Prismatic realism

  Prism

8" x 16"  oil on panel

Available from my website

Doing demonstrations in art workshops is an opportunity to visually show what I talk about.  And as I'm working with artists at all levels, seeing is much more important than hearing about how something is done.  Theory, like any topic, is more easily absorbed using the see one, do one, teach one model. 

Stage 1

Prism came from a demo of a water state in my Painting Realistic Water workshop.  Wait a second I hear you say, realism with those colour in there?  Of course!   Realism comes from values, not colour.  If values indicate the changes in a surface effectively, you can use any colour you want and the piece will still "read" as what you intended to a viewer.

 Stage 2

So I'm asked how do I see these colours at the edge of the wave and on the beach?  Of course I don't have weird vision where I see brilliant colours appear.  I do see colours by close observation, but these colours do not have the saturation of what is in the painting.  My artistic license allows me to push the saturation of the muted colours I do see.  By not overloading the painting with colours that aren't in the same overall family of the water, the effect can work.  All the colours used here are found in the water and shoreline makeup in varying forms.  The saturation and single hue application is what pulls in the viewer and directs them around the painting. 

 Close up of colour and strokes

Additional Painting Realistic Water workshops will be available in 2014 and will be posted on my website, blog and Facebook page in December 2013.

Sharing Saturday

Its always good to share and on Saturday, October 5th I'm doing just that. For one day only I'm offering my Let's Do Lunch program for FREE to the first 10 people who have an art related question. It might be a technical question, about how to apply paint, draw an object, mix a colour or deal with composition or value. It could be something that's stumping you on your blog or website, such as how to add PayPal buttons or place something in a sidebar. It could be about art marketing, such as approaching a gallery for representation, or creating an artist statement.

Ask away! I will provide a written, detailed answer to your question by email. For full details about the program and how to ask your question visit the Let's Do Lunch page on my website.  

Send me your question on Saturday, October 5th and let me help you solve your art dilemma.  If you're not among the first ten questions in this promotion, I will let you know and you can still book a mini consultation.  And if you mention this post when you book your consultation,  I'll charge just $15 until October 15th, saving $4 off the regular price of $19.  (This applies only to mini consultations for single questions).

Art information is definitely worth the price of lunch.  Just ask Sue, Abby, Bruce, Rayna, Carol...  And when its free, well what are you waiting for?!   

Areas that I can assist you with

• Technical painting and drawing techniques
• Constructive critiques of paintings or drawings
• Templates for artist statements, biographies and art resumes
• Marketing your art
• Art  blog or website analysis and  recommendations

Portrait swap - Gary Everest

Earlier in the summer, friend, portrait artist and fellow blogger, Gary Everest and I decided, at my suggest I might add...yes, me who paints fish and water, to do a portrait swap of each other.  It never was intended to be a physical swap of portraits, but like Topsy, it grew and grew.

In August I sent the portrait I painted of Gary winging its way to Honolulu to bask in the sun.  Today, Gary's portrait of me arrived to spend its life in a northern climate.  I checked the box, it didn't bring a sweater with it.  Not that it needed it today, it was 24C here today! The life in the skin tones and eyes is lovely in this portrait and really can't be seen in a photo on a computer screen.  If you're in my studio, ask to see Gary's portrait of me so you can see the colours and values for yourself.

Gary's ability at portraiture is apparent and while I didn't try to turn him into a fish, I'm sure the aquatic colouring in my portrait of him crept in there despite my best efforts. :)    Mine was loose and impressionistic, reflecting those colours and light in the Hawaiian landscape that he's lucky enough to live in.

Thanks Gary for a beautiful painting that I shall treasure. Of course, I had my hair cut since the image was sent but its me!  I'd strongly suggest that you visit Gary's blog and take some time to explore his portraits, they are beautiful and full of life.

Would I do a portrait swap again?  In a heartbeat, it was interesting, fun to push my work outside my usual comfort zone but without stress because it wasn't a paid commission.

The Jumpers - complete

 The Jumpers

15" x 30" oil

Some early morning starts freed up painting time and let me make a concerted effort to complete this painting, The Jumpers.   Between classes and prep time, my painting time gets eaten into a  bit, so I'm finding any way I can to fit it in here and there.  Even with half an hour, its amazing just how much can be accomplished, especially if I don't let myself get sidetracked with email or Facebook, etc.

acrylic colour study   8 x 10

So here is the final image sitting in the studio waiting to see if a tweak or two is needed over the next few days before it joins its friends in the Water People series that's slowly growing.  I have a few more in this series yet to complete with sketches or colour studies done.  All I need is time!