Violets

Violets #2, oil, 10x10 inches
©2020 Barbara Benedetti Newton

Block-in of color

Darks

Lights

Last week I dug out my vintage Daniel Smith Venetian Red Gesso and prepped 10x10 hardboard panels.  I call it vintage because it is about 10 years old and I don't think it is available any longer. After prepping the 10x10 panels, I was left with a brush full of gesso and hated to waste it so I also prepped two sheets of black Fredrix canvas that I see every time I open my flat file. I can't remember why I bought black. Now I can put them back in the flat file and wonder why I gesso'd them red (it was because they were black).

Sweetpeas with Lime

Sweetpeas with Lime, oil, 14x11 inches
©2020 Barbara Benedetti Newton

Just off the easel this Saturday morning.

Blueberry time

Our blueberries are beginning to ripen which I find amazing since we have had so little sun. They remind me of the first colored pencil artworks I entered into competition - the 1992 Western Washington State Fair. I think I entered three pieces and one of the three was a small drawing of blueberries. In that show I received a Third Place and an Honorable Mention. The blueberries sold.

So... self-isolating and self-entertaining as I have been doing since March due to COVID-19, I thought it would interesting to compare my previous art with how I interpret blueberries now. I've just done a search of both computers and can't find an image so instead of the comparison, I'll just show you today's finished piece and a few of the progress shots. Happy Summer and happy painting to you.

Blueberries, oil, 8x8 inches ©2020 Barbara Benedetti Newton

On the easel...the Hoh river

On the easel this morning, another virtual plein air with the Puget Sound Group of Northwest Artists. This time, the Hoh river. I pan, zoom in and crop the Google photos to make them my own unique view. I also change the light, value and color of the reference image.

This is the underpainting in thin oil paying attention to hue and temperature.

Underpainting detail shot.

Ahhh...nothing like a new blade in the scraper to really clean the palette.