Terracotta, Alabaster or Bust

Meet my new model.   I recently found her sitting outside a collector/secondhand shop in Billerica, Massachusettss. I spotted her while eating across the street at Mikey's Roast Beef on Routh 3A. (The Roast Beef part is really a misnomer, because they have the best haddock sandwich you'll ever eat and the bonus it that it is an easy, informal sub shop type atmosphere.)  Anyway, while eating in and staring out the plate glass windows, her head was visible amid a chaotic jumble of other secondhand junk - or should I say - treasure.

Freshly Painted

Twenty-five dollars and a lengthy promotional speech later about what a good deal this was by the shop owner, and we were placing her - in all her heftiness - in the back seat for the ride to her new home.   I have been googling her description as well as the numbers on the bottom of the cast bottom base, but haven't found any information as to an original statue that may have been the inspiration.  Further, I'm not sure what she is made of.  She is very heavy.  The color looks like terracotta, but the fact that she was out in the elements without sustaining chips, or crumbling made me think it was something stronger.   (I know nothing about sculpting and related materials).   The only drawback for my purposes was that she had streaked and irregular coloring from sun exposure.

Ailbhe Back to Mirror - Stage One

Well now she is painted white and I am very happy with how she came out.   The sun streaks are gone and although she isn't a high end bust that can run quite a bit of money, she has nice even coloring and is perfect for my studio use.   She's not from money; she's just a regular gal.

I thought about naming her Terri, but she is probably not terracotta, and has since undergone a change in color.

I thought about Blanche, but she doesn't look like a Blanche to me.  (That name brings to mind Blanche on the Golden Girls).

Alabaster, the translucent gypsum material, made me consider Ali.  In this, the year of exploring my Irish roots, I decided on "Ailbhe," an Irish Gaelic name meaning "white."

I used the academic realist technique to produce an accurate drawing looking down at the bust which was also reflected in the studio mirror.   I started with the paper folding technique that I learned from Dianne Paranelli Miller, but instead of using multiple strips for length and width, I put my own spin on measuring with a single piece of paper.   I repeatedly measured until my light and dark areas were line drawn.  I used a thin mix of tranparent oxide brown and ultramarine blue to fil in all the darks.   With a paper towel, I then worked to wipe out all the light areas until it was accurate again.  I did three subsequent sessions of perfeting the light/dark rendering and still to this point the light areas were "no-paint" zones and the dark areas were transparent washes.

I decided to leave the transparent dark areas thin and dark and mixed up opaque flesh color for the lightest lights which were very cool.   As the planes turned away from the light, I warmed the color - within the lightest value.   The darkest skin values were warm darks and at first probably too dark.   

I've painted the lights again in subsequent painting sessions.   Since I have cool light on her, and wanted to add color, I mixed up cool pink and cool green for her hair.   For the flesh, I used my lightest flesh color (naples yellow, cadmium red and flake white), then warm tones for the darks using warm greens and burnt sienna.

I darkened the background and painted in over the figure on the dark sides so as to lose those edges.  

When I view the photo of this painting as a thumbnail, I feel like I want the left shoulder and its reflection to merge in value.   What does everyone else think?

Ailbhe Back to Mirror - Stage Two

Ailbhe in the Mirror

White Christmas Lilies

White Lily Christmas Still Lie

I received a gorgeous Christmas floral arrangement with red roses, red ribbons, evergreens and white lilies from friends who live near me.   I am thoroughly enjoying the arrangement as a centerpiece on my table between two Christmas taper candles, but also have been taking it to the studio with me and painting it.    At the point of delivery, most of the lilies were closed, but by Christmas day, six lilies in total had opened.   I knew lilies had a scent but these were heaven.

I chose a 20" x 24" canvas and expanded the still life on either side of the lily centerpiece with a gold wire trimmed angel and some holly leaves and berries.  I plan to work on making the right side background look a little darker, and somewhat richer as if a tapestry.   I'll probably leave the left background alone, since it looks like hints of a dangling mistletoe.

Noon on Winter Solstice

Pearl Street Houses

The title may sound cold, but in fact, the temperatures were in the upper fifties, about twenty five degrees above average!  This scene was painted from my backyard which abuts a tidal marsh.   These are the backs of the houses on Pearl Street.     I was particularly psyched about these temperatures because I thought it would be fascinating to capture the low angle of the sun on this, the winter solstice.   Today was fact the lowest angle of the sun of the year, and it was noontime!

Yes, that is the sun shiny through milky clouds in the upper left.

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Noon on Winter Solstice

Christmas Still Life with Nutcracker

Christmas Still Life Demo Nutcracker

Shown in the photo to the right is the painting I did at Compass on the Bay Senior Residence.  I was looking down at the set up of the nutcracker figure, glass Christmas bulbs and a cranberry colored wire ribbon.  The lighting wasn't great, but a lamp behind the set up cast a few shadows so at least the objects looked grounded.

What a lovely and attentive audience.   They offered feedback and asked questions as it isn't always easy to tell what is developing, especially at the beginning of the painting.  It didn't take long to remember something I already knew about talking and painting at the same time.  I find it very hard, and have great admiration for people who can do it.   Painter and teacher Dianne Paranelli Miller comes to mind; she can verbalize continuously as she paints; so can painter Daniel Keys.

Luckily for all of us at Compass on the Bay, present in the audience was a knowledgeable watercolorist and painting enthusiast.  She sat up front and supplemented my skimpy narrative by explaining what I was doing when I drifted into a muted "right brain" mode.  Many thanks to her!!

Shown here is the finished painting.   Back in the studio I decided to transform the yellow and blue walls into Christmas tree greens with lights and more ornaments.

Christmas Still Life Nutcracker

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*If you have ever read "Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain" by Dr. Betty Edwards, you read that certain types of brain functons are dominated by one side of the brain over the other.    For example, studies have shown that while working on tasks that required logic, analysis and/or verbal expression, the left hemisphere was most active and in control.    While people were working on tasks that were visual and intuitive, the right side of the brain was most active and in control.    Furthermore, the contention was that at any one time, usually people are operating more strongly in one half of the brain with some minor support from the other half.  It was noted that people often have difficulty simultaneously executing tasks that depend strongly on one side of the brain or the other.  So - this is the scientific evidence I offer for my deficient verbalizing while painting!

Accordion Color

Full Color Accordian

Ennis, County Clare, Ireland was the first of many stops in Ireland.   Ennis was on the itinerary because it was here we would rest up from flying and get acclimated (time zone, driving on the left, etc.).    We used it as a hub for the western coastline attractions such as the Cliffs of Moher and The Burren.    We were happily surprised to learn that Ennis was attractive and historic in its own right.  It had a small but colorful village atmosphere, including plenty of shops, restaurants and cafes.  There were flower planters everywhere.

The fine fellow playing the accordion in this painting was a fixture on the main street.   He seemed to play continuously and probably the third or fourth time we passed him, he proudly posed for a photo.

I liked the contrast between the vivid colors all around and the musician's drab clothing and somewhat pasty complexion and I pulled some of the bright color into the sleeves and hat.   Does the bright color work?   I like it because it reminds me of the splendid floral displays, but a part of me wants to tone it down.   Comments?

Snowstorm Moving Away

Color Study - Winter Sky/Water After Snow

Yesterday it started snowing at noon and continued until around 8 PM. As I looked out early this morning, the purple "ocean effect"* snow clouds were still sitting over Provincetown on Cape Cod, and the water was an odd light green-gray color, lighter than the clouds on the horizon.   Occasionally this reversal of light and dark between sky and water occurs. The first little painting shown is a color study done of this pretty early morning light.

Snowstorm Moving Away - Duxbury Beach

Of course with a nice coating of clean white snow, everything looked beautiful.  The accumulation in my coastal area was about three (water logged) inches, and it had already turned to a frozen, solid state overnight.  The great thing about living along the water is that the high tide that follows the snow melts the beach snow, returning it to a sandy (non-skid) surface for walking.  So although the roads were slippery, walking on the beach was fine.

I was treated to the second amazing sky/water/sand color combination of the day.  A muted lavender cloud bank was breaking up, and subtle pinkish winter sunshine started to brighten the snowy beach.   The blue sky was heading in from the west.   The aging seawall looked dark taupe (like the sand) against the ridge of snow. The photo isn't showing it well, but the orange and turquoise in the foreground seawall and sand were some of the colors that made up the taupe.

 * Ocean effect snow occurs when moisture from the "warm" ocean water freezes when it hits the frigid air

SOLD

Millie

She was quiet, neat, and no trouble. You wouldn't call her sleek or pretty, but like most bulldogs, it was the bit of homeliness that made her so cute.  She was a good dog and a good friend to my friend and it is sad that she is gone. This little 6x6" oil shows Millie in a favorite spot, lounging against the house on the back deck in the sun.

Harpist at Cliffs of Moher

While in Ireland, we visited the Cliffs of Moher along the western coastline.  The cliffs tower 600-700 feet above the ocean, an unforgettable sight.   I posted a painting of the cliffs in an earlier blog, and I didn't want to forget about this scene as well.   A harp player was set up on the approach to the cliff paths.  Her music filled the air with its sweet sound, and it provided a dreamy backdrop (as if the sight of the cliffs was not incredible enough.)

Irish Harpist

It was a bit chilly and windy, and the harpist was dressed in layers.   She wore long black fingerless gloves, a black sweater with pleated bell sleeves, a fitted, short, dark plum-colored jacket with matching billowy full skirt.  And finally, as a top layer, she wore a dramatic full length red satin lined black cape.  The outfit seemed a perfect match for both the place and instrument.

For the painting to work, I tried to be conscious of the weighting of the composition.  The armature's flow started down in the lower left corner and made a diagonal up to the harpist's chin.    The curved top of the harp swung down and then up to her face as well.   With the lines converging on the face, I was conflicted about which element should be the center of interest.  The positioning of the fingers was what I really liked best.   They looked prominent, strong and nimble.   I thought they ought to take precedence even over her face.    At this almost-finished point, I welcome any comments on these
two areas of interest (face and fingers), or anything else for that matter.

Lone Duxbury Beach House

Easel Set Up

Canal Street in Marshfield turns into Gurnet Road at the Duxbury town line and continues all the way to Duxbury Beach Reservation.   Between the entrance to DBR and the bath house (also housing Blakemon's Fish Shack) there is a lone house in the middle of the dunes.   A local person who lives nearby told me that the house is privately owned by a lawyer, who lives in Virginia, although the land is leased.  According to Duxbury Beach Book, there were more houses back in the early 1900's, but one by one over the years they have been claimed by ferocious ocean storms.

Lone Duxbury Beach House Stage One

The center of interest in this painting is the lone house along this stretch of Duxbury Beach.   The mid-December sun was low, and long blue shadows accented the orangy-gold beach grasses.   Cedars also made dark blue contrasts and random shapes and heights balancing the old beachhouse.   All of the trees branches and grasses leaned the same way - toward the west, their growth habit trained daily by the strong wind off the water.   Although there is no water visible in the painting, ocean waves were audible beyond the dunes to my left.  To my right were the waters and salt marshes of Duxbury Bay (along with significant tidal flooding in the road).

Lone Duxbury Beachhouse

For dry beach grasses, I generally use Naples Yellow and I either add a bit of blue for the further grasses (like in front of the beachhouse), or a bit of cadmium red, or burnt sienna and raw sienna for the immediate foreground grasses.  I used a flat brush for the angular beachhouse shape.   The area was not so deserted as it may seem in the painting, but that is what I like about it.

Here it is December, the daylight hours are short, it's cold, the lush green is gone and the scene offers a seasonal beauty.  I really love that about our area and I really like this painting.

Pumpkins and Blue Pottery

Demo Set Up

Pumpkins and Blue Pottery Still Life

I like the blue and orange harmony with this set up and you may recognize some of the objects from another recent still life.   This was the painting that I did at the Duxbury Art Association Craft Show last week. I met lots of nice people who were interested in the painting process.
As for the show, the variety and quality of the artisans and their creations was superb.  I stood amid the sights and sounds of crowds and onlookers, as well as the aromas breads, pies, and sweet treats.   Immediately to my left was Sirenetta Seaside Chocolatier and you might know how I feel about chocolate.   Her samples enticed me to buy a box and I can personally state that this is outstanding handmade chocolate!

Yes, it was a true test of my concentration to get a painting done with all the sensory stimuli around me.  I got about eighty percent of the painting done, and then completed it from the photo reference above.

Pumpkins and Blue Pottery

Cloudy Marina

Cloudy Marina - Stage 1

Cloudy Marina - Stage 2

I checked the weather radar on this cloudy day and decided to trust that the bands of rain were going to pass north of me - and they did.   It was as overcast as it could be without actually raining, and it was damp and cold.   The autumn golds that I painted from the same spot just four weeks ago had been replaced with dark brownish gold and the trees were bare and gray.   I took liberties with both, giving the brown grasses a lively reddish gold and giving the wet bare tree line a nice indigo shade of blue.   No liberties needed for the sky which was bright at the horizon with a subtle lavender marking the underside of the thick cloud bank.

The center of interest in this scene was a blue lobster boat named "Chance Along."   I liked the luminescent glow caused by the bright strip of pinkish light at the horizon and the colors it cast onto the water.   I wish the subtle shades of pink, lavender and creamy yellow showed up better in the the photographs of the painting. Maybe opening in a separate window or better yet, see it in person....next show maybe.

McColgan Homestead - Part Two

This painting was begun back in early October.  It was the first Ireland painting since returning from our epic trip in September.  See my post entitled, Magical Ireland if you are interested in reading "Part One."   We travelled to the Isle of Doagh, the northernmost region of County Donegal, Ireland, and it made a deep impression on me.   I have worked on this painting from photos off and on for a few weeks now.  The dimensions are 24" by 36" and it depicts the ancestral home of my paternal great grandparents.  

McColgan Homestead - Stage Two

I mentioned in my first post of this painting that I would share the story of finding this farm.   Using a combination of Ireland's Griffiths Land Valuation from 1864, assorted family vital records, and the help of my cousin, we knew we were looking for "Cuill, Isle of Doagh, County Donegal, Ireland."   We used an overlay of the 1864 map with a modern map to locate the earliest plot of land, which according to historical records was farmed by my Great, Great Grandfather Denis McColgan and my GGGM Sarah Bradley.  They farmed the land, but didn't own the land, according to records. That's how things worked back then.  We thought that this was the same land that subsequent ancestors owned but we found out later that we were mistaken. This land had a modern looking yellow stucco house on it, not a farmhouse as we had expected.

McColgan Ancestral Land - Isle of Doagh

Overgrown Ruins of GGF Edward McColgan Farmhouse

We drove and hiked around the area, through green pastures of sheep corralled by stone walls with an occasional farmhouse.  It wasn't all that big an area that the Cuill farmhouse should have been so hard to find.    It wasn't until we finally stopped our vehicle to ask three farmers who were talking at the side of the road that we got the best guidance of all.

They couldn't have been more gracious and helpful when we told them who had last lived at the farmhouse.   Yes, they knew him and remembered him fondly - Second Cousin Margaret McColgan's husband Danny McGonigle who had passed away just this year.  Not only did they tell us, they in fact show us where it was. The "senior" farmer in the group directed his son-in-law (with kidding, as you can imagine, as to who was the boss) to take us to the farmhouse.  The son-in-law jumped in his car and we followed him in our car, and never would we have spotted the somewhat hidden entrance if it hadn't been for their kindness.   We asked him if he thought it was okay to look around.  "Of course," he said.   "...after all, you've come all this way, and no one is living here right now."   The farmhouse had a beautiful thatched roof and the exterior walls were painted white with bright red trim. He drove off and we lingered, not bothered in the least by the heavier rain.

It was easy to imagine that this scene looked just about the same as it did 150 years ago  It was surreal walking through the property and even more exciting to discover the ruins of the next farmhouse, which belonged to my GGF Edward McColgan.

McColgan Homestead - Final

So this painting is a personal favorite, and not one I'd ever part with.  The photograph that I'm working from, taken in the rain and the fog, was taken looking uphill from a road along the water below. The land that goes with the remaining farmhouse slopes down from the thick trees to the right.  It belonged to John McColgan, the brother of my GGF Edward McColgan.  The land of GGF Edward, is the next plot to the left, toward the middle of the painting, shown with sheep. The farmhouse that had stood on that land is now in ruins (see photo). (We later learned that GGGF Denis and Sarah Bradley moved onto this different 23 acre parcel on a west facing slope less than a mile away from our initial land discovery.   This was the 23 acre parcel where Denis and Sarah's sons, John and Edward farmed and the land was then split between the two brothers.

There is a part three to the story.   And that is the real tale of how the magic dust surrounded us and resulted in our coincidental meeting with my third cousin who owns the remaining farmhouse!

 Video bonus: Even if we had never found the actual land and farmhouse, it would have not been hugely disappointing.  We knew that this was the incredibly spectacular, but rugged area inhabited by my ancestors. I have included (yet another) video - arriving at the top of the crest above what turned out to be the land we were searching for.