My Art Students

4

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.

Filed under Artist Tips by on . 4 Comments. #

Tags: , ,

Share

Google+ Pinterest
Print

Pandora

5

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.

Filed under My Inspiration by on . 5 Comments. #

Tags: ,

Share

Google+ Pinterest
Print

Saturday Morning

3

Saturday Morning.jpg

I’ve been a fishing fanatic for many years. I learned how to catch trout in the Rocky Mountains. When I moved to Indiana, I had to learn a whole new technique. Instead of trout, it has been bass, bluegills and crappies. Luckily, my good friend, Joe, took me out and showed me how it was done in the midwest. I painted this for him.

This scene is actually from Lake Pisgah in central Indiana. If you go to a fishing spot early on Saturday, you’ll always find the fanatics out, casting their lines. The trees and sky reflect in the water, as well as the boat. This gives the water that “wet” look.

Filed under My Inspiration by on . 3 Comments. #

Tags: , ,

Share

Google+ Pinterest
Print

Madison Sunrise

6

madisonsunrise_1.jpg

The Ohio River is the boundary between Indiana and Kentucky. One of the most historic towns along that stretch is Madison, Indiana. It has a lot of very historic mansions and buildings. My wife and I stayed in a hotel overlooking the town. When we got up in the morning, this was the view out of our window. The big hills in the background are actuallly the bluffs of Kentucky across the river. The colors are faded because they are further away, and there is mist coming up from the river. The buildings in the foreground are a bold yellowish color, giving the feeling of the strong, early morning sunrise. It is autumn, as you can tell from the leaves. There is atmospheric perspective because the closer buildings are painted bigger and more detail, while those in the background fade and the detail is much less apparent.

Filed under Oil Painting Technique by on . 6 Comments. #

Tags: , ,

Share

Google+ Pinterest
Print

Skyline

5

Skyline.jpg

I love cityscapes. This one is of Indianapolis, Indiana. I was on the top of a parking structure early on a summer morning. It is facing south. The sunlight is coming from the east, or the left hand side of the picture and shines on the buildings with a warm, yellowish tone. You can tell the shadow side. On the building to the far right the windows reflect the color of the sky. This usually happens when something is in the shade.

Filed under Artist Tips by on . 5 Comments. #

Tags: ,

Share

Google+ Pinterest
Print

It’s Like Building a House

5

construction_1.jpg

A lot of people are frustrated because they can’t all of a sudden do a great representational painting. I try to tell them that they need to develop their drawing skills, after all, painting is drawing with a brush. Then I try to convince them that it is a process like building a house – first, you do the framing. The framing in art would be learning to draw, such as the picture on the left. Next, you hang the sheetrock – learning to do shading and working with value like the picture in the middle (by the way, he’s sure ugly. My wife married him though.) Lastly, the building is finished with the paint, brickwork, carpeting, etc. – see the portrait on the right done in oil. The first two steps have to be taken to achieve the last one.

Filed under Portrait Painting Technique by on . 5 Comments. #

Tags:

Share

Google+ Pinterest
Print

Fresh Fudge

2

Fresh Fudge_1.jpg

My wife and I were visiting an old restored tourist town called Metamora in southern Indiana. We were sitting in a train waiting to move on to another location, when out of the window I saw the cutest old couple sitting on a bench eating ice cream cones. It was so tender. I was touched by the scene.

You will notice that the portion in the shadow area has a blue tint to it, while the sunlit half is yellowish.

I feel like having persons in a painting adds interest.

Filed under Artist Tips by on . 2 Comments. #

Tags: , ,

Share

Google+ Pinterest
Print

Dancing

3

Dancing.jpg

My wife and I had lived in Indiana for only a short time. I wanted to drive up north to see Notre Dame University in South Bend and the shore of Lake Michigan. She wasn’t interested. I tried to talk her into going up there several times. Finally  I just said we were going, no matter what.

We loved the university. We ate in their very cool cafeteria. Then we headed to Indiana Dunes, the state park right at the lake. There were huge sand dunes. We loved jumping down from them, but the most wonderful thing was the view of Lake Michigan. It was in the late fall and it was cold enough to wear jackets, but Norene just had to take her shoes off and go wading and dancing in the water. She loved it. I did too, and had to paint her enthusiasm.

Filed under My Inspiration by on . 3 Comments. #

Tags: , ,

Share

Google+ Pinterest
Print

« Previous ... 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 ... Next »