Unknown Cowboy

This is another Different Stokes for Different Folks challenge. Karin asked everyone who wanted to participate to send a photo of themselves which she then distributed to the group at random. No one knows who anyone is and the point is not to do a portrait but a good painting from the reference photo. Of course, wanting to capture a likeness is almost irresistible, but no one will know except the person who sent in the photo of themselves. The painting to the left is of me, done by John Wolff, who does not have a web site, so I cannot direct you to more of his work. This is a nice watercolor and it certainly looks like me. It inspired me to try a watercolor of the photo I received.
Here is how I went about the painting:

Session one:
Here's the dude I got.

The first thing I did was convert the photo to black and white so I could see the values better with out the distraction of the color. Then I made a grid on the photo and a grid on my paper and started drawing. I did this because I know that a likeness does not come from details but from the proportions of the face so I wanted to get that right. I also consistently have trouble getting eyes to line up properly, so I added and extra diagonal line for reference.

After I got the sketch done I added a few dots of  latex resist to the right eye the tip of the nose and the stubble on his chin - all whites that I did not want to lose and were too small to avoid.

The guy removed all the background from his head-shot so I have no idea whether he is a real cowboy or not. I think not. I think he was trying to make things more interesting, which is the same reason I wore a red hat.

I'm thinking the black hat is way too bold and will overpower his face so I do some value sketches to see how I might switch things around for a better composition.  I like the last one best, thinking I'll suggest some western landscape in the background.

Now I have to think about the colors so I do a couple of 2 x 2 color studies.

Speaking of color- the color of these photos varies wildly because the natural light in my studio was fading and I was using a study lamp for light.

I'm making the format bigger than I think I want it in the end. One of the nice things about working on paper is the option to crop the painting later.

Here are the first color washes and a B&W to check on the values. I find my digital camera very handy for this and can see things in that small format that I don't see when I'm looking at the painting. It's another way of "squinting", I guess.

 A bit more color and I call it quits for now, leaving him as a Blind Bard for now.

Session two:

I allowed the painting to dry overnight before attempting the eyes. I didn't want the color to bleed and besides I wanted to be fresh when I painted this important element. I'm glad the latex is there to keep that highlight!

Time to check the reference and the plan. The left half of the face is still too light and the nose looks like it's sliding off to the right.

This is better but he's beginning to look a lot like GWB!! Is it the white hat or have I just seen that face TOO many times?

Here's where I decided to stop. I cropped it so his bright eye is about one-third down from the top and one-third over from the right,  a prime focal point. Don't know about the red dots on his hat...hmmm.




Another adventure in watercolors! It sort of looks like him, but I won't be hanging out a shingle advertising portrait painting quite yet!

The Wonders

"The Wonders" 9 x 12 oil on canvas panel  $125

This painting was for another challenge on Different Strokes for Different Folks. I added the child, and her wonder at the light making a great wheel on the floor, and accentuated the preoccupation of the other family members with the wonder of their i-phones. Even with the reference photo provided this was a tough challenge to paint these figures from above, plus making one up (including her shadow), but once again I struggled most with the values. As you will see from the progress below, I realized mid-painting that where I wanted the focus was not going to have the most value contrast.

 

The choice of a red underpainting was pretty random, other than I thought it would make a nice vibe behind the gray-greens.

 

 

Oops! Here's where I realize the focus is on the man, not the child.

 

Bad exposure on the photo, but the contrast is where I need it. What's with the kid? Not working!

 I'm laying on the couch taking a quick snooze with my face in the sun when I realize the child needs to be looking at the source of the light way up there! Turned the canvas upside down to paint her face- amazing how I can forget this is an option. Also decided to crop the canvas- which is also an option with canvas board.

Harvesting Pumpkins

"Harvesting Pumpkins" 11' x 15" watercolor on cotton rag paper

Late in the game I ran into another challenge on the 'net: this one was on Facebook and called The First Annual Autumn Arts Painting Challenge and Competition.
If you have the time to browse through nearly a thousand paintings take a look. I don't think the creators of this challenge had any idea they would get that kind of response! Needless to say you have to sift a lot to find the good ones but they are in there.
My hasty submission was a reprise of the pumpkins I did last year in oils; I was curious to see what I could do with watercolors which are quite the mystery for me. But, isn't it all?

Heart of the City

"Heart of the City" 12 1/2" x 91/2" Watercolor on cotton rag paper $125

Karin Jurick has an interesting blog called Different Stokes for Different Folks, where she regularly posts a photo and challenges artists to do a painting from it. It's very fun and informative to look through the different interpretations. I have been meaning to do this for some time and finally got on board with her cityscape photo. I did the whole thing without the figures, but it didn't feel like me until I thought of the cleaners washing a heart on to the central wall in the composition. I do like to have a little message in my paintings, as you all know.
When I went to post the painting on DSFDF today I found David Larson Evans' submission with wall cleaners washing a peace symbol on the same wall. Yikes!! I know I did not see that painting earlier but it will look like I copied his idea. I almost didn't post mine because of this and then decided it was good if lots of us are thinking about peace and love - it's a universal yearning.

P.S. Dennis didn't see the heart. Did you? or did the title help you see it.

Eric Wiegardt Workshop

Is there anyone out there "thinking" about taking Eric Wiegardt's painting workshop June 6-8. at HUMMINGBIRD? We just need ONE MORE registration to make the class go.


I'm an oil painter but I have been really looking forward to working with Eric, especially after reading what various people have posted about his workshops. He teaches fundamentals of design/composition as well as water media technique so I figure it will help my paintings no matter what, and I'm done with schlepping oil paints when I travel. I figure if I can handle water media it will be great for painting on the go. And who knows? I/you just might like watercolor and acrylics if we knew how to get the most out of them.
...so I'm hoping that there will be some last minute registrations that will enable us to cover his teaching fee.

Here is the workshop info http://humnew.com/EricWiegardt-09.html
Note the link to payment option.

And for those of you who have been here and wanted to come back, I also remind you that this could be our last year at HUMMINGBIRD before we move back to Portland. A lot has changed here and we would love to share it with you.

Magical Miracle

" Magical Miracle" 12 x12" oil on canvas $150

A couple of months ago I was asked to participate in the Annual Women's Invitational at Rogue Community College. The theme was Abracadabra. Since I was growing lettuce greens indoors for winter salads, I was fascinated and amazed once again by the miracle of a sprouting seed. I think the gallery expected some fantasy from me, but nothing struck me as more magical than this event. "Ta-Da!" says Mother Nature.
I just got the painting back from the show; it fits my life perfectly right now as I spend hours propagating seeds and preparing garden beds so our place will look beautiful for my daughter's wedding in August and for the prospective buyers that will come shortly thereafter.

Ceramic Showase this weekend in Portland

Guess what we are getting ready for? Here's what the Might Quince looks like as a canvas giclee print on a clay "frame".
This is the way I get to continue participating in the ceramic shows that Dennis and I have done together for years: I show my paintings on CLAY! This was truly one of those "necessity is the Mother of Invention"developments that has been quite successful over the past few years since I stopped being a ceramic artist.

The Mighty Quince

The Mighty Quince 24" x 30" oil on canvas panel $1200

(Well, this certainly qualifies as "after Christmas"!)
This painting was part of the exercise of choosing a painter to emulate that I mentioned in my last post. A friend picked this wonderfully provocative quince off her tree to show me and immediately I asked if I could have it to paint ala Georgia O'Keefe. I didn't intend to get too serious about it but as I worked on it the more I liked it, so I let go of Georgia and finished it up ala Leslie. The size is what makes it powerful so the web is not it's best view.
More paintings from the February show coming...