 6x6, oil on paper

That's right, more cups and apples. Painting these subjects is a great way to improve your skills. Work from life and give yourself a time limit. Painting this way is about expressing the subject in simple terms as accurately as possible. Always start with the main subjects, their shadows, and then paint the background. Save the highlights for last. The goal is to work this way covering the canvas without little or no fuss. Its not easy to do!