Name that Painting!

Avera project  16x20, up for auction on August 20th!

This weekend I completed a painting that I had been asked to do for the Avera Gregory Hospital Beefsteak Banquet live auction on August 20th.   It was to be 'hills, scenery, something from around Gregory county."   So this piece was stitched together from 3-4 places very close to my home.   
Here is the beginning....a 16x20 piece of uart600, and an underwash.

I had already added some pastel in the sky by this time, the blue, but the rest is just the underpainting.   That helps get rid of the white 'holes' and gets things moving much quicker.

Part of the fun is the winner gets to name the painting!  I wish I had someone help me name them all, that can be hard!   

And don't forget my Dog Days Special, where some of the proceeds of each dog portrait thru the month of August will go to the Rescues Unlimited shelter for vet bills.   Help a dog out!  

Day 4, Resting

No, I'm not resting, today was another perfect spring day, and I spent most of it outside with horses.   So, again, I am painting late!   But this one felt really good going on, and I'm happy with it.

I've noticed its easy to feel rushed painting later in the day, but that's not true, I can paint as long as I like!   Since I am working small for this project, it gives me the freedom to enjoy the day as I did, and still have plenty of studio time.  Another bonus of working small.

I took the reference while visiting a friend near Webster.  (Hi Connie!)   She is also an artist, and we went sightseeing, what fun!!   These 2 fellas were enjoying the late afternoon sun.  Even at rest, they have a powerful presence about them. 

I used a 5 1/2 x 10 1/2 Uart 500 mounted to mat board (rag).   I like this better than the foam board pieces for some reason.   I used my laptop to display the photo up to a point, then I just go with what feels good.  

HeARTS in Healing

On February 6th I attended a benefit in Sioux Falls for the Avera HeARTS in Healing.   It was an interesting day for me, a homebody happy in sweats or jeans.  Stableboy and I had to dress up, he even wore a tie!  *gasp*.  Too bad we didnt' get a photo of it for proof!

 Held in the Behavioral Health Building, it was to help those in need of their special sort of services.   A woman gave a short talk, which I found to be extremely moving, about her son, about being his mom and what that center did to help them.   

 Miss South Dakota also spoke, as she had been a patient there once.   She spoke of how the stigma of using services of such a place was ok, nothing to be embarrassed or ashamed of.   I heard a lot of that sort of talk that evening, and I couldn't agree more.   

The evening also had food, oh my, the food!   They called them hors d'oeuvres, but that seems a bit of a loose term for such a nice feast.   Stableboy was especially fond of the nice girls who kept coming by our table with trays of meat!   And the dessert table was so very pretty....

I donated an 18x24 landscape I created just for the event.   The center deals often with loss, something I know far too much about, so I did this as a sort of personal art therapy.   My piece was done for my Cheyenne, whom I lost almost 3 years ago.   Titled In Her Honor, its a portrait of her of sorts, as it exemplifies who she was...sunshine, flowers, nature and beauty.

I am happy and honored that it went extremely well, a very nice man bought it for his newly remodeled room.  We had a bit of a chat, and I walked away feeling very positive about the whole thing. 

Clear Up Confusion About Glass

Hey gang, I hope this finds you well.   I recently learned that what types of glass are available can be confusing, so I am going to try to clear it up, and keep it short.

Hardware store....they do have glass, and its ok, but can have a greenish cast, and is often somewhat second rate. 

Clear glass...just that, clear, usually comes cleaned and is a better, more clear and less imperfections than the hardware variety.

White water....clear but has absolutely no green cast to it.   A higher grade of clear.

UV....clear, but with a coating that blocks most UV light.   Still has glare.

Then it starts into the glass types that reduce glare, which can be a big issue if the painting is hung in certain places, or especially if the painting is mostly darker in value.

Non glare...the old style of glass that has a frosted etched surface, but can make a painting look hazy and foggy. 

Reflection control....has a coating on it to all but make the glare disappear.  I very much like this type, "ultra view" by Tru Vue is the brand/name.

Museum...is like the reflection control but blocks 97% (or more?) of the UV light.   Best glass of all, but at a very premium price. 

I mostly use ultra view, due to the cost vs. quality.   It does block some of the harmful light, and I feel its adequate for most situations.

I hope this answers a few questions, if not, ask away!!!

On another note, I sadly missed a fun paint out last weekend, and will be a student at a workshop in a couple weeks, so decided to get in some plein air on my own.   I live in a very beautiful, peaceful place and love taking advantage of it in pastel!

Jack's Shed; 7x9 pastel    $50

Dirt Road  7x9pastel    $50

Free Use Photos

There are tons of online photos that are free to use, no strings attached.  Many are really great photos too!    Seems like a great place to get reference to paint from, right?  No worries about lighting, you get a bazillion choices for each subject, just pop em up on the good ol monitor and paint away!    Eh, wait up, maybe not.

First, even tho that freebie photo looks perfect, one of the first things many learn is photos LIE.  oh yes, they do.   Darks are often black holes, lights are washy and weak.   Perspective is usually distorted, I can't count how many paintings of horses or dogs I see that the heads are HUGE, with teensy little bodies.   And it wasn't something done as an expressive intent, its just the artist copied too closely.   I have fallen in this trap countless times but have learned to avoid it by now.   

The paint horse on the far left isn't that much smaller than the sorrel in front, but in this keystoned photo, he looks like a little pony.   Painting it this way would be a huge mistake.

Part of why some art grabs you by the heart strings is somewhere in the paint is emotion.  That emotion might be love, humor, rage, or quietness.   Its not *in* the paint--paint is just a concoction with pigment that clings to a surface.    In my case, pastel is pigment with just enough binder to hold it into a stick form.  

So how does this emotion thing work?   It comes from the hand that paints it.   If you weren't at the place, smelling the breeze, hearing the birds, even dodging the cars, you lose a big part of art.   Not only in the painting itself but sadder yet, in the experience of being in the moment, being an artist.   Don't cheat yourself out of this!

Richard Schmid has some great advice in his Alla Prima book about using photos.   "...never use other people's photos.  You need your own experience of the real thing to give an authentic look to your painting.   Use your photos as soon as possible after you take them so that your memory of the subject is fresh"   And since it came from Master Richard, you know its true!   

Plein air is one of the best teachers, so even if you use photos, you learn where the lie is and fix it.   I do use other's photos they supply when painting a pet that is gone, or is too far away for taking my own photos.  But, I have painted enough of them I can see the flaws and holes and work around it.

This was from a trail ride, the flowers were a long ways from the water, and there was no path from the far edge up the hill.  But these things were in the area--in taking the photo, I made mental notes of these other elements that would take it from boring to charming.

So don't cheat yourself of the experience even if you use photos.   Thats' missing half the fun!