Red Heads - SOLD

Click on image to enlarge.

6"x 6" Oil on canvas.

Sold

This is my first participation in Karin Jurick's "Different Strokes from Different Folk's" challenge. I blew it! ( I thought) I had major computer problems and failed to send my image by Wednesday evening. By midnight I gave up and went to bed. Since then, I sent another email to Karin and she graciously posted my painting.

The frustration of not posting on Wednesday cause me to evaluate my motive in participating and if I would try again. Karin had mentioned that she may be interviewed by a magazine in January about the site and encouraged participation as an "opportunity". I didn't have many details but had wanted to submit something to see if it would be fun or advantageous. After creating this painting I found that I really don't get too excited or inspired by other's photos. I'm currently beginning to focus on "emotional responses" to subjects and that is difficult if you weren't there! LOL I think the site is a great idea and a good learning tool, but I'm not sure if it is a good way for me to spend my limited painting time. I'll just have to see how my other painting is coming along and if I'm able to fit in this weekly challenge. Maybe I'll just choose on the basis of the interest I have in the given photo. Come join the challenge!

Just so you know what the challenge was, the image was given upside down and was to be painted that way. After the painting was "completed" you could make some changes after turning right side up. As always you could use any painting or drawing medium and could crop, add or delete elements. This exercise was to get one to see shapes and not be limited to our preconceived ideas about the subject. I cropped the image to a square format, added the dog and made some other minor changes.

End of Year One - Dubrovnik #2

Click on image to enlarge.

9"x 12" Oil on Ampersand Gessoboard. November 2008 nfs

To celebrate one year of a my return to painting or, more accurately, my first year learning to oil paint, I thought it would be interesting to repaint something that I painted in October a year ago. Two years ago in October of 2006, I had a wonderful trip abroad and returned with a great number of photos from which to paint. That trip was the genesis of my desire to begin a new adventure into fine art. A year later in October 2007, I finally began painting and this subject of a narrow street in Dubrovnik, Croatia was one of the first paintings that I produced. Above is the painting that I just produced these last few days and below is the painting that was painted a year ago.

I'm encouraged by the improvement, and hope when I paint it next year I'll see even more. Maybe I'll continue painting it each year about this time to see the steady growth. Wouldn't that be a cool thing to have, maybe fifteen paintings from the same photo, each a year apart?

9"x12" Oil on canvas board ( really cheap canvas board!) October 2007

If you view the photo reference below you will see that last year's painting was pretty much a copy of the photo. Not a bad job, but it doesn't say or add anything beyond the photo. The focus becomes the mother in the orange top, your eye follows the street in the foreground up to the mother and pretty much stops there. Well, maybe your eye goes back and forth to the red shirt on the guy beyond. The point is that these two people are what you notice and the great setting takes a back seat in my opinion.

In my current piece, I gave some thought to many considerations before picking up a brush. I tried to remember the day, the light, my emotions, my mood, how the street made me feel, etc. My strongest impression was of the narrow streets, only open to foot traffic, contrasted by the tall buildings on either side with the occasional light coming down into the darkish corridors. The other thing that made a huge impression on me was the actual streets themselves. This was a ancient walled city built by the Romans and had no grass or land anywhere. All the ground was paved with large flat stones that were worn so smooth by all the years of foot and hoof traffic, that they shone as polished marble. The streets reflected everything on the surface as if they were wet!

I wanted to emphasize these impressions and also correct color and value in the photo, which now I recognize is not to be trusted. I also made some changes to the composition by adding and deleting elements hoping to create more interest and to draw the eye farther down the street and give a sense of distance. I wanted the eye to go to the figure in the middle standing in the shaft of light and then wander beyond a bit. By creating a new light source, moving the sun a little forward, I was able to create more dramatic light on the upper buildings and that strong shaft of light breaking through the narrow alley cutting across our street. This pattern of light not only adds interest and leads one's eye to the focal point, but it also creates movement by leading your eye around the painting.

Although, I'm aware of some weak elements in this piece, I think I really worked out some good solutions to achieve my purposes. It was a great learning experience and fun to see how differently I approached this painting with a lot of gained knowledge and experience. One thing I know, is how much MORE I would like to know. The more you paint, the more you improve and grow, but also you learn how much you don't know about painting! It would be boring to get to a point where you know it all and there is no more to learn. The challenge of stretching, experimenting, studying, and staying inspired is the best in living! Such happiness and fulfillment has come to me this year in my journey. Blogging and meeting new friends and artists has been such a blessing also and I thank you all who have visited and shared in my journey this year.

Photo reference from trip in October 2006. Dubrovnik, Croatia.

Close up of new painting. I may like this cropping better, but the painting is on board!!
Besides that, some of my favorite parts are in the upper parts of the buildings.