#21 in progress

For my project, "mediocre paintings reworked into excellence" (20 to go after this one), once the little color study is complete I start on the larger work.

1. I unframed the painting and hosed off the mediocre work (on Wallis paper so it can take water). I pat it dry with a cloth towel.
2. I squeezed out white and raw umber oil paint onto my glass palette. With a 1" wide brush and odorless mineral spirits, I applied an oil wash foundation (see photo below).

 3. I let it dry overnight. This morning, with the little color study beside me, I applied white, warm dk gray and dk blue NuPastels. Any other color you see is the "ghost" from the mediocre work I washed off.

rain dance

Here is the larger work, 19 x 14.5 inches, titled "Rain Dance" because when I took the reference photo a few years ago, there was a light pattern of rain on the water. Maybe you can see my indication of it in the darkest water area on the left side if you click on the image to enlarge it. The hardest part was the bright, pale lichen. I took clues from the little study I did. It needed to be light and airy as in the little study but more detailed for this larger work. I think I did it.

goodbye itsy bitsy

Tomorrow I will mail this study for a larger work to the winning bidder!

reducing glass

I'm working on the 4.5 x 5.75 inch color/composition study for my next painting. Even though it is small, it helps to do occasional checks with a reducing glass to tighten it up and see it as a thumbnail. Watch for this little study on Daily Paintworks.

color study for #21

Those of you who follow this blog know that I am reworking 23 mediocre paintings. I just finished #22 and will post it soon. Now, on to #21.  I'll start with a 4.5 x 6 inch color study. In my flat file, I found a sheet of Wallis paper with a splashy watercolor foundation. The Wallis is mounted onto 4-ply archival mat. I penciled in the boundaries for the little study and indicated the composition. Starting a new painting is always an exciting, hopeful time!

the last 20%

Several times during the painting of a new scene, I put a mat around my work to cut out all the marks that will not show when it is framed. I'm about 80% done with this one. The shape of the foreground water needs correcting, the lichens are only indicated....basically the right side needs resolution. The little color study I did prior to starting this larger work is a big help in deciding not only color but also keeps me on track from getting too immersed in detail.

#23 step1 pastel

I've received emails appreciating the step x steps I post on this journal so I'll try to do that with this painting. I'm working from the top down and using the little color study as my example -  applying pastel on top of the oil-wash foundation shown in my last post. Each time I introduce a new color into the painting, I apply it in several places. Example: The light blue of the distant hills is repeated in the background trees and in the brightest area of the water. I feel this adds continuity in a painting. It is very distracting to me to view art that has a spot of color in one place without being able to find that color in a least one other area.

#23 foundation

After completing the itsy-bitsy color study (see my previous post) for this painting, I unframed Mediocre Painting #23, brushed the pastel off and applied an oil-wash foundation to the Wallis paper. The size on the finished painting will be 19 x 14.5 even though I have extra paper around the edges and could make it larger. One of the goals of these 23 reworks is to pop the new work right back into the existing mat and frame. If I took advantage of the larger surface, I'd have to purchase a new frame and add the empty frame and mat to my inventory of frames which is more than adequate already.

itsy bitsy

This is an itsy-bitsy study to work out the colors for a larger painting. It is 5.75 x 4.125 inches and is on Daily Paintworks Auction starting at $20.

23 to go

I don't know how I got into this branch thing. Well, yes I do, it started with my painting "Winter" a few weeks ago. Suddenly, as never before, I wanted to paint trees without leaves. This is another view of the  Golden Gardens Park pond in Seattle. And, it is painted over an old painting.

From my art database, I separated out the paintings that I considered mediocre. That gave me a new database with 24 images to be reworked. Now I have 23 to go.

blackberry vines

Four years ago I named a painting Edge of Winter. After a couple group shows it went to one of my galleries and stayed there until I picked it up a couple weeks ago. You know what happened next...I washed it off and repainted this winter scene from a photo taken on a dog-walk with Annie and my two grandsons. This summer, a good crop of blackberries will be where last year's vines are now. This painting is titled Edge of Winter II.

step 1

To begin applying pastel over the oil-wash foundation, I selected two "white" pastels - one cool and one warm. The cool white was applied for the sky everywhere except the upper left quarter where the light source (sun) was shining down upon this woodland scene. For that area, I applied the warm white. I also used the warm white for glow on the edge of the tree at right and lightest foliage areas. Click on the image to enlarge. These are Terry Ludwig whites - love them!

On another subject, blog subscriber Karen asked if I could explain the Kodak Color Separation Guide and Gray Scale sometimes included in my work-in-progress shots. When I photograph my work, I always include this for color reference. If the color bar doesn't look right, I know the color of the art is off. Here's the blurb from Kodak: "... Separation Guides are used as the set up guide to calibrate several digital color print systems. In addition, helps photographers compare the color of the subject with known printing colors. Also helps Graphic Arts camera operators identify separation negatives and positives for color reproduction processes. "

foundation

This is the oil-wash foundation on Wallis sanded paper for my next Pacific Northwest woodland scene.

sanctuary

Finished! This was a complicated piece from a reference photo taken on one of our dog-walks. I kept the composition of the photo but pushed the color. Click on the image to enlarge for details.

coming along

The painting on my easel is coming along - I'm working pastel back to front, top to bottom but had to put in the moss covered branch to get a feel for the yellow-green and how it plays against the other colors. Lots of digging in the garden and no painting this weekend but I'll be back to it tomorrow, Monday.

One of my blog readers emailed me asking what became of that upper right corner. Here it is now as part of the whole painting.

underpainting

 I love this as a finished painting! 

But it is a detail shot of the upper right corner of an oil-wash foundation... 

the preparation for a pastel painting of the Pacific Northwest woods.

See the complete underpainting below.

presto, change-o!

 Out with the old....I brushed off a painting to use the surface again.

 Next, I applied a thin oil-wash as a loose composition of the next painting.

The finished pastel painting is another from the Golden Gardens Park, Seattle series. This one is a tangle of natural foliage along the bank of the pond. One of the goals of reworking old art is to be able to put it right back into the existing frame. I had a double mat on the original painting but this scene needed a little more room so I gained an inch all the way around by removing the bottom mat. The window is now 14.5 x 14.5 inches. The title is "Forsaken."

winter pond

This is my impression of the pond at Golden Gardens Park in Seattle. For this 25 x 25 inch painting (large for me), I started at the top and worked down instead of skipping all over.

thrice

This is another scene of our driveway. I've painted it twice before as "Light Show II" and "The Good Road Home." This version was painted more quickly because it is smaller than the other two and has a more abstract feel. "Sunset" is 8.25 x 8.25 inches. The top photo shows the reference photo and the painting as an oil foundation before any pastel was applied. I'm using the paper of an old painting - I think it is 140lb Lanaquarelle watercolor paper covered with red pumice gesso mixture.

know when to walk away

This isn't the first time I've titled a blog post "know when to walk away." When I hear the lyrics of The Gambler begin to play in my head, I try to heed the advice and step away from the easel. I've been working slow and steady on this 25 x 25 inch painting with no major setbacks or wipe offs. I'm very happy with it but it is good to be finished and to be able to move on to the next one I have in mind that will be a very different palette.

grayscale and noseprints

I'm working on another painting of the dog park. I thought I better check my values against the reference photo to get the mood right. Photographing your work-in-progress and changing the image to grayscale is very helpful. While I work, Annie is doing her own noseprint painting on the studio window.

hung up

Today's painting began with an oil-wash foundation on Wallis paper. As I applied pastel, I tried to work slowly as I visualized Elizabeth Mowry nearby (more about that below). I'm pondering the foreground of this painting so I hung it up near my computer to look at it for a few days. Hopefully, I will have a revelation about what it needs.

When I took a workshop with Elizabeth Mowry last fall, her calming presence seemed to help me paint my best, in my style. I encourage you to study with her if you get a chance and here is an opportunity: The Northwest Pastel Society is hosting a workshop by Elizabeth this coming May 2-4, 2012 in Washington state. For more information, visit the NPS website.

February 2, 2012. After looking at the painting for a few days I still wasn't sure what I was going to change but I knew I couldn't leave it as it. I'm happy with it now and titled it "Lowland."

cold start

My weed-eater has a lever marked "COLD START." I flip it up to make starting the motor faster and easier. I need one of those levers because I'm definitely having a cold start to 2012 in more ways than one. Our weather is warming up but I spent 7 hours yesterday putting pastel on this painting and wiping it off.

Months ago, in preparation for the holidays, it was easy to "close up shop" and use the studio as additional space for family gatherings. Then came a week in Maui and five days without electricity at home. Most of this week was used catching up but suddenly it is Friday and I have no more excuses - I have to start painting again. After yesterday's frustration, this morning I began again on the same piece of Wallis paper with an oil wash as the foundation for "December Color." It is another painting of the path at our off-leash dog park. I can't say my painting motor is actually running for 2012 yet but I managed to sputter through this one. Click on the image to enlarge. This painting can be purchased through Daily Paintworks.

5 days

The slush we expected from our snowfall last week immediately after we returned from Hawaii would have been welcome compared to the freezing rain and wind that caused much damage to trees and power lines. Our power finally came on at 3:46 this morning after five days in the dark and I had a load of laundry going within the hour. I look forward to the new year in my studio with heat and light.

lush to slush

I'm back from the lush island of Maui to soon-to-be slush snow in Washington. Quite a shock but it's good to be home. Wishing everyone a happy and peaceful 2012.

meadow lights auction

It's end-of-year cleanup in my studio. I'm looking for new homes for some of my smaller, unframed works. This one, "Meadow Lights" can be purchased on Daily Paintworks.

sun song

As we approach the winter holiday season and gray weather, it is comforting to remember sunlight and how it can put a song in our heart. I'm already looking forward to spring. This painting is for sale on my DPW Gallery (see the link in the upper right corner of this blog) and I have just added PayPal to make purchases easier. This may be my last painting of 2011. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all!

award at 6" Squared Show!

212 artists, 542 beautiful paintings! I was happy just to be included in this show but to have "Northwest Meadow" receive one of the $100 Gallery Awards in those odds is amazing. My thanks to Randy Higbee and the Randy Higbee Gallery staff and to juror Jean Stern, Director of the Irvine Museum.

fanciful

Fanciful is about color play and pushing colors just beyond believable for a whimsical view of the world. It is another of the 5x7 pastels for my Daily Paintworks gallery.

my DPW experiment

About a month ago I joined Daily Paintworks and to date I have posted 10 paintings. What fun! My thanks to all who have commented, encouraged and purchased paintings! I have learned a lot and have made plans to change a few things next year.

Price: While I was getting to know my way around DPW, I have priced my paintings at $1.00 per square inch as my "experiment" price. That is far less than the amount the same painting would sell for in one of my galleries. Beginning January 1, 2012, painting prices will increase.

Shipping: I have shipped sold paintings in a USPS Priority Mail flat rate box - not the cheapest way to ship but paintings have arrived safe and sound. I will continue to ship this way but beginning January 1, shipping will be FREE within the US.

Medium: Pastel has been my primary medium for the past 9 years. If you have been following this blog, you know that I just started playing in oil (again) and am excited to continue. I hope to add oil paintings to my DPW Gallery.

Once again, thanks to all who have taken time to view my work and the work of the other fine artists at Daily Paintworks!

good news

Good news today! I learned that my paintings "Cedar River" and "Summer Evening" have been accepted into the International Association of Pastel Societies (IAPS) 2011 Web Show. Yay!

website update

Thanks to Kay Dewar of Dewar Design, my website has received it's annual update. Artwork Archives and About the Artist have new images and information. www.barbaranewton.net

wheee

This was so fun, wheee! This is step 2 of Morning Frost Line (20 x 20 inches, oil on wood panel). I'm working on value. As you know, I am relatively new to oil paint and I have no idea how many "steps" there are in a painting. Lots of palette knife work and I love that random, spontaneous look. In moving from colored pencil years ago to pastel, it was the looser look that appealed to me. Maybe I am making another jump from pastel to palette knife? Click on the image to enlarge.

wish me luck!

I'm pretty excited to try Morning Frost Line in oil so here we go...

I have it on my phone as wallpaper and by the time I'm done with this experiment, I might decide it was one of those lovely reference photos that was better left as just that - a photo.

I found my old box of oil pastels and began with a sketch on a previously painted panel.

Later the same day...I just had the most fun painting that I have had in a long time. Here is the first step of Morning Frost Line in oil. More tomorrow.

study for a larger painting

This is a scene of our off-leash dog park, early morning before the frost melted. The shafts of light coming through the trees give it a hazy, mysterious feeling. This 5 x 7 is a study for a larger painting. I am soooo tempted to try it in oil!

pacific northwest spring

What better time to paint a rainy Pacific Northwest spring scene than a few days after Thanksgiving? Another 5 x 7 inch painting for my Daily Paintworks Gallery.