Another Oil Painting

"Bassoon Rhythms"
9" x 12" Oil on Canvas

Happy New Year, Blog Friends! Here is my first art adventure of 2011.

The other day when I tried water miscible oils for the first time, I created a landscape. When I was done, I adopted an idea from wonderful artist Don Michael Jr and used the leftover paint on another canvas in an abstract fashion. Unlike Don's approach, I wanted to simply use the abstract as a background. I left the abstract for about a week during the busy holidays and went back to it contemplating what I might paint. I was enveloped in sounds of Bob playing the bassoon in his music room. Bob is an accomplished musician on all the woodwinds and I feel very fortunate to do art while listening to live music. Suddenly I realized that the swishes of paint made me think of the rhythms and sounds of the bassoon. I had taken two snapshots of Bob a few days previous as he played, so I selected the best and used that as a basis for this painting.

I totally do not know how to paint oils, but I've heard it said you paint from dark to light, the opposite of traditional watercolor. In some places I managed that. I adjusted the background a bit after I completed the figure. There was the loveliest swish of Hanza Yellow in the upper left corner, but I found it too eye-catching. I recalled Mike Bailey's advice not to fall in love with a part of the painting if it doesn't contribute to the whole. So I applied the swish of Ultramarine Blue over the yellow. I also added a bit of the blue around the lower part of Bob's face so he didn't blend too much into the background. I did most of the painting last night with my weekly session of our South Side Art Club at my kitchen table. This morning I darkened Bob's hair (he had asked is my hair really that white? and it's not), added some light to his jeans, adjusted the background, and called this one done. I surprised myself -- I like it!

Adventures in 2011

"The Landscape of Georgia O'Keefe"
9" x 12" Oil

A friend has invited me to go with her to a Maggie Siner workshop in Provence in July. I was hesitant for several reasons -- Maggie is an oil painter as is my friend. Also, Bob and I will be riding our tandem bicycle from Florida to Maine to Vermont from April through June. I won't bore you with all the complications this presents. I was assured that Maggie's instruction is appropriate for any medium, so as my friend was heading off to New Zealand for three weeks, I said yes.

I found that I get allergic reactions when I am in close contact with someone painting in oils. I believe it is the Turpenoid that bothers me. Recently another friend offered me her water miscible oils so I could give them a try. Of course, I don't know how to paint in oils, but what the heck. I took a small canvas panel that had the beginning of an acrylic painting on it. I simply went over it with the oil paints, creating the shapes as I painted rather than drawing them onto the canvas. The shapes come from several snapshots I took while in New Mexico in October. This piece was certainly a challenge, but a pleasurable experience none-the-less. I seemed not to have any unpleasant health side effects. I'm hoping that I will fare okay in France as we will be painting plein air. I don't know if I will paint in these oils, acrylics, or my watercolors.

As far as this painting goes, I like the variety in the foreground, and would prefer more variation in the mountain. Being oils, I can easily make changes to my experimental piece.