Easy Ease or Potato Chip Painting

I was chugging along with my project to paint a simple object from life and it was going well for awhile.  At some point, I found myself dangerously close to the point I was at when the pandemic began where I just did not have enough brain power left at the end of the day to paint.  I lost my habit for a long time when that happened and it was hard to get it back.  This is one of the last of the daily object paintings.  By the way, I like the right side of this one. 

I decided that I wanted to keep my daily habit going, but that I needed to back way off to find what I’m calling easy ease and  potato chip painting. It’s hard to eat just one potato chip.  Well,  it’s also hard to paint just one negative space tree.  I think I’m going to finish out the rest of the month with these.  We will see how I feel when March begins.  

I am using these as an excuse to just play and work on my paint strokes.  When I look at these, I really want to try and start making marks which are more distinct and less like a melted crayon effect.  The second one down is the one I did tonight and it’s trending more in that direction.  For some reason, I still want to fill every nook and cranny.  

 I have also been looking at different tree shapes and playing around with those, a bit, as well.  

The Best Process Change So Far

Currently, I have a sustainable project.  In February, I plan to paint one household object each day.   I started several days early.  Since my time is really limited, I’m doing a simple painting.  There’s no time limit for drawing, although I try to keep a pretty brisk pace for all of it.  When it comes to painting, I give myself 15 - 20 minutes.  I’m also not going for something I’d hang on the wall.  It’s almost like I’m journaling. 

All of this is good, but the single biggest change is that when I am done painting I clean up and walk away without looking at what I just did.  Occasionally, I’ll give take a quick glance.  

The next day is when I finally take a look and write a few comments about things to work on and, at least, one thing that I like or enjoyed about yesterday’s painting.  This is something which got drilled in by Roz. 

This is a game changer.  It gives me energy, rather than taking it away and I feel better about every painting, even the clunkers.  The time and space gives the editor a chance to emerge rather than the bully.  

This is really significant.  If I try and look right after I’m done, I have to get past a place of disappointment.  I’m finding that waiting to look the next day, I start from a place of potential.  When I look at a so-called clunker, the chatter in my head is more along the lines of “well, that went off the rails a bit, why was that, does that give you something to focus on today”.  It’s a much kinder and helpful conversation in my head.  

Here are two paintings of a light bulb.  This bulb did not work in the lamp it was in.  It had the slightest flicker which I could not stand.  I think it will be fine in a different lamp. 

I painted it two days in a row and I can see myself doing that for much of February. This is the second version.  I think two paintings of the same object is generally going to be enough.  In most cases if I try more, it unleashes the perfectionist, which is not good. 

Here is my first attempt.  I got quite off in the angle and direction between the drawing and the painting. 

I also wanted to share the third painting I did with the same pepper.  I did this one before the lightbulbs.  The goal was to try and capture the shape and lean of the pepper more accurately than in the second painting, so I did a similar set up.  In this case, I’m glad I used the same model for a third painting.

My Thumb Is Still Green

I have not started violas from seed for several years, so I was reminded of what happens every year when I do.  They always take longer to start than I recall, so after 5-7 days I start to doubt that anything will ever germinated and grow for me again.  My spouse is the one who first pointed out this pattern to me.

After having my usual doubt, I am thrilled to report that there is new life in the basement.  If you look closely, there are violas which have germinated in 3 different cells.  They are so tiny!   

In art-making news, here are two recent paintings.

It's been good to get paint on the brush every day.  I'm working on finding a groove and, honestly, I've also been feeling unfocused.  On Roz's Patreon site, she just posted about goals, expectations, evaluation, and the editing eye and it's got me thinking about setting some simple goals and expectations on a weekly basis.  I'm also thinking about starting a February project that involves painting objects in the house, which also means painting from life, not pictures, but it also stays in line with not adding a bunch of complications.    

Found Another Good Teacher

Back in 2020, I became of aware of Eric Mueller when the Star Tribune wrote about his “The Family Resemblance Project”.  I must have signed up for his newsletter at the time, but only recently received one by email.  It talked mostly about his exhibit at the Minnesota Marine Art Museum in Winona MN, which is supposed to be a gem of a museum that I’ve wanted to go to for awhile, plus I do want to go see this exhibit, but it also mentioned that he teaches photography classes using your iPhone.  I have an Android phone and was able to translate to it easily, although I did have my iPad handy, just in case. 

I just got done with his class from today.  It was jammed packed with all types of info.  I learned about camera features on my phone, which I didn’t know I had, along with a ton of other tips.  About half the session focused on composition with specific “rules” (which can always be broken), along with a ton of examples, which really helped, especially since he showed a number of before and after examples.  

I’m glad that I took a lot of notes. I plan to refer back to them and practice, practice, practice.  

Still one area really stood out when I went back to look at some of my photos, immediately after class ended.  I need to start thinking about the direction of sight or action.  This compositional rule says, generally, that it’s better to have a subject facing towards the center of the frame or moving towards the center.  

It explains the mixed feelings I have about this photo.  Itwas one of the first ones that I thought of when class was done.  On the one hand, I really love it.  It was the magical, first time I went to the Crex Meadows Wildlife Area with a friend and this swan was part of the first group of water fowl we saw that day.  On the other hand, I think I also knew that there was something off about it, but I didn’t know enough to know why.  

This photo also came to mind.  I took this with my good, point and shoot from the top of a bridge close to home and I needed almost every bit of the 60x zoom.

Below, I cropped it to follow “the rule” and it works so much better.  It focuses and draws your eye in and through the rest of the photo.  It’s almost like it gives the rest of the photo a reason to be there.  

I am planning to sign up for more of his classes.  

Keeping It Simple

In order to have time to paint, I want to keep it simple.  Right now, the most important thing is to pick up a paint brush on way more days than not.  At the same time, I also want to develop better habits for when I paint.

One new thing is that I've started warming up, by practicing getting different shapes in 1-2 strokes as suggested in one of Patti Mollica's books.  I'm also doing a quick thumbnail value drawing. 

Oof!  There's a lot to getting back in the saddle including, values, color-mixing, brush strokes, not to mention managing the paint on your brush, trying to capture the actual thing you are painting, and breaking in a fresh palette. 

I tend to have a habit of getting the paint too far up into the brush.  So today, I focused on managing the paint on the brush.  

Co-op Citrus #3

Begin Again

One of the many good concepts I’ve picked up from my meditation practice is the concept of “begin again”. Yesterday, I began again.

I set up a fresh palette and did a quick, simple painting.  In the moment, it didn’t feel especially good.  It felt awkward and all of my bad habits are back.  After I was off doing other things last night and into today, when I am aware of any passing thoughts about yesterday’s painting, I feel a little whisper of happiness.  

Today, I came downstairs to gesso enough pages in one of my spiral notebooks to be able to start painting again.  I am going to shoot for getting paint on a brush on a daily basis. 

Here’s my fresh palette, used one time so far. 

Happy Holidays!

 Happy holidays from Hammett and me.  

A few days ago, a dumped out a tub of my hats, gloves, and scarves on the bench in the kitchen.  Hammett immediately jumped on the pile and went to sleep. Later, I decided it was time for Hammett to hone his hat-modeling skills. I've continued to torture him in this way for the past few days.    

I've been gone from this blog for awhile and I also have not been drawing or painting.  I'm getting back to a place where I think I'll be starting up all of it again, shortly.