When life gives you lemons, draw them, 11 x 14 inches dry pastels, graphite on paper

"When life gives you lemons, draw them." (Nikki)

"Color! What a deep and mysterious language." (Paul Gauguin)

Texas

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Bird Party

Tuesday, November 17th, 2009


 

Bird Party, sculpted 140 lb watercolor paper, watercolors - in progress

 

Bird Party, preliminary sketch Bird Party, watercolor in progress Bird Party, sculpted 140 lb watercolor paper, watercolors - in progress

Bird Party, watercolors on molded 140 lb watercolor paper, work in progress.

I’m not exactly sure where this is headed, but shapes were cut out of the painting, the paper drenched, folded, stretched and sculpted. Every evening just before sunset in the Dallas-Fort Worth area Grackles, blackbirds, Starlings and pigeons gather on lawns, parking lots, overhead wires and cables, roofs and trees. The event is unique to this area as far as I know, and exciting beyond words to be amongst the thousands and thousands of birds. Here is a previous piece on the subject.

 Grackles, WalMart parking lot, Main Street, Lewisville, Texas Grackles, Round Grove Road, Lewisville, Texas Grackles, Race Track gas station, Round Grove Road, Lewisville, Texas


 

 Grackles, Rockbrook Drive, Christina's restaurant parking lot, Lewisville, Texas Grackles, Rockbrook Drive, one female and seven males, Lewisville, Texas Grackles, October full moon, Main Street, Lewisville, Texas

Angel’s Trumpet

Tuesday, November 10th, 2009


 

Angels Trumpet (Brugmansias) San Antonio Riverwalk, Texas 14H x 22W inches watercolors on paper
Angel’s Trumpet (Brugmansias) San Antonio Riverwalk, Texas 14H x 22W inches watercolors on 140 lb. cold pressed premium, white mat

Value study

Thursday, November 5th, 2009


 

 Trumpet Flowers, San Antonio Riverwalk, TX - value study

Angel’s Trumpet value study, San Antonio Riverwalk, Texas12 x 16 inches Tombo pen wash on 140 lb. WC paper.

The Tombo pen is a two-in-one water-soluble marker available in colors as well as black. One tip is medium-fine and the other looks and behaves like a Chinese paintbrush, where thickness of lines can be controlled. What’s more difficult to control is that black once it’s on the page! It’s something to pay attention to when painting the colored version.

Preliminary studies are useful with watercolors because if, in trying to correct and re-work areas, the integrity of the paper is easily lost, especially on inexpensive papers. Still, on a traditional watercolor a lot can be done by adding water  to pull out the dark where it’s not wanted, and push out areas of paint with dry brushes. Some places in this study have built-up 3D edges created by the paper bits because I pushed them around so much with a stiff brush to correct things, but traditionally this is not acceptable.

Actually, come to think of it, that might be interesting to deliberately sculpt the paper in strategic areas – like objects in the foreground – by saturating it with too much water, then while painting, brush the resulting paper bits into piles and mold them with a stiff  brush. I may try that in the final colored painting of this scene. This proves once more that every single painting is an experiment to find ways to turn disadvantages and  limitations into advantage and innovation.

Even though WC and Acrylics are water-friendly and watered-down acrylics is the method I use to start most canvas paintings, I’m noticing a few outstanding differences : 1) an off-balance composition seems to be more noticeable with WC, definitely not as correctable 2) improved attention to drawing, details and ultra-conscious 3) requires pre-planning and foresight to keep the work fresh and clean 4) commands enough confidence to swish the paint on quickly as if it was not planned.

San Antonio, Texas

Thursday, October 29th, 2009


 
Buildings in San Antonio, Texas, 22H x 15W inches watercolors on 140 lb. acid free, cold pressed premium
Buildings, San Antonio, Texas, 22H x 15W inches watercolors on 140 lb. acid free, cold pressed premium paper, white mat

Simple Beauty

Sunday, October 18th, 2009


 

Stem on the sidewalk, uptown Dallas TX

Simple beauty, McKinney Ave. sidewalk, Uptown Dallas, Texas

Grackles

Thursday, June 18th, 2009


 

Grackles, 11 x 10 inches soft pastels and graphite on paper

Grackles, 11 x 10 inches soft pastels and graphite on paper. 20H x 16W” framed.

The Dallas area is notorious for its Grackles. In some places they gather in flocks by the thousands. I’m not exaggerating – they are especially notable during evening just before sunset; bird parties I call them, lined along telephone poles and wires, sitting perfect wingspans apart from each other, and packed full in the trees. Photos can’t capture it all, because the experience also includes their loud calls. It’s fantastic! I love it, but they’re a nuisance in public places like near restaurants and malls. Park your black car under a tree if you don’t mind driving away with a fairly white one when you leave.

Eastern Redbuds

Saturday, April 11th, 2009


 

Redbuds - Spring in Dallas, TX - 11H x 11W x 3D acrylics on canvas, sides painted
Eastern Redbuds – Spring in Dallas, TX – finished April 11, 2009, took off all remaining masking fluid. 11H x 11W x 3D inches, acrylics on canvas, wrapped sides painted. Signature is on the side, so one is superimposed here on the front. Hang on a wall or display on a flat surface.

 Redbuds, 11 x 11 x 3 inches, sides painted, work in progress Redbuds, detail of 11 x 11 x 3inches, sides painted, work in progress Redbuds, detail of 11 x 11 x 3 inches, sides painted, work in progress

Adding second and final application of masking fluid, work in progressEastern Redbuds is the first of sixteen 11H x 11W x 3D inches acrylics on canvas paintings of various aspects of trees, to hang together as a group or flanking other paintings. This one uses masking medium to block out areas of white. The first layer of dried medium was removed in the above thumbnails. Afternoon post, left:  Adding another layer of masking fluid, seen as yellow.

Feb. 25th:  below left, looks better turned on its side but it could be hung either direction, mask was removed then the painting was overworked unintentionally – all the marks that were the whole point of using masking fluid are hardly visible.

So on Feb. 26th: below right, more mask was applied, then white painted between branches, tore away a few select areas of the dried mask and left the rest on as texture.

Eastern Redbuds, 11 x 11 x 3 inches, mask removed Eastern Redbuds, 11H x 11W x 3D inches acrylics on canvas, more mask applied then white

Eastern Redbuds, 11H x 11W x 3D inches acrylics on canvas, some masking fluid left on for texture, some removed Eastern Redbuds, top right detail of 11 x 11 x 3 inches


 

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Neighborhood Heron

Thursday, March 19th, 2009


 

Neighborhood Heron, 11H x 11W x 3D inches acrylics on canvas, wrapped sides painted

Neighborhood Heron, 11H x 11W x 3D inches acrylics on canvas, wrapped sides painted. Frame unnecessary. Hang on a wall or display on a flat surface. Signed on the side so as not to impose on the composition.

Sold but a similar piece can be recreated upon request. Please allow 7 days to paint before shipping.

Started with a base coat of very watered down translucent pthalos green mixed with cerulean blue. Spraying rubbing alcohol over a damp painted water-based surface then allowing it to dry without moving it will create starry, spotty textures. Salt shaken over wet paint allowed to dry, then wiped off with a dry cloth will produce similar effects.

Alcohol loosened up the entire surface of paint, so using fingernails under a damp smooth t-shirt cloth, I rubbed off areas to shape the heron and winter trees. This represents a super argument for the wingin’ it methods!
In college I took a pottery course for one semester, and the thing I remember most is the instructor saying how it’s a good idea to allow some of the raw characters of the materials we work with to remain and “speak” without trying to smooth over and perfect everything. She was of course referring to clay, but over the years I’ve found that it applies to many other mediums also. In Heron, the branches extend into the body of the bird, connecting it to its environment. The effect also does a subtle play on the motion of its flight too.

Showcased in the J. Mane Gallery’s Fins, Feathers and Fur 2020 exhibition.

Myrtle At The Zoo

Monday, March 9th, 2009


 

Myrtle At The Zoo, Crepe Myrtle Seed Pods and Zebra in January, Fort Worth Zoo, TX - 11H x 11W x 3D inches acrylics on canvas, sides painted

 

 Myrtle at the Zoo, 11 x 11 x 3 acrylics on canvas, phase 4 bottom side detail

Myrtle At The Zoo – Crepe Myrtle branches and seedpods before pruning, February at the Fort Worth Zoo, Texas. 11H x 11W x 3D inches acrylics on canvas, wrapped sides painted. Signature is on the side, so one is superimposed here on the front. Hang on a wall or display on a flat surface.

 

Myrtle at the Zoo, 11 x 11 x 3acrylics on canvas, phase 1 Myrtle at the Zoo, 11 x 11 x 3acrylics on canvas, phase 2 Myrtle at the Zoo, 11 x 11 x 3acrylics on canvas, phase 3

Howler Monkey

Friday, March 6th, 2009


 

Howler Monkey, 11 x 11 x 3 inches acrylics on canvas, sides painted

Young Howler Monkey at the Dallas World Aquarium, 11H x 11W x 3D inches acrylics on canvas, wrapped sides painted. Frame unnecessary. Hang on a wall or display on a flat surface. Signed on the side so as not to impose on the composition.


 

Young Howler, 11H x11W x 3D inches acrylics on canvas - wrapped sides painted


 

Work progress detail images shown, scrubbing and scratching away more paint than adding it.

Howler Monkey, 11 x 11 x 3 inches acrylics on canvas, phase 01 Howler Monkey, 11 x 11 x 3 inches acrylics on canvas, work in progress

Showcased in the J. Mane Gallery’s Fins, Feathers and Fur 2020 exhibition (post-dated comment).

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