I love the subtle colors of the night. I think I could have just as much fun painting the night as the day. I may have to try that sometime. I have been painting paintings that are more dark than light. It would be fun to push that idea to another extreme. Those paintings were still 30% light. I think this one fits that extreme... with the only light source be a setting crescent moon on the back end of sundown... maybe 10% light or less?
Julie hates to take me shopping. She never knows where I am lurking to take photos. In this case I should have been carrying dahlias but I got sidetracked by this little beauty.
Veggie Patch, 9x12, oil on linen, $900
Spring may have sprung but I am just getting to some reference from afternoon strolls earlier this spring. I am always surprised at how much of my inspirations come from walks. Where do yours come from?
Gosh, that’s a great question. I think there are two nuggets that I got while learning to paint that really helped me turn a corner or two.
The first would be the idea of John Carlson’s Value Planes and Subsequent Values. Just understanding the approximate values of the big planes of the landscape (sky, ground, slants and uprights) helped me to simplify the landscape into its most basic planes. It also helped a ton when I started doing the urban landscape and still life. The biggest trick to it is knowing that you have to keep an open open eye and know that it is a principle and not a law. It’s our job to observe what it is we are painting and to figure out what the two darks are and what the two lights are. If it was a snow scene the ground plane may be lighter than the sky plane… or if the sun is just come up, an upright could be the lighter light. I think the big takeaway is to observe what you are painting and edit it down to the 4 simplest masses.
“ Every good picture is fundamentally an arrangement of three to four large masses - a design of differing masses or large blocks of color- light, dark and half- dark and half-light. Any detail or embellishment placed within the big masses is so subordinated that it is in no way disturbs these masses. “ John Carlson from Carlson’s Guide to Landscape Painting
Above: This is by far my favorite illustration of Carlson idea… showing the different planes and generally where those planes can be found on the value scale. Very helpful!
Images from https://thelandscapeatelier.com/2021/01/01/carlsons-theory-of-angles-an-introduction/
As an even more simple bit of information, I would say the idea of the notan was a huge game changer for me. I have been into art my while life… 4 years of art school, some post-grad work and 25 years of teaching and I had never heard the term “notan.” I can’t remember when I heard it first or where, but it was during a workshop. Being able to see your subject in terms of the patterns created by the light dark family is very powerful… two simple shapes. Squinting will help you visually to isolate and identify the average dark shape and the average light shape.
From Wikipedia:
Nōtan (濃淡) is a Japanese design concept involving the play and placement of light and dark elements as they are placed next to the other in the composition of art and imagery.
Here's a scene I used for a gouache sketch:
Here that scene is in a quick notan done in Procreate:
Gouache Study:
Both of these ideas are worthy of deep investigation. This was the tip of the iceberg. For more reading: Carlson's Guide to Landscape Painting, Composition: Understanding Line, Notan and Color by Arthur Wesley Dow , Kevin MacPcpherson's Landscape Painting Inside and Out.
Basement Mentoring Week approaches! Come set up in my studio and paint with me for 4 mornings later this month. You can participate from your own studio live on ZOOM or bring your set up and work to my studio. Either way, I have a few spots left. If you think I can help you along your way, if you’ve had questions about what you are doing, or want to see how I do it… now is a great time. After this session I am re-dedicating myself to my own work and plan on taking a teaching sabaticle. I recorded and uploaded my thoughts on 26 paintings last year and I feel like I have said everything I wanted to say about painting. It’s time for the teacher to be the pupil again!
From a recent trip to one of our favorite pizza joints. I feel another series coming on. This is one of the few places I go these days when I go out of town!
I am a sucker for a road... or a path. I especially like the ones where I cant see around the corner. Life is better with a little mystery.
Today's painting of the day is a 6x8, oil on linen and is $175 including shipping and taxes in the lower 48.
I am a sucker for a road... or a path. I especially like the ones where I cant see around the corner. Life is better with a little mystery.
Today's painting of the day is a 6x8, oil on linen and is $175 including shipping and taxes in the lower 48.
I painted this barn many times back in the day. I pizza restaurant in a city I rarely visit caused me to get out of my bubble and go for a drive. It was good to see this old friend again.
Another piece inspired by a morning outing in Memphis last summer.
I am offering up these little paintings at a ONE DAY ONLY price before they get framed and hung on the wall of @theboydgallery. New paintings will be available everyday… most of them will be two hundred bucks or less but I may slip in a really nice big painting every now and again just to make things interesting. Visit the link in my bio to make this one yours. I ship for free is the US and all taxes are paid.
If you want to be ahead of the game, you can select Get New Art Alerts on the bottom left of each webpage to be notified as soon as I post a new painting. The paintings do go quickly. Also check stories on my instagram for a sneak peak at the next day’s little jewel.
