bejeweled posted on studio sales

It's the first of a new month and time for another Studio Sale posting.

This month, "Bejeweled" is looking for a new home. Select the Studio Sales link in the sidebar to the right or, click on the title of the drawing.

paint with me?

A workshop with me? Though I retired myself from teaching workshops I continue to receive emails asking if I teach. For a few years I just said no and that felt right but now I'm considering a workshop or two during the summer months. I haven't kept the names from all the emails requests so I am posting this notice.

If you are interested in a two or three day workshop in oil or pastel with me at my Studio in Renton, WA, please send me an email with the words workshop and the medium you prefer in the subject line. My email address is barbaranewton (the @ symbol) comcast (dot) net

Whew, I've been thinking about that decision too long - thanks for your input.

switcheroo or, let there be light

I love to move furniture around in our house...everything old seems new again. However, with the purchase of a 5-ton sleeper sofa, installation of hanging lights over the dining table and the addition last summer of a super heavy Sleep Number bed, the furniture I can move is dwindling and I don't like that. I long to recreate and renew living/working spaces.

On this blog, you've seen my studio painted and repainted, arranged and rearranged. Through it all, my office area has stayed in the same corner for more than 20 years. That is, until last week.

One of the galleries that represents me asked for larger oils and I couldn't imagine how I would paint larger in my current studio set up. So, I began to ponder switching my office corner with my painting corner. Once I measured, and was willing to give up my old Boeing Surplus metal desk because it just wouldn't fit, I got excited to make the change. Just one problem, as bad as the lighting was on my easel, in its current location, it would be even worse in the opposite corner. My husband to the rescue! He offered to replace the overhead fluorescent light with track lighting. Hooray!

I won't go into the details of what a big mess it made to make the switch or what three days of lifting, shoving, sorting and organizing felt like, I'll just show you the before and after photos.

 

before

after

The two photos above are the Southeast corner of the studio (before it was my studio, it was a double car garage). The top photo is the painting area as it used to be: one side of my Boeing Surplus drafting table held pastels for the easel tucked back in the corner and the other side of the table is covered with glass for oil painting. My Open Box M on a tripod was at end and very convenient to trip over. The other photo shows the same area but now it is my office.

 

before

after

The two photos above show the Southwest corner, first as the long-time office and now as my new painting area with pastels on the drafting table to the left of the easel and the glass area for oil painting on the right. And, because of the track lighting, I can actually SEE. I look forward to painting!

I finally did it

I finally opened a shop on Etsy!  To search for it on the Etsy site, type in BBNewtonART.

I have posted a half-dozen still lifes but will add landscapes in the future and perhaps some prints. Also, I still plan to make a painting or two available each month on my Studio Sales blog (see the link in the sidebar here).

Big changes going on in my studio, I hope to post photos about it soon.

two paintings from one

"Day Dream •" left side

"Another Day Dream •" right side

I found a forgotten pastel painting done on magenta Canson Mi-Teintes, soft side (less textured side). There were parts of this painting I loved so I cut two 8x6 inch sections out, each to stand alone as a separate painting. They will be posted together on my Daily Paintworks Gallery.

bosc on blue

Calling it done. "Bosc on Blue," pastel on Wallis paper with an oil underpainting, 13x 13 inches. To see the beginning steps of this painting, see my Feb. 15th post.  The oil color study for this painting, is posted on my DPW gallery.

begin with an old painting...

 "Garden Pond," pastel, 10.5 x 10.5 inches.

 

In-progress photos:

1. I came across a piece of 12x18 inch Belgium Mist Wallis in my flat file that I had used for an exercise in a workshop a couple years ago. After brushing off the horizontal scene, I turned the paper sideways so I wouldn't be distracted by the ghost image of the previous painting. Using a pastel pencil, I indicated an area 11x11 inches and blocked in the lightest areas of a new painting with an oil wash.

2. More oil wash, this time in the darkest value and a middle value (green)

3. After the oil was dry (a couple hours), I began to apply pastel in the darkest and lightest areas of the new painting. The pastel on this one took less than 2 hours. Less is more. Don't dawdle and doodle because your marks become picky and labored.

oil in progress complete

I've been looking at this painting for 10 days thinking it was about 75% done but when I put it back on the easel today, I just punched up the lights and called it quits. You can see the progression paintings on my Feb. 6th post. "Morning Mist," 14 x 10 inches, oil on canvas paper mounted on gatorboard.

bosc pear color study and progress

I haven't really explored fruit in pastel so during these few weeks of play I'm trying a pear on Wallis paper.

To prepare, I painted a color study in oil (shown above), "Bosc Color Study," oil on panel, 7.75 x 7.875 inches. Watch for this painting on the Daily Paintworks auction.

Below is the progress of my pastel painting that is about twice the size of the color study - 13 x 13 inches.

First, a line drawing was done with blue pastel pencil, then an oil-wash under painting. The two bottom photos show the beginning of adding pastel (left) and at about 70% complete. The surface the pear is sitting on is plastic wrap (wrinkly) protecting a sheet of blue Canson Mi-Teintes paper from pear juice. The color on these shots isn't perfect but I'll post the finished piece when I'm done.

cole gallery show

I hope you can join us Opening Night, Thursday, February 21st, 5-8 pm. You can also see the entire show online at Cole Gallery.

washington park spring

This is the formal/framed shot of my latest 6x8 inch oil on hardboard, "Washington Park Spring •."

mango

I painted this mango some time ago and I want to paint a mango again. Such beautiful colors that change daily as it ripens. This painting is oil, 6x8 inches on hardboard panel. You can view it with the magnifier on Daily Paintworks.

oil in progress

A couple things...first, I'm done playing with those tomatoes. I've posted the finished painting as the conclusion to my Feb. 5th post. And secondly, I'm trying something new: I bought a pad of Fredrix canvas paper and used YES glue to mount one sheet on Gatorboard. I don't like the springy feeling of a stretched canvas so this solves that problem. I'm working (playing) with a path near the Cedar River. Here's a photo of how it is coming along. I'm doing a lot of lifting color back off the ground - a technique I also used with colored pencil and reusable adhesive. With oil, it is a brush wet with mineral spirits in one hand and a Viva towel in the other. Lift, wipe the brush, repeat.

out of season

Every few months I come across this little painting tucked away in a drawer or on a shelf in my studio. It cheers me each time I see it but I will probably never get around to framing it and hanging it somewhere here so I posted it on Daily Paintworks to cheer someone else's winter months.

tomatoes continued

This is my previous post continued. I had to wipe off the foreground, all the way back to the original tomato. When I say 'had to' I mean the painting direction wasn't working. Apply paint, push it around, try to get a vision for the painting....nothing! So, I just wiped the bottom half off and began again.

This is how the little painting looks now. I'm starting to see a story but anything could happen...

Well, every hint of tomato is gone. Obliterated by lots of green oil paint in this scene reminiscent of another part of the Washington Park Arboretum, this time in spring. I wanted to utilize the red of the tomato under painting but when I didn't insist, this little painting evolved on it's own. That's OK with me, especially during these weeks of playing.

bye bye tomatoes

For several months, I've been painting for upcoming shows at Cole Gallery (WA) and Attic Gallery (OR).  Now it's time to play - loosen up, experiment, take myself and my work less seriously.

The next best thing to creating a painting you are pleased with is obliterating a painting that isn't working. Digging around my studio, I found a painting of tomatoes that was pretty bad so I white-washed it a little, turned it upside down and began again.

After adding masses for a landscape, I used my gloved fingernail to scrape some grasses into the foreground so the tomato-red peeks through. Not sure where this will go...I'll keep you posted.

perseverance and studio sales

Today I'd like to pay homage to perseverance. I admire this attribute and I am grateful for those who are shining examples for me.

I'm impressed by the perseverance and bravery of those who find themselves in challenging health situations. A well known pastelist whose work I follow online is sharing her current health journey with the art community. She is an inspiration to me.

I'm impressed by those who persevere to paint no matter the weather conditions. While I'm deciding whether or not I to walk the dog in the rain, Haidee-Jo Summers is out painting every day in the cold and snow. She inspires me to paint more plein air this year.

And, I am in awe of the many artists who paint everyday in whatever limited space they have. One such person is a fb friend, Gary Edward Jennings. I asked his permission to show you his table-top studio. 

Here's wishing you (and me) the ability to carry on, to keep at it, to hang in there and to persevere.

On another note, (or maybe it's the same subject?) I have posted two new paintings on my Studio Sales blog. These are paintings from my studio flat files, directly from my studio to you. Thanks for taking a look!

garden pond with fingernail marks

Here is the end result of my previous post about the process: Garden Pond, 6x6 inches, oil on hardboard.

This little painting is in my gallery on Daily Paintworks. They have a great image magnifier tool there and using that tool, you can see the foreground detail of marks I make with a fingernail of my gloved hand. This is a technique I use often in my pastel paintings and I just can't resist putting my fingers in my oils too. Sold

garden pond in progress

Your personal process of painting may be something you have developed over the years, learned in a workshop or adopted from another artist's post online. Today I'm working on a 6x6 landscape of the pond in my flower garden. The steps of my work in oil on black gessoed hardboard are shown below.

 I print my reference photo in color and in grayscale. The X on the photo and on the blank panel helps me loosely layout the composition in medium-value green oil paint.

 The black of the panel is my darkest value. The initial composition in medium green is my middle value. Now I add the lightest values.

I continue to develop forms of the pond and trees by adding additional values of color. Click images to enlarge.

...and having perhaps the better claim

I'm framing work for my upcoming show with Sandy Byers at Cole Gallery, Edmonds, WA.  This oil, The Better Claim, is another from my meadow series; the title inspired by Robert Frost's The Road Not Taken. "…and having perhaps the better claim because it was grassy and wanted wear…"

two temperatures

Arboretum Winter Afternoon  |  oil  |   10x8 inches

Two more paintings of a scene from my Arboretum series of reference photos. This finished painting will be going to Cole Gallery, Edmonds, WA  next month. 

Arboretum Winter Afternoon  |  pastel  |   7.75x7.5 inches

This is the color study for the oil painting above. I kept this study beside my easel as I painted the oil. In the end, I glazed the oil with Indian Yellow and that warmed up the colors. Though not painted in colors thought of as cool (such as blue) the color study is cool when compared to the oil. Sold on the DPW Auction.

sweet hush

Today's oil painting is "Sweet Hush," 12 x 10 inches. Below the finished painting is the white foundation on black gessoed hardboard panel.

an all-day job

At least once each year I clean and reorganize all my pastels. This year the job was made much easier (though it still took most of the day) by using the Cherry Pastel Cleaner and grits instead of the corn meal I've used for years. I love this thing!

first snow on rose ground

We have freezing fog here in the Seattle area but east of the mountains where my brother-in-law lives there is plenty of snow. He kindly shared some photos so I have a chance to paint snow.  I think this is the first snow I have ever painted and I find it to be similar to painting fluffy grass but the colors are more subtle (and difficult to photograph). "First Snow" is 12 x 12 inches, pastel on 4-ply archival mat board with a  rose-colored gesso/pumice coating.

Woodland Stream 8x6 inches

I worked intermittently on this 8 x 6 inch oil for a few weeks. It finally came together and is currently on the auction at Daily Paintworks. Years ago I painted this scene in a much higher key in colored pencil as a gift for a friend. Sold

a one brush day

Today I painted all afternoon with only one brush as I worked on seven 8x10 inch oils. I love this brush! Princeton Art & Brush Co., 6200B, Angular Bright, Size 8. I've been using it for about seven years - probably time to replace it.

wild one

For several days I've been looking at "Arboretum Winter Color" hanging on the wall above my desk (a good time to look at it is when I'm on the phone). I don't see anything I want to change and am enjoying all I love about it, remembering the wild areas of the Washington Park Arboretum in Seattle.

This piece is 25 x 25 inches and when painting that large in pastel, I work from the top down with no jumping around until the details at the very end. I kept the reference photo (in color and in grayscale) as well as the little color study (sold on Daily Paintworks) beside my easel. Now I'm anxious to see this one framed.

today it's yesteryear

Ever since I came across that word...'yesteryear'... a couple days ago, I've thought about it as a title for a painting. So today's painting is Yesteryear, 18 x 12 inches, pastel on Wallis paper. This is along the Oregon Coast in early September a few years ago (as in yesteryear). Love those fluffy grasses!

Thanks to everyone who visited my Studio Sales link. Lots of visitors per the stats. I'll try to find something to offer there around the first of each month then move the previous month's paintings that haven't sold to Etsy for sale.

winter marsh - finally!

Last September I was working on two 18x18 inch oil paintings. One of them has finally resurfaced. This is Winter Marsh, a late afternoon scene from reference photos taken a couple years ago in my home town.

studio sales

Something new for the new year! If you follow this blog, you know that occasionally I rip my studio apart and start over...rearrange, paint the walls, clean out shelves, etc. Today I went through my flat files and came across a few paintings from yesteryear (what a great word).

I'll sell them directly from my studio on a new blog titled Studio Sales. You can CLICK HERE to see the first two offerings. I'll also add a link to Studio Sales in the sidebar of this blog. Thanks for taking a look.

a value check

This is the 'value check' for my first painting of 2013, "Arboretum Winter Color," pastel on paper, 24 x 24 inches. I'm pleased with the values that portray a winter afternoon in the Pacific Northwest - mostly mid and dark values with just a touch of light on the white-barked trees.  I will hang it on my Studio wall and look at it for a few days to see if it needs any color or detail adjustments before signing it and calling it done.

For a value check on your painting, photograph it and switch the mode to grayscale in your computer with Photoshop Elements or the photo editing application you use. Remember, 'Value does the work, color gets the glory.' (quote from Richard McKinley)

a loose look

I love the first interpretation of a scene when I'm working out the color and composition for a larger painting. Colors and shapes are experimental, less contrived than in a larger, 'finished' piece. Detail is minimal because the studies are usually quite small though this one is larger than most at 7.75 x 7.5 inches.

At top are the three steps in creating this little study, beginning with an oil paint wash. Next, the darkest and lightest pastel colors are added. Favorite parts of this one are the spontaneous, random branches and indication of leaves of the trees. This painting is sold.

color study steps

When painting a color study for a larger painting, I try to keep it fast and simple. These are the steps of the 7x5 inch color study for "Sunday Walk:" Sold

1. Apply black acrylic in several values to mass in the dark values (just add water to make a lighter value).

2. Add pastels of the lightest values to complete the value range of the painting.

3. Add color choices -  warm colors advance, cool colors recede. 

4. The completed study. View it with the magnifier at Daily Paintworks.

big-deal news

I have big-deal news to end 2012 and to start 2013.

To my amazement, I just learned that my painting, "Heartbreak Morning" received enough votes on Katherine Tyrrell's Making a Mark blog to be declared Best Portrayal of a Place 2012!

But wait...there's more. By SEVEN, votes I also received the award titled Best Picture on an Art Blog in 2012! I can't begin to explain all that went into the process of these awards. To learn more, please take a moment to visit Making a Mark by clicking the link in the previous paragraph.

Thank you Katherine Tyrrell for nominating my painting.  I also want to thank all who voted for me - especially those special SEVEN!

Being an artist is a solitary occupation, especially now that I no longer teach. Sometimes I just need to connect with others and I do that primarily through this Art Journal blog and Facebook. Thanks to all who read my blog and take a moment to send me a word of support or a 'like'  or comment on Facebook. Hearing from you helps make my day. Happy New Year!

happy new year

As we end 2012, I am honored that my painting, "Heartbreak Morning," has been nominated for The Making a Mark Prize for Best Portrayal of a Place 2012. Click on the link to see art in all categories. I wish you a peaceful and happy 2013!