Category: On my easel

Current work

3/03/11 A Figure in Watercolor

My one-hour demonstration at the Honolulu Academy school at Linekona

This is from an impromptu watercolor demonstration at my Life Drawing class last Thursday. I did this to demonstrate the connection between the drawing approach I teach and painting. The painting is only an extension of the drawing into color and form, and not a separate thing.

I consider an hour to be a minimal amount of time to spend on anything in color, and fully anticipate anything resulting in that hour to be a sketch at best.

Incidentally, I don’t believe in pushing oneself to work quickly, as if speed was somehow a virtue. I know others may disagree with me, but I’ll post more on this later if you are interested.

Figure in watercolor drawing

3/04/11 In a Pastel Place

I love this location, and have painted in oil here on several occasions. It’s a marvelous spot, directly beneath the Doris Duke mansion “Shangri La”, over on the Diamond Head side of the island.

The first challenge is actually getting myself and my gear to this spot. One has to find their way here along a narrow and crumbled stone seawall which at higher tides is slippery and risky in some spots. This leads to the old stone yacht slip, a local hangout for young swimmers and their friends. Lots of curious people make their way over to see what I’m doing, which livens the experience up. Plenty of folks here have never met a working artist before.

I worked out the small color sketch (above) to decide what I was after, and started the finished piece (with compositional adjustments) on the following day. I find that the more preliminary consideration I give a piece, the smoother the sailing later on. I think that perhaps two more afternoons with good light should be sufficient to finish.

First work on the final painting, 16 x 20" on prepared surface

Here’s a shot of a day’s work on the final painting. I switched from the morning to afternoon light, which throws the white structure into shadow on the side facing me, but illuminates the great walls nicely. There are intriguing opportunities for placing figures, contrasts of light and shade, and integrating architecture into an almost jungle-like setting.

Pastel Painting at Shangri La

February 1, 2011

Got a running start to the new month at 7:30 this morning, with a new pastel painting in the works. I was sketching some new locations two days ago, and wandered into this familiar area with a fresh eye and perspective. Prepared a 20 x 16″ surface last evening, and was ready to go this morning. P2010001 This is the setup before the light, which I’d anticipated, came over the hills behind me. It’s my favorite time to block in the shapes.

P2010003

The full visual effect, towards the end of my session. It’s a pretty good start, I hope to get another chance tomorrow.

Today’s progress

As the painting awakens, I’m keeping in mind my ambition to get as much of this painted via color and tonal spots with as little extraneous noodling as possible.

Looking Down and Out

I’ve spent the first part of the new year sketching in pastel with an eye towards some new subjects for oil and pastel. One that I’ve gotten a start on is a difficult morning piece, looking downward and across from a high and somewhat precarious vantage point. The light effect, early morning about an hour after dawn, is brief but very exciting!

8 AM easel setup, Makapu'u

My setup seen from the side. Since gusts of wind are an issue up here, the setup is low to the ground, and I’m staying seated.

P1200003 This is my viewpoint, about twenty minutes before my actual light affect occurs. The main lines of my composition are drawn in with thin paint, and the next step is blocking in the main shapes with approximate colors and values, as close as I’m able to get them.

My morning’s work, first day. I’m going to have to gain some balance on the right side of the composition, but the movement seems good. This was shot afterwards indoors, so the colors in the image are somewhat lighter and warm.

Pastel at the beach

Wednesday, I got out on a beautiful pair of late afternoons to catch the light and color of one of my favorite locations. I had some company on my second visit, my former student Zak Smith and his girlfriend Britany happened by, art students on holiday from San Francisco.

We were then joined by two other young artists visiting from Seattle, Zack and Alaina. I’d brought a French easel oil setup for Zack to try out, and we spent a pleasant hour or two painting and watching the sea go through it’s transition into evening. It was magic, and especially nice to see Zack enjoying what I believe was his first opportunity to paint the ocean.

This small pastel is what I managed to pull together.

Sandy Untitled pastel on prepared rag board, 12 x 16″

Divers at Halona Cove

This pastel is finally finished, except for the signature which will be added after placing the picture into the frame. I decided that I’d try painting it on a soft Rives printmaking paper, with a very satisfying middle value olive-beige tone. It worked well. The paper took the color very nicely, and allowed for sufficient repeat applications of pastel. Just a touch of fixative was introduced in the darkest darks and developed lights.

divers at halona cove 650 Divers at Halona Cove pastel 14 x18″

The subject itself is one I’ve been working with for years, and the challenges are tremendous for a plein-air approach. Most everything is in movement, and the surges of water and sometimes wind can be powerful and unpredictable. Because of this, the wave effects have to be determined in advance, and then simplified. Also, it’s very easy to overplay the already beautiful colors of the water, so I prefer to make a point of following nature’s lead closely by revealing the wonderful combinations of colors already presented as truthfully as I can.

DHC pastel pre

Preliminary 9 x 12″

The first days I had on this piece were remarkable for the clarity of the light…as with so many things in life, good weather seems like it should last indefinitely, though of course I knew it wouldn’t. We eventually were locked down by heavy rains for many days after the first few afternoons, so the final picture was eventually adjusted indoors, from memory.

Makapu’u-Evening Sea

Further work and enhancements. Almost finished, I ‘m looking forward to some glaze work in the foreground rocks. Some slight adjustments to tones and simplifications need to be made overall…I’m spending a lot of time looking at the painting upside-down and in the mirror. What can I do to keep it moving? Where is the water getting held up, and why? Moreover, where can I simplify without loosing the look?

Makapu'u Makapu’u-Evening Sea oil on linen, 32 x 36″