The Milton-Madison Bridge

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This painting is part of my one-man show to be held in Madison, Indiana.  I will be at a reception there from 2-4 pm on Saturday, February 13th at Joeyg’s, 218 E. Main Street, Madison, IN.

The painting is of the bridge that goes over the Ohio River from Milton, Kentucky to Madison, Indiana.   It is an important painting because the historic bridge will be torn down in the near future and I want people to remember it.

The painting shows the bridge  across the top with the city of Madison below.  The hills in back of the city are in shadow which is portrayed in blue.  Madison itself is the focus, especially with the white steeples reaching upwards.  Note the reflections of them painted into the water below.  Also note that the river reflects the blue sky and the bridge.  I’m somewhat distraught that the bridge will be gone — to me, the city and the bridge are very much a part of each other.

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Docked

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As evening comes along the banks of the Ohio River, you will see scenes of boats docked.  The river is quiet and smooth.  Reflections of trees are in the water, along with the boats put to bed for the night.

You will see atmospheric perspective in this painting.  The closest boat is painted larger than the one further away.  The colors of the trees go from warm greens to pale blue.

When I paint, I find myself squinting.  I am trying to minimalise what I see and I’m going into almost a trance to feel the emotion or magic of each scene.

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Playin’ the Blues

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If you go to Joeyg’s in Madison, Indiana on weekend nights you may be serenaded by Roy Gentry and his band.  He sings the blues.  He stands up on a stage that is dimly lit and the atmosphere is great.

I’ve tried to portray what you would see if you were there.  Roy is the one on the left.  You should notice that most of the scene is painted very dark, almost black.  All you see of the person in the middle is his head and arm.  The man on the right has a face but no hair.  You didn’t realize that because your mind put the missing parts in.  It is actually all you would see.

When painting, try to portray things you really see, not what your mind says is there and your image will be more believable and pleasing.

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Hanging Out

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hanging-outWhen I was about five years old I started copying faces from the Beetle Bailey cartoon strip in the Sunday funnies.  That got me started.  From then until now I’ve enjoyed drawing faces, especially of bearded men and women who wear hats.

Last year I was walking down the street in Madison, Indiana, when all of a sudden I saw inside the window of a restaurant a gentleman with the greatest beard, and sitting next to him was a lady with a hat!  I had to go inside to ask if I could take their picture!

It just so happened that the man was a musician, Roy Gentry, and the lady, Patty Wells, was a well known artist in the area.

From this meeting I’ve had the opportunity to be in several art exhibits in the area.  I’ll have a one-man show at Joeyg’s in Madison from February 10 until March 9.  This painting will be hanging there.

You see both Roy and Patty on a night when he was going to perform.  I was so excited to paint this that I completed it in about three hours.  Usually I take a week or two.

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Brayden’s Sketch

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braydens-sketch1Our grandson, Brayden, had been over to our house for a visit. Before he left, I asked if he’d like me to draw his portrait. It took about ten minutes. This photo shows his reaction to it.You need to know that while I drew it, the view of his face was slighly higher than the photo of him here. The drawing shows his jawline, nose, and mouth at a little different angle than the photo of him,so I was looking up at his face when I drew it.

When I draw a face I first do a basic head shape, then put a line down the center where the nose goes. Next I find the line where the eyes appear, which is near the middle. Halfway between the eyes and the bottom of the chin is where the bottom of the nose goes, then halfway between there and the chin is where the bottom of the lip would be. I actually draw in the shapes of the shadows as well as the facial features.

I always have my sketchbook handy and draw anyone I can. It is a lot less expensive than hiring a model.

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William (Will)

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willMy daughter married a guy named Will.  His parents call him William.  We call our daughter Jennifer.  He calls her Jen.  Anyway, he’s a very cool guy.  Everybody loves him.  He is so much fun.  When a big game comes up, we go with him to Buffalo Wild Wings to watch it on a large screen t.v. and eat wings.  We’ve gone to lots of concerts with him and have traveled together in Europe and all over the country.

I did a portrait of his wife (see my October 26, 2009 post “Jennifer”) and wanted to do a matching portrait of him.  He’s not nearly as pretty as she is, but he is very handsome and has a great personality.  I wanted to portray the sparkle in his eyes and his fun-loving personality.

Look at his eyes.  On the right side you’ll see white highlights.  They travel clear over to the left side.  Look at at the right side of his face.  It is closer to the light source, so is painted very light.  On the left side of the nose and face you see darker paint, representing shadow.  That gives dimension to the face.  Note the smile wrinkles at the sides of the eyes to give personality.

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