clues to how I work

With medical trips to Kansas City at the beginning of Christmas break...... painting was out of the question. A week later, yesterday, I was trying to imagine a background for a work. I thought I could find the desired scene among my photo files, but the search took its toll, depleting my energy. It was at that point I took note of my wife's admonition "to paint." Getting started can be slow. Here is how I got started on this day....

Soon I settled on doing a color sketch of John Crocker 's "Home In the Wilderness 1853," which describes a river flanked by darkened trees, a distant atmospheric mountain rise topped by a softened cloud bank. The tree reflection in the water, the river bank in shade, the selective darkening of trees, and the faint appearance of clouds were qualities I wanted to learn myself. I used Windor Newton Raw Umber, Utrecht Chromium Oxide Green, Brilliant Blue, Titanium White, Hansa Yellow Pale, and Cadmium Red Light . The exercise of mixing and matching his oil colors with my tube acrylic colors was two-fold.

First, activate observation, perspective, and composition placement, and second, get myself into a painting mindset, a "doing-it----not-just-thinking-about-it" activity.


I worked it up on 14 x 11 sketch paper (left).


Working with my version of Crocker's palette, I pulled up a "river bend along Moss Creek" photo reference and laid in the fore and middle grounds. Click on videos to see sky take shape. (background music by Art Farmer on trumpet)



Click videos to watch reworking of the foregound.


I worked up a color sketch on 11 x 14 Morning on Moss Creek (right) Double click on image to enlarge.

Thomas William Roberts A Quiet Day on Darebin Creek 1885 oil 20 x 28

Switching gears, definitely warmed up,
I looked at Tom Roberts' work (above) and went about composing a new piece with myself seated among the reeds. Working from two references I put down light strokes to create the compositional "map." The palette was the same plus Cadmium Orange.

Click video to watch figure emerge.



Click video for final touches.
14 x 11 inch color study on sketch pad
Among The Grasses (right). Double click on image to enlarge.

The wheels are up and running. This is a composition I could use for a canvas painting. Sometimes I feel so strongly about a direction that I can paint on a panel or canvas without a working sketch. Actually, most times it is like that. Other times I am timid and edge into an idea gingerly. And sometimes I do not like the way the composition sits and it feels like a train wreck. Those times do not end up being shown anywhere. When I showed her my efforts this day, during my Christmas break, she was pleased. And I felt like I had made some progress.