creation in fast motion

I needed one more painting for my big show at the Spori Gallery on BYU Idaho campus in Rexburg Idaho that opens this week...

so I naturally put off starting the painting until the last possible second. I did actually get the painting done, but it is so cold in my studio it won't dry so I can Glaze it! Any way!.. one of the reasons I was able to paint it so fast was that I set my camera up on a tripod with a time lapse timer firing every 45 seconds. the 801 images in the following video add up to roughly 10 hours of work time.

 

 if you can't tell from the video I got a haircut about 1/2 way through... here is the unglazed final painting in the frame.

Russian Olive Tryst, oil 36x36 inches $3800

Two of the Same.... Fall Benediction

Its not too often that I paint a painting multiple times. I use photographs, locations, and ideas again and again, but rarely do I repeat the same painting. The experience of creating is satisfying, but usually when the painting is done I want to move on to another challenge. I have done these 2 paintings in the past month with a little variation.. mostly just variation that happens in the natural process of the process. One was painted on a 9x12 (rectangle) linen/canvas hardboard, and the other on a round piece of MDF approximatly the same size. I think the rounded top had a dramatic effect on the way the second one was painted.

Fall Benediction (1)

9x12 Oil 2014

$625

 This 1st version is in a partially rounded frame, I cannot vouch for the color correction as I took the picture with my iPhone with plain old light-bulbs in the studio... below is the painting without the frame.

I think this second version is more sensitive to the format/support it is painted on. I might do a larger version of this one with a rounded top....

Fall Benediction (2)

Oil 2014

$625 (presently unframed)

Pleasant Cloud Shadows

 I take my camera everywhere I go, well I used to anyway until I started carrying a cell phone, then I thought it was easier to take photos with the cell phone. Nothing beats a fully adjustable digital SLR. I digress...

Any whoooo... I took a picture one day while I was in the Costco parking lot in Lehi Utah, looking toward Pleasant Grove to the east. The hills were just starting to turn red and golden, and despite a few clouds in the sky it was a beautiful day. In the photo there are houses and trees in the foreground that are in shadow... I had originally intended for those to be in the composition as a way of grounding it. Maybe that painting will happen in the future.

Here is the first small (4x6) study, its not exactly the same format I was planning on for the final painting, but I mostly wanted to see what some of the colors on the top of the mountain would look like..

I started a number of new paintings at the same time, I started this one first, but it came together last.

At this point in the process it seemed like the painting might make it... the bright bluish purple hills in the background to the right are a nice anchor and a good medium value between the top of the hills and the bottom foreground.

You can see that the color is off a little bit between the image above and this "official" image. There was more I could have done with the clouds, but knowing my tendency to overwork clouds I stopped while it still felt fresh.

This painting is currently at the Dixie Invitational show in ST. George Utah. If it comes back I will post the particulars....

Two rather different pieces

This is a little gem that I did a few years ago that just came back from a gallery up north. I am going to do a few paintings in this vein and thought it might be a good starting point...

Pioneer Pond looking toward American Fork

7x14 inches, Oil $525

 It seems like there are a lot of paintings with shadowed hills and water coming out of the studio lately. this one is rather different than the one above.. lots of reds and purple, black/silver frame...

Red tree

9x12 inches, Oil $625

watercolors

A few watercolors from the past years I have recently framed.

"Cold Morning on the Colorado" 2013, watercolor $375

"Rock Curtain" 2012, watercolor $375

Untitled 2011, watercolor $200

Heber Series Frames

I have been working on making my own frames for some time now, partially because I can control the quality of the product, but also because I like having a hand in all aspects of the creation of my work.

"Cold Morning Shadow on the Colorado" 2013 oil 12x24 inches SOLD

This is a painting from Moab that I have reworked and re-framed. The original frame cut off the top of the rock formation and obscured the foreground.

I was disappointed by how it looked in that first frame, and I wanted to try out this curved corner frame I have been making. The finish on this frame is deep purple with an antique over it that makes it look rich black.

  This is a better look at the arched corner frames and the color and finish. I am leafing the inside lip and the outside edge with aluminum and toning it warm to look like 18 K gold... it is quite lovely in person, I don't think the pictures show the leaf off very well.

yes those are my feet...

This version (below) is a full arch on the top of the inside window of the frame. I have decided to call this series of frames the Heber series, with full arch or arched corners.

 I put this 9x12 from the Midway Plein air show in this frames ....

"Garden House" 2013 Oil 9x12 inches $625

Plein Air Provo

This week has been really busy; I have two Plein Air competitions in this week, and I have been working on frames to supply them.

Plein Air Provo is running Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday (paintings due Friday before 1pm), So I have been in Provo painting the cool old houses in the Maeser and Joaquin Neighborhoods.

Update 10/4/13- this painting was awarded 3rd place in the show!
Update #2 (later) it was also awarded People choice!