Oil on paper
8.3"x11.7"
A few others:
calli ryan |
"The Wall" (In progress) Oil on paper 8.3"x11.7" A few others: Going to finish 3 of the larger size by the end of the week, check back then!
0 Comments
I'm in Barcelona for the next month! I'm hoping to keep up plein air painting, here is one of a plaza nearby. I started with a pencil sketch and then came back the next day to add the watercolors. I hoped to share the peaceful late fall, late afternoon atmosphere.
Making progress on the Liberty Bell painting this week. It's hard to see the detail in the above shot, so I've included a close-up of the middle and left archways. These are still in progress. The middle archway view (above) depicts several historically significant buildings: Philosophical Library, Drexel Building, Second Bank of the US, Carpenters' Hall, First Bank of the US, Merchant Exchange Building. I've included some Philadelphians hanging clothes to dry, taking a morning stroll, and calling to an escaped cat on a roof. Imagining people going about their lives 150 years ago is amazing. The left view (above) contains one historical building, Christ Church, in the distance on the left.
Click read more below to see the many sources that enabled me to make these drawings. Above is the finished version of the card project I posted about last Wednesday. This is the 12th card I've made for this family. All of these cards are in the gallery below in chronological order. The first one is from 1998 (I missed a year here and there)! The girls (and I) grow up over the course of these cards. Back to the most recent card, for those curious about the process behind it. Since the last post I made a few changes: Flipped the drawing horizontally. Moved the baby's hand closer to the mother's face. Printed the whole thing out, painted in the colors 'in real life,' scanned this painted version and did several hours of photoshop trickery to integrate the painted elements and hair detail into the digital image. See the process in the slideshow below. If you are interested in commissioning a project, I would love to hear from you. I am currently open to commissions beginning in March 2015. Don't get stuck on a waiting list! Email me at [email protected].
I've been making custom holiday greeting cards annually for the same family for twelve years now. Two sisters have always been the main characters of these cards. Several years ago a dog joined the family. This year their family has grown by one more, a baby boy. Above is the drawing before coloring. You can see the almost final product and the drafts leading up to it in the slideshow below. I started by making three drafts on tracing paper, the last of which I scanned and then redrew in photoshop. For the final draft, I will redraw and add color in real life so it doesn't look so... photoshoppy. Check back next Wednesday for the finished project and pictures of all the other cards I've done over the years. Another week of work on the Liberty Bell painting. Here's a 1.5"x3" area of detail that I'm working on right now. This painting is off to a much slower start than I anticipated as I decided to make quite a few improvements upon my draft. But I'll definitely be uploading a full view of the painting within the next few weeks. I'll be away from my studio for most of the next week.
Work on the Liberty Bell painting is going..slowly. I recently erased the background city views I had drawn and started over. I found new sources and wanted to make the view more accurate. Of course it's a little disheartening at first to go back to square one on something I had spent days on. I can't dwell on that. Instead, I remind myself that my leading principle is to make the best painting that I can envision. If I think of improvements I could make, I make them.
For now, here is a 3"x5" section of the painting, The building depicted is the American Philosophical Society/Library Hall. See some historical images and the original draft below. Here's what the full size (3'x5') liberty bell painting looks like right now, after about 2 weeks of work. I'm using acrylic to block out the big shapes. For now, simplified geometric forms stand in for shapes that will later become organic (IE The bell looks like an upside-down flower pot at the moment). This is the backbone of the painting. I've been taking regular pictures while I'm working so I can upload a timelapse video of the entire process when it's done. Compare the current painting with draft using the slideshow below. You'll notice a few changes so far. Above is a photo of a model bell tower (3" diameter) I made as a reference for the Liberty Bell painting that I'm working on. I didn't feel confident about painting the lighting/shadows just from my mind's eye, so I decided to make something to observe.
As I said in the last post, I am currently working on two commissions for Beneficial Bank. Both are to be 3'x5' oil paintings of historical scenes. I have just completed final drafts for each painting. There were many false starts and dead ends along the way, some of which I'll describe below (click images to view larger). This painting will highlight the intriguing history of Beneficial Bank, which was founded in 1853. Beneficial Bank’s foundation was inspired by Saint John Neumann's vision of providing a secure place for Philadelphia's working class to deposit their savings. For those interested a slightly less abridged history, click "Read More" at the bottom of this post.
ST. NEUMANN AT THE DOCKS
Tried out a few different color changes in photoshop and settled on this for the final draft. Next Wednesday: I've begun working on one of the 3'x5' panels, check back next week to see the beginning of the actual painting! There will be a new post each Wednesday by 7:00 PM. For the curious, click "Read More" below for a little more about the history behind this painting.
I am currently working on two commissions for Beneficial Bank. Both are to be 3'x5' oil paintings. One will depict the Liberty Bell, the other will depict a dock scene. To begin, I need to make a fully resolved drawing which will then serve as the foundation for the painting. I redesign and redraw until I am completely happy with every aspect. In my experience, this phase takes just as much time (if not more) than the painting itself! I've already worked through tons of drafts for each piece, some of which I'll describe below (click on images to view larger). The liberty Bell
At last, I arrived at a final draft, and eagerly moved on to color. I decided to set the scene at sunrise given the opportune eastern view. I also added the bell's inscription. Before beginning a final painting, I would still need to do one last study of the bell and the figure to clarify the details in my mind. I will also be including a kite in the distance and candle as nods to Ben Franklin, though the positioning of these are still to be determined.
In my next post, which should be up sometime next week, I will go over the drafting process behind the other painting. Time-lapse of a painting I finished today (an enlargement of a previous work).
On display now through February in gallery 128 at PAFA “Once the object has been constructed, I have a tendency to discover in it, transformed & displaced, images, impressions, facts which have deeply moved me” – Alberto Giacometti I did a drawing from a studio set up in Scott Noel's class this morning. I was enjoying the beautiful morning light, and tried to approach the drawing as a record of visual attention alternatively skimming and bearing down through the space. {Play slideshow below to see how the drawing progressed over time.} Here's a pic of a recent oil painting in progress.
I am trying to be more attentive to the music of shape relationships that the eye collects through a scene. 'Loving'/resisting the naming of objects. Current Inspiration: Gwen John, Giorgio Morandi, Bonnard, and Diebenkorn. Fascinating resonance of shapes and color notes in the painting below by Gwen John.... Still working on the portrait commission I posted the other day. I've added the latest stage to the slideshow below. This portrait is a good example of how paintings don't progress linearly; as one part develops, I may also lose something that was working better before. In this latest stage, I've lost some of the expression of the boy on the left in comparison to the previous stage; the boy on the right's nose is looking weird. However, in my experience it is best to build the painting as a whole and not obsess over one area or feature. Will be working on this one more tomorrow.
In other news, I will be working at the opening reception of the Philadelphia Pew Gallery's new show on Saturday night. Several of my paintings will be on display there as well. I have a few new paintings in progress, one of which is a recently commissioned portrait of two adorable boys. It's very much in the beginning stages, but I will be finishing this one by the end of the month. Here is a sketch and oil painting cityscape that I've been working on the last couple days. There's a lot of detail to be added, so far I've only really worked on the largest rooftop in the foreground. In other news, 18 of my most recent paintings will be on display in the Capitol One building in Richmond, VA until December as part of the "Painters of the Commonwealth" show. I have also been invited to display work at the Pew Gallery in Philadelphia, PA this September.
This is the first painting I have done from my imagination/memory in quite awhile. It was really refreshing. I don't think this painting is anything close to miraculous, but even the most humble works can help one progress. There is a beauty of the image taken from the mind that is quite unique from a study. I have felt stuck in a rut over the last year or so, and perhaps this is a result of my imagined obligation to painting directly from life.
To paraphrase Robert Henri, perhaps it is best to start with a deep impression, and remain faithful to this, rather than what is in front of you--this is best done by working from memory. In our memory, the clearest images are those imbedded in a moment of sudden clarity. There are moments in our lives, there are moments in a day, when we seem to see beyond the usual. These are the moments of our greatest happiness, our greatest wisdom. We hope to re-live these fleeting visions in their complete depth, but often can only re-conjure a shell of the moment past. It was in this hope that the arts were invented. The clarity of mind that I can sometimes come across while working is simply the best feeling I have found in this world. I have also painted for months at a time without ever experiencing it. “The object isn't to make art, it's to be in that wonderful state which makes art inevitable.” --Henri I've started several new works over the last couple days, you can see two of them in their current state below. Stay tuned, I will update as they develop. I am re-visiting it partially because I was never fully satisfied with any of my previous attempts to capture it. More significantly, it has taken on more importance to me as I transition into a new city. There's a feeling of premature nostalgia that I want to capture. A place suddenly haunted by moments that soon forgotten and moments that I never committed to memory. I have not decided if I will leave this one as a drawing or seal it in clear medium and flesh it out in oils. My motivation behind this one is the same as the kitchen painting; this was very often my first view of the world outside when I woke up. It became part of a life's rhythm.
Already sealed this one in medium and will definitely proceed with oil paint tomorrow. |