Daffodils

I love daffodils and every spring I seem to miss their grandeur usually because of my day job obligations.  I just can't seem to find the energy to work all day and paint all night.

What is even more painful is my mother in law's most amazing daffodfil garden.  I think last year she planted 600 bulbs or something crazy like that.  She already had about 600 plants so there is nothing but daffodils everywhere in her woods. All varieties are represented.  I particularly like the white with yellow orange center and thought, incorrectly, that since it was so cold here in VA this Spring that I had more time to gain the energy and momentum to paint them.  Having a painting demo did the trick as I always like to practice before such a humbling effort.  Of course four weeks later (after first bloom), I decide to pick those daffodils.  Surpise!  nothing but wilt.  My MIL however was such a trooper.  We went to every bloom left.  Most were wilted, but we managed to find about 8 that were still in prime condition. In our search, we both lost a shoe in the mud bog, had to jump creek beds and balance over logs. Anyway I got my treasured daffodils.  Here is my effort.

I am now very focused on making sure I have a main subject.  Core painting and composition principles for focusing the eye include:  making your main subject the lightest, the sharpest and the thickest/most saturated color. While I've known these principles since studying with my first really good artist/teacher, I didn't really consciously paint that way until David Cheifetz's workshop this fall.  Still singing his praises.   I might should call this "Channeling my Inner David Cheifetz." :-)

A sunday of much correction

Next session of my portrait of the nice man posing in Danni Dawson's class   Much advice from painter extraordinaire Jordan Xu.  He is alway's right.  His revelation, paint the eyes.  I was leaving them all sketchy on purpose and couldn't figure out why the painting lacked a focal point.  Anyway voila...he looks tougher in the actual painting which was my objective.

Painting in Danni's Class

I have finally, after many years, been able to take Danni Dawson's Saturday's class at the Art League.  She is terrific-a teacher for experienced painters (and beginners too).  It's so great to get that high level instruction.  I am enjoying the class so much.  Many friends and great artists in the room.  

So here is the gentleman I'm painting.  We have him for 4 classes, so about 4 hours each Saturday or 16 hours.  Now that is a completely different experience.  I'm slowing down tremendously, but not sure that is a good thing.  I was able to paint only 2 hours last week due to business travel plans, so I'm behind.  

Anyway, I have to give kudos to Jordan Xu, who strategically placed permanent rose on this man's head and completely changed the temperature theme from warm to cool.  I love that we can offer each other advice.  And, Jordan is quite a painter, so you better believe I listened to him. 

It really worked well.  I spent last Saturday integrating Jordan's cool strokes and my supplemental plains of color so they are more cohesive. I can't wait until tomorrow.  I better bring the good camera to take photos because I don't see myself finishing.

I like the 60s print on the cushion in real life, but not sure its

working in the painting.  I'm going to keep on going and gray them out more and see what I think.  If it looks bad, I will paint over it.  I think the horizontal line is distracting.

Sold Two Painting at NIH Show

I'm so honored to have sold two paintings at the NIH show I was in earlier this year.   That was quite an experience in two ways.  One the staff that runs the gallery are just super nice and it is all so very well coordinated.

The other experience was the security.  It is tight!  You have to plan an extra 30 minutes.  First your car is checked.  You have to exit the car and leave all doors and tunk open.  They will sift though lightly but mostly bring out the dogs to sniff around and mirrors.  Then its through two security check points, with TSA-like technology.  I don't understand why.  I guess they probably have some pretty scary viruses locked up somewhere.  Who knows.  But poor girl in front of me was having a nervous breakdown because if she didn't get to a specific place in time she was out of some kind of trial.  They should really warn people about how extensive the security is.  I was warned,

but I didn't get it until I got there.

David Cheifetz Workshop

I recently took a private workshop with David Cheifetz. I have enjoyed being on his subscription list and have admired his painting skills and style for several years, so I was thrilled to have this opportunity thanks to Trisha Ratliff making all the arrangements for the workshop and letting us invade her amazing studio.


David’s workshop was one of the best I’ve ever taken. I called it a level 300 course for advanced painters. I learned so much! I would say the main focus of the workshop, was well, “focus” -- how to make your painting have a main subject. I know this sounds obvious and I preach it all the time, but David took it to a whole new level, by dulling out colors on all other objects, losing edges through value and softening edges. The result was superb. Part of achieving this “focus” was to stay true to David’s color palette. What a valuable experience. I actually used black and now wondered how I lived so long without it. Dulling out colors achieved harmony throughout the painting and allowed the main subject to pop through saturated, out of the tube, color.

David is so precise with his drawing. He paints so small (okay relative to me) and with such precision, I honestly don’t know how he does it. But watching him demo two gorgeous pieces was worth every penny (and more). It was so interesting to watch him draw the subject and rework edges, sculpting away area to make drawing changes. As a result I slowed down and paid more attention.

There were two final invaluable tips I find worthy of sharing:

1. Paint with Paint! David would say these words over and over. To bring out the main subject David would “trowel” on paint with a brush or palette knife. I didn’t think you could get thicker and David would say “thicker”. I would think “What? How?” but sure enough I could get more paint on the painting. Each time the subject would pop more!

2. Halo Glow! The other thing David is known for is the “halo” around his main subject. Trisha and I would always marvel at this and wondered how he did it. Well he taught that!! I fumbled around on this one, but David showed me what I was missing and wow!

Honestly, I never expect teachers to reveal so many secrets, but David did. He did not hold back. Things just clicked in his class. A lot of theories many of us have heard over the years came to life for the first time in this workshop. He changed the whole look of my painting—one I’m thoroughly pleased with and plan to incorporate in future paintings.

For anyone planning to take David’s workshop or class, it is totally worth it and will change your painting forever!




   

More Peonies

Here is the mate to the other peony painting.  Thanks to my friend Trisha Adams this one has already gone down to Chasen Galleries in Richmond.  The mate that I previously posted was on a 12 x 16 piece of canvas, because I didn't have a 12 x 12, so now I must attach it to the birch board I bought at Home Depot.

Peonies from South America

My good friend Tricia called and informed me that she picked up 5 bunches of peonies at Whole Foods.  I wait each May and December for them to bloom!  Once in our hemisphere and then again in December from South America.   Whole Foods is the only place I know that sells peonies off season other than a florist.  They are usually very expensive, but reasonable at WF.  Anyway, I painted two paintings to be companions.  They look terrible in the photographs, which means I may need to completely rework them.  Here's one of the paintings--way too hot.

ill fated wild card...redone

I worked some more on the ill fated rose painting that was anticipated for a wild card donation to ArtSquare.  It was so ugly and poorly painted that I didn't deliver it.  Instead I spent an hour and 1/2 today on the damn thing and repainted it twice (three times total).  Anyway, this is now a $300 painting if measured by the time committed to it..And its still not done for my taste, but its getting there. I re-learned some interesting lessons.  Start darker, start brighter, use violet and blue for the shadows (sometime really saturated) and use trans red oxide (that was a new color I never thought I'd use on a rose).  Anyway, not sure where this is bound...back of the studio in a pile?  

Snow day = studio day

What can I say it snowed so I stayed in and painted all day.  Here is my second painting of the barn near Berryville.  While I might tinker with the contrast of the roof - seems too white.. I think this is pretty much done.  While under the light I really liked it, but there is something off about it in regular light.  Tried to use a limited palette of ultramarine, aliz crim and cad yellow light, but I  didn't quite stick to it.  Had to introduce some radiant blue, trans red oxide and purple.  I just couldn's mix those colors I've grown accustomed to.  Another 8 x 8 this time on Raymar Panel (thanks to a friend).  

Farm Near Berryville

In October we went apple and pumpkin picking.  I took photos of this beautiful barn from many angles.  This is one in a series I plan to do of the barn.  They are 8x8 which is my preferred landscape size because you can say so much with so little (so few strokes).   In any case, I started this in a miniature landscape workshop I taught back in October.  This is my demonstration painting.  I had to finish it at home in the studio because it was no where near done in the 45 minute demo time.  I wish now I had taken a photo of it in its demo state, but I didn't.

I've had a lot of requests to hold the workshop again and my dear friend is considering allowing me to  use her most spectacular barn (most would consider it a house, with beautiful kitchen, living room and exercise room)-a favorite painting location among my painter friends.  So, if anyone is interested let me know.  The space will be limited due to the configuration of the living space in the barn. My guess is 8 people max and will run abuut 5 hours.  Email me if interested:  info@vickiblum.com.

Wild Cards

Crazy Fun!  I participated in a fundraising event for Artsquare, a great art center in Leesburg, VA.  They asked artists to paint small works on playing cards and donate them to raise funds to support the center and school.   I thought I would do  two, but ended up doing 7 (one which I didn't deliver becuase it was awful).  The rest were of acceptable quality and were so much fun to paint that I just couldn't stop painting them.  I did 2 yesterday and 5 this morning before 10 am.    I delivered them to Artsquare and all but one sold in under an hour, which makes me feel good professionally but also it raised $ for the art center   Here are my paintings.  I did them in pairs.  Because the paintings are so small, my vision was to paint them in pairs so they could be presented with a nice wide mat as a diptych.  Of course none sold in pairs.

Painting Party Last Weekend

It was a perfect Saturday.  My friend Jordan bought a fantastic farm house in the country and invites his artist friends out to paint every once in a while.  Finally I was able to make one of these now infamous events.  I was actually going to paint inside and start a portrait commission, but the weather and scenery were perfect.  And who could resist painting colorful canoes next to a pond full of flourescent green algae.  It was just too perfect not to paint.  There are so many options for painting at his place.   I can't wait for the next event.   

Red Roses

Here is a quick painting I did of roses.  I really find red roses difficult to paint.  My first session went quickly but didn't like the way the roses looked.  Each  petal was too distinct to the point that it looked outlined. So for session 2, I decided to take another pass at the petals and lose some of the edges.  I am much happier with the results.  Blurry and bad photo.

Fall Class Starting Sept 26, 2013

FALL STILL LIFE PAINTING CLASS
ARTSPACE  HERNDON

September 26-November 21 (no class October 31 - Halloween)
7-10 pm
8 weeks
$200


My fall still life class starts on September 26.  I have two slots open.   We will be painting flowers and fall veggies again, but this time I think I'm going to divide the class into groups.  Those that want to paint live only and those that want to do a combo of live and photo.  The reason being is that I've had several returning students ask how to "finish" a painting and the only way to go from a block-in type of look which is more impressionistic (which I like very much) to a "polished" tighter finish is to layer paint and refine stokes over existing stokes, and glaze and adjust.  It usually takes three layers from my experience before it starts to looks realistic.  The problem is the flowers are long gone by class 3 and pretty weak looking by week 2.

I do buy lots of fresh flowers and there is no materials fee.  I hope we can find peonies (November!!! from South America)  Anyway, here is a sampling of paintings students painted in my last class in the Spring.   I know the lower one was done by a great artist -- Marna Morgan.  I'm sorry to say, I can't remember who did the one above.  They are awesome paintings!

Painting Like Crazy

I have needed my painting fix for a while.  While I've been painting in Kurt Schwarz's summer class, I can't say I finished anything in the class, but now I've spent one full day in the studio and two nights and I've completed 4 paintings that were 90% finished.

Here is one that will be in Berkley Gallery starting in October.

Johnson workshop

Here is a painting I started in Robert Johnson's workshop.  As usual I didn't finish the painting, but I don't have far to go thankfully.  I have to put some peonies leaves in the front.  I brought so many tchotchkes  to the workshop and selected this bruised and battered box for ale with rusted nails and faded paint.

I can't believe I found peonies this early.  They must have come from South America and cost me a fortune -- but are worth it.  I wish I had taken more time lapse photos of the painting in different stages.

What a fun time!

Aspen

It has been so long since I've been in the studio.  So long that all my brushes are hard as rock.  I thought I cleaned them, but clearly not enough.  Why do I repeatedly let my paint harden on my brushes?  Three or more are trash can bound.  So is my palette, a total disaster or maybe an abstract masterpiece, one or the other. Ugh.    I will try to clean my rigger in Natural turp, --that seems to work like a charm but takes some time.  The others are not worth saving.

I've been using the Simply Simmons paint brushes that are $2 regardless of size at Plaza.  They are amazing and smooth like butter.  Can't believe it.  So I recommend that if you are budgeted, that you get those brushes---while supplies last.  I found the inventory light so clearly others have the same opinion.

Anyway, here is a painting of Aspen trees.  The painting turned out okay.  Not quite what I  was aiming for, but passable.   Thanks to my friend who posted these on facebook for me to download and paint.

Glass for Masterson Palette

For my artist friends.  I went to the Home Depot and found they carry 12 x 16 pre-cut glass that fits the masterson palette.  Was around $4 vs Plaza which I think charges $17 and even better than the Art League prices. 

Clifton General Store - ArtSquare Gallery

Last night was the opening reception for the Petite Perspectives Exhibit at ArtSquare Gallery, 12 Cardinal Park Dr, SE, Leesburge, VA.  Below is one of my mini landscapes (6x6) on exhibit for the remainder of the month.  Lots of beautiful minis.  Some friends looking at the artwork.  Fun times.

Bridgeton Farm

Another South Jersey farm scene.   This is off to Art Square gallery in a few hours for the petite show starting Feb 8.