Still Life No. 2

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Apples and Cup No 2.jpg

I taught a still life class this morning. This is how I painted the subject today. You can see three types of light. The light from the lamp I used is yellowish, like all light bulb light. You’ll see hints of yellow on the tablecloth. The other kind of light comes from the window. It is blue light coming from the sky. You can see subtle blue highlights on the apples and on the tablecloth. There is also reflected light. If you look underneath the apples you see yellow reflecting from them on the cloth. There is reflected light on the cup, from the apple, the window and the light bulb.

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Mother and Child

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Mother and Child.jpg

This was a commission I did of a mother and her child. I tried to portray the child’s personality as she looked in wonder at what was outside the window. Her gesture gives life to the painting. I have complimentary colors. The inside has warm reds and oranges while the view outside is in shades of blue, giving an interesting contrast. The faces are a pale pink, with the only shading where shadows would appear. I paint what I see. Sometimes dark hair has a bluish tint to it when certain light falls on it.

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More Than Self Their Country Loved

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More than Self Their Country Loved.jpg

I was thinking of my late father. He was from “the greatest generation.” He and thousands of others left the comfort of home and fought for freedom loving people during World War II. He spent time in Italy. Luckily he wasn’t hurt during his time there, but many others on both sides laid down their lives. I have walked through cemeteries in America and Europe where rows of crosses stand. Many young men never went home to their mothers and fathers, their wives, their children and their friends.

This painting was done to make some kind of statement. I’ll leave it up to you to decide what the statement is.

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Cornfield

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cornfield.jpg

I’ve lived in Indiana since 1998. This painting really shows a typical view. We are really in the corn belt. I can leave my home and drive about ten or fifteen minutes and I’m right in the middle of the cornfields. In the musical “Oklahoma” by Rogers and Hammerstein there is a song that talks about the corn being as high as an elephant’s eye. I don’t know how tall that is, but I’m 6’5″ and it definitely grows a lot higher than my head!

There is atmospheric perspective in this painting. The corn right in the front is painted large, while the barn and the trees are small. That gives the feeling of depth. Does this painting make your mouth water for some fresh corn on the cob?

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Still Life With Apples and Cup

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still life_1.jpg

Whenever I do a still life I light it from the side so I will have shadow and light. I draw in the scene, making sure that the items are placed in a pleasing manner. I do not begin with the specific objects in mind, but first I find the darkest and lightest parts of the scene and painting those areas. The values of everything else are always between those two. Next I look for shapes of colors or value, rather than “painting the apples.” I paint each individual shape I see, such as the light green shape “on the left” and the deep red shape “on the right” etc., proceeding like putting together a jigsaw puzzle. It all evolves nicely with a beautiful dimension. You can almost reach in and grab everything in the picture.

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Visiting

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Visiting.jpg

Visiting is the great American pastime. In fact, it is the great European pastime. I’ve tried to portray people of different ages, sizes and beauty. After all, we’re all different looking. I have atmospheric perspective – the people in the front are clearer and sharper, while the woman sitting further back is somewhat less detailed. The brick wall is more detailed than the background which is faded. There is linear perspective. The sidewalk is wider at the front than it is further back. The lines of the brickwork do the same thing. Both of these techniques give a feeling of depth. You can walk into the picture and stop to visit the people there.

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My Art Students

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My art Students_1.jpg

I teach art classes at the Southside Art League in Greenwood, Indiana. I have a number of very fine students, ranging in age from 30-85 years old. I am very proud of all of them. Several have received prestigious honors, and most have been in juried art shows. I have tried to teach my method of looking for shapes and values, rather than thinking of the whole object or subject. They will look for shapes of shadows, of colors, of values, and paint them in individually. It comes together like a jigsaw puzzle, and it looks great. It is a much simpler method than is used by most schools of thought.

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Pandora

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Pandora_1.jpg

This is a commission I did for Penny. It is her dog, Pandora. Pandora is a special long haired breed of German Shepherd. She is Penny’s baby. She likes to sit on top of the table to see what’s going on outside.

I had a dog once when I was first married. I loved it like it was a member of the family. Eventually it got sick and I had to take it to be put to sleep. She  looked up at me as I carried her in with  a questioning stare. When I drove home and saw her food dish on the ground, I broke down and cried. I could never own a dog again. I’m glad Penny has Pandora.

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