I was recently commissioned to do a painting. The person had been to the Grand Canyon about twenty years ago with his future wife. He wanted to give her a painting of the memory for her birthday this year.
I tried to portray the afternoon sunlight on the tree and canyon, as well as the shadows.
The customer was very happy with the painting.
Filed under Oil Painting Technique by on . 3 Comments.
![shell-seekers[1].jpg](/wp-content/uploads/image/shell-seekers[1].jpg)
I had taken my wife and daughter on a trip across the country. We were to spend the night at Ocean City, New Jersey where I had lived briefly twenty years before. We arrived as the sun was going down, but wanted to play on the beach. I wanted to play in the surf, but my wife and daughter were more interested in digging in the wet sand trying to get sea shells.
I have tried to portray the early evening sky. I have painted some light yellow splotches along the horizon to give the impression of lights in buildings. Also I painted reflections of the people and sky in the water along with white waves going ashore.
Filed under Portrait Painting Technique by on . 4 Comments.
This is a painting of my wife taking a walk in the morning. She is walking east. You can see her shadow behind her. The bright sunlight makes the lawn yellow, but the shadow from the tree is a darker green. The plants on the right side reflect the sunlight and are painted white. The sun shines through the leaves in the tree. I have used linear perspective. The sidewalk and road go from wide up front to smaller as you go further in the painting. As you go towards the end of the sidewalk, the scene is not as well defined as it is in the front. This is atmospheric perspective. These techniques give the painting depth. The colors used give the illusion of the bright early morning sunlight.
Filed under Oil Painting Technique by on . 2 Comments.
![gamla-stans[1].jpg](/wp-content/uploads/image/gamla-stans[1].jpg)
My wife and I were in Germany to visit our daughter’s family. We planned to do some touring in Europe. As part of the trip, we went to Stockholm, Sweden, where our son-in-law ran in the Stockholm marathon. We spent five fantastic days there. We didn’t know anything about the place , but after our Swedish experience, we fell madly in love with Stockholm.
Gamla Stan is the old town part of Stockholm. You move down narrow walkways between five and six story tall buildings, each painted in beautiful colors. They all have very interesting shops and restaurants. At the end of this particular street is a very pretty church. I was so impressed when I saw it. It was framed by the buildings on both sides. It was a fantastic view. I had to paint it. Notice the open window in the upper left part of the painting. People would use their windows as mirrors to see what was going on down the street.
Filed under My Inspiration by on . 4 Comments.
This is a portrait of Daphna. I painted it in a series of five sittings in the living room of her home. She is a down-to-earth, no nonsense type of woman. I wanted to portray her strength and personal determination. The right side of her face is lit by the lamp on the glass table she is leaning on, giving a warm, yellowish glow. The left side is lit by natural light coming from a window. The natural light has a blue tint from the sky.
Filed under Portrait Painting Technique by on . 2 Comments.
![cherries[1].jpg](/wp-content/uploads/image/cherries[1].jpg)
I did this painting without a paint brush. I mixed alizarin crimson with french ultramarine blue and put a fairly thick coat of it on a white canvas. I wiped away parts of it which you can see with the light background. I left the shapes of the cherries and the stems. I applied the light red and the white highlights with my thumb.
Filed under Oil Painting Technique by on . 6 Comments.
![tips[1]_1.jpg](/wp-content/uploads/image/tips[1]_1.jpg)
I asked a musician friend of mine if I could watch him play his bass in a club. I had wanted to do a painting of a jazz combo or other group. He said I could. I took my camera and took several shots.
This painting is supposed to show an afternoon feeling with light coming in through the slits in the blinds. The piano player has sunlight coming in on his shoulder. Both men have a lighter side on their faces. The bass player’s bald head reflects in the wall behind him. Both heads have a highlight from a light over them. There is a tip glass that was put on the piano. I have used atmospheric perspective. The glass is larger than the people in the background, giving the feeling of depth. You can see light reflecting off the side of it from the blinds, and you can see the bass player’s arm through it. In the bottom is money that has been left for tips.
Filed under Oil Painting Technique by on . 3 Comments.
![portrait6[1].jpg](/wp-content/uploads/image/portrait6[1].jpg)
I was commissioned to do a portrait of two little girls. From past experience I knew that they wouldn’t sit still while I painted them. I decided I would take several photographs of them and try to work from those images. The younger child sat on the floor and grinned at me the whole time. The older girl cried and tried to run away. I didn’t quite know what to do. Finally it was decided to get out some crayons and a coloring book. She still refused to look at me, but became quite enthralled with coloring. I got down on the floor with the camera and started shooting.
The painting turned out quite well. Actually, the older child seems quite charming as she concentrates on her crayon, while the baby smiles away, very happily. I’ve painted this very loosely – or should I say I did it in an impressionist manner. I portrayed an atmosphere more than a photographic image. I hope their mother will always remember what it felt like when her babies were young.
Filed under Artist Tips by on . 5 Comments.
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