Video Interview: A Conversation with Painter Todd Orchard

Last week was a huge week for me. Lara and I drove to Rexburg Idaho Thursday morning and arrived for a 1 pm interview at the Spori Gallery. My good friend Kyoung conducted the sit down interview, it took about 2 hours because we keep cracking each other up. The camera, sound and light guys were great, and editing was really fast and professional. So Big thanks to the media guys up there at BYU Idaho.                     

                

not supper happy with the particular frame they used here... I look like I have just been told the buffet is closed. It's about 17 minutes long, hope you have time to watch.

watercolor study

I did a quick study for a painting idea yesterday and posted it to Instagram.. the only way to get a long format image to work in Instagram's square presentation was to use a free app called Pic Stitch. The trade off is that your image has a huge white space proceeding the rather small image. Sigh.. what to do?

This small watercolor (5x13 inches) is the beginning stages of an idea for a large longer painting and a symptom of my growing obsession with long landscape format. I was originally thinking a painting ratio of 1 to 3, a triple square, would be good but I like this slightly less long format.

The Scene is of a pond on Pioneer Crossing (a main road in Utah County) looking east toward the Lone Peak and Timpanogos Mountains above Highland and American Fork. I like the atmospheric quality and depth of the background compared to the dark and textured nature of the foreground. I don't have the tree placement figure out yet, I like the ones on the right.. the trees on the left seem stiff.

Open to ponder

5x13 inches, watercolor $300 (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....

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

Gallery reception for "Orchard on the Colorado"

Its been a week since the reception at Terra Nova Gallery in Provo, I have not had 5 minutes to update the blog since that time; I finished 3 floor these past weeks. I'll post them later. here are some photos from the reception for "Orchard on the Colorado" held on July 20. Many of my backers showed up, I wish they could have all come!

Dale and Jackie selected this painting "Big Stripey lines", they drove from Heber to attend the reception

 

Casey loved this piece, and chose it right before Dale and Jackie almost bought it...

My Sister in law Michelle, also a backer

My Cousin Janessa also an artist but choosing a sensible vocation and becoming a teacher!

My lovely and supportive wife

Susan and Mac; picked watercolors