Apple Cider

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"Apple Cider"

8 x 10 in

Oil on Canvas Panel

I have a confession, I really do miss creating these daily paintings!  I know I have stated that I will not paint them anymore due to the new direction I want to go with my body of work, but they are great practice.  I wanted to miss them which will hopefully force me to do more, but for now I feel I got my fix.  

I wanted to create a small painting to rein in the change of season.  Here in Minneapolis the leaves are changing and the weather is becoming cooler.  Other than hot chocolate I really enjoy drinking apple cider when the weather starts to become cooler.  Being raised in Florida we are only used to one season, summer, but here in Minneapolis I have come to enjoy and appreciate the change of seasons.  All the people here really take advantage of each season, it can be below zero and they'll find something to do.  I have never had apple cider until moving here and I am addicted.  I can easily have a gallon in one night and not think twice about it.  We went to an apple orchard the weekend before and got the idea to create this painting.  My fiancee puts an orange in the pot when the cider is cooking, doing this gives a nice taste to the cider when its done.  I hope with this small painting it can give you the warmth and excitement that I feel for fall.

I also miss doing a step by step demo, glad to finally get back and show how I create these little guys.  I start with a light drawing of raw umber of the compositional setup that I am going for.  I like to keep this stage fairly light with the lines, it'll be easier to paint over once I get thicker paint onto the canvas.  Keeping the lines light also makes it easier to erase.  As you can see in the first picture with the drawing I shifted the composition to the left, if the lines were darker it would of been difficult to make that easy change.  Once the composition is complete I start with one section of the painting to give it my full attention.  I know some people like to work through the whole painting all at once, for me I find it easier to work with one section at a time and move on to the next.  It's really depends on your own work ethic.  I like to work this way but I also keep in mind when the painting is almost complete I look at the overall picture and make subtle changes.  When working in one section at a time the colors do change when you add a different element to a different section or a different value.  That's why in the end of the painting I like to go around the painting and just push thing's here and there to make the painting look like it was painted all at once.  I start with the orange by just adding the middle values and not adding the high and low keys.  At this stage I am thinking of making the form turn, not so much about the details but more about the form.  

Once the form is turning I start with the middle to darker forms, I start dabbing them where they need to be placed at.  While dabbing them in there areas I am conscious of the big form modeling I painted in the beginning stage, alway's keeping in mind that the little shapes I am painting has to work with the overall form.  In this stage I am also keeping the paints fairly thin not going to thick.  Once that middle to darker forms are complete I move onto the middle to lighter shapes.  When working in the lighter shapes I go thicker with the paints, this gives the texture I am going for and allows me to sculpt the paint.  Remember as well once you put more information down some areas will change in value and chroma, expect that and just go into that section and adjust it accordingly so.  Once the lighter forms and highlights are complete I move on to the apple.  With the apple it gets a little trickier when working with big form modeling due tot he colors all in one area.  You have to simplify the beginning stage and not get carried away with their details.  I then start to add the middle to darker values.

Then I start to add the lighter values and tie in the whole apple together.  Once the apple is close to completion I move onto the cinnamon sticks.  With the cinnamon sticks I approached it a bit different by just putting in all the information all at once rather than doing big form modeling and moving in from there.  I do like painting this way as well, I would recommend doing this once you understand how light wraps around the form and how light effects the form as well.  Painting in this manner can get really muddy quicker than you would expect it to, that's why its tricky painting this way.  In this stage I laid down all the colors and values, then I started to sculpt them where they needed to be.  It gives it a nice sculptural look that I do enjoy, I'll keep playing around with this approach.  I didn't take the cinnamon sticks to a complete finish because I needed the wooden base to be filled in since the overall value of the base effects the chroma and value of the cinnamon sticks.

I laid down a thin application of the base colors, then I was able to complete the cinnamon sticks.  Once the cinnamon sticks where complete I was able to go in the darker sections of the wooden base.  Adding the smaller darker shapes to the base brought it closer to a finish.  

After adding the lighter shapes to the base doing this changes the surround chroma and values.  I shift things here and there to make it look like a whole.  Then I move onto the background and this really brings the painting together, I am able to add any finishing details that pull everything together.  That's one of the reason's I like to take each section to a close finish, this allows me to tie everything together in the end.

My partner in crime when I paint, well he tries to be, it's hard to hold him when I'm standing and painting.    

I hope you enjoyed this demo and appreciate you stopping by.  Cheers!

"Mixed Tomatoes II"

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"Mixed Tomatoes II"

8 x 10 in 

Oil on Canvas Panel

I wanted to continue the play on colors with these delicious tomatoes, I especially wanted to have an array of colors with an interesting composition.  The textures in their skin is extremely subtle along with their color shifts.  I felt for the most part I was painting mini balloons, never painted balloons before and now have an idea on how to do so.  With this painting I wanted to revisit big form modeling and implore that idea further.  I've stressed in previous posts about the importance of big form modeling and with this posting I'll do the same.  Playing with so many elements at once is challenging but delightful after seeing its completion from start to finish.

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 state the general colors of the tomatoes all at once, I do this to get unity out of the group of, this also lets me create a base to move my paint around and have that unity from beginning to end.  In this stage I am not concerned with big form modeling or details just the general flat color of the area.  The colors I use for this section are cad.red, cad.orange, cad.yellow medium hue.

After the general stage is complete I then start on big form modeling, this stage I start adding different colors that help turn the form with its light.  Still not worried about "details" or small form modeling just on how the form is turning away and into the light.  It's important to state that this stage is crucial in order to have a successful completion to your later stages.  I also stated the background in this stage to tackle the edges further.  Big form modeling is essentially laying down all the ground work for you, the smaller forms later or the "details" will lay in perfectly if the big form is done right.  With big form modeling I don't lay in the highest highlight or darkest value just a middle of the two to get the form turning.  Then on the next frame you can see that I laid in the smaller forms with the darker values and lighter values.  I like to break them up into two sections starting with darker then lighter values.  These sections work just right with the big form modeling, of course there is some areas that need fine tuning in order for the smaller form model to work right, but for the most part big form modeling lay's out the blueprint for each section you'r painting.

Once the tomatoes are complete I then start on the wooden base by approaching it the same way as I did with the wooden base.  First laying in the general colors and then doing the big form modeling or a fall light across the board.  Again not worried about the grainy textures in the wood just on the general light moving across the form.  This stage I am not applying the lightest or darkest values, I get close but stop since I add those details with the finishing touches.  Then on the next frame I state the smaller forms by first applying the darker values with their specific forms.  For this stage I used primarily burnt umber, raw umber titanium white, naples yellow and cerulean blue.

Once the darker forms are complete I state the lighter forms and take the wooden board to a finish.  I can see after adding the overall value of the base that the tomatoes started to look lighter in the darker areas, which is normal if you add a darker element next to it.  I went back into the tomatoes and darkened certain sections in order for them to work with the whole painting.  I hope you enjoyed this one and really had an understanding of my concept when I paint.  I appreciate you guys stopping by and viewing, till next time au revoir! 

"Blue Tangerines 2"

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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.

"Pumpkin on Top"

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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"

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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.

"Crab Apples III"

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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.

"Three Pumpkins"

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"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.  

"Mini Pumpkin"

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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.

"Summer Punch Pluots"

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"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.

"Mini Heirloom"

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"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.