Alla Prima studies by Jonathan Aller

"Red Apple"

2012-01-27T19:39:00.000-06:00

"Red Apple"

6 x 6 in

Oil on Canvas Panel

This painting came up unexpected for me today, I was busy all day with meetings and running errands. It was a pleasant surprise to get home and see if I can produce one very quickly. I wanted to see if I can push my self to get details or smaller forms down in the painting with more clarity, I feel lately some of my paintings have gotten a bit blurry in that area. In a sense its more of a therapeutic thing for me to do in order to feel right about the direction I'm going for. After painting it I had the pleasure of eating this delicious apple, it's been a while since I've had apples almost forgot how good they are.

"Colored Apples"

2012-01-25T19:55:00.000-06:00

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"Colored Apples"

8 x 10 in

Oil on Canvas Panel

These apples I've been wanting to paint for a while in this arrangement, I've always been intrigued with the texture and subtle colors apples have. Each of the apples have a subtle variation to its texture complimenting the rougher texture the wooden base has. It's interesting applying the technique I did with the roses and rockwell study to this painting, of course it was't working right of the back but after a while it started coming together. That's another thing I wanted to discuss on here about sticking it out till the end with you'r painting, no matter if its an alla prima or a longer still life painting. In every painting that I do I always run into rough patches and think its not going to come out, but I keep going working hard until it finally does work. Easier said than done but trust me if you push your self and not settle it will push you and your painting into that next level. Thanks for stopping by hope you enjoyed!

"Rosas Bianco"

2012-01-23T21:50:00.000-06:00

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"Rosas Bianco"

9 x 12 in

Oil on Canvas Panel

Over the weekend I did a study of a Norman Rockwell painting and learned so much from it. I love doing copies because I always get something out of it. Norman Rockwell is one of my idols, I love the way he paints texture on every subject he paints. I also love the way he depicts stories in his paintings, he is known for being an illustrator to me though he is a fine artist as well as an illustrator. I recommend to any painter out there that wants to keep learning and improving on their skills to copy a painting they really admire, you will gain so much out of it from the color choices to the brush strokes they used. When I started painting this one today I thought it would of been a walk in the park, well I was in for a rude awakening. White roses are extremely hard to paint due to their subtle colors, if you don't control the value and colors it can get really bad quickly. I cannot tell you how many times I was just going to stop with this painting, especially after doing the copy I thought I was just going to easily get this one done. Once I completely started to concentrate on the light and how to render its textures on the leaves and roses the painting started to come along. When I was painting the leaves that's where I saw the light in the end of the tunnel, I started to remember what I learned from the Rockwell study and put those two together. I'm glad I stuck it through I learned so much and really happy with the results. I hope you guys enjoyed this one, thanks for stopping by and viewing.

Norman Rockwell copy.

"Green Heirloom"

2012-01-20T17:08:00.000-06:00

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"Green Heirloom"

8 x 10 in

Oil on Canvas Panel

I always enjoy painting heirloom tomatoes for many reasons other than eating them afterwards. The binding that happens from each layer is fascinating to me, there's also a subtlety of colors that you can see coming from the inside. Painting subtle color variations from one layer to the next is challenging especially when painting heirloom tomatoes. I also enjoyed painting this tomato because of the weather we had today, its been snowing all day with an occasional sunshine here and there. I always jump on the opportunity to paint with natural light when given the chance and today was one of those days. Observing this heirloom tomato and its subtle colors was easier to do with soft lighting, and as mentioned before eating them afterwards is a bigger reward for painting them all day.

"Lemon Peeled"

2012-01-18T17:20:00.002-06:00

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"Lemon Peeled"

6 x 6 in

Oil on Canvas Panel

This one was a very quick painting for me, I started later than I wanted to but I'm glad I was able to finish it. I wanted to play around with lemons and how their peels wrap around the form. I kept the inside of the lemon concealed to add more mystery to the peel. I've been painting lemons for a while now and wanted a different approach for this one. Thanks for stopping by!

"Strawberries Marching"

2012-01-16T17:24:00.001-06:00

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"Strawberries Marching"

8 x 10 in

Oil on Canvas Panel

This is the last of the series of strawberry paintings, I had a lot of fun playing with their arrangements and seeing how far I can push it. Their intense colors is also another reason why I wanted to continue painting them, their reds are just so strong and when you add details on top of that it just changes the dynamic of the chroma's. Strawberries are tricky to paint because of their textures they have an alignment with their dots that can get confusing from one to the other, each of them have their subtle differences. The best part of the whole experience is being able to eat them afterwards, when you add chocolate to the mix then its just icing on the cake.

I am doing a demo at Dick Blick in Edina, MN on February 9, I was going to do it from 12-3p.m. but due to prior engagements I have to change the time from 11-2 or 10:30- 2p.m.

You can still sign up for "Pink Roses" alla prima lesson, check out the trailer above.

"Strawberries Aligned"

2012-01-12T18:12:00.001-06:00

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"Strawberries Aligned"

5 x 7 in

Oil on Canvas Panel

I wanted to continue with the play of composition with these strawberries, I enjoy painting their deep reds and even more eating them. It's fun playing around with subject you paint and try to compose them differently each time, you never know what you'll end up with unless you just try. The weather finally came around it started to drop as of yesterday to the teens, I have to admit I do miss the 50 degrees we had a couple days ago. It is nice though to stay indoors and paint when its this cold, hopefully we won't see negative 40 degrees any time soon it truly is unbearable.

I wanted to let everyone know that lives in Minneapolis I'll be giving a live painting demo at the Dick Blick in Edina on Feb. 9th from 12-3 pm. Come out and heckle me would love to meet you guys.

I also found out my oil painting class at the Bloomington Art Center will be on for this session, I'm extremely excited to teach it along with figure drawing and see the talent that comes out of there. You guys can still sign up here's the link.

I started with the usual dry brush approach using a bit of raw umber on the brush and no mediums. After the drawing is complete I laid in a general color for the strawberries and also stated the background. I usually do not use any mediums with these smaller alla prima's, i've gotten used to not using any and just using the paints straight out of the tube.

Then I stated the darker values and their specific forms and did the same with the lighter values and highlights.

After the strawberries were complete I then started on the leaves and started with a general color for the drawing in stage. In this stage I am just drawing in the shapes and trying to place them in the right areas. Once the shapes are correct I then state the darker values and their specific forms.

Then I state the lighter values and their specific forms. Once the strawberries are completed I then move onto the base and add the general colors with some details already filled in.

I then go back and add the finishing touches on the strawberries and base, doing this brings the whole painting to a finish. I noticed with this painting I did not apply my usual big and small form modeling and could see the difference. It's something that is really important with my paintings and can tell right away if I forgot to implement it. I do like the results though and still kept in mind on how the form turns with the light. There is a difference though when you go through the process and actually do it step by step rather than jumping ahead and putting in all the information at once. I hope you guys enjoyed this one, thanks for stopping by.

"Three Strawberries"

2012-01-10T18:46:00.001-06:00

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"Three Strawberries"

6 x 6 in

Oil on Canvas Panel

The weather here in Minneapolis is crazy today it hit 50 degrees, I cannot believe that its fifty degrees in the middle of January it's usually five below at this time of year. It's pretty hard to stay indoors and paint when it's so nice outside but I must paint and get back to the easel vacation time is over. I haven't painted strawberries in a while I miss painting their unique textures and beautiful colors. I wanted to arrange them with this silver serving cup, I've used this cup in several of my paintings and like the reflections it creates. It was fun arranging this composition and getting back to the grind of making these alla prima's.

I started with the usual dry brush approach for the drawing stage, once the drawing stage is complete I stated the background by using ultramarine blue, naples yellow and titanium white.

After the background is complete I start on the three strawberries at the same time by stating the general colors. After the general colors are stated I start stating the darker values and their specific forms.

Then I stated the lighter values and highlights, I work on all the strawberries at the same time to keep the quality the same. Once the strawberries are complete I start on the green leafs on the strawberries by first stating the general colors, then laying down the darker values and after putting the lighter values

Then I start on the silver cup by laying in the general colors, I like to keep this stage abstract and also keeping the edges soft. Then I state the lighter values and start bringing the two sections to a finish.

Then I move onto the base and first state the general colors, at this stage I have already starting to indicate the darker and lighter values. Then I state the darker darks and bring the painting to a finish.

"Buddha's Hand Citron"

2012-01-07T17:41:00.001-06:00

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"Buddha's Hand Citron"

8 x 10 in

Oil on Canvas Panel

This is my first painting of 2012 and what a way to start the new year with a freaky looking one, you guys know me and painting weird looking fruits. I was at the grocery store today and could not believe this was actually a fruit, I quickly picked the best one and hurried home to paint it. It's so unique looking seems as if its alive, amazing what mother nature can make just when you think you seen it all. The textures on the citron were amazing to paint, love the smooth and rough textures it has. Aside from painting it there was a piece of paper that came along with it when I bought it, gives information of where it comes from and how to cook it. Interesting to know that they are only available from October to January, and mainly used for making jams and liqueurs.

I wanted to also say thank you to everyone for your support last year in following my blog and commenting, I really do appreciate it. I wish everyone the very best for 2012! Here is the clip for my "Pink Roses" lesson thats available for purchase:

Thanks again everyone and Happy 2012!

I started with the usual dry brush approach using no mediums and a bit of raw umber on the brush. Once the drawing is complete I stated the background first by using ultramarine blue, naples yellow and titanium white.

After the background is laid in I state the general colors of the citron, I would do big form modeling to it but since the textures and tentacles are complicated I'll just slowly build my rendering through each stage instead of generalizing all at once. The colors I used were viridian, cad.yellow pale hue, raw umber, and cad.orange. Once the general colors are stated I went in and painted the darker smaller forms, the colors I used for this stage was primarily raw umber.

Then I laid in the lighter values with smaller form modeling and I just applied cad. yellow pale hue and titanium white. When I stated the lighter values this allows me to go back into the darks and shift certain values to their right hue, I constantly jump back and forth till it looks right. Once the citron is complete I move onto the wooden board by just using raw umber for the general color lay in.

After the general color lay in I state the darker values by using ivory black, cad.orange, naphthol red and raw umber. Then I complete the painting by adding the lighter values to the wooden board by adding titanium white, ultramarine blue, naphthol red and cad.orange. When Adding the wooden board and the cast shadow from the citron I notice that the values within the fruit can go a bit darker, that's why sometimes its better to add the darkest values first to properly judge how dark you need to go with the subject your painting. Hope you guys enjoyed this freaky looking fruit I know I definitely did and was scared at the same time ;)

"Evening Tea"

2012-01-05T17:14:00.001-06:00

Contact me if interested in purchasing this painting

"Evening Tea"

14 x 18 in

Oil on Linen

This is my latest still life painting (not an alla prima painting), its of oranges surrounding this beautiful rustic tea kettle resting on a geisha blue cloth and a wooden stool peaking through. To say I had fun painting this one would be a complete understatement, I wanted to control and manipulate a bit the lighting pattern in my painting. One thing is to copy from life the other is enhancing what you'r painting and make it your own. I had this gold frame for a while and glad I was finally able to create a painting worth of it.

I started with getting the setup just right and positioning my canvas to a close sight to size copy I can get to.

I did the drawing in raw umber, concentrated in simplifying the shapes as much as I can and positioning them just right.

Then did a whole underpainting in raw umber, and cremnitz white. This allows me to get the tone I'm going for and play with the lights a bit. I usually don't do this when starting a painting but wanted to try something different this time. This is also good to do if you haven't prepared your canvas with a ground, it gives the linen some tooth.

I started to paint the blue cloth and oranges, as you can see I had to get other oranges because they started to go bad and change colors. There are many tricks you have to improvise when painting from life especially with still life's pertaining to fruits and vegetables. This is the last picture I took of the process and apologize for not taking more. Basically I worked on each section to a finish and brought the whole painting to a finish by repeating this process. The process I use for my alla prima's I applied to this painting, I saw how easier it was to achieve difficult transitions in certain areas and have a unity throughout the finish of the painting.

Just a reminder to everyone you can sign up for my new lesson on how to paint "Pink Roses". Here's a trailer for it:

"Pink Roses" 2nd lesson of Alla Prima Online Course.

2012-01-03T16:14:00.001-06:00

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"Pink Roses"

9 x 12 in

Oil on Canvas Panel

I hope everyone had a great christmas and even better new years. I am finally back and ready to get the new years started, I've been slaving away to get this second instructional video complete and happy to announce that its READY! The lesson is on the one and only "Pink Roses" which is shown above. I detail my process with each stage and have a written format that covers each section of the videos. From the amount of requests I had to paint roses for my second lesson was the primary reason why I decided to do so. Discussing in depth big and small form modeling is one of the differences from the first lesson, which is also one of the main points of advancing with these lessons. If your interested in signing up for this lesson please email me at jonallerpainting@gmail.com

I also wanted to let everyone know who lives in Minneapolis that I'll be teaching in late January at the Bloomington Art Center. I'll be teaching an oil painting class which you can find more information by click here, and also a figure drawing class and you can also find more information by clicking here.

Trailer for the second lesson of the Alla Prima Online Course "Pink Roses".

"Fig Lecture"

2011-12-13T18:43:00.002-06:00

Click here to purchase this painting at my Etsy store

"Fig Lecture"

8 x 10 in

Oil on Canvas Panel

I wanted to do another painting of these delicious figs, this time really observing their textures and subtle colors. Texture is what makes the object your painting feel as if its alive in a painting, its important to understand how vital it is. The colors of these guys are also beautiful to paint, they have so much subtle color shifts it was fun trying to paint them and achieve its beauty. Painting the wooden board was also another treat, having its texture and color I believe meshes well with the figs. Overall a fun painting to do, hope to incorporate these guys in a future still life painting.

I started with the usual dry brush approach using no mediums and a bit of raw umber on the brush. Once the drawing is established I then state the shadow shapes on the figs and fill in the background, the colors I used for the background were ultramarine blue, naples yellow and titanium white.

After filling the background in I then fill in the shadow shapes, this stage is different than my regular process. I usually just big form model with their general colors and mesh the shadows within the modeling. I wanted to try something different I learned this back at school and have been teaching it for a while but for some reason never applied it to my alla prima's, I usually apply it to my longer paintings. Establishing shadow shapes lets you separate the lights and darks, the two hues do not have to mix with each other which keeps the colors clean. After filling in the shadow shapes I then establish the general colors in the lighter shapes, I just state where the color are on the object keeping the edges soft and not modeling the form yet.

When the colors are working I then work on big form modeling, this means I go where the shadow and light shape edge meet and mesh them together to turn the form. I also establish the lightest lights to really show the turn in the highlights with out adding details, remember I'm not concerned with details at this stage just a general statement of colors and making sure the form is turning with the light. Then I add small form modeling by breaking it up into two sections, the first section is stating the darker values with their specific forms.

Then I add the lighter values with their specific forms, usually after this stage is complete it brings this section to a finish. The colors I used on the figs were ivory black, ultramarine blue, cobalt violet, viridian, cad.yellow light, naphthol red, cad.red light, and titanium white. When the figs are complete I then start on the wooden board by stating the general colors and the fall of light. The colors I use for the wooden board are burnt umber, raw umber, cad.orange, ivory black, ultramarine blue and titanium white.

After the fall of light is established I break down the small form modeling into two sections, the first is stating the darker values with their specific forms. Then I add the lighter values and their specific forms, doing this brings the whole painting to a finish. I hope you enjoyed this one, I know I did, it was nice painting the texture in this painting from the figs to the board. Textures to me (if you haven't noticed by now) is the most important thing to learn how to paint, its what makes whatever you'r painting feel that its alive. The more I observe and really see the better I believe the painting can be.

"Figs"

2011-12-12T21:19:00.001-06:00

Click here to purchase this painting at my Etsy store

"Figs"

6 x 6 in

Oil on Canvas Panel

I've never painted figs before and felt that it was time to do so, as you guys have noticed already I enjoy painting an object with textures. Figs nonetheless has lots of textures they also have a bunch of colors going in an out of areas, challenging yes but a lot of fun learning how to paint them. I wanted to bring back the wooden board to compliment the colors and textures of the figs. I do enjoy the subtle value shifts and colors of these figs, I hope to paint more of these in the near future.

I started with the usual dry brush approach using a bit of raw umber on the brush and no mediums. After the drawing is complete I stated the background and wooden base, by just adding the general colors and fall of light on the wooden board. The colors I used on the background were ultramarine blue, naples yellow and titanium white. The colors I used for the wooden board were raw umber, cad.orange, and ivory black.

Then I state the darker values with there specific forms and do the same with the lighter values, doing so brings it to a finish.

After the board is complete I start on the figs by stating their general color and big form modeling, the colors I used were ivory black, naphthol red, ultramarine blue, and cad.yellow light. I work on all the figs at once to create a unity with the finish. Once thats complete I start on the small form modeling by breaking it up into two sections, first section I like starting with the darker values and their specific forms.

Then I state the lighter forms with their specific forms and bring the painting to a finish. Even when I get to the finished stage I like to go back and see what needs to be pushed lighter or darker. I also like to see add textures in areas that probably are not being pushed enough, sometimes areas may look dull and thats where the artist comes in and puts his signature on the painting. One has to not only stay true to nature but push the realm of beauty and the feeling of life.

"Poinsettia"

2011-12-08T17:52:00.001-06:00

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"Poinsettia"

10 x 8 in

Oil on Canvas Panel

These poinsettia I thought would be nice to paint to continue the feel of the holidays. Haven't painted flowers in a while and it was a little tough in the beginning to get used to. Painting the gold wrapping under the poinsettia was also a challenge, to get the wrinkles and shine to come through the form took a while to achieve. As mentioned in previous post I really love painting texture and this painting really took me up on that statement, it has so many different subtle textures happening creating those transitions were beyond challenging. Although it was tough for the most part it was also a lot of fun to do, I learn something every time I finish one of these little guys. I know I've said a million times that I learn a lot but its true either revisiting old techniques or improving my current one, its always showing me and teaching me something with every painting. I hope you guys enjoyed this one, thanks for stopping by and viewing!

Just a reminder I'm doing a portrait painting this Saturday at Art Resource Gallery in Edina, Minnesota. Come down and check out the great art work in the gallery and heckle me as much as you can!

"Forelle Pears 2"

2011-12-06T20:55:00.001-06:00

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"Forelle Pears 2"

10 x 8 in

Oil on Canvas Panel

After a well rested weekend with friends, I'm ready to paint today and continue the theme from last sessions alla prima. I really enjoy painting this red cloth it can be tricky to paint because of its brightest value, one can easily mix white into it and it turn pink instead of bright red. These pears as stated in the previous post go well with the red cloth. As you may have noticed already with my alla prima's I enjoy trying to paint texture, painting these pears definitely gave me a run for my money pertaining to textures. I do enjoy painting smooth surfaces and getting subtle value transitions but I enjoy more trying to paint texture. Texture definitely takes painting to a different realm, one can feel the surface of the object you'r painting, it gives the impression as if the paintings alive and breathing. Going beyond just trying to over blend every section of the painting, closely observe the particular object you'r painting and try to paint the texture it has, doing so will give a hint of life to the painting.

I wanted to let you guys know that I'll be doing a portrait painting this Saturday at Art Resource Gallery in Edina, Minnesota. I'll be doing the painting from a photo, I wish it can be from life but the sitter is 6 years old and the lady who's wanting me to paint the portrait says he wouldn't sit still. It'll be fun either way and excited for it, I also hope to be done with my largest still life I've ever painting. Hopefully I'll be done with it and have it there for the painting demo.

I started with the usual dry brush approach using no mediums and a bit of raw umber on the brush. After the drawing is complete I filled in the background and red cloth, I started with just the general colors and big form modeling. For the background I used ultramarine blue, naples yellow and titanium white. Colors for the red cloth were cad. red light, naphthol red and ivory black. At this stage I'm concerned with just modeling the form, having the light wrap around the form and keeping the chroma as light as I can in the lighter areas.

After the big form modeling is complete I started to state the smaller forms, I like to break this stage into two sections. The first section I state the darker values with its specific forms. Once that's complete I state the lighter values with its specific forms.

Once the red cloth is complete I start to state the pears with its general colors and big form modeling. The colors I used for this stage were naphthol red, cad.red light, cad.yellow light, naples yellow, viridian and ivory black. When the big form modeling is complete I state the smaller form modeling, again first starting with the darker values and their specific forms.

Then I state the lighter values with their specific values and highlights, I also state the stems when the pears are completed. After the stems is complete I go back around the whole painting and see what needs a finishing touch, after doing that the painting is complete. I hope you guys enjoyed this one, thanks for stopping by and viewing!

"Forelle Pears"

2011-12-02T17:39:00.001-06:00

Click here to purchase this painting at my Etsy store

"Forelle Pears"

5 x 7 in

Oil on Canvas Panel

These pears are neat looking and their named Forelle, I want to know how they came up with that name? A lot of these fruits I've painted have some odd names to them and I've always wondered how do they go by naming them, interesting to say the least. The coloring on their skin is really nice the way it goes from light green to yellow and red, a beautiful array of colors going from one to the other. I also thought it'll be nice to pair it up with the red cloth that i've painted before, for some reason I think it compliments these pears pretty well. Last but not least the wooden board is peeking out in the corner reminding us that its still here, I like to say its been nice to not paint it for a while but I do miss it at times. Thank for stopping by and viewing hope you enjoyed it!

"Grapes & Wine Glass"

2011-11-29T16:27:00.006-06:00

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"Grapes & Wine Glass"

7 x 5 in

Oil on Canvas Panel

Thanksgiving was so well needed the amount of food I ate was just ridiculous but I look forward to it. Relaxing and being with family is always a nice thing to do, I wasn't able to work on any paintings but did have the chance to finish up some drawings. I was itching to get back to painting after lounging around and not really doing anything, its nice to relax but to much of it can throw me out of sync.

I truly do love painting grapes from their texture to the colors that are deep within their skin, I can't find a bad thing about them. What I also like about them is that their stem always has a gestural feel to it, its in charge of holding together all these little guys and maintaining a balance with their weight. As mentioned before their texture is really beautiful to paint, their skin is able to absorb light and retain it with a glowing effect. Light skims across their form and ever so lightly wraps around it, it's really neat to see the difference between each of them. I wanted to continue the play with composition that I've been doing lately and introduce a wine glass to the picture, I felt it was fitting to incorporate it with the grapes and also have an opportunity to paint a shiny surface. As beautiful as they were to paint they were even more delicious to eat afterwards, nothing beats painting one of these and eating them as a reward for being done.

I have exciting news I've been recently picked up by Art Resource Gallery in Edina, Minnesota. I started showing their last weekend, I'll only be showing larger still life paintings and ball point pen drawings. If anybody is in the neighborhood you should stop by and check out the artwork. I also have two new classes at Bloomington Art Center that are being offered for the winter session. If anyone is interested you can sign up by clicking here for the figure drawing class and here for the oil painting class.

I started with the usual dry brush approach using no mediums and a bit of raw umber on the brush. Once the drawing was complete I filled the background in with titanium white, ultramarine blue and cad.red light. After the background was complete I stated the grapes and their big form modeling, I'm not really concerned with the details at this point just on how the light falls on the form and how dark the darks need to be. The colors I used for this stage were naphthol red, cad.red light, cad.yellow light, cad. orange and ultramarine blue.

Once the big form modeling was stated I then start to concentrate on the small form modeling stage, I break this stage down to two sections first stating the darker values with their specific forms. Once that's complete I start on the second section which is stating the lighter values with their specific forms and highlights. The reason I like to break this stage down to two sections and start with the darker values first, it lets me see how dark I need to really go and sets up the lighter values for the finish. It keeps the process controlled it's really easy to just work all around and not really get to a finish, doing it in this manner really allows me to get a quicker finish in a methodical way.

Once the grapes and stem are taken to a close finish I then start on the wine glass by stating the middle to darker values first. Once thats complete I then state the lighter values and their highlights. Once I'm finished with the wine glass I can then go back to the grapes and add any finishing touches. That's the reason I stated that I take the grapes and stem to a close finish because once all the elements are painted you get a better picture on how everything works together, you'r bound to change or add something towards the end.

Thanks for stopping by and viewing everyone, hope you enjoyed this one!

"Follow the Leader"

2011-11-23T20:45:00.002-06:00

Click here to purchase this painting at my Etsy shop

"Follow the Leader"

8 x 10 in

Oil on Canvas Panel

I wanted to continue painting these beautiful raspberries for another session, I really like the intense colors within the raspberries and their textures. This time I wanted to incorporate the blue and red cloths I've painted in previous paintings, as they're challenging every time I paint them I was looking forward to them. It's funny how each of these alla prima's I'm always finding out different ways to approach certain areas, there's some consistency in the approach but the execution can vary from one texture to the other. That's the beauty of these little guys just when you think you've figure it out a new painting comes along and throws you in a twist. I also want to wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving and wish everyone the very best with their family and loved ones. I'm excited to eat so much and not be able to move afterwards, nothing beats being with the family and eating to a point where you can't think straight. Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

I started with the usual dry brush approach using no mediums and a bit of raw umber on the brush. When the drawing is complete I stated the background and cloths, the colors I used for the background were ultramarine blue, naples yellow and titanium white. For the blue cloth I used ultramarine blue, cobalt, and ivory black. For the red cloth I used naphthol red, cad.red light, and ivory black. When dealing with the cloths in the initial stages I laid down the fall of light with its general colors, I'm only worried about making the form turn and stating the shadow shapes. I also make sure to leave my edges soft if your edges are hard it limits the form from turning, in later stages you can harden your edges to show texture or more contrast between forms. In this stage I already added the shadow shapes and developed them to a further finish, I did the big form modeling and darker values stages together.

Then I add lighter values with their specific forms and bring the cloths to a finish. After the cloths are complete I start on the raspberries by first state the general colors and after do big form modeling, I work on the red and black raspberries simultaneously.

Then I add the lighter values with their specific forms and also re work some of the darker values to blend better with the overall form, after doing this it brings the whole painting to a finish. It's nice to get one of these guys painted before the holiday hits, I know I'll be out of commission due to all the consumption of food. Hopefully i'll be able to draw if i'm unable to move from the food coma! Hope you enjoyed this one thanks for stopping by and viewing, Happy Thanksgiving!

"Raspberries Aligned"

2011-11-21T16:54:00.001-06:00

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"Raspberries Aligned"

5 x 7 in

Oil on Canvas Panel

I always have so much fun painting raspberries, their texture and intense colors make it a delight to paint. I wanted to play more with the composition between the red and black raspberries. When painting the red raspberries I noticed how intense the reds got, its pretty subtle on how strong those reds can be without going overboard. The black raspberries absorbed it's surrounding colors, at times it did show some reflected lights, I believe these two compliment each other well. One of the other reasons I like painting these guys is because I get to eat them right after I'm done, but let me tell you it's hard to fight the urge to do so while painting them. Thanks for stopping by and viewing I hope you enjoyed this one!

"Blue Tangerines 2"

2011-11-20T01:24:00.001-06:00

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"Blue Tangerines 2"

10 x 8 in

Oil on Canvas Panel

I wanted to do another painting of these tangerines and blue cloth, the last one I did really pushed me to my limits and I wanted another try at it. I'm glad I did so because I really enjoyed the process. It was hard for me to just paint this while seeing my girlfriend put up all the christmas ornaments and clean the apartment, I felt bad not helping but she knows how much I am addicted to painting and when I have the itch all I can do is just paint. I really do appreciate her patience and letting me dive into my passion, she's truly one of a king, to say I'm the luckiest guy in the world is an understatement. I still wanted to keep the play within the tangerines and have the blue cloth be a little separated. Painting these two different textures have been a challenge to say the least but also has been an eye opener on how to handle my craft and adjust it to each painting. I hope you guys have enjoyed this one thanks for stopping by and viewing.

"Blue Tangerines"

2011-11-18T18:20:00.002-06:00

Click here to purchase this painting at my Etsy store

"Blue Tangerines"

10 x 8 in

Oil on Canvas Panel

I wanted to challenge myself again with another try in painting this blue cloth, and challenging it was. Blue is such a transparent color and to make it look finished in one session was very difficult. I did like the concept of having these two elements together especially since their colors do clash. I concentrated most of my time in the blue cloth and trying to get a good grasp of the technique.

I started with the usual dry brush approach for the drawing stage, I have a bit of raw umber on the brush. Once the drawing is complete I stated the background and blue cloth, the colors I used for the background were cobalt blue, naples yellow and titanium white. For the general lay in of the blue cloth I used ultramarine blue, cobalt blue.

Then I stated the darker values and worked more with the big form modeling of the whole form, I used ivory black for the darker values. Once the darker values were working I moved onto the lighter values by adding titanium white to cobalt blue.

Once the cloth was finished I started on the tangerines working on both at the same time. I first started with the general color lay in and then big form modeling, the colors I used were cad.orange, cad.yellow light, naphthol red, raw umber and ivory black. After big form modeling I stated the darker values with their specific forms.

Then I stated the lighter values and highlights with their specific forms to bring the painting to a finish, the colors I used for this stage were mainly titanium white and cad.yellow light. Now to go and eat these delicious tangerines! Thanks for stopping by and viewing hope you enjoyed!

"Blue Eggplants"

2011-11-16T17:21:00.001-06:00

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"Blue Eggplants"

8 x 10 in

Oil on Canvas Panel

It's good to be back painting after being out of town again, I went to go visit my girlfriends family in Utah. It was so beautiful to go up to the mountains and relax, I wish I brought my paints although I know I wouldn't have time to paint. I just returned and wanted to paint these baby eggplants with a blue cloth, I really like the combination of these two. In comparison to painting the red cloth I do have to say the blue one is more challenging, I do like the challenge and hope to continue to incorporate this beautiful cloth in future paintings. It's always rough to paint after not painting for a while but you have to get over that hump and get the wheels grinding. I hope you guys enjoyed this one, thanks for stopping by and viewing!

"Pear in Red"

2011-11-09T17:23:00.003-06:00

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"Pear in Red"

10 x 8 in

Oil on Canvas Panel

I did this painting today in the middle of the million things I had to do, glad I did though I had so much fun with yesterdays painting I wanted to continue that today. This time I actually painted a pear other than yesterdays painting looked like pear's. I wanted to also have it in a black box to add more drama to the painting. I always love the baroque paintings that implore these type of lighting compositions. It was a challenge to paint such a dark background in one passage especially when it involves different elements that are mixed into it. What I was striving for was having the pear be the central focus with the lighting and have the rest of the light shimmer across the red cloth. I had a lot of fun painting this one especially that it was different than my normal alla prima's, I'm excited to see what else I can do with these type of compositions and lighting situation. Till then thanks for stopping by, I hope you enjoyed this one!

Setup of my little still life with a make shift shadow box, using natural light as the main light source.

"Quince Pineapples"

2011-11-08T17:04:00.002-06:00

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"Quince Pineapples"

8 x 10 in

Oil on Canvas Panel

These pear of unique pineapples I saw at the grocery store is something i've never seen before, I knew right away I had to paint them since their not the usual pineapples I'm used to. I've been wanting to paint this red cloth for a while and thought pairing it up with these pineapples would be perfect. Having to adjust to the daylight savings time has been a bit tricky to do, I have to start these paintings much earlier so I have sufficient natural light to paint with and to take pictures. I haven't found anything that replaces using natural light it's the best source of light to use in order to have the purest colors.

I started with the usual dry brush approach using no mediums and a bit of raw umber on the brush. Once the drawing is complete I stated the background and red cloth, with the red cloth I state the fall of light or how the light falls across the form. The colors I used were ultramarine blue, naples yellow and titanium white. The colors I used for the cloth were cad.red light, and ivory black.

Then I start to work on small form modeling by first stating the darker values with their specific forms. After the darker values are done I proceed to the lighter values and their highlights, for the lighter red areas I used a bit of cad.orange mixed with cad.red light. After the cloth is complete I can then move onto the pineapples by concentrating on big form modeling, at this stage I'm just worried about stating the general colors and how light wraps around the form.

Once the form is turning and appears dimensional I can then start on small form modeling, at this stage I like to break it into two parts. The first part starting with darker values and their specific forms and when thats complete I finish it off with the lighter values and their highlights with their specific forms. The colors I used for the pineapples were viridian, cad.yellow light, titanium white, cad.red light, ivory black and ultramarine blue. Painting cloth in a still life is something I've always enjoyed, one can learn so much by its folds and how color and light falls on each plane. It compliments well whatever its paired with and I get a lot from the experience painting it. I hope you enjoyed this one thanks for stopping by and viewing!

"Black Grapes"

2011-11-04T17:10:00.001-05:00

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"Black Grapes"

10 x 8 in

Oil on Canvas Panel

I wanted to try a different composition with these beautiful grapes, I pictured this setup in my mind when I was in the kitchen and when I put the two objects together I knew it was right. There's something about the rustic old vase combined with the grapes that compliment each other really well. I also like the subtle cool colors these two create, when working on the vase it was a challenge trying to recreate its textures. Painting the grapes was so much fun from the darkest values to the lightest texture applied. Grapes have so much beautiful little textures within them if captured correctly it'll push the painting to that next level. Since the painting is done I can truly enjoy eating these delicious grapes!

I wasn't going to do process photos with this one but then decided last second to do so, I've been so busy that I don't have time to do these process photos glad I did though it's been to long. I also wanted to do them to celebrate the weekend being here, these last couple weeks have been really hectic with teaching and getting bigger paintings complete that doing these alla prima's have been tight on time to do. I really do enjoy sharing my process and miss doing that although I did get used to just going from one stage to the other without stopping and taking photos, I caught myself doing that a couple times I had to slow down for the majority of this painting. As stated before glad to have done the process photos, I hope in the future I'm able to do them on a consistent basis.

I started with a bit of raw umber on the brush for the drawing stage. As you can see with the picture I erased a bit to change the proportion of the overall painting, I felt it would of sat better compositionally not being so large on the canvas. Incase your wondering I erase with my fingers not with any solvents.

Once the drawing is complete I stated the background with ultramarine blue, naples yellow, and titanium white. Once the background is stated I then start to fill in the rustic vase by laying in big form modeling with its general colors, I'm not worried about details at this point just how the light wraps around the form and it's general colors.

Once big form modeling is complete I then move onto small form modeling, I first concentrate on the darks and state their specific forms also adding reflected lights to turn more of the form. Then I start on the lighter values by adding their specific forms and finish it off by stating their highlights. The colors I used for the vase were ivory black, titanium white, yellow ochre, ultramarine blue, cad.orange, and cad.red light.

Once the vase is complete I move onto the black grapes and add its general color which is ivory black. Since there are so many grapes and you can't just do big form modeling with all of them at once I just add black right away for a base, then I model each grape with its general light and color. I also worked on the stem at the same time as I did the grapes. The colors I used for the grapes were ivory black, ultramarine blue, cad.red light, and titanium white. For the stem I used ultramarine blue, cad.yellow light, yellow ochre, ivory black and titanium white.

I leave the highlights towards the end to pop the painting and bring it to a finish. I hope you guys have a good weekend, thanks for stopping by and viewing.

"Fall Lake"

2011-11-02T18:56:00.001-05:00

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"Fall Lake"

5 x 7 in

Oil on Canvas Panel

I went out today with the little time I had before teaching and did this quick little plein air painting. I definitely do not do these as often as I should, I really love a lot of landscape painters but havel always strayed away from painting them myself. For some reason I've always been to timid to do them, just recently I started to go back out and paint outdoors especially with the beautiful fall landscape here in Minnesota, its hard no to. The weather is getting cold up here so I painted this one with gloves which is something i'm definitely not used to, but really enjoyed the adventure and process making it. I hope to go back out soon before it gets to cold and capture more of these scenes.

Picture of my setup at the lake.

"White Roses"

2011-11-01T18:30:00.002-05:00

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"White Roses"

8 x 10 in

Oil on Canvas Panel

These white roses I first saw at my girlfriends sisters apartment and knew right away I had to paint them. White can be such a subtle and difficult color to paint, it can retain so many different hints of colors that it can easily get to muddy. Knowing how much I like to challenge myself with these guys I was definitely looking forward to it, not mentioning the background too how easy it is to get your palette muddy by using so much black. All these components make a great experience in painting this subject, it teaches you many factors that go into controlling your craft and how far you can push your sense of color while being subtle. When I was studying at the Atelier I remember the first cast I painted in color, it was an all white cast which I thought would be simple to paint since it was just one color with a green background and the color of the base. I cannot tell you how many colors I used in that cast it had so many subtle hints of every color you can imagine, its incredible how your eye can play tricks on you or you think its just a plain color which in reality is not. Needless to say I learned tremendously from that cast painting and so on, and it also reinstates what I tell my students observe everything you draw and paint to the teeth.

"Propped Squash"

2011-10-28T17:46:00.002-05:00

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"Propped Squash"

8 x 10 in

Oil on Canvas Panel

Well I'm glad this week is over, I'm extremely exhausted and can't wait to kick back and relax, in reality I'm going to be stretching canvases and painting which is relaxing as well. I wanted to continue todays alla prima painting from yesterdays whimsical approach, I liked the dynamic of these two objects and how they can tell a story. I'm happy to have painted these guys so much, I just love painting texture and seeing how I can better my technique with intricate areas. Each of these objects have their unique textures to them you can't just apply the same approach to each of them. I'm ready to move onto another subject matter it was fun though painting these two guys, hopefully I'll paint them again soon.

I've added pictures from a collaboration I did with a local artist name Peter Geyen, it was a project we were working on for a long time. Essentially Peter does eight pieces to put on display in the busiest location in Minnesota, it's through a charity which is great because all the money goes towards them. He approached me to help him out with a couple pieces and I gladly did so. The only areas I helped out were the face in the first picture and the background which is in charcoal in the second picture. I also did a painting of a sky for him to go along another painting, which he will use in the future. Doing this type of project is something I haven't done before and I have to say I loved every minute of it, the collaboration between everyone was great so many ideas and to see so much good art coming out from different people was awesome to see. I definitely went out of my comfort zone and loved every minute of it. If anyone is around in downtown Minneapolis you should go see these pieces, they're great to see in person. They are located in the IDS building in the main lobby, the pieces will be up for two weeks.

I painted the head on fiber glass which was interesting to say the least, i've never painted on that ground before and it was basically painting on glass.

I did the background on the brown piece with all charcoal, the idea behind the landscape was to have a death valley feel. He wanted lines to show cracks in the ground and hills in the distance, i've messed around with charcoal before but never like this, like I said before I loved every minute of the experience. I'm excited to work on more pieces with Peter and see what else we can come up with. Hope you guys enjoyed this one, thanks for stopping by and viewing.

These are the other pieces on the other side.

"Pumpkin on Top"

2011-10-27T16:25:00.001-05:00

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"Pumpkin on Top"

10 x 8 in

Oil on Canvas Panel

I hope everyone is having a good day so far, I just finish painting this fun picture. Balancing the pumpkin on top of the squash was a challenge and seeing how great they looked together you know I had to paint it. As mentioned in the previous post I've been so busy lately and doing these have allowed me to slow down and just have fun. It's great painting whats in front of you and play with the paints as best as you can, being so busy at times I just don't have the time for it. I am realizing the more I do these when I'm extremely busy the better I feel after. I've become addicted to doing these alla prima's which I don't mind and actually love doing. I can see how doing these benefit my larger paintings that I'm currently working on and that was the whole plan from the beginning with these small guys.

I apologize for not making process photos with this painting I'm really pressed for time so with the time I do have I get to paint it, take a photo and post it. I did notice not doing process photos I went so much faster than what I usually go, which was nice to just go straight through a painting. At the same time I do love sharing my process and my thoughts behind it, so don't worry this will not become a normal habit. Thanks for viewing, hope you enjoyed.

"Pumpkin Stem"

2011-10-26T14:30:00.001-05:00

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"Pumpkin Stem"

7 x 5 in

Oil on Canvas Panel

I've been so busy lately with teaching and doing larger paintings, at times I literally feel like a chicken with its head cut off. But with so much going on I'm glad I'm able to push myself further and get more done of what I want to do with my regular body of work. These little alla prima's I consider to be a practice for me, I try to refine my technique as best as I can and explore different avenues as well. My regular paintings have benefited so much due to these alla prima's, I recommend anybody to do these small paintings daily if they can and see how much you can benefit from it.

The stem of this little guy was to good no to painting, it gives so much character to an object that doesn't move. I like revisiting these pumpkins because of their textures, they are pretty challenging to render but that's what draws me to it. I've also noticed that I have been painting my recent alla primas with an orange and yellow palette, seems like the holiday season has been influencing my colors more that I would like to admit. Either way those colors are challenging to control and glad I'm able to practice so much with them.

I started with the usual dry brush approach using no mediums and a bit of raw umber. I was asked recently what mediums I use towards the end of my painting since I don't use any in the beginning, and the answer is I don't use any through out the painting. I find I can achieve more with the paint straight out of the tube, and if you notice there's already medium in the tube with the paint. Now with my larger paintings I use linseed oil to lift up sunken areas and work back into them, but I keep it to a minimum. I know a lot of people that swear by mediums and can't work without them, which is not a bad thing if you know how to control them and properly mix them. The problem occurs when you use to much which can lead to yellowing of your painting and cracking through time. Like I said before I don't mind people that use mediums I even use some of it with my larger paintings, but keep it to a minimal don't depend on it for everything.

Once the drawing is complete I state the background and wooden base with its general colors and big form modeling.

After the big form modeling is complete I start on smaller form modeling and break it in two sections, the first is the darker values with their specific forms. Once that's complete I state the lighter values with their specific forms and highlights. The colors I used for the background were ultramarine blue, naples yellow and titanium white. For the base I used the same colors I did for the background in the lighter areas, then I used raw umber, burnt sienna, ivory black and cad.orange.

Once the base is complete I start on the pumpkin by stating the general colors and big form modeling, I'm only worried on how the light wraps around the form and not about details. Once that's complete I start on smaller for modeling again breaking in two sections, starting with the darker values with their specific forms. The colors I used for the pumpkin were cad.orange, cad.yellow light, ivory black, raw umber and burnt sienna.

Then I state the lighter values with their specific forms and highlights, doing this brings this area to a finish. I start on the stem by just laying down viridian and ivory black, since its such a smaller area and the overall value is dark I can easily work into it afterwards.

I pick out the lights by using naples yellow, titanium white and ultramarine blue. By doing this I take the painting to a finish!

Picture of my setup with the finished painting.

"Seckel Pears"

2011-10-20T17:13:00.002-05:00

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"Seckel Pears"

6 x 6 in

Oil on Canvas Panel

I saw these pears this morning at the grocery store and what really caught my attention is that they look like mini pears, they are literally half the size of regular pears. Of course anything that seems out of the norm catches my attention and I have to paint it. What also grabbed my attention with these guys are their textures, I wanted to examine them further with the paints. I'm in this stage now that I want to push my handling in textures, I want to make the paint seem as its alive rather than over blended and dull. That's the wondrous part of painting is that you can never be content, as for me I always try to push myself to get better and that's the beauty of these alla prima's.

Setup.

I started with the usual dry brush approach just using a bit of raw umber on the brush. Then I stated the background and wooden base after the drawing is complete, I just concentrated on the fall of light and big form modeling with the general colors. The colors I used in the background were ultramarine blue, naples yellow and titanium white. The colors for the base were raw umber, burnt sienna, ivory black, ultramarine blue, and titanium white.

After the big form modeling is complete I started with the smaller form modeling, in this stage I like to break it up in two stages first starting with the darker values. Then to finish the smaller form modeling stage I state the lighter values and their highlights.

I start on the first pear after the wooden base is complete, again just stating the big form modeling stage with their general colors. All I'm worried about in this stage is just turning the form with the light and general colors, not interested in details remember they are no use until the bigger form is working right. With these pears since their overall values are darker handling the darker value stage is done when dealing with big form modeling, I only have to worry about the lighter values and highlights for the smaller form modeling. The colors I used for the pears were viridian, ultramarine blue, naples yellow, raw umber, ivory black, cad.yellow light, burnt sienna and titanium white.

I repeat the same process with the second pear and take it to a finish.

Another pic of the setup this time with the finished painting. As you can see with my palette I don't use globs of paint in the beginning, I like to gradually build up to the thickness I'm going for. I hope you enjoyed this one I know I certainly did, thanks for stopping by and viewing.

"Michael"

2011-10-19T23:22:00.003-05:00

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"Michael"

10 x 8 in

Oil on Canvas Panel

I did this painting today of my friend after our conversation that I do not do enough figures and portraits. I completely agree with him and had a great talk about art and the direction we wanted to take our art. He ended up posing for me for the painting, it took two hours to complete. I was so happy to start the painting, to say I was beyond motivated is an understatement.

I'm also excited to announce I will start teaching at the Bloomington Art Center next week, if anyone is interested just click here for more information on my classes.

"HeirloomTomato"

2011-10-18T16:35:00.002-05:00

Click here to purchase this painting at my Etsy shop

"Heirloom Tomato"

6 x 6 in

Oil on Canvas Panel

It's good to be back in front of the easel after a long vacation, don't get me wrong I love vacationing but I don't like not being able to paint for that much of time. I was at the grocery store today walking around seeing what can inspire me for todays alla prima, and I ran into a great looking heirloom tomato. The shape of this heirloom is so unique, it resembles a balloon when it's being twisted. One of the things I love painting the most is when the object does not look like what its suppose to be, its great trying to decipher it. It feels great being back and painting hardcore again!

I wanted to share with you guys an article about me and the classes I'll be teaching at the Bloomington Art Center this winter, click here to view the article. If you're interested in attending the classes just click here to find out more information. I'll be teaching still life painting and figure drawing, should be a fun time overall I hope to see you guys there.

I started with the usual dry brush approach using no mediums and a bit of raw umber on the brush. When the drawing is complete I stated the background and wooden base, I first started with the fall of light and big form modeling. I only state the general colors going from dark to light and form the subject to fit the lighting thats given. The colors I use were ultramarine blue, naples yellow and titanium white for the background. For the base I used raw umber, red umber, ultramarine blue, naples yellow, titanium white.

Once the fall of light and big form modeling is working right I start adding the smaller form modeling, I start first with the darker values. Once thats complete I state the lighter values and the highlights.

When the wooden base is complete I start on the heirloom tomato, I first concentrate on the big form modeling. I'm not worried about details just the general colors and how the light wrapping around the form. It has to look dimensional before adding any details to it. Once the big form modeling is complete I start on the smaller form modeling, I first start with the darker values.

Once the darker values are taken to a close finish I then state the lighter values and highlights. The colors I used for the heirloom tomato were cad. orange, cad. yellow light, raw umber, ivory black, cad. red light, viridian, ultramarine blue, and titanium white. I'm glad I painted this heirloom today it warmed me up with my process and really made me concentrate on big and small form modeling. I hope you enjoyed this one, thanks for stopping by and viewing!

"Crab Apples III"

2011-10-06T22:31:00.002-05:00

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"Crab Apples III"

8 x 10 in

Oil on Canvas Panel

This is the last of the series of crab apples, I really enjoyed painting them and their textures. They really force you to slow down and observe what you'r painting. At times I know I go to fast and miss certain information that will improve the painting, with this series of paintings that was not the case. I was really happy to also re-visit small and big form modeling. It's essential for any artist to understand that concept of turning the form with light, to grasp the idea of how to turn the form and make it dimensional. I'm glad I painted these guys and look forward to painting them again in the future.

I also wanted to let you guys know I'll be gone starting tomorrow for about a week on vacation to Miami. I'm really excited to meet up with an old friend and just hang out, I might bring my painting equipment but still not sure. I cannot fathom the idea of not painting for that amount of time, I most likely will but if you don't hear from me you know where I'll be!

I started with usual dry brush approach using a bit of raw umber on the brush. When the drawing is complete I stated the wooden base and the table top along with the background. The colors I used for the background were cobalt blue, naples yellow and titanium white. When stating the base and table top i'm first concerned with the fall of light on the object, I do this by going from dark to light and stating its general colors. I'm not concerned with the details at this point just transition of dark to light and also keeping the edges soft.

Then I state the smaller forms and break into two sections, first starting with the darker to middle values. Once that's complete I start on the lighter values and highlights.

Once the wooden board is complete I start on the first crab apple, again just worrying about big form modeling and not any details or smaller forms. It's imperative to understand this stage in order for the smaller forms to work correctly. With big form modeling I state the darkest to the lightest values, I do this in order to make the form turn. If it's not turning in the big form modeling stage when you state the smaller forms you'll run into more problems than you should. Once the big form modelings is complete I start on the smaller form modeling and again breaking it up into two sections, first starting with the darker to middle values.

Then I state the lighter values and their highlights to finish the first crab apple. I then move onto the other crab apples and work on them simultaneously, I do this because they're side by side and their values effect each other. Again starting out first by just concentrating on big form modeling. I usually take my time at this stage making sure the transitional values are working right, I'm not concerned in getting it done in a quick manner.

Then I add the smaller form modeling once the big form modeling is complete. Remember the only way small form modeling works right if the big form modeling is done correctly, the two go hand in hand.

I take the painting to a finish after adding the stems, I enjoy leaving them till the end I think it gives them so much life. I hope you guys had a clearer understanding of my approach with small and big form modeling. I cannot stress enough on how important it is to understand that concept, at times I loose sight of it and see that my paintings suffer. I hope you guys enjoyed this one as much as I did, thanks for stopping by.

"Steve Jobs"

2011-10-06T00:40:00.000-05:00

R.I.P

"Chestnut Crab Apples II"

2011-10-04T21:06:00.001-05:00

Click here to purchase this painting at my Etsy shop

"Chestnut Crab Apples II"

8 x 10 in

Oil on Canvas Panel

I wanted to continue with these chestnut crab apples, I find them too adorable not to paint. They have so much character due to their stem, they pose with a subtle hint of playfulness. I also wanted to revisit big form modeling and stay true to the practice. I find when I go back to what I was taught at the Angel Academy my understanding only improves to what I've learned so far.

I started with the usual dry brush approach using no mediums and a bit of raw umber. When the drawing is complete I stated the background and wooden base. The colors I used for the background were naples yellow, cobalt blue and titanium white. Then I filled in the wooden base by painting the fall of light from dark to light, I stated the general colors not worrying about putting in details at this stage. The only thing I'm wanting to paint is the transition of values and keeping the edges soft.

Once the big form modeling is complete I state the smaller forms starting with the darker to middle values. The colors I used were ivory black, raw umber and burnt sienna. Then I stated the lighter values with titanium white, yellow ochre, and naples yellow. It's important to understand that the smaller forms would not work properly if the bigger form modeling wasn't done right. Big form modeling is I believe more important than smaller form modeling, it creates the stage for the smaller forms to work with the overall values.

Once the base is complete I start with the first chestnut crab apple and work on big form modeling. I state the general colors while I'm doing big form modeling, again I'm not worried about adding the details just how the light and colors wrap around the form. Once the big form modeling is complete I start with the smaller forms and state the darker to middle values first. The colors I used were cad. yellow light, raw umber, ivory black, and cad.red light.

Then I state the lighter values with the smaller forms by using cad.yellow light, naples yellow and titanium white. Once the first chestnut crab apple is complete I start on the second one and repeat the same process as I did with the first. The colors I use are cad.red light, ivory black, raw umber and cad.yellow light.

Once the big form modeling is complete I start with the smaller forms.

Again repeating the process with the third crab apple after the second one is complete, I'm also using the same colors.

Once the third crab apple is complete I state the stems all at the same time. When doing this I can see the painting come together and also how much more character it gives the crab apples. I'm really glad I went back and worked on big and smaller form modeling. Sometimes I forget how important it is, it's always good to just slow down and evaluate what's working for you'r painting and what isn't. I find more success in trying to achieve what I want to paint when following this process. I hope you enjoyed this painting, thanks for stopping and viewing.

"Chestnut Crab Apples"

2011-10-03T21:57:00.004-05:00

Click here to purchase this painting at my Etsy shop

"Chestnut Crab Apples"

8 x 10 in

Oil on Canvas Panel

Crab apples are neat looking to me they seem to be a mini version of an apple. Their textures are not shiny and smooth as a regular apple, but do have to overall shape to them. What also attracted me to paint these guys where their stems, I found for the majority of them to have so much character. They have a gestural feel to them which to I really enjoy painting, although the stem is not the majority part of this painting it does have a secondary role to it. Textures to me are important in a painting they definitely make the object you'r painting come to life. To understand how to paint texture is extremely important in order to advance as a painter.
I also wanted to mention that a good friend of mine told me about her having issues leaving comments on my blog. She gave me instructions on how to fix it which I did and it should be working now with no problems. I apologize for the inconvenience and thank you for continuing to visit my blog!

I started with the drawing stage which unfortunately I forgot to take a picture of, but I used a bit of raw umber on the brush and no mediums. After the drawing is complete I stated the background and the general colors of the crab apples. The colors I used for the background were cobalt blue, naples yellow and titanium white. For the crab apples I used naples yellow, and cad.red light. Then I start on the first crab apple by concentrating on turning the form or big form modeling, not worrying about details just how the light wraps around the form. The colors I used in this stage were raw umber, cad.yellow light and cad.red light.

Then I went back into the darker values and stated their specific forms, in order for that to work the big form has to be correct. I did the same with the lighter values, stating their specific forms to work with the surrounding values. When done without the first crab apple I repeated the same process with the second one. I also stated the cast shadows which are important since the darkest values affect the overall tone of the crab apple.

Then I stated the lighter values with their specific forms and took the second crab apple to a finish. As you can see with previous pictures I've begun to state the stems, just giving a hint of where they'll be placed. After the second crab apple is complete I start on the third one and repeat the process. I also use the same colors as I did with the first crab apple.

Once the third crab apple is complete I state the overall color of the wooden base and after I start on the darker values with their specific forms. The colors I used in this stage were raw umber, ivory black, and cad. orange.

Then I stated the lighter values with their specific forms by using titanium white, cobalt blue, naples yellow and burnt sienna. In order for the lighter values to have worked with the overall tone in the wooden base the big form modeling had to be correct. In order for the details or small form modeling to work the big form modeling has to be correct. Essentially your big form modeling is setting the stage for the finer details, its imperative to get this stage right for the small form modeling to work. When painting intricate details such as these crab apples it can be challenging to get the big and small form modeling right, it may take a while which is just fine as long as you understand the process and know that it works. I hope you learned and enjoyed this one, thanks for stopping by.

"Fall Leaves"

2011-09-29T18:58:00.001-05:00

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"Fall Leaves"

10 x 8 in

Oil on Canvas Panel

I got up this morning not knowing what I wanted to paint, I usually hang around the kitchen and see what inspires me. My girlfriend and I just finish remodeling our kitchen which just consisted of putting in shelves, dish soap holder and a magnetic strip for the knives. We love the way the kitchen looks and it has so much more space now for our little apartment. While we were getting our kitchen ware from ikea we also picked up this adorable bottle, which inspired me this morning when first seeing it. I was only going to paint the bottle but my girlfriend gave me a great idea to incorporate some of the leaves from outside. Fall in Minnesota is so beautiful, the leaves on tree's change to these beautiful intense colors. With her great idea that's what I did and really like the combination of the two. Really different than what I usually do other than the wooden base but that's what attracted me to paint these objects, I really wanted to paint something different and push myself at the same time. The bottle has so much subtle values and of course it's see through, clear glass is not something I usually paint and wanted to see how I can do it. Alway's fun to see how far you can push yourself as a painter and stay true to what you'r painting.

I also wanted to let you guys know that starting this Saturday my paintings will be at the Dunn Bro's coffee shop, they're located on Humboldt Ave & Lake St. in Uptown, Minneapolis. They'll be up for a whole month!

Picture of my setup after the drawing stage. Today was an ideal day to paint with natural light it was cloudy which gives a nice soft light to the painting.

I started with the usual raw umber on the brush for the drawing stage. After the drawing is complete I stated the background and also painted the background color in the bottle since its see through. I also painted the wooden base at the same time, the colors I used were yellow ochre, cobalt blue, titanium white, and raw umber.

Then I stated the darker values with their specific forms on the wooden base, the colors I used for this stage were ivory black and cad. orange. I then added the lighter values with their specific forms, after doing that I filled in the general colors for the leaves. The colors I used for the lighter values were titanium white, naples yellow, burnt sienna, and cobalt blue. The colors I used for the general lay in of the leaves were cad. yellow light, naphthol red, raw umber, viridian, cobalt blue, and yellow ochre.

Then I stated the darker values with their specific forms for the first set of leaves on the left. Then I added the lighter values with their specific forms by adding titanium white to the mixture. I also start on the other set of leaves by stating their darker values and specific forms.

Then I take the leaves to a finish by adding the lighter values and their specific forms. Once the leaves are completed I move onto the bottle by adding the middle to darker values with their specific forms. I have to really concentrate and make sure to turn the form with the limited colors thats given. The challenging thing about painting this bottle is it's edges, there's a lot of lost and found edges. The colors I used for this stage were ivory black and titanium white.

For the finishing touches I add the lighter values and their specific forms, the colors I used for this stage is titanium white and cobalt blue. I made sure to go thicker in the lights to really get that shine for the reflection. I had fun with this one especially doing something completely different in subject matter, I learned a lot to say the least. Hope you enjoyed this one, thanks for stopping by and viewing!

"Three Pumpkins"

2011-09-27T21:08:00.002-05:00

Click here to purchase this painting at my Etsy shop

"Three Pumpkins"

8 x 10 in

Oil on Canvas Panel

I wanted to continue the pumpkin serious by painting three of them at one time. It was challenging to say the least trying to capture the subtle cools in the orang colored pumpkin surface. It was also neat studying the surface of these little guys, trying to emulate their textures was beyond fun.

I started with the usual dry brush approach using no mediums and a bit of raw umber on the brush. After the drawing is complete I stated the general colors of the pumpkins, the colors I used were cad. orange, and cad. yellow light. I also stated the background by using cobalt blue, naples yellow, and titanium white.

I started on the first pumpkin when the background is complete, I concentrated on the middle to darker values. Then I stated the lighter values with their specific values. The colors I used were raw umber, cobalt blue, ultramarine blue, and titanium white. When taking the pumpkin to completion I also take the stem to a finish.

I repeat the same process with the second pumpkin by first concentrating on the darker values with their specific forms.

I do the same with the third pumpkin by first concentrating on the darker values and finishing off with the lighter values and their specific forms. When stating the darker values with the pumpkins I'm also stating the wooden base to give more range in values, it shows me how far I need to push the overall values.

After the pumpkins are complete I stated the wooden base by using raw umber, ivory black, and cobalt blue. I state the darker values with their specific forms first and concentrate in getting that section to a close finish. Then I add the lighter values with their specific forms and take the painting to a finish.

Picture of my setup. Today was an overcast day which is perfect to paint in.

"Yellow Pepper"

2011-09-26T20:49:00.000-05:00

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"Yellow Pepper"

6 x 6 in

Oil on Canvas Panel

This is a small little pepper I found at the store yesterday and wanted to paint it. I really like the transition of green to yellow, its tough trying to capture that change since it happens so fast. Peppers can be challenging because of their smooth texture, a great challenge to painting. It's always fun to challenge yourself even though you think you can paint it easily it can throw you in a whirl wind.

I started with the usual dry brush approach using no mediums and a bit of raw umber on the brush. Once the drawing is complete I stated the background first using cobalt blue, naples yellow and titanium white.

Then I stated the general colors for the pepper and stem, the colors I used were cad.yellow light, viridian, and raw umber. Then I state the darker values with their specific forms.

I do the same with the lighter values and take the pepper to a finish, I also state the darker values to the stem.

Then I stated the wooden board with its general colors. I also took the stem to a finish by adding the lighter values with their specific forms. I then added the darker values with their specific forms. The colors I used for the wooden board were raw umber, ivory black, ultramarine blue, and cadmium orange.

Then I added the lighter values with their specific forms to the base and took the painting to a finish. I hope you guys enjoyed this little quick painting, thanks for stopping by and viewing.

"Mini Pumpkin"

2011-09-22T19:07:00.001-05:00

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"Mini Pumpkin"

6 x 6 in

Oil on Canvas Panel

Today I did a demo at the local art store Dick Blick, it was fun painting in front of people and answering so many questions. It was also nice they had food and live music, always nice to paint in a different in environment and have a good time. I decided to paint this mini pumpkin which was perfect with the time allotted for the demo, painting its smooth and rough textures was a nice challenge. I figured since October is right around the corner and the change of season is already here why not paint a fitting subject. The lighting at the store was not the most ideal lighting situation but it wasn't worst either, overall good environment and most importantly I had fun creating it.

Picture of my setup at the store.

"Nectarines"

2011-09-20T20:17:00.001-05:00

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"Nectarines"

5 x 7 in

Oil on Canvas Panel

I wanted to continue the paring of fruits since the previous pair resembled nectarines so much. The whole time I was painting I thought wow these really do look like nectarines. That's the reason I wanted to paint actual nectarines for todays alla prima session. Today was a bit challenging to paint these in natural light, the weather was cloudy for most of the day and pretty gloomy at times. I wanted to stay true to painting in this manner even though it got pretty dim the colors were still pretty true to the original.

I wanted to let you guys know I'll be doing a demo on Thursday September 22 at Dick Blick in Edina from 1-4 p.m. I think I might do a rose or fruit painting still undecided on what to paint, any suggestions? Hope to see you guys there!

I started with the usual dry brush approach using a bit of raw umber on the brush. Once the drawing is complete I stated the background and nectarines with its general colors. The colors I used were ultramarine blue, naples yellow, titanium white, burnt sienna, cad.red light, and cad.yellow light.

Then I stated the darker values with their specific forms, the colors I used for this section were burnt sienna, cad.red light, raw umber and ultramarine blue. Then I added the lighter values with their specific forms, the colors I used were titanium white and cad.yellow light.

I repeated the process with the second nectarine after the first one is completed.

After the nectarines are completed I stated the wooden board with its general colors, the colors I used were raw umber and burnt sienna. Then I stated the darker values with their specific values, the colors I used were ultramarine blue and burnt sienna.

Then I stated the lighter values with their specific values, the colors I used were titanium white, naples yellow, burnt sienna and cobalt blue. This is the finished painting and really happy with the result. The lighting was an issue in the beginning but it was just something to figure out and able to work through. As stated in previous posts painting in this manner is addicting, I love the colors one is able to see with natural light and how subtle value shifts are presented. Thanks for stopping by and viewing, hope you enjoyed this one.

Picture of the setup.

"Summer Punch Pluots"

2011-09-15T18:48:00.001-05:00

Click here to purchase this painting at my Etsy shop

"Summer Punch Pluots"

5 x 7 in

Oil on Canvas Panel

It's already cooling off here in Minneapolis, we had a freeze warning last night which I was not to excited about. I'm really going to miss summer and the beautiful days it brought, although fall in Minnesota is beautiful. I just do not want it to go to freezing temperatures already, I want a gradual build up for winter. These summer punch pluots are a homage to the season thats ending. I wanted to continue the process of painting in natural light and from life. I'm enjoying more painting in this manner, i'm starting to see more colors and textures that would be missed if I was copying from a picture. I also find you can connect with the subject you'r painting when painting from life. I really love painting this way I get so much more out of it, still trying to adjust sitting down all day rather than standing up.

Picture of my setup.

I started with the usual dry brush approach for the drawing stage. Once the drawing is complete I start on the background first with cobalt blue, naples yellow, yellow ochre, and titanium white.

Then I state the pluots and wooden base with their general colors, not worried about the lightest and darkest values just a general statement. Then I stated the darker values with their specific forms on the wooden base. The colors I used for the base were raw umber, burnt sienna, and cobalt blue.

Then I added the lighter values with their specific values and took the base to a finish. I then start to state the middle to darker values on the first pluot. The colors I used for them were cad.orange, cad.yellow light, burnt sienna, cad.red light and raw umber.

Then I add the lighter values with their specific forms, the colors I used for this area were titanium white, quinacridone magenta and cobalt blue. Once the first pluot is complete I repeated the same process with the second one.

This is the finished painting. As stated before painting from life and having the subject right in front of you is priceless. The amount of information you get with colors and temperature is really valuable. I recommend if you'r able to paint in this way do it, you learn a lot more than copying from a picture. Thanks for stopping by and viewing, hope you enjoyed this one.

The set up and the finished painting.

"Prune Plums"

2011-09-13T20:49:00.002-05:00

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"Prune Plums"

5 x 7 in

Oil on Canvas Panel

These plums are delicious to eat and even more to paint. I painted this one in the same manner as the last two, painting in natural light and in front of the subject. I'm liking more and more painting in this way there are so much colors and subtle value shifts you get rather than getting it from a photo. To say i'm having fun with these paintings is an understatement.

This is a picture of my setup.

I started with the usual dry brush approach for the drawing stage. Once the drawing is established I stated the background and wooden base. I stated the general colors first without worrying about the lightest and darkest values. The colors I used were cobalt blue, naples yellow, titanium white, raw umber, and burnt sienna.

Then I stated the darkest values with there specific forms, I did the same with the lighter values.

Once the wooden base is complete I start on the plums. I first stated with the general color of the plums and did a thin block in, the colors used were cobalt blue, ultramarine blue and ivory black. Then I stated the darkest values with their specific forms.

I then painted the lighter values with their specific forms. You can see in the darker middle value areas I added quinacridone magenta and cad.red light.

I repeated the same process with the other two plums and took the painting to a finish. I hope you enjoyed this one, thanks for stopping by and viewing!

"Mini Heirloom"

2011-09-10T19:12:00.000-05:00

Click here to purchase this painting at my Etsy shop

"Mini Heirloom"

6 x 6 in

Oil on Canvas Panel

We were at the store today getting ingredients for a baby shower my girlfriend is throwing, she's cooking a whole lots of cupcakes and I'm gonna try to steal some before she takes them. While we were at the store I saw this adorable little heirloom tomato and automatically wanted to paint it. I was gonna paint in my kitchen and do the natural light method again but she's cooking away all day with her sister. Instead I decided to paint in our room where the natural light is not to bad. I really do enjoy painting in natural light, there's so much more colors and subtle tones that one can't get through pictures.

I started with the usual dry brush approach using a bit of raw umber on the brush. Once the drawing is complete I stated the local colors of the heirloom, at this stage I'm not concerned with stating the lightest and darkest values. The colors I used for this stage were cad.red light, naphthol red, cad.yellow light, and viridian.

Then I stated the background and wooden base to give more of a whole feel to the initial phase of the painting. The colors I used were cerulean blue, naples yellow, titanium white, burnt sienna, and raw umber. Then I stated the middle to darker values with their specific forms. I like to slow down in these later stages to really conform the shape and get the subtle value shifts, it's almost impossible to get those subtle information when your in a hurry to finish.

Then I state the lighter values with their specific forms and take the heirloom to a finish. Then I start on the wooden base and state the darker values with their specific forms. The colors I use is ultramarine blue and raw umber.

Then I stated the lighter values with their specific forms and took the base to a finish. I also added more naples yellow and yellow ochre to the background, and also brought the value down. I really enjoyed the process of creating this painting, painting from life is something one has to do in order to get an intimate feel of its subject. One has to see its true colors and how light really wraps around the form. Pictures are not bad for reference use, but it does limit the information one can get from life. Thanks for stopping by and viewing, hope you guys enjoyed this one.

Picture of the finished painting next to the model. I'm getting used to painting more on my pochade box, I just have to get used to painting sitting down.

"Fuchsia Orchids"

2011-09-09T18:23:00.001-05:00

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"Fuchsia Orchids"

9 x 12 in

Oil on Canvas Panel

I didn't have to go far to get inspired to paint. My girlfriends birthday was just the other day and she got a lot of flowers, you can say we have a garden growing by the day. I wanted to paint this picture using natural light, I'm used to painting in artificial light because it's the way I was trained, although I know there's nothing like painting in natural light. The only thing I don't like about it is that I have to sit down the whole time. I paint in my kitchen to get the best natural light and the space is pretty tight so sitting is the best option. That being said I really enjoyed the whole experience from the beginning to end, as stated before there's nothing like painting from natural light. Orchids are challenging to say the least. Their colors are pretty subtle and you have to be aware in the change of values that occur really quick. I haven't painted orchids in a while and glad I did so, it really pushed me in studying these orchids in depth in every way.

This is my set up from the kitchen with my pochade box and the model.

I started the drawing with a bit of raw umber on the brush and no mediums. Once thats complete I stated the general colors of the orchids and stems. The colors I used were quinacridone magenta, cerulean blue, and cad. yellow.

Then I stated the background to give the painting more of a whole look. The colors I used were yellow ochre, cerulean blue, and titanium white. Once the background was complete I started with the first set of orchids by stating the darkest values with their specific forms. I start using naphthol red, and ultramarine blue in the mixture.

Then I add the lighter values with their specific forms, I also start on the other set of orchids by just implying the middle to darker values. When stating the lighter values I had to slow down and be very subtle with the value shifts, orchids have a delicate and subtle texture to them. Then I added the darker values with their specific forms to the other set of orchids.

I finish the painting by adding the lighter values and darkening the cast shadow in the background.

Here's a look of the finished painting on the pochade box next to the orchids. I enjoyed this painting to say the least, I did go through some points when I was not gonna finish but glad I stuck through it to the end. Painting difficult subjects are always a challenge, I've learned if you stick through it you'll benefit so much from it. I hope you guys enjoyed this one, thanks for stopping by and viewing!

"Orange Roses"

2011-09-06T21:08:00.001-05:00

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"Orange Roses"

9 x 12 in

Oil on Canvas Panel

These orange roses were so much fun to paint. I always find that roses and flowers push me the most in painting and this painting was no exception. From the size of the canvas, to the amount of roses to paint in one session, it was very challenging. Roses are so beautiful in their shape, colors, and intensity, it makes a delight to paint. Roses can get pretty tricky to paint at times but I learn so much every time I paint them.

I started with a rough drawing in the beginning I didn't want to get to detailed in this stage because I know I'll get most of the details with the paints. Once the drawing was complete I stated the general colors for all the roses and stems, I keep the paints fairly thin at this stage not going to thick. The colors I used were cad.orange, viridian, raw umber and cad. yellow.

Then I stated the background with cerulean blue, naples yellow and titanium white. Once the background is complete I started on the right roses stating the darker values and their specific forms, I concentrate on just the middle to darker values leaving the lights for the next stage.

Once the darks are taken to completion I start on the lighter values and their specific forms. I repeat the same process with the roses to the right, again starting with the darker values and their specific forms.

Then paint in the lighter values and their specific forms and take the roses to completion. Once the roses are done I start on the leaves, stems and vase. I start with the darkest values and their specific forms.

Then I add the lighter values and their specific forms and take the painting to a finish. It was fun painting this one and loved the challenges it brought. I hope you enjoyed this one as much as I did, thanks for stopping by and viewing.

"Orange with Blue"

2011-09-03T00:57:00.000-05:00

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"Orange with Blue"

11 x 14 in

Oil on Masonite

This is not an alla prima painting, this is a painting I did some time ago and just pulled out of the closet. I really do love the color balance the orange and blue create with the dark background, gives a great composition to the painting. This painting does come framed as well. I really like finding these paintings after painting so many of the alla prima's. This painting was a bit of a challenge due to the surface, masonite can be very slippery to paint on. Usually I like to create a couple of layers of paint to get the look I'm wanting for the final painting, of course when I mean a couple layers its between drying times. I do prefer painting on more of a textured base so the brush and paints have grip to them, but painting on masonite definitely humbles you as a painter and makes you see your weaknesses right away. Thanks for stopping by and viewing hope you liked this one!

"Peonies Bianca"

2011-08-31T17:20:00.002-05:00

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"Peonies Bianca"

8 x 10 in

Oil on Canvas Panel

These peonies were at my girlfriends sisters house and just loved how the light was falling on it, of course they're not in season anymore and at the time I was able to capture the essence of these peonies with my camera phone. I usually like painting from life which is always the best way to go in order to get truer colors, but these peonies which I forgot I had in my phone were just to good not to paint. It's a challenge to try to paint these beautiful flowers from a photo, they have such subtle colors that can be lost in a photo but since I've painting white peonies before I knew what to look for. The photo wasn't actually bad at all, I think it captured most of the colors and subtle transitions I was looking for. I do not plan to make this a norm taking photos with my camera phone but for this painting I think it works just fine. The background was another challenge I was not looking forward to, to do a complete black background in one session is pretty difficult. Painting with pure ivory black can get muddy really quick when mixed with other colors, I had to be extra careful to not mix it with the rest of my palette. Like in any painting there's always challenges, the key is figuring it out and making a successful work of art.

I started with the usual dry brush approach for the drawing stage, just a bit of raw umber on the brush. I didn't want to get to exact with the drawing since I am painting peonies and prefer to do so with the paints. After the drawing is complete I started stating the general colors of the peonies, just laying down the middle value of each color, not worried about stating the lightest and darkest values. The colors I used were cad.yellow, viridian, ultramarine blue, yellow ochre and titanium white.

Then I started to add some of the middle to darker values to give more depth to the peonies, I'm still not worried about details trying to get a feel of the peonies and its textures. Then I state the background by just using ivory black, this is essential in order to get the right values stated in the peonies. Then I go back into the peonies and adjust the middle values to the correct hue. Since the background predominately covers the painting its important to state that in the beginning in order for the values to work well with each other.

Then I start adding the lighter values to the peonies and take them to a finish. As you can see in both stages I decided to work all of the peonies at the same time, I believe this method works well when painting these types of flowers. They have such a unique characteristic when painting them I feel its better to work all of them at the same time. Then I start stating the vase and stems, as you may see the vase blends in with the dark background the only thing you can see are the stems. The colors I used for the vase and stems were ultramarine blue, viridian and cad.yellow light.

Once the vase is complete I go back into the peonies and add any finishing touches it needs, which then I complete the painting. I really like this painting and the challenges it gave me, to do it in one session was a bit daunting but glad I did it. I hope you enjoyed this one, thanks for stopping by and viewing!

'Reversed Pear"

2011-08-29T16:46:00.002-05:00

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"Reversed Pear"

6 x 6 in

Oil on Canvas Panel

I wanted to do another version of these pears this time having one reversed with the other facing the viewer. The skin of the pears have so much different textures to them, its neat trying to decipher it and translate it onto a painting. Their colors are also enjoyable to paint they have such a subtle transition from one color to another, from yellows to greens and to even burnt umbers its fun painting those blends.

I wanted to apologize for being away for so long without posting anything, the day after posting "Grandfather" I got into a really bad bicycle accident. I went over a curb and the front tire completely came out of my bike, I landed on the road hands first then hitting my ribs pretty bad. I was really lucky I didn't break anything I did scrape up my hands and feet pretty bad, my ribs have given me the worst pain out of it all. That accident occurred on a Tuesday and I left out of town on Wednesday until yesterday, so you can imagine how much i've been wanting to paint. I'm recovering well from the accident my ribs and left hand are still pretty sore, but I do feel better each day. I cannot express how happy I am today to finally get back into painting, I tried after the accident on Tuesday to paint but I was in to much paint to do so. Now I truly I mean it its time to get back to the painting easel and start producing, its been to long.

I started with a dry brush approach for the drawing stage using a bit of raw umber on the brush. After the drawing is completed I stated the background using cerulean blue, naples yellow and titanium white.

I then started on the first pear stating the general colors first then turning the form with their values, at this stage I'm not concerned in adding the darkest and lightest values just a middle value of the overall colors. The colors I used in the general stage are viridian, cad.yellow light, yellow ochre, and raw umber. Once thats complete I state the darkest values with their specific forms, I can really start going into the fine details at this stage with the darks. Having the general stage done first allows me to go into the darks much easier and handle details with more precision. The additional colors I used for this stage is cerulean blue and burnt umber.

Once the darker values are completed I started on the lighter values including the highlights, the only additional color I used were titanium white. I repeated the same process with the second pear once the first pear was completed, first stating general colors and turning the form with their values.

I also use the same colors as I did with other pear. The first picture shows the darkest values being painted in, the second picture shows the lighter values after the darker values were completed. You can also see that I started to hint where the cast shadows will be placed, this allows me to judge the values of the base with the pears and also gives a stationary look to the pears.

Once the pears are completed I start on the wooden base, I do the exact process as I did with the pears state the general colors first not worrying about the darkest and lightest values. Then I stated the darker values with their specific forms, the colors I used were cerulean blue, burnt umber, raw umber, titanium white, cad. orange, and naphthol red.

After the darks were completed I stated the lighter values with their specific forms and took the painting to a finish. As stated before I'm really happy to be back painting there's nothing like it, its truly what I was meant to do. Thank you for stopping by and viewing, I hope you enjoyed this one as much as I did!

"Grandfather"

2011-08-22T17:10:00.000-05:00

"Grandfather"

6 x 4 in

Ball point pen

I've been away for the past week visiting family in Key Biscayne, FL. I usually go to visit my parents and sisters but this time it was different, my grandmother was visiting from Argentina. She came to celebrate her 85th birthday which coincidently falls on the same day as my fathers birthday. I created this ball point pen drawing for her of my late grandfather, it was amazing learning so much of his history through her. My grandfather was an amazing human being, I remember the summers going to Argentina and spending so much time with him. He was a gentle, always well dressed and very articulate man. Drawing this portrait was a great experience and extremely honored and happy that I was able to surprise my grandmother with this gift. I apologize for the poor picture quality, I took the picture with my phone.

This picture is of the day I arrived in Miami and we went for a walk to the light house later that evening, it was one of the most memorable times that I've had with my grandmother. As stated before my grandmother lives in Buenos Aires, Argentina I haven't seen her in couple years and wish I was able to do more often. On that walk I asked her so much about my grandfathers life, it was amazing to learn so much and to hear what they survived and where able to achieve. My whole family is from South America and my sister's and I are the first generation born in the United States. Learning so much this past week of my families roots was an eye opener for me, its true what they say you have to learn where you come from before you know where you'r going.

This is a picture of my grandmother and father celebrating their birthdays 85 and 58! I'm extremely lucky and blessed to have family like this, it was such a good time relaxing and celebrating their birthdays. Now time to get back to the grinding wheel and make some paintings!

"Leaning Pear"

2011-08-12T17:54:00.002-05:00

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"Leaning Pear"

8 x 10 in

Oil on Canvas Panel

Walking along the grocery store today pears stood out to me more than usual, I guess because of their textures I was intrigued to paint them again. They remind me of painting marble the way you have to be subtle with each tone and stroke. Pears are difficult in their own right to paint, they have so much subtle textures that are challenging to control. Needless to say its good practice to paint them. I also decided to bring back the wooden board rather than paint then marble top. It's been a while since i've painted this board painting the grains and its textures was fun for the most part.

I started with the usual dry brush approach using no mediums and a bit of raw umber. I stated the background first once the drawing was complete, the colors I used were cerulean blue, naples yellow and titanium white.

I then started on the first pair by just stating general colors first, I'm not concerned with the lightest and darkest values at this stage just turning the form with the overall colors. I also keep the paints fairly thin at this stage, it's easier to build up paint on top once the bottom layer is thin. Then I added the darker values with their specific forms. The colors I used were burnt sienna, yellow ochre, viridian, cad.yellow light, raw umber and ivory black.

Then I stated the lighter values with their specific forms, I also added a bit of highlights with titanium white. Once the first pear is complete I started on the second pear by repeating the same process. I also use the same colors except burnt sienna.

After the big form modeling is complete with middle values, I start with the darker values with their specific forms. Once that stage is complete I start with the lighter values and their specific forms.

Once the pears are complete I started on the wooden board, again just stating the general colors first and modeling the form. Then I added the darker values with their specific forms.

I then added the lighter values with their specific forms, the colors I used for the board were burnt sienna, cad. orange, raw umber, cerulean, titanium white, and ivory black. It was nice to paint these guys again, reminds me of my older alla prima's I used to paint. Never gets old painting these fruits, and also eating them afterwards. Thanks for stopping by and viewing, hope you enjoyed!

"Circus Plums"

2011-08-11T15:13:00.002-05:00

Click here to purchase this painting at my Etsy shop

"Circus Plums"

6 x 6 in

Oil on Canvas Panel

I wanted to revisit these fun plums and be a bit more whimsical, I also miss painting this beautiful marble top. Painting these two surfaces together contrast each other nicely. The tension this composition creates is pretty interesting, the plums seem to be having a hard time holding up the top plum. You can create infinite story lines with this one, it'll be interesting to read what you guys can come up with? I've always said if you want to better yourself in painting paint marble, it's so true. Aside from painting flowers which also excels you in every way, painting marble teaches to control your medium and notice with each stroke the type of textures you'r laying down. You can easily apply what you've learned to anything you paint, of course you have to conform it to the subject you'r painting. I miss painting the wooden board I use for the majority of these alla prima's, but painting this marble has given me so much joy and teaches me something new every time.

I started with the usual dry brush approach using no mediums and a bit of raw umber. After the drawing is established I stated the background and middle value to the base, the colors I used where cerulean blue, naples yellow and titanium white for the background. For the marble I used raw umber, ivory black and titanium white.

Then I stated the middle and darker values with their specific forms, and do the same with the lighter values. Once the front part of the marble is complete I start on top and repeat the process.

Once the whole marble is complete I start on the first plum by stating the middle to darker values first. At this stage I'm applying the middle local color of the plum and turning the form, later I start to add more colors once the values are turning with the light. Then I add the lighter values and take the plum to a finish, I repeat the process with the second plum.

I do the same process with the third plum. The colors I used for the plums were naphthol red, ivory black, cad. red light, quinacridone magenta, cerulean blue, and titanium white.

I take the painting to a finish by going in the cast shadows where the plums meet the marble, I tie them together by pushing the darks and blending the two together. It was beyond fun painting this one, I truly enjoy learning from a painting and this one definitely delivered that. That's what I love the most about painting these alla prima's, they teach me something new every time. Thanks for stopping by, I hope you enjoyed this one!

"Subtle Roses"

2011-08-09T18:04:00.004-05:00

Click here to purchase this painting at my Etsy shop

"Subtle Roses"

8 x 10 in

Oil on Canvas Panel

I really liked the roses I painted at the demo, I decided to get another bunch that where similar and painted them again. This time I felt I had more time and a better set up to paint. These roses have so much beauty between each pedal, you have to be careful painting pedals they can become generic very quick. The ferns also played a supporting role to the roses, I decided to keep them soft and not rendered as much as the roses. This keeps more of the attention to the roses which was more of the direction I was going. I did this painting in a flemish style, I was able to render the values with a burnt umber and just concentrate getting all the tones right. Once the tones are working I add color on top of the values, doing this allows me to have a stronger painting since the drawing and tones are in tact. I'm a firm believer that you have to know how to draw in order to paint well, essentially painting is drawing just with a brush and some color.

I started the drawing with a bit of details in it, since I'm painting roses the placement of their pedals are important. Once the drawing is complete I state the background with ultramarine blue, naples yellow, and titanium white.

Then I start on the first rose, as stated before I'm using the flemish technique to render each tone with a bit of raw umber. I use raw umber because it's the middle overall value that I see in the rose. I apply a very thin passage of paint at this stage, remember the point of this stage is to get the values working and also work the edges. I'm thinking of this stage as a drawing, I want the drawing to come out right before I apply color to it. Then I apply the lighter values and their specific forms, I also apply color at this stage I do the same in the shadows. Since the drawing is stated and working well with the values, it's simple to just apply color on top and blend it in with the values. The colors I used for the first rose where raw umber, titanium white, ultramarine blue, cerulean, naples yellow, and cad. yellow light.

I repeat the same process with the the second rose, I first render the rose with one color which is raw umber. The reason I use this color is because I see its the middle overall value to that rose. I stay in this stage until the drawing is correct and the values are perfect. Then I apply the colors on top using quinacridone magenta, viridian, ultramarine blue, cad.yellow light, and titanium white.

I then do the same with the third rose only this time I use a different color for the middle value, I used naphthol red, raw umber and ultramarine blue.

Once the third rose was completed I moved onto the leaves and ferns. I wanted to keep the simple and not to rendered, this allows all the attention to stay at the roses. I didn't use the flemish technique in this stage, instead I just covered it with the middle overall value and worked into the darks and lighter values. You can say I did the same approach to the red rose. The colors I used for the leaves were viridian, ultramarine blue, cad.yellow light, and raw umber. It was fun painting this one in a different manner, although its pretty similar to the way I usually paint I do like the flemish approach. I plan to play more with this technique in future paintings. I hope you enjoyed this one as much as I did, thanks for stopping by and viewing!

"Roses & Demo"

2011-08-05T22:33:00.001-05:00

Contact me if interested in purchasing.

"3 Roses"

10 x 8 in

Oil on Canvas Panel

Hi everyone today I'm posting the demo I did at the uptown art fair, it went so well and had so much fun. I was fortunate enough to paint indoors rather than enduring the outdoor heat. This painting took me about four hours to complete, the quickest painting i've done of roses yet. Of course I wish I had more time, but I really do love the painting and how it looks for such a short period time.

This is the set-up of where I was painting, had to use a chair for the base which I have no problem with. As long as I have a brush, paint and canvas I'm alright to go. Thanks again and hope you guys enjoyed this one!

"Roses"

2011-08-02T19:07:00.002-05:00

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"Roses"

8 x 10 in

Oil on Canvas Panel

These roses I gave to my wonderful girlfriend, she just got a promotion at her job and wanted to surprise her. She brought it home after a while which I'm glad for, seeing how beautiful they are I had to paint them. I've been painting fruits on marble for a while and wanted to re-visit flowers, painting marble is fun but you have to be very meticulous with every section of it or its not going to look right. It's great practice as mentioned in previous posts but I do need a little break from painting them so much. These roses are beautiful in shape and color, each pedal has its own value scale that can be challenging after so many. I feel after painting marble for a while I can tackle on anything, funny thing is I said the same thing when I finished painting peonies. I'm finding when painting new objects that it has its own characteristics, you have to just break it down and simplify it in order to better understand what you'r painting.

I wanted to remind everyone again that I will be giving a live demo at the Uptown Art Fair, it'll be on August 5 which is this Friday from 1-5 p.m. It'll be great to see you guys there! I will also be teaching a still life and figure drawing workshops at the Bloomington Art Center, if anyone's interested you can now sign up for the classes. Click here to sign up!

I started with the usual dry brush approach using no mediums and just a bit of raw umber on the brush, I went a little further with the drawing to get more of an accurate placement of shapes. When the drawing was complete I stated the background using ultramarine blue, naples yellow and titanium white.

Then I started on the roses all at once after the background was finished, I stated a thin layer of the middle value to give a base I can paint from. Then I started stating the darker values with their specific forms, i'm slowly building up the paint and keeping my edges soft.

Then I state the lighter values and their specific forms and take the roses to a finish. With the darker and lighter values before I state their complete tones, I start with a middle value first and lightly build to the final value I'm going for. This allows me to keep control through out each stage.

Then I state the two little flowers on the sides and repeat the same process as I did with the larger ones. The colors I used for the flowers where quinacridone magenta, cad. red light, ivory black and titanium white. Then I start to paint in the leaves, I start with a thin coat of the middle value. Painting the middle values first allows me to have a base where I can easily go lighter or darker.

Then I stated the darker values with their specific forms and when that was complete did the same with the lighter values. The colors I used where ivory black, viridian, ultramarine blue, cad. yellow and titanium white.

I used the same colors for the vase and also the same process, as you can see with the first picture just stated a middle general value. Again when stating this middle value keep the paint thin so you can build up to it, its the age old rule thick over thin.

This is the finished painting after adding the lighter values with their specific values. I really do enjoy painting flowers, it really pushes me to try new things with my technique. I thoroughly enjoy experimenting new approaches with my technique, I don't think one can never be to content with their own skill level. If I was then I wouldn't be pushing my self and always trying to get better, and to me thats half the battle. I hope you enjoyed this one as much as I did, thanks for stopping by and viewing!

"Cherries & Marble"

2011-07-28T22:31:00.002-05:00

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"Cherries & Marble"

5 x 7 in

Oil on Canvas Panel

Cherries on marble have a great look to it I was beyond excited to get this painting started when I paired them up. The slick smooth surface on the cherries I think meshes well with the rough textures on the marble, I also like the shine on the cherries. As stated before painting marble is very challenging but glad I keep doing it because it teaches me something new every time. Looking at these cherries for such a long time while painting them was torture for not being able to eat them, needless to say when I finished painting them I enjoyed every bite of it.

I started with the usual dry brush approach using no mediums and a bit of raw umber on the brush, then I stated the background and middle value to the base. I keep the paint fairly thin at this stage this allows me to control the values from the beginning. Then I start on the front part of the marble just concentrating on the middle to darker values first, I don't just paint the darkest darks first I slowly build up to it. The colors I used where cerulean blue, ultramarine blue, titanium white, naples yellow, and ivory black.

Once the middle values where working and had a map of where to put the darker darks I then stated the darkest values and their specific forms. Once that was complete I stated the middle to lighter values, I repeat the same process as I did when starting to state the middle darker values. I like to slowly progress to the lightest and darkest values this allows me to control the blending and textures I'm going for.

I repeat the same process for the top of the marble.

Then I start cherries all at once just stating the middle values, I like to lay in all the general colors in the cherries at this stage. Once thats complete I start on the first cherry stating the middle darker values and building up to the darker values with their specific forms. Then I start on the middle to lighter values and progress to the lighter values with their specific values. The colors I used for the cherries are alizarine crimson, cad. red light, cad. yellow light, and ivory black.

I repeat the same process with the second cherry.

And do the same with the third and forth cherry.

Then I completed the fourth cherry then went back into the marble and took the cast shadows to a finish. As stated before its very challenging to paint marble and glad I did so, I learn so much every time I paint it. I recommend anybody who wants to learn how to render different types of textures in one plain should definitely paint marble, its a great learning experience. I hope you guys enjoyed this one, thanks for stopping by and viewing!

"Black Plums 2"

2011-07-26T22:04:00.001-05:00

Click here to purchase this painting at my Etsy shop

"Black Plums 2"

8 x 10 in

Oil on Canvas Panel

I wanted to continue the marble series with another painting of these beautiful plums, especially painting marble practice makes perfect. I noticed with painting plums you have to be very delicate with each transition of tones, which is stark contrast with marble. Marble has so much texture their are subtle value shifts but for the most part its rough with impasto strokes. I always start with the marble section first it requires so much attention, it takes so long to get the subtle and rough strokes working right with each other. I suggest anybody who wants a great challenge on how to paint textures with so many properties should paint marble.

I wanted to remind everyone again that I will be giving a live demo at the Uptown Art Fair, it'll be on August 5 from 1-5 p.m. It'll be great to see you guys there! I will also be teaching a still life and figure drawing workshops at the Bloomington Art Center, if anyone's interested you can now sign up for the classes. Click here to see sign up!

I started with the usual dry brush approach using no mediums and a bit of raw umber on the brush. Once the drawing is complete I stated the background and marble, I used cerulean blue, naples yellow and titanium white. For the marble I just painted a thin base of the middle value, I used titanium white, ivory black, yellow ochre and raw umber.

Then I stated the middle darker values first not going to dark first, I like to slowly build up to my values. The middle picture shows the darker values taken to completion, then the third picture shows the lighter values and its specific forms taken to completion. I made sure in each stage I take it to a close completion, the reason I'm not able to finish it is when stating surrounding values it effects the values that have been painted before. When all the values are stated in the end thats when you can fully see what you have and shift values here and there to the look your going for.

I do the same process with the top of the marble.

Then I start with plums after the marble is complete, I state all the plums with the middle values first. Then I start with the first plum on the left stating the darks and its specific forms, for the most part I'm making the form turn at this stage and adding any details relating to the darks. I used ivory black, alizarine crimson, and napthol red.

When the darks are complete I start with the lighter values and its specific forms, the colors I used where cerulean blue, and titanium white. Once the first plum is complete I repeat the process with the second plum, I also use the same colors as I did with the first plum.

And do the same with the third plum.

Once the plums are complete I went back to the cast shadows of the plums and filled in the darks, this allows the plums and marble to be in the same plane. I also lightened some areas of the marble and took the whole painting to a finish. I think after painting marble so many times I can paint it with my eyes closed, I'm glad i'm doing it though it really pushes me and challenges me like never before. I hope you guys have enjoyed this one as much as I did, thanks for stopping by and viewing!

"Black Plums"

2011-07-21T22:10:00.002-05:00

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"Black Plums"

8 x 10 in

Oil on Canvas Panel

Plums have such a rich deep colors to them, what I especially love is the way light softens and wraps around them. The marble I believe also adds a nice element to the subtle colors of the plums. The more I paint marble the more I understand its textures and how to paint them. These two components have different textures to them one being smooth and the other being rough, painting these two elements in one painting is a good way in learning how to manipulate the paints.

I started with the usual dry brush using no mediums and just a bit of raw umber on the brush. After the drawing is complete I stated the background and also the middle value of the marble. The colors I used at this stage is cerulean blue, naples yellow and titanium white. For the marble I used ivory black, titanium white and raw umber. I keep the paints really thin at this stage, this acts as a base for thicker paint to flow easier up top.

Then I start on the bottom part of the base first stating the middle darker values first, I like to slowly build up to the darks and do the same with the lights. Then I start to add the darker values and its specific forms, when thats complete I move on to the lighter values and take it to a finish. I make sure with each of these stages that I take them to a close finish, this allows me to completely concentrate on each area and take it to a finish.

I repeat the same process on the top of the marble as I did with the bottom. As you can see with the first picture I state the middle values first, I keep the edges really soft and the paints really thin. This allows me to slowly build up the edges I want and certain looks I'm going for.

Then I apply a thin coat of a middle value to all the plums in one shot, this as stated before acts like a base so the paints can flow easier and smoother. The colors I used where alizarine crimson and ivory black. Then I start on the first plum and completely concentrate on that one until I take it to a completion. I start on the darker values first and its specific forms, I use ivory black for this stage.

Then I add the lighter values and its specific forms, I use titanium white and cobalt blue for this stage. Then I start on the middle plum when the first one is complete and repeat the same process. With the darkest and lightest value stages I'm starting out with a middle value and building up to the values I'm wanting, I never start with the brightest or darkest values first and model it from there. I think of it as if I was drawing with a pencil you want to gradually build up to your tones, this allows you to create subtle transitions. When the transitions are becoming subtle and shifting then I start to see if I want to add thicker paint to get a harder edge or keep them soft with thinner paint, the important part is that I'm gradually arriving to that stage not jumping straight to it.

I do the same with the third plum after the second plum is complete, I also use the same colors through out all the plums.

I take the painting to a finish after I go back to the cast shadows where marble meets the plums and add darker values which meshes the plums and marble together. I really enjoyed painting these plums, painting these two surfaces was more fun than what I expected. I also enjoyed going back to the fundamentals of finishing an area before moving onto the next. I've noticed in past paintings I have the habit of going really fast and jumping around the whole painting, I wasn't concentrating in one section at a time. To me thats crucial in really observing what you'r painting and also painting what you see to your best ability. I noticed that when I jump around in the section I'm painting without a methodical plan it takes me longer than painting it in stages like I did with this one. I hope you guys enjoyed this one as much as I did, thanks for stopping by and viewing!

"Red Grapes"

2011-07-19T22:02:00.002-05:00

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"Red Grapes"

8 x 10 in

Oil on Canvas Panel

I'm so happy to stay in and paint all day the weather out here is scorching HOT, it got to be 113 degrees fahrenheit with the heat index. Even in the studio painting it got to be a little warm, its crazy to think that Minneapolis gets so cold in the winter and in the summer it gets unbearably hot. As stated before I've been extremely busy with other paintings and teaching, I do miss painting these alla prima's and enjoy every moment I have when i'm able to do so. I wanted to continue the theme of painting grapes on this beautiful marble piece, this time I introduced red grapes into the mix. Red grapes have such beautiful textures to them, the soft lighting that wraps around the grapes and deep rich colors makes it enjoyable to paint.

I also wanted to remind everyone that I will be giving a live demo at the Uptown Art Fair, it will be on August 5 from 1-5 p.m. It'll be great to see you guys there! I will also be teaching a still life and figure drawing workshops at the Bloomington Art Center, if anyone's interested you can now sign up for the classes. Click here to see sign up!

I started with the usual dry brush approach for the drawing stage, when that was completed I stated the background and base. The colors I used where cerulean blue, naples yellow, titanium white those where for the background. For the base I used ivory black, titanium white, raw umber, and yellow ochre. At this stage I'm just stating the middle values first to create a base I can work from, this allows me to go lighter or darker without getting muddy. I never start with my darkest darks and lightest lights in the initial stages, I like to build up to my final values.

After the middle values are stated I start to paint the darker values, I do this first because it allows me to see how light I need to go with my lights. After the darks are completed I state the lighter values and take the marble to a close finish.

I then start on the grapes stating the middle values first as I did with the marble, the colors I used are alizarin crimson, cad. yellow and burnt umber. I also add the stem at the same time using cad. yellow and raw umber. Then I add the darker values and their specific forms using ivory black, and burnt umber.

After the darker values are stated I add a bit of middle lighter values and start to form each grape to their specific forms. Then I start adding more of the lighter values and their specific forms after the darker values are stated. I take the grapes to a finish and add the finishing touches to the marble. Needless to say after painting these guys I enjoyed eating every one of them, I then stuck my head in the freezer and cooled off from the very hot day of painting. Thanks for stopping and viewing, I hope you enjoyed this one as much as I did!

"Grapes & Marble"

2011-07-14T20:12:00.001-05:00

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"Grapes & Marble"

8 x 10 in

Oil on Canvas Panel

I first want to apologize for not posting on a regular basis to the hardcore daily painters, i've been beyond busy from vacation and trying to get back on schedule. It felt good today to get back into the routine of doing an alla prima it's been to long and well needed, that's one of the reasons I don't like going on vacation for a long period of time it gets me out of my rhythm with painting. I must say this painting was bit daunting to do in one session especially for not painting for a while. These green grapes are delicious to paint they have such beautiful deep yellow green colors, when contrasted with the marble it shines on its own. The marble is a whole painting in its self its textures are fun to paint, going really thick in impasto for the highlights where to much fun. I have to say painting flowers for such a long time has prepared me for anything when it comes to textures, although marble did throw a curve ball to the mix.

I also wanted let everyone know if you'r in Minneapolis on August 5 you should stop by at the Uptown Art Fair. I will be doing a still life demo from 1-5 p.m. I'll be at the corner of Lake and Hennepin, hope to see you guys there!

I started with the usual dry brush approach for the drawing stage using no mediums and a bit of raw umber on the brush. After the drawing is complete I stated the background using a cerulean blue, naples yellow and titanium white.

Then I stated the general colors for all the grapes I make sure not to add the extreme of both values. Then I start adding slowly the darker values and its specific forms, the colors used are viridian, ultramarine blue, cad. yellow light, and raw umber.

Then I add the highlights and their specific forms and also the extreme darks for some accents, once that area is complete I move onto the other set of grapes. I repeat the same process as I did with the previous grapes.

Then I add the highlights and their specific forms and take those grapes to a close finish, I know when I add the marble I have to go back into the grapes and tweak certain areas for the finish. I add the middle values for the marble area I'm not interested in details at this stage. I use titanium white, ivory black and raw umber.

Then I added the darker and lighter values and its specific forms, the lighter values where so much fun to paint going really thick in impasto made it feel as if I was sculpting with the brush. As stated before I didn't think painting marble would of been so challenging but I learned a lot from it. When the marble is complete I go back into the grapes and just tweak certain areas and take the whole painting to a finish. Glad to have finished and get back to the routine of painting these gems, looking forward to the next one. Thanks for stopping by and viewing hope you enjoyed this one!

"Key Biscayne"

2011-07-09T14:15:00.003-05:00

"Key Biscayne"

8 x 10 in

Oil on Canvas Panel

Hi everyone I apologize for the long absence I've been visiting family for my birthday in south Florida, I've been on vacation for over a week and have been itching to get back to painting. I did this painting on the beach yesterday it was a lot of fun to paint, I know my strongest point is not landscape painting but its something I respect and would love to dabble more in the future. It's been really nice visiting family being together with my parents is something i've been needing for a while, it saddens me to leave and get back to the real world. Funny story while painting this picture it was a bit of overcast seeing how cloudy it was I didn't think of putting any sunblock, not a good idea I ended with my legs really burnt and my neck as well. The sun here gets worst by the years I definitely learned my lesson and hope next time to at least put some sunscreen no matter how cloudy it is. I leave back to Minneapolis this evening I hope to blog more when I arrive this week. Thanks for stopping by hope you enjoyed this one!

This is a photo of the set up and a great view of the beach.

"Ranunculus 2"

2011-06-28T21:35:00.001-05:00

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"Ranunculus 2"

8 x 10 in

Oil on Canvas Panel

I wanted to paint another version of these beautiful flowers, as stated in previous post these guys remind me of peonies thus the reason I like painting them. I've been so busy lately doing other paintings its always good to come back to these alla prima's and have a fresh eye. I believe doing alla prima paintings are essential for painters, it keeps you fresh and allows you to experiment with your own technique. I've been painting flowers for a good while now I have to say its taught me a lot with my own approach to painting. Flowers have an abstract shape to them to me thats what makes them so beautiful, once you think of them as abstract shapes then it becomes easier to paint. What I like about these ranunculus it seems as if the lights radiating from the middle of the flower, it's all in the coloring of the flower and how its dispersed through out its body. It's amazing how mother nature conjured up all these wonderful flowers.

I started with usual dry brush approach using no mediums and a bit of raw umber on the brush, I didn't want to get to detailed since I'll be adding most of the flowers in the later stages. After the drawing stage is complete I stated the general colors with middle values, I don't want to add highlights or darker values just a a general statement. The colors I used for this stage is titanium white, quinacridone magenta, naphthol red, viridian, and raw umber.

Then I added the background using yellow ochre, ultramarine blue, and titanium white. Adding the background at this stage allows me to get a general feel of the colors. I can now start adding darker values and their specific forms with the first batch of flowers. The colors I used are ivory black, raw umber, and ultramarine blue.

Then I add lighter values and their specific forms, the colors I used for this stage is titanium white, quinacridone magenta, and naphthol red. Once thats completed I start on the other section of flowers and repeat the same process. I also use the same colors as I did before, I start adding middle and darker values and their specific forms.

Then I add lighter values and their specific forms. I'm constantly going back and forth between values and adjusting them to the right look, this always happens when adding a new value. Once the flowers are taken to a close finish I start on the stems and vase, I start on the middle to darker values and their specific forms.

Then I add the lighter values and their specific forms and take it to a finish, I then go back to the flowers and tweak some highlights and darker values. Once I've taken the flowers to a finish I take the painting to a completion. As stated before in the beginning I truly do love painting flowers they teach me so much about painting and its textures, it's great practice overall and enjoy every second of it. I hope you enjoyed this one as much as I did. Thanks for stopping by and viewing!

"Ranunculus"

2011-06-24T18:45:00.002-05:00

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"Ranunculus"

10 x 8 in

Oil on Canvas Panel

Todays alla prima painting is of ranunculus, these beautiful flowers resemble peonies to me even though I know there not. I went to my favorite coffee place in town and met up with a couple friends which I'm glad I did because I ran into these beautiful flowers. They were sitting right on my table and instantaneously I fell in love, the movement within the petals and rich colors made it more of a reason to paint. I thought I was going to be done with painting flowers for a while and suddenly changed course again after seeing these beautiful flowers. That's one of the reasons why I love doing these alla prima's, you never know what your next painting might be and if you do it can change in a split second. Inspiration comes from everything I see and what moves me is what I enjoy painting the most, I hope you enjoy this one as much as I did.

I also wanted to let you guys know that I've finally published the video of the portrait demo I did at dick blick last Saturday, thank you to everyone that was able to show up I greatly appreciate it and had a lot of fun. I have the video on youtube you can see it by clicking here.

I started with the usual dry brush approach using no mediums and a bit of raw umber on the brush, again not spending to much time on the inside of the drawing just stating the general shapes. After the drawing is complete I start on the background the colors I used are ultramarine blue, naples yellow and titanium white.

After the background is complete I state the general colors and keep all the edges soft, I'm not concerned with details or the darkest values just the general statement of colors. I keep the paints really thin at this stage this creates a base for when I put more paint it'll glide easier and blend better. Then I state the darker and middle values and their specific forms, I start narrowing down the shapes at this stage still keeping the edges soft and subtle. The colors I use at this stage are quinacridone magenta, viridian, cad. yellow, titanium white and ultramarine blue.

Once the darker and middle values are close to completion I start on the lighter values and their specific forms, I'm able to take the whole section of the flowers to a finish when painting this stage in. I'm constantly going back and forth between values and adjusting them to their specific look that's why I get to a close finish with the darker values, when I paint the lighter values I can really take the whole area to a finish. After the flower section is complete I start on the vase and also darken a bit of the lower section of the background to have more of a fall of light.

I sharpen a bit of the edges on the vase and add highlights which brings that section to a finish, then I go back to the flower and tweak certain highlights and shadows. I'm glad I was able to run into these flowers today and paint them, I had fun doing so and learned something new. I hope you enjoyed this one, thanks for stopping by and viewing!