"Fall Leaves"

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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! 

"Peonies Bianca"

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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!

"Ranunculus"

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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!

Plein Air Painting

Contact me if interested in purchasing

"Lake of Isles"

4 x 6 in

Oil on Linen Panel

Today was raining for the most part and it cleared up around noon time, I went out with a buddy of mine for a quick plein air painting.  Here's a pic of our set up:

It was a lot of fun doing a landscape painting, completely different than what I usually do.  Landscapes are not my cup of tea for the most part but after today and just diving into this painting, I can say I changed my mind a bit about them.  Since the weather is getting better I plan to do more of these in the near future, thanks for stopping by and viewing. 

"Peppers & Vase"

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"Peppers & Vase"

5 x 7 in

Oil on Canvas Panel

I've been wanting to paint this small little vase for such a long time, a friend of mine lend me it to paint and finally was able to.  These strong colors contrast each other so well, the cadmium oranges can be overpowering at times.  This vase is asian themed, the intricate designs which resemble a floral pattern was so much fun to paint.  As mentioned before the cadmium oranges can be overpowering, painting the peppers and keeping subtle value shifts within the oranges was a fun challenge overall.  The composition was also another neat factor to do, I wanted to keep it simple and yet fun.

Just a reminder I'll be giving a portrait painting demo at Blick Art Materials store in Edina, MN. on Wednesday the 27th of April from 1-4pm.  If your around the area stop on by! Here's the link to find out more info.

I started with usual dry brush approach for the drawing stage, just a bit of raw umber on the brush and no mediums.  When the drawing is complete I start on the first pepper just applying the local colors, at this stage I am only applying the middle values not stating any extreme darks or lights.  

Then I apply the darker values and take them to a finish, I do the same when I apply the lighter values too.  Having that base of local colors stated first or big form modeling lets me work out how the light is going to be falling across the form.  When I add the darker and lighter values after or the smaller forms it fits just right with the overall value pattern.

I repeat the same process with the second pepper, first stating the local colors.  When stating the local colors or the bigger form modeling I'm not concerned about details that will come after, I just want the form to turn with the general colors.  I'm also keeping the paints fairly thin at this stage, I like to go thicker when adding the smaller forms.  When the bigger form modeling is complete I state the darker values and its specific forms, I try to take it to a close finish and start with the lighter forms.

I then state the lighter values and state its specific forms, I also take this section to a finish.  When finished with the peppers I then add the local colors to the base and background.  I think filling all this information at this stage helps bring the overall values closer to a finish.  

Then I start on the vase and work on bigger form modeling while adding the local colors.  As you can see this stage I'm only worries about turning the form, making sure its believable on how the light is wrapping around the form.  Then I start on the top part of the vase and start to add darker values and its specific forms, I make sure these forms are working with the overall values. 

Then I add lighter values and its specific forms, I do the same as I did with the darker forms.  I then start on the body of the vase and repeat the same process.  After finishing the vase I go back to the wooden base and start to add the darker values and its specific forms.  

Then I add the lighter value forms and take the painting to a finish.  I hope your able to see that my process is fairly simple and straight forward, I like to concentrate on the shape and making it turn with the lights.  Details are not the answer to make a successful painting, it's the understanding of light and how it effects the form.  Thank you for stopping by and viewing, I hope you enjoyed this one!

"Fruit Tart"

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"Fruit Tart"

6 x 6 in

Oil on Canvas Panel

Hi everyone first I wanted to let you guys know I'll be giving a demo on Wednesday, April 27 at Blick art material store in Edina.  If you'r around the area you should drop by I will be there from 1-4, this is for the 100th anniversary of being open.  There'll be live music and also great food, I might be to distracted to paint with all the food. 

This is another attempt to paint these delicious treats, I had to do this one because of the kiwi's and strawberries mixed into the usual group.  The colors and textures made it so much fun to try to paint, its always great to push yourself and achieve textures you'r not familiar painting.  There's also a lot of subtle value shifts in the body of the fruit tart, its great practicing these techniques it sharpens your skills in many ways.  Needless to say I enjoyed every bite when completing the painting, it's always a great incentive to finish.

I started with the usual dry brush approach using no mediums and just a bit of raw umber on the brush.  When the drawing is complete I start on the raspberries just stating the local colors first.

Then I apply the darker values and when thats complete I add the lighter values as well.

I repeat the same process with the right side of the fruit tart where the strawberries and raspberries are at.

When that section is done I start on the body of the fruit tart, stating the main colors first going from light to dark.  

Then I apply the darker values and take it to a finish and do the same with the lighter values.  Then I add the cast shadows and background giving more of a finish look to the painting, this sets up the final touches needed in the middle part of the fruit tart.  When adding the background and cast shadows I'm being aware of edges and how soft I need to take them in order for them to recede. 

Then I start on the kiwi's stating the local colors first, when thats complete I introduce a bit of middle to darker values showing how light travels across the form.

Then I add the lighter values to the kiwi's and take them to a finish.  Then I start on the blue berries and just state the local colors again, the same as I did with the kiwi's.

Since blue berries are just basically two tones, it's an easy fruit to complete very quickly.  Then I start on the last section of the fruit tart, again stating the local colors first and getting the general statement of light  wrapping around the form. 

Then I add the lighter and darker values and took it to a finish.  With this painting I was still concentrated on bigger and smaller form modeling, I expedited the process by just stating local colors and painting the darker and lighter values which is basically the same thing.  By just simplifying this process one gets to see how simple you can render with the paints and push the values in each direction.  I hope you enjoyed this one, thanks for stopping by and viewing! 

"Lady Finger Bananas"

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"Lady Finger Bananas"

8 x 10 in

Oil on Canvas Panel

This is the second version of baby bananas painting, a friend of mine told me there actual name is "Lady Finger Bananas".  This composition was interesting in many ways, to paint these fruits in a view where there not so noticeable made it fun.  I like doing that at times deconstructing the subject matter by changing the composition with a unique look.  The subtle values of yellows to greens became a bit of a challenge to paint with such subdued tones, a great challenge overall to a delicious and beautiful fruit.

I started with the usual dry brush approach using raw umber and no mediums for the drawing stage.  After the drawing is complete I started with the medium values not painting the darkest and lightest values.  The colors I used where cad. yellow pale hue, viridian, and raw umber.  The reason I did not state any darker values such as ivory black or lighter values with titanium white, is because I wanted to work out the middle values which can be the most complicated values to get overall.

Then I stated the darker values including the wooden base.  Then I added the middle values and filled in the background.

I then stated the overall value patterns for the base. after that I stated the lighter values and took it to a finish.

Then I went back into the bananas and added the finishing details.  I also wanted to mention when finishing this painting I was aware of the edges all around the bananas, blurring some areas to push back and sharpening others to have more of a focus.  Edges as I've mentioned before are vital in a painting, they can do so much for your painting always pay close attention to them.  Thanks for stopping by I hope you enjoyed this one!