The Value of Onions

Onion   oil/canvas   8 x 8 x 1.5

 The humble onion makes everything more delicious...right?  Who can resist the fragrance of the saute?  This onion was our first class project and was painted from direct observation.  The onion appeared rather bland as the interior value shifts were so very subtle.  And so....I exaggerated the value on the edge of the outer skin to bring down the background dark into the onion itself.  Ahhh....much better.

If working from direct observation, realistically, the observed values are honored.

If considering design, the values can be altered according to the discretion of the artist.  For me, design trumps reality.

Sandbox

Sandbox   oil/canvas   11 x 14

There is nothing quite like sitting in a hole dug out of sand at the beach...secure, yet grimy, as the small particles eek their way into suits, ears and hair.  A truly memorable childhood experience!  As we morph into adulthood, we choose more comfortable seating...beach chairs and towels to soften the experience.  This painting is indeed about sitting in that hole and, if we are lucky, doing so alongside a companion.  

And so, while I relished the painting of these children, I kept my eye on that unifying hole...a shadow that unifies both figures.  The challenge here, for me, was the use of strong and diverse values that do not really occur at the shore, as the light is so pervasive.  A glazing of transparent Indian Yellow over the dark shadows allows for the illusion of light entering into the sandy depths.  I am satisfied.  
 

Equilibrium

Equilibrium   oil   30 x 42

is the title of this painting of a kayaker.  It also describes what I lost during the very long process of painting it.  Each pass offered some good passages, but was, overall, not acceptable to my sense of correctness.  Again.  Again and again....throughout the long hot summer.  I kept going back to my initial sketch to repaint as that usually does the trick.  My sketches are done so spontaneously...the goal is usually an even distribution of values.  I kept trying to solve the dilemma with color, even though I have never really been a colorist.  Eventually I realized that I had to depart from the initial sketch although, while powerful, destroyed the mood of this enthusiastic boater on a hot summer day.  I am, at long last, pleased. 

I am now realizing that I needed to declare a value dominance of the work, one that supports the mood that I am trying to achieve,  in addition to the playful distribution and linkage of values. 

This lesson was learned the hard way.

New Recipe::Old Recipe

Old Recipe

New Recipe   watercolor/mixed on paper   27.5 x 18

Beginning a new painting is often like trying out a new recipe.  Which pan?  (oops...too small) Which order would best accomplish the goal?  Which spices...more of?  less of?  And, oh, the mountain of pots and pans at the finish!  For me, it takes more than one "go" at a new recipe to feel comfortable in the making.  With a painting, those options are limited...especially with watercolor.  I had a vision, in this case, of how I thought the painting would look.  My sketch proved to be erroneous, in that I saw the cookware as a lighter value...the background a darker.  As I painted, and continued to paint, the reflections and all of the colors therein, the cookware took a turn to the dark.  My dark background continued to confuse.  It seemed fine up close.  But distance turned it all into a muddle.  I prefer a stronger value differentiation in order for the work to be read at a distance, as well as to simplify the shapes.  Woe is me.  This painting hung in my dining room for over a month.  During that time, my patient husband hung and removed the work for further study and further work several times.  I was not happy.  My final answer involved printing relief ink over top.  I had reversed the values from my initial sketch.  Topsy turvy!  And so, I guess that lesson for me is to remain flexible, to veer from the initial notion in order to achieve the look that first sparked my brain.

A painting is never finished.  It simply stops in interesting places.

Phil Gardner

Thursday Night Painting Class

Patty   watercolor   14.5 x 7

It seems that most of the artists in my classes like to try their hand at painting the human figure, which is fine by me, as it is my favorite subject!  I have read somewhere that an artist, by nature, is either a line-person or a mass-person.  While I am not sure if that is true, it can then follow that a line person probably prefers a fine tool and drawing, while a mass-person is well suited for the use of larger, more inaccurate tools, such as a large brush which is good for painterly paintings.  My goal for the class was for the painters to be able to "see" only the masses of lights and darks and midtones, avoiding then, the description of the eyes-nose-mouth-legs-arms-fingers syndrome which can lead to disappointment and more child-like rendering.  The week before the session, I set up a strong light situation in a darkened part of the room to photograph the artists as they entered.  That week, I cropped and altered the photos to promote my goal.  They were then printed on the grayscale setting.  I also offered the suggestion of painting upside down.  While there were a couple of takers, most preferred their reference rightside-up.  I believe that in this way, we can see that a likeness is more dependent on shape, than on detail.

My subject is Patty, a retired art teacher, and a strong painter.  I like the result. 

Three Lads

Three Lads   conte/charcoal/relief ink on paper   19 x 14

was inspired in part by a vintage photograph in our family archives which features my father-in-law Luther and two companions on a boat ride on the Hudson River sometime in the 30's.  By subtracting detail and color, the three gestural shapes are emphasized and empowered.  White values start at the top and work their way down.  Just the opposite with the darks.  Ties were printed on later using relief ink, erasers and tracing paper templates.

This drawing was begun in a workshop "Using Value to Punctuate and Strengthen Drawings and Paintings".  I joyfully finished it at home.