Saturday, October 17, 2015

Monet's Home and Gardens - Giverny, France

It's been a while since I've posted.  This is mostly due to traveling, building easels and taborets (and not painting) and household projects.  I hope to start painting again soon.  In the meantime here are few photos from Giverny, France - Monet's magnificent house and gardens.  
 Below is a link to rest of the photos.








You can access all the photos at this link:

Friday, May 22, 2015

This week in Sedona with Abbey Ryan

This last week Karen and I flew to Sedona, Arizona.  What an amazing place.  I attended a five day workshop with Abbey Ryan.  Karen hiked a lot.   We started off last Sunday with a plane ride over the Grand Canyon.  The views were incredible.



Everywhere you look the views are astounding.  This was the view from our hotel room balcony.




After I was finished with workshop on Wednesday, I engaged in a little en plein air brush work.  It's hard to capture landscapes because of the constantly changing light.  This was more of a quick color sketch from which I may expand it into a larger studio painting.


8 x 10", oil on panel.



Here are a few of the paintings I did during the workshop.



Cherry Coke
6 x 8" 
oil on masonite panel





Apricots, Berries and Silver Cup
8 x 6" 
Oil on linen panel




Pear and Blueberry
5 x 7"
oil on Masonite panel




Friday, April 17, 2015

Really Learning to Paint - The Old Masters Way

Last month I decided that I wanted to take my painting to the next level, a serious, high art, level.  I spoke with some professional artists I deeply respect and asked their opinions.  It became clear to me that I needed to learn to draw well.  After that I needed top level instruction from artists dedicated to teaching.

Serendipitously, less than a year ago The Chiaroscuro Studio of Art opened nearby which teaches a disciplined, 19th century approach to learning to paint.  This is South Florida's first true program of this nature, one which virtually all of the masters in the 19th Century, as well as many of today's living masters.  More information can be found here at their website:  The Florida Academy of Contemporary Realism.

The student starts off copying what are known as "Bargue Plates," instructional drawings rendered by Charles Bargue, a French lithographer and painter who developed one of the first drawing courses.  The student learns many concepts related to seeing relationships between shapes, values of light and shadow, and how to render shapes to accurately represent what one is seeing.

 The process is basically described by the steps shown in the plate:




This is my first project and drawing in the program.  I never imagined the time and work put into copying one of these plates.  From the beginning the instructors saw problems with lines, angles, shapes and values, sometimes painfully subtle.  In each phase their constant critiques kept pushing me in the right direction, fixing a line here, and angle there, seeing how everything related to everything else, and never accepting even the slightest imperfection.  Eventually I started seeing problems myself.  I am confident that the discipline learned by spending the time painfully recreating the drawing will payoff.  I am guessing but I would say that I have at least twenty hours in this drawing.  




The next drawing will be larger and more complex.  I'm excited about that. 


Monday, April 13, 2015

Les Standiford, Water to the Angels

At Les Standiford's book signing this evening for Water to the Angels.  Les asked that I bring his portrait which he got to see for the first time in person.  An awesome event.



Big crowd, including Dave Barry (standing in the back) and Ridley Pearson.







Thursday, March 5, 2015

Silver Cup with Pear and Leaf

After I painted this I enjoyed the pear which was sweet and juicy.  
A nice reward for completing the painting.


Silver Cup with Pear and Leaf
6 x 8"
Oil on fine Belgian linen



Video demonstration of this painting:



This painting is available for bid:






Sunday, March 1, 2015

Pear and Leaf




Pear and Leaf
6 x 6"
Oil on fine Belgian linen panel


This painting is available.  Please click here if you are interested:





Framing options available.








Friday, February 27, 2015

Orange and Vase




Orange and Vase
8 x 6"
Oil on fine Belgian linen


This painting is available at this link:
http://www.dailypaintworks.com/buy/auction/335425

Saturday, February 21, 2015

Les Standiford


Les Standiford, writer
40 x 36
oil on fine Belgian linen