Star Gazer

For the love of starry skies and in honor of the interstellar predictions for tonight.

The last time I lay gazing up at the sky on a cold meteor shower night, I counted more than seventy shooting across the sky, each one accompanied by excited gasps and smiles from everyone. It was quite breathtaking! Hope to catch at least a few today. Painted this one black and blue; the experiment with a black ground turned out to be perfect for my very own simple version of the starry night! Most paintings look nicer in person and the twinkling stars in this one most certainly do! And oh, I just had to paint the Leo up there :)

Cast Away

 

Painting is really drawing with paint. I had to train to hold the pencil the way I should a paint brush and use the whole arm instead of using just the wrist. Sketching is tedious and intense. I have been painting more and drawing less; I should retrace a bit and sketch more often. Hmm. 

The City

San Francisco - the quirkiest city I have seen. I wasn't very fond of it until I spent a full five days last year, roaming the streets, clicking pictures and eating a lot of great food. There is always something that is unique to every city; the steep and crooked streets are a fun drive especially for new visitors. One of them actually alluded to Disneyland - now, how is that for a new perspective! I enjoy strolling through the numerous art stores and galleries, I like the cuteness of Sausalito and the city skyline at night is very pretty indeed :)

  

Icy Pinks

Cancelled plans to visit LA last weekend, lead instead to drive to Pacific Grove; and the stunning views made up for it. A change of subject was in order and I couldn't have picked a better scene. I was quite tempted to go back this weekend with my gear for plein air painting! This one is special; was done with some directions from dad and comments from mom :)
Landscape to me is a tough subject to paint. Getting the colors to be muted yet chromatic in a realistic way is quite the challenge. What I have here is a little more than a lay-in. Hopefully with some more work, I would have done justice to the juxtaposition of the icy pinks and the bright blue hues! 

Dedication

Dedicating the post to Fongwei, it was his deft hands that guided me through this one. This certainly has more of his touches than mine. This is a piece from a while ago and is one of my favorites. I like the looseness, the fineness and the flair.

Morning Light

The striking contrast between the light and shadows drew me to the subject. I almost had to use pure white for the highlights! It took quite a bit of deliberate contemplation to work this one to completion. Its not often that I like what I paint, and this is one of those rare occasions :)

Glass beads

The reflected lights in the shadows and more importantly the highlights, to me, are the finishing touches that pull a painting together and make it read right. The highlight has been widely touted as the sweet treat that one eagerly waits for at the end of a multicourse meal. Being a dessert lover, I couldn't agree more - Je suis d'accord!

Sweet Musings

Mindless eating of mom's great creations, random ramblings with dad, sharing unspoken secrets with siblings, watching dreary cricket finals with cousins and a whole lot of nonstop merriment. Reliving the good old childhood days and recounting priceless memories; there isn't quite much to match the comforting familiarity of family. All I am right now is dreading the return to the other side of the country and weeping to be whizzed back to the present!

Silken Blues

Humble beginnings

This is throwback from a while ago; recalling how it all begins - with free-flowing guidelines, values to indicate light & shadow and a few dark notes to define the features. There's something about unfinished work that I find very appealing; and I love this cast for the endearing emotion it carries. I read this somewhere, and I think it true - Its not so much just the eyes but also the lips that hold the key to the expression.

I came across this sketch recently and I thought it would be apt for a post to commemorate the humble beginnings of this blog. I am pleased to note the 3000+ views!! Heartfelt gratitude to all the dutiful followers and to the new few who may have stumbled upon it by pure chance!

I Figure..

A full day of figure sketching at Randall Sexton's Studio. Worked on poses lasting from 20 min to an hour. I like the tiny bit of work that has gone into the drapery. It helps to suggest the form of the figure. The best part though, is figuring out the subtle temperature and color notes in the skin tones! It is quite an intensive exercise in observation. 

Inside Out

Another sketch in progress. Instead of working outwards in, the idea was to work from the inside out; focusing more on the details rather than the composition, and so spending more time on and exercising a greater value range.

The Golden Light

Julie and Jan taking a quick stroll out of the park to grab a mid-day meal during the weekend at Redwood City. The dry grass was reflecting the afternoon sun in bright golden hues - The light in the park was quite apt I would think for a workshop with Kim! This is done on an 8x16 canvas panel, a format that I am beginning to like and want to experiment more with. I think they would make interesting compositions. 

A Study in Green

A sketch from the day at the Gardens of Luxembourg. I mixed up a lot of different greens to have some variations in the foliage in the green dominated scene. The day was bright and since I was not painting under shade, the colors and the contrast seemed muted under indoor light. A lesson learnt for plein air outings! 

Vendu à Paris

I am back from the great escape - The Kim English workshop in Paris. The city is synonymous with art and never once failed to inspire! We explored a new location every day for our painting ventures. Each day started with a demo by Kim followed by our own attempts at getting at least two sketches done in a day. The emphasis was on being 'quick' to capture the essence, especially of the figures, without getting bogged down by the details.

The couple here made the first day a little more exciting by buying my painting of the Cafe at the very lively Mouffetard neighborhood! I had blocked in the figures, but people kept changing of course. And my painting was way different from what it had started out to be and also how I usually paint. I don't quite have a comfort zone as yet, but trying to paint en plein air a bustling cityscape was a huge departure. Paris, along with the fun crew, made the perfect backdrop for the trip; the beauty all around did a lot to soothe the nerves and the many failed attempts dint seem so bad after all!

Its all Relative

One of my first attempts at drawing the human face and one of those 'still in progress' works. I don't have the poster that was my reference anymore and so this will remain incomplete for now. I'd like to think that I managed to capture the essence of this person - I wonder if that is enough to make him recognizable?

Studio Solutions

I just got done with setting up my 'studio', as I'd like to call it. The rolling chest (Suggested by E) is really handy. All of the paints, spare panels and other accessories neatly fit into the drawers. At the other corner is the Art Box and Panel - Plein air easel by James Coulter. Its a light weight, portable system which I plan to use indoors as well to avoid the bulk of a floor easel. The window should provide the much needed ventilation. And my favorite part - the drying racks! I was able to install them using Balsa wood strips, L brackets, thumb pins and some push pins. It was quite simple and the best thing is that they be relocated very easily. Now I have no excuse to procrastinate. I hope this setup gets me to the easel more often. I want to get myself into a regular painting routine and enjoy this space while am at it. 

  

Portraits with Laurie

A weekend with Laurie Johnson at the Redwood City Art Center - We painted from a model, starting with a value study and then painted in full color. Staring intently to identify the subtle color and value shifts wasn't too different compared to painting from a photo reference, thought getting the likeness was more difficult. I am stilll working on getting the values and temperatures right. I did learn to look for the planes in the face. The John Asaro head at the studio was very helpful. This painting was done on a PVC sheet textured with one round of sanding - the smooth surface makes the paint glide and the colors look brighter. I am not sure if I like it just yet. Laurie is a wonderful artist and a highly spirited person. It has been fun painting with her, and I look forward to learning more from her.

The Kim English Method

I dedicate this post to the widely known artist - Kim English. The two day workshop at the SWA in Redwood city was literally a hoot. The theme was quick figure sketches conforming to Kim's Alla Prima style of painting with 'immediacy' and 'spontaneity'. We were constantly wiping the canvas every 5  to 10 min, getting ready for the model's next pose, working to get the gesture down with pre-mixed piles of paint. We probably did more than 30 of those on the first day spent inside the gallery. And on the second we were out in a park working on 20 min poses. The strict time limit forced us to focus on the big shapes and the gesture. I was tired by the end of each day, but couldn't have been happier.

A few things I came away with -

- Mass in shapes instead of a line drawing or a combination of both for a more painterly feel.

- Start with flat organic shapes and then push the paint around or wipe off parts to redo an area.

- When painting from a live model, start with a few quick sketches to prepare for the long pose.

It was tough but a lot of fun. This, to me, was the warm up for the week long workshop in Paris with Kim in September, which I am very eagerly looking forward to. Kim's paintings are of simple scenes captured in unique compositions, radiant colors and glowing lights - a constant reminder of the beauty in every day life. And that, to me, is the whole purpose of a painting. 

A 20 min sketch by Kim English. Pure brilliance.

Art Escapes

 

There are a few defining moments that kept me glued to Art. A painting kit that I received as a gift got me exploring; a crash course on oil painting got me learning, researching about artists got me wondering, reading articles and the experiments got me marveling. And what followed was an amazing trip into the realm of art, color, paint, workshops, failures, realizations, friends and of course life - which I have come to think of as my 'salvation' for the lack of a more dramatic word.

The weekend spent at E's ranch has been one such event and nothing short of spectacular. In keeping with the theme we watched art videos, discussed artists and their work, scouted the rolling hills for inspiration and painted too. We walked the beach drinking wine, hiked the tiny trails exploring the land, and lay on the roof under the brilliant sky counting constellations. The unprecedented escape brought a smile in me, that I shall remember for as long as I can.

 

A weekend well spent with Ellie, Anya, Branco, Breene and Cali. 

Ready to Bake

White is always a tricky subject. This is a quick sketch done on canvas paper in about 45 min, I think.  I wish the background had been a brighter color. Not a fan of browns for backgrounds. It was fun playing with the blue engravings. A strong highlight would have made them look more 'ceramic'. As of now they look like they are ready to be baked!

 

      

Warm & Cool

She was waiting to cross and I wondered if she was heading home or to another store. The light was warm and the shadows cool. I had it the other way around on the lady's jacket and it dint look right until I corrected it. I then realized how important it was to get the temperatures right! A bit more of shadow work would have made the painting more 'grounded'. I was surprised though that many people pointed this one out among others as their favorite painting! I find quite a bit of difference between using canvas panels & gesso boards. The canvas panels need more strokes to scrub in the colors while the gesso boards being more slick take lesser time. 

On Track

In SF, you get to see tracks on the road and it always makes me wonder if I am on the right lane! In the picture, I liked the steel tracks that were glinting in the shadows in a blue-y hue, it was simply beautiful. This was the last painting I did at the workshop and had an hour to work on it before we had to pack and leave. I do like the movement in this one. I am beginning to think that I have a thing for yellow cars. I want to reach for the camera every time I see one!

Some of the draw winners have already received their 'Golden' Magnets and I am more than happy to know that they enjoy having it on their fridge and ever better - that it reminds them of their doggies :) Cindy McDonough has posted a picture on her blog, here!

Post update: Adding the only progress shot that I have for the cab above - The outline drawn and the first dab of saturated color applied:

Magnets and More

As a follow up to the Give-Away challenge, I have sent out magnets of the 'Golden Rules' post to five artists (to those who commented on or signed up to follow my blog) at the end of last month. Here is the list and the links to their blog sites.

Patti Vincent

http://www.pattisvincent.blogspot.com/

Carol josefiask

http://caroljosefiak.blogspot.com/

Martha Kisling

http://marthakisling.blogspot.com/

Cindy McDonough

http://threelittlebirdsstudio.blogspot.com/

Penny StewArt

http://penny-stewart.blogspot.com/