Floral at the Fair

Oil Paint

 

 

 

These paintings were done at the 2021 Marshfield Fair.   At noon, twelve floral designers set out to create a ribbon winning design.  At 2PM twelve painters were assigned an arrangement to capture in paint.

 

 

It was a fun experience and so interesting to see how different painters approached their floral creation.   The floral designers seemed to basically have the same flowers, so to me, the color schemes of each were so very similar.   But as you see,the painters' works were vastly different!

Acrylic

Watercolor

Crock on the Path

Roughing in the Scene

Walking the wooded, stone lined path in this painting put me in and out of sunlight on this early morning in June.   During the set up, the long morning shadows were somewhat horizontal which presented a mundane light/dark pattern. I roughed in a sketch of the scene nevertheless, and as time went by, the change in the sunlight and shadows I had hoped for did come.   The first tree's shadow was now at a more dynamic angle. and the big crock of geraniums was fully lit.  

This "fresh paint" work of art is much more colorful and vivid in person than in the photo image and the painting is much more colorful than the real scene.

 

Crock on the Path

 

This painting is my Copley Society of Art "Fresh Paint" entry for 2021. 

Garden Bunny

Garden Bunny

I found this garden ornament when I was cutting back the grossly overgrown landscaping at our new house.   Apparently it doesn't take very long for things in the garden to become buried and forgotten, but this guy now has a new life.   I sat him next to a pot of flowers near a nice stone wall in the back.   Not only does it now see the light of day, but it gets to have his portrait done. :)

Purple Mums in Metal Box

Purple Mums in Metal Box

This sweet gift given to me by one of my recent painting visitors made me smile.  I wanted to grab brushes and paint immediately.   As soon as I could, I did.  The next day I painted this 6x6 square.    There were other gifts, just as appreciated, but edible - and they didn't last long enough to make in into a still life painting.   Haha.

This purple mum plant sat in a gray, metal trimmed box, accented with Spanish moss.  Similar to painting rope in paint-night class, I under-painted the area dark, then came back with light colored paint for the stringy twirls of moss.   The moss's gray color matched the silver accented box and the cool purple. 

I never tire of painting flowers especially when they are a gift.  The blossoms fade, but paintings make  permanent remembrances of the kind gesture, so thank you again!

Radiant Pink Daisies

Pink Daisy Mums

It's early Spring and there have been plenty of hints that things are starting to sprout.    The buds on the trees are fatter and the rhododendron leaves are green, broad and flat (not shriveled and curled against the cold).  Even still, I haven't yet spotted a crocus - it's been cold.   That is why this gift of pink daisy mums from a good friend was so appreciated.    They immediately demanded to be put at the top of the painting queue, and so here they are in paint.  

Flower Vendor - Dublin

Flower Vendor - Dublin

In the heart of Dublin, Ireland, an expansive grid of narrow streets was crowded with people. Sightseers often stopped in their tracks to take it all in.  People with a purpose and a destination weaved in and around them.  We were part of the former group, browsing through block after block of vendors, cafes and pubs.   On this street, traffic was limited to business related deliveries so it was fun to wander around and take in the colorful sights and sounds. 



In this scene a young woman selling flower bouquets remained watchful as a couple of women scope out the floral sprays.   I thought from the minute I saw it that this would make an interesting painting scene.  By design, each element of the painting is prioritized by how realistic it is painted.  The center of interest is the proprietor, and is the most realistically painted.   Next were the black buckets on the brick roadway, then the flower bouquets, and lastly the two figures on the left.

Festive Windowboxes

Little House and Snowy Greens

Every year as Christmas approaches, I work on at least one holiday painting. This year, one became four paintings as they were fun to create

The plan was to give the gallery a related grouping during the run up to Christmas.   Window boxes decorated for the holidays became the theme.   This idea came to me as I start thinking about how to decorate my own real window boxes.  The options are endless and I hope my real window box has as much color.

Red Ribbon Window Box

And speaking of color, the palette knife was useful for laying on the thick masses of cascading greens and flowers.  It was also good for creating rustic clapboards with a bit of scraping and multi-layering.

'Tis the Season!

Window Box Splash

Ornaments and Pink Ribbon

Aaah - Vacation

Aaah ... Vacation

This patio is a beautiful spot especially in the morning. The arbor juts out to the west from the house, the perfect place to be for a summer vacation morning.   The July greens are lush and moist and the tendrils of the vines stretch for sunlight above the arbor, and things a blooming. 

This is a large painting that was executed in several steps because of all the architectural elements. It was more work than most, which is ironic because the theme of the scene pays homage to doing sweet nothing!

That's not me, by the way. :)

Pink Roses in a Black Pot

Pink Roses in a Black Pot

My fixation on pink roses continues.   How many colors can be injected into a pink rose?  More than I may have thought at first.   It turns out that lavenders, blues, reds and golds can accent the coolness of pink, and break up the monotony of pale pink and blue green leaves.  As long as the value scheme is correct, any color could work, technically.   This one started out as an abstract, but eventually evolved into a somewhat realistic capture.

Garden Center

Garden Center - Stage One

Garden Center - Stage Two

Garden Center - Stage Three

There were very few shoppers at the local garden center on this morning.  I was thinking that most people probably had their annual planting completed by this point in the season.   The plant inventory was in full bloom - probably overgrown - but truly eye candy for a painter who likes color.    From the vantage I decided upon, the large canopy with shade-loving varieties were on my right.   All around the fringe, the sunlight illuminated the dazzling blossoms.       The hydrangeas in the foreground were loaded with blooms, pink, lavender, blue, turquoise - and all on the same shrub.    

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Garden Center - Stage Four

Garden Center - Final

Coffee on the Front Porch

Coffee on the Front Porch - Stage One

Sitting on a warm front porch with a strong cup of coffee in the middle of summer vacation, for me, works more like a sedative than a pick-me-up.  I was sitting there staring at the flower pots and pink roses, my eyes practically glazing over.   Should I paint these translucent petals?   What else would I include?  Everyday scenes are so obvious that they are often overlooked and/or deemed unworthy as the subject of a painting, but I was surprisingly happy with the result.

Coffee on the Front Porch - Stage Two

Our east facing front porch transitions from full sun to shade at midday and by afternoon only the far end railings and flowers catch the sunlight.   The bright, warm annuals stood out in vivid contrast to the dark shadowy green.    My favorite coffee cup and pink plastic spoon scored a place in the painting as well.

Coffee on the Front Porch - Final

Marshside Birdbath

Marshside Birdbath - Stage One

Last fall I found this old birdbath at an estate sale.   It was in fairly good condition and just needed a coat of black spray paint to spruce it up.   Well it is a big hit with my feathered friends - not only for frequent sips of water but for the activity its name suggests.   The two house finches featured in this painting have a nest in a shrub on my back deck, and are currently working on hatching five dime sized eggs.  They seem to swoop to the birdbath all day, although they always defer to larger starlings.

Marshside Birdbath - Stage Two

It was the end of May and the late afternoon sun had a hazy brightness when I started this painting.  Although it has been raw and damp, this was my kind of day, 65 degrees, not too sunny, and breezy.    The sweet old-fashioned shape of the birdbath caught my eye so rather than packing up for an elaborate paint out, I just set up in the backyard and enjoyed the view.

Marshside Birdbath

Twirling Ribbon and Little Pumpkins

Studio Set Up Little Pumpkins

In late summer, painters sometimes lament that there is just too much bright green in the landscape.   We look for any other color than green and play that color up - to the extent possible anyway.   This year was different;  the lack of rain in New England has had an impact on the look of the landscape and the amount of green.   The tips of the leaves have prematurely turned a dry yellow.  Even the sound of the landscape is dry and "rustling" instead of moist and quiet.  

In the vegetable garden, the watering restriction has affected the amount and size of the tomatoes.  We didn't get too many tomatoes, like most years!

Monochromatic Underpainting

The pumpkin variety I planted seemed to thrive despite the arid conditions.   These pumpkins were not the monster-sized, county fair type pumpkins that require lots of water, but rather, the small ornamental variety called "Jack-Be-Little."   Approximately twenty-five little pumpkins were harvested from a mere six plants. I decided to set up a still life with several of these little fruits.

Twirling Ribbon - Stage Two

Using a larger 22 x 28" canvas, it was important to plan out the composition carefully. This still life plays up a complimentary scheme of orange and blue.   What would look nice with a bunch of little orange pumpkins?   Blue things, of course.  A rustic blue pottery vase, a clay pot, blue hydrangeas and a spool of blue ribbon were the elements that seemed to harmonize.    Several set-ups were attempted and rearranged before arriving at this arrangement.  A monochromatic block in was completed first.  In the stage two photo, see the mid-tones, some blues and oranges.

I applied a transparent dark wash onto the bare canvas.  The monochromatic stage photo above shows the wipe outs that established the structure of the painting.   This stage was worked over the course of two days while the transparent wash was since workable.

Since this was a studio still life, the painting method used was "indirect."   The indirect method means many thin paint layers of paint were built up over time to achieve a luminous glow that resembles a classical realist look.

Stage Three with Real Bittersweet

Once the painting was at Stage Three, it needed something more.   I placed the painting on the floor and positioned a length of fresh bittersweet over the front of an awkward area in the middle of the painting.   I liked it how the bittersweet masked the "not so great" spot, so I painted it in as a way to unite the two sides of the still life.  Over the next few weeks, additional layers were built up warm glow to the lights and blue glow to the shadows.   The complete, or at least nearly complete painting is shown.

Twirling Ribbon and Little Pumpkins

The last issue to address with a luminescent painting like this is capturing a quality photograph.   The extra oily glow makes it difficult to get a good, shine-free image.  A polarized filter and low light setting helps.    This image isn't too bad, but I'll probably work on getting an even better image.


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Arched Stone Portal

Arched Stone Doorway

The rustic brick villa looked mysterious but inviting and was capped with a beautiful stone archway. Simple geraniums planted asymmetrically enhanced the lovely old entrance to the cottage inn.  It was located down the end of a moist, shaded path through some woodlands. Ivy clung to the brickwork which looked extra green against its warm pink complement.

Finishing Up June's Blooms - aka "The Potting Bench"

Stage One - Underpainting

Stage Two

My love of gardening is second only to painting although painting claims most of my time. Combining the two seemed logical as I set up this still life of a potting bench.   Last month I shared the foundation stages of this large still life painting (22"x 28") and work on it continued.

A long critical look at the version shown (Stage Two) and decided to make a few changes.  The circular armature was working but I thought it would be better to reinforce this flow with the addition of well-worn gardening gloves and my pruning sheers.    Where should the gloves be placed?  How should the sheers be angled.    Finding an acceptable arrangement took some playing around.   Then the question became, what would the hierarchy of the elements be?   Depicting everything with equal attention and importance weakens the painting as a whole.    The circular flow I was trying to achieve could be undermined by an ambiguous hierarchy.   In the end, I decided on the following order of importance:

The Potting Bench

1. roses   (lightest lights and most intense color)
2. pruning sheers  (sharp lines, and some vibrant color, but in a middle value)
3. gardening gloves (human hand shape - naturally gains attention)
4. jute (falls on the path of the counterclockwise circular armature)
5. watering can (sits back, very little light, blends in with background, hints of highlights)
6. clay saucers (muted and dark)
7. under-the-bench clay pots  (dark and not part of the armature, ie the last thing to get noticed)

This painting will be my submission to this year's Boston Guild of Artists Juried Competition.  I also changed the name to "The Potting Bench."    I'll let you know if it gets in!

June's Blooms Phase One

Potting Bench - Transparent Wash Stage

It was June and these beautiful blossoms came from my garden.  We have had some picture perfect weather lately which has spared the bushes from the harsh wind and rain that can shorten their life cycles.    So there are plenty of flowers to paint!  This still life included two vases with pink roses clustered, a clay pot of blooming pink kalanchoe, my watering can, some well worn gardening gloves and pruning sheers completed the set up.  The height of the set up suggested that a portrait aspect would work better than landscape.

Potting Bench - Upper Element Needed?

For stage one, I applied a warm transparent wash with a mop brush, mapping in the set up.  I carved (wiped) out the areas that would be lighter with a paper towel.   This stage had a subdued, antique feel that I really loved; why it could be called a finished painting if that was the look I was after.   However, my goal was to create a fully developed, thickly painted canvas of blossoms, so the subdued style would have to be another day.


I began the second stage by applying mid-tones for roses and leaves.   After adding each supporting element, I used a clean mop brush to buff out the edges.  Believe it or not it seemed more difficult to decide how to handle the negative space than the subject matter on this one.   A larger canvas means more space for interesting objects and shadows.   I decided to place hints of clay pots under the potting table and a fringe of greens behind the primary blooms.

This is a 22x28 inch canvas so progress has been somewhat slow, so I consider this one still in progress.   To be continued...

Back Bay Front Garden

The squares of green space in front of each of the exquisite old properties in Boston's Back Bay may be small, but most are neatly manicured and dressed up with flower boxes, planters and stonework.   This property is located next door to Newman Prep School and is an example of these 'mini" formal garden.   The warm sunlit brick is a stunning backdrop for the greenery.

Back Bay Flower Box

Back Bay Flower Box

Although I can easily live without the noise and traffic, I do thoroughly enjoy the grand old architecture of Boston's Back Bay.   Most of the residential brick fronts are impeccably manicured and some of the floral displays are spectacular.   I decided to paint an understated scene instead of one of the more ostentatious displays.    The canvas was small at 6x6" so a sweet and simple black flower box became the center of interest.    The bright pink and yellow flowers and English ivy cascaded over the edge casting pretty shadows below.   The nice old wrought iron is a Back Bay signature design element and is included in this small work.

Gardening Gloves and Warm Flower Blossoms

Gardening Gloves and Warm Flower Blossoms

This painting used to have pinkish purple mums with pink trimmed gardening gloves.   Although I always like the composition with the trowel casting the shadow on the sideways clay pot, the painting just didn't work. 

Color temperature was the problem.   Another five years of painting under my belt helped me spot the issue straight away when I came across it the other day.   Warm flower blossoms and rustic clay pots are teamed with blue gardening gloves, transforming a floral painting dominated by clashing purple mums into a new more harmonious blue/orange scheme.

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Patio Rocker

Patio Rocker - In Progress

Our tiny piece of paradise is a mere 3000 square feet - property size - not the house size.   Who needs more property when the abutter consists of 25 acres of red cedar, bayberry thickets, salt marsh and the Cut River.     This open space has been the backdrop in past paintings and again in this painting.  The subject is my next door neighbor's patio; it is flooded with afternoon light and deep blue shadows.

Patio Rocker