Fuyu Persimmons

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"Fuyu Persimmons"

2016

Oil on Canvas Panel

8 x 10 inches

It was neat being back at the grocery store and searching what to paint rather than what to eat, I can't remember the last time I did that. I noticed the practice of putting together the whole picture from beginning to end was something I really missed. Finding the subject, then composing it (which can take a while), then either painting from life or taking a picture, document the process while painting it, and last but not least finish the painting in one session. Daily or Alla Prima painting is great practice no matter what style your painting in. I have and will always recommend everyone to at least try it, its the best way to practice and hone your skills as a painter.

Here is a step by step process:

Thank you for stopping by!

Forelle Pear

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"Forelle Pear"

5 x 7 in

Oil on Canvas Panel

I haven't painted pears in a while and thought it was time to re visit these beauties. I also wanted to go back on how I painted pears when I first started to do alla prima paintings a couple years ago. It's minimal amount of paint on the brush kind of like drawing with a pencil, you do not want to put a dark hard line with the initial mark. This painting is an exploration of my technique old and new.

I started with a thin application of raw umber for the drawing stage.  I am not worried about details just the placement of major shapes and the lineation of shadow shapes. Then I painted the background in. I usually like to paint this area first, this allows me to now worry about it when I am painting the main object in the painting.

Once the background was filled in I then painted in the wood, I applied a thin amount of paint to cover the base. I think of it as how one would when drawing with a pencil. I do not paint in the darkest darks or lights lights, just an in between value to give form to the object. Then I paint in the darkest values. I still have not applied any lighter values just concentrating on the middle to darker values.

Once the darks are painted I then start to paint in the middle to lighter values. Once the base is at a level I am satisfied with I move onto the pear. The initial stage of painting the pear I apply a thin layer of paint in the shadows, I do the same with the lights. In this stage I am only concentrating on big form modeling, how light wraps around the form. I mesh the lights into the darks to make the form turn, softening edges to show more of the turn. I am not worried about details at this stage just worried on applying a thin layer of paint and making the form turn with generalized colors.

Once big form modeling is working I then start to work on middle to darker values. As I mentioned before I am applying the paints very thin, this allows me to control values the same way one would control a mark with a pencil. I like to build into my darks as well into the lights.  This approach is time consuming but gives you control on how much subtle values shifts you're needing.

Hope you enjoyed this painting, thank you for stopping by! Cheers!

"Star Fruits"

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"Star Fruits"

8 x 10 in

Oil on Canvas Panel

Something about the last post must of had an effect on our weather, the temperatures started getting warmer and I am loving every bit of it. Spring is definitely right around the corner, now to just melt all the snow thats accumulated. I wanted to continue the alla prima serious with another painting of star fruits. Their color and texture really attract me. It has a nice variation of smooth and rough texture, not to the touch but more visually. I forgot how much I really enjoy painting alls prima's, I find it to be the same experience as drawing in my sketchbook. It's a way I can just set up a small little still life and just practice away. 

Thank you again everyone for stopping by and viewing my painting. Hope spring is around the corner for you as well.

"Contact"

"Contact"

8 x 10 

Oil on Canvas

I hope everyone is keeping warm in this brutal winter polar vortex. This winter has tested our patience and hopefully will let up soon. I wanted to do an alla prima painting of these star fruits to remind me summer is around the corner. It was fun painting alla prima again, to try to finish the painting in one sitting was challenging after not doing for a while.  Can't wait to produce more of these alls prima's to get back on the band wagon.

Thank you for stopping and viewing my painting. Stay warm!

"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! 

"Fig Lecture"

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"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.  

"Forelle Pears"

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"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! 

  

"Pear in Red"

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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"

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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! 

"Seckel Pears"

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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.

"HeirloomTomato"

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"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!

"Chestnut Crab Apples II"

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"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.