Tucked Away-6x6-SOLD

SOLD

you'll recognize this from a previous painting i did when i was in the keys. liked it so much i did it again. this time in front of folks in the nags head workshop. i showed them how to lay down very simple shadow shapes and light shapes that were so simply done they looked like they were cut out of construction paper. then i went from shape to shape breaking one into two or three all the while correcting the shapes drawing and working on the edges. it went from a "cartoon" version to a finished painting in the last 1/3 of the painting process.

Upcoming dates

Bald Head Island Workshop- Plein Air- How to Loosen Up and Paint Colorfully- May 2- 4
stay on beautiful Bald Head Island and learn how to nail the values of a landscape scene, mix the correct color you see out there, use broken color to jazz passages of the painting, and how to simplify complex scenes. added plus! its on an island that you can only drive golf cars around on. that makes for a really slowed down, fun, experience on the northern most island in the tropics. yes... can you believe it? it is considered the very northernmost extremes of the tropics.

Lumina Ave Shapes 12x12

Headed to the City Art show in Greenville. Opening reception is May 12th

The atlanta workshop is over and next up is a three day workshop in Nags Head NC, starting this monday.

Felt good to work out a few problems on this in the studio. i had the yellow building in the middle ground too dark and too cool so i lightened and warmed it up. when i did it plein air it was partially in sun and partially in shadow ( midtone). it was correct but didnt look good on the painting. then i put some broken color in the shadows, sky and pavement in light to add subtlety and extra color vibration.

Always paint what looks good on the canvas, regardless of whether it was really there or not.

Roswell/Atlanta Workshop

Today was day one of my three day workshop in Roswell Ga. a beautiful little town on the outskirts of atlanta. we went over values for much of the day painting and "seeing" in black and white. or in this instance grayed down versions of ultramarine blue (blue with orange in it) see the value scale on top? the number 1 value has a line drawing a connection to the number three value. that means if a box, block, object etc is white on the light side (no. 1) it will be a number 3 in the shadow. and a number 2 object in light will most likely be a no. 4 value in the shadow. a dark object will appear to be a no. 3 value in light and a no. 5 value where it gets no light. these are diane's box exercises from class today. thanks diane! heres a white object (could be white or yellow or light pink) on a medium tabletop(could me red, medium green etc) the background obviously dark

now heres a medium box with what looks to be a dark tabletop and a light background

and this is a dark block on a medium tabletop with a light background.

once you learn how to bracket values in a logical way you will be able to add observation to some reasoning and figure out what values things should be and why.

bracketing means putting a two value jump in value from the lightest plane (direct light) to the darkest plane in shadow (the one getting the least amount of light) If there's a midtone (strafing light or half in light half in shadow) its the value inbetween the lightest and darkest. so if its a white block the plane getting the most amount of light would be no. 1, the midtone would be no.2 and the shadow plane on a white block would be no darker than no. 3.

Day two tomorrow. i'm stoked!

Changed my Mind

i've decided not to put Pathway to Nirvana in the City Art show and i'll be painting something else up instead. getting packed for the atlanta workshop so no time to paint any dailies to post. i better get some painting done here shortly or i'll lose my mojo and i hate that feeling!

Wilmington Workshop Day One

Today was day one of a three day workshop in Wilmington NC. Fifteen stoked students learned all about the importance of values, how to "bracket" them into believable and simple value plans. then on to color, how to mix any color imagineable. i pulled pages out of magazine and at the end of the day students were mixing any color i gave them. Then i showed them how to mass in the shadow and light pattern, then go back and make it even more believable by going from two values (one for light, one for shadow) to four and then on to six. Tomorrow we'll put all this into practice as we take it outside painting plein air. i havent been painting much lately. been running from one workshop to the next so i dont have anything image-wise to post. i'll get something on as soon as i can. Flying out to Roswell Ga. (near Atlanta) this Sunday to hold a three day workshop on Monday. there's a space or two left. if you'd like to sign up email me and i'll hold you a spot. Next Workshop- Dare County Arts Council Plein Air Workshop- manteo nc- apr. 25-27 email me to see if there are any spots still open

Where ya been?

got a few emails wondering if i was still alive. they said i never went this long without posting on the blog. yes i am alive. alive and very well as a matter of fact.

as i write this post i'm on the 6th floor in an oceanfront room looking out over the ocean as the sky turns a pretty shade of lavender with just a hint of magenta at the top then on into a baby blue cloudless sky. how did i end up here? courtesy of the Wilmington Art Association. a very nice group of artists having a show and they asked me to be the judge. after work i went kiteboarding out back behind the hotel. this is a tuff gig i'll tell you.

gotta run right now but just wanted you to know that i didnt end up in a ditch on the way back from Key West. and thanks to those who wondered. nice to know i wont leave the earth without at least two people wondering where i went LOL