red apples (of knowledge)

red apples (of knowledge), 6x6 oil on canvas

Summer Trees

Summer Trees, 5x7 oil on paper

Summer has come and the lush Tennessee landscape is ripe for painting. My wife and I trekked the hills to find this spot in a local park. From this spot there is a wonderful view of the mountains, but I was most interested in this tall tree that became the center of this composition. A few curious bystanders came by to see me begin the painting. Hopefully they were able to find me on Instagram and see the finished product. Follow me @joshpaints.

The Ringleader

The Ringleader, 6x6 oil on paper

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Lately I've been paying more attention to my edges, especially the transition between the cast shadow and the ground. Its difficult to get this area to feel right, and in alla prima painting you have only a few chances to achieve the desired effect before your begin to ruin the piece. The goal of alla prima is to get the right color in the right place with the right stroke. The desire to go back into the work with corrections must be suppressed or the loose quality of the painting will be lost to the muddiness of over-working it.

two and one thirds onions

two and one thirds onions, 5x7 oil on paper

I love to eat onions! They the perfect compliment to so many different meals. If something is delicious, it will probably make a delicious painting too.

Fruity Group

Here are some happy little fruits, 6x6 oil on paper. I thought this trifecta was so vibrant and yummy I just had to paint them together.The colors are very strong and make from a powerful thumbnail in this arrangement. Painting small forces the artist to be loose and to concentrate on values. It takes a long time to learn that details are not as important as the larger constructions and the value relationships of the composition.

African Violets and Orange Slices

African Violets and Orange Slices, 6x6, oil on paper

My wife brought these beautiful little violets home to grow on our window sill. Of course I had to paint them, and with a lovely compliment of orange they really sing don't they?  

coke bottles

Coke Bottles. 6x6, oil on canvas

I keep a couple of these old glass coke bottles around in case I feel like indulging my inner pop artist. Andy Warhol references aside, These symbols of consumerist frenzy worked quite well in this colorful still life, Composition is probably the area that I've struggled with the most over the years, so its nice when I get a set up that really sings to me. Let there be color! 

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. 

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.

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!

Green Apples and Steel Cup

Green Apples and Steel Cup. 6x6 oil on canvas

I got a new set of rosemary brushes in this week and so far they are a pleasure to use. For this piece I used a set of long flats and a small sable for the details. I've been working on saturation and tone, trying to keep the brush strokes simple and the color intense. I also added some new work to my etsy shop, including this piece.

My Shop 

Bananas

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Cool Bananas. 6x6, oil on paper

Bananas are always fun to paint. They're fun to eat as well so they never last long around my place. I ran out of cadmium yellow pale before painting these, so I had to make do with cadmium yellow medium, which leans towards orange. I think it worked out pretty well, or at least the overall palette is pleasing enough.

Croissant and Berries

Croissant and Berries. 6x6, oil on paper

My wife bought some of these delicious croissant and I couldn't resist painting one. I promptly ate it afterwards, after washing my hands of course. I want take a moment to give a shout out to Rosemary and Co. I ordered some new brushes from them last night. They make excellent tools for an incredible price. I bought a set from them two years ago and they're still going strong.

Water Glass and Orange Slice

Water glass with orange slice. 6x6, oil on paper

So I made some changes to my set up this week. First, I acquired some Utrecht brand oil paints. I've been using Winsor Newton brand oil paint for several years, but now I can finally afford an upgrade. I also upgraded to Gamblin Gamsol odorless mineral spirits. Turpenoid has been my go to brand since college, but Gamsol is clearly superior. This is one of the first paintings I did with my new materials and I was pleased with the results.

Comparing Apples and Oranges

 Nine Red Apples. 11x11, oil on paper

 Nine Green Apples. 10x10, oil on paper

Nine Oranges. 10x10, oil on paper

It took me nearly a week to finish this exercise. The goal was to focus on speed and execution. I can see a lot of improvement from the first apple to the last orange. Working so small was a challenge at first, but it has helped me to loosen up and be more painterly with my strokes.

Three Coffee Cups

Three coffee cups. 6x9, oil on paper.

This was one of the first pieces I did using medium with my oils. At the university, we used Liquin as a glazing medium. Before that I used straight linseed oil for glazing. Of course there's not glazing in the alla prima technique so abandoned the use of any medium for a long time. I would use thinner to create a ground and sometimes I'd layer some washes in my under painting, but for the painting itself I would dip my brush into pure paint and go. 

Using an oil medium has really opened up a new world for me. Currently, I'm using a mixture of linseed oil, sun-baked linseed oil, and mineral spirits. Doing so had done several things for me. I can now get more confident strokes because the paint is easier to control. I can get a wider variety of marks. I use less paint and create less waste. I get the work done faster.