Thursday, September 27, 2007

Old Truck put to Pasture- Oil Painting 12"x 12"

Well...one more...
this one took a couple days instudio...a dab here
and there...

12"x 12" oil-






















Be sure to click on the image to see a much larger and
satisfying view!

Any questions on purchasing my work, feel free to contact
me. I understand most have recovered from my bite. ;^)

Sunday, September 23, 2007

2 plein air weekend, UP Michigan...Lake Superior

It was a most gorgeous weekend in Michigan's Upper
Peninsula...at our cabin, and along the shores of Lake
Superior.

The first is a 7"x 12" oil...on birch panel













this second, done this morning along the northeastern
rocky shores of Presque Isle, just north and part of
Marquette, Michigan...

...a 9"x 12" oil on primed birch panel...

















Click on the paintings to see a larger image view

Friday, September 21, 2007

Many Days Cold & Abandoned























7"x 5" oil...

Heavy textured panel...then primed, undertone with a pinkish
orange color with turps. Letting bits of the warm undertone
coming thru throughout the painting to unify it...and contrast
with cold of snow. Click on image to see larger image, and the
textured surface with paint will be easily understood.

Thursday, September 20, 2007

Old GMC...

Abandoned old trucks...old boats, broken down sheds and
buildings...all fun stuff....

5"x 7" oil

Tuesday, September 18, 2007

Tired...Old, Near Forgotten Ford Truck Oil Painting

Old vehicles seen in fields around rural areas, often parked
and left for years behind old sheds or barns...just have a
charm about them that immediately stirs up the imagination
to the past. This one certainly has that charm, at least to
my eye...

a 5"x 7" oil
















I recommend clicking on the image and see the larger one
for ideal color and better sense of brushwork...thanks!

Friday, September 14, 2007

Not a Bato...but..I'll paint just the same...

I scraped a paint panel off after painting this afternoon,
and my first painting scraped off perhaps in 20 years or
more that I can remember. I came to the conclusion I
might learn something about light, or find some inspira-
tion in Bato's work...but, I'm no Bato. I'm no Clyde Aspevig,
or Scott Christensen either for that matter. Love seeing
what is working for other artists and figuring out why.

I decided I needed a quick effort to recover my ego, so
I went back to my roots. No...its not a 200 hour painting
but it is a duck, a drake bluebill painted very much like
my early work.

This oil sketch is 5"x 7" and painted in about an hour's
time.

















Its not at that state of submission-like perfection
I would work on for a competition stamp entree, but it
was fun...and I kept it brief and simple. Quick...and in
a sketch like state. What might be fun to do, is try one
counting my brushstrokes like I did about a year ago on
a half-dozen subjects. Such really gets you thinking about
the brush work...

Thursday, September 13, 2007

2nd Attempt...Bato influenced...a Bear

Well, not there yet...but gettin' there. Not fully happy with
the water. For one, I'm known pretty much for how I paint
water...but there is no fussin' in Bato's method, and I can't
seem to shake the need to fuss. To not fuss, and yet get
the essence of it. Think this will drive me crazy!!! Might
have to change the name of my blog to "Artist Gone Mad!"

But, I did get I think a pulse on what Bato is doing now.
I had to pay attention to his color, and then it hit me. It
seems most of his paintings are based on an analogous
color scheme palette. That is...he has about three colors
that are neighbor colors, then uses the complement of that
plus black and white.

So, while not quite happy with the water totally (I'll work
with it till I like it better), I think I'm getting something
here. I chose several blues..in their tinted form, violet
blue to a slight greenish/blue with a pastel or tinted form
of yellow-orange or pinkish orange. Check out Bato's work
yourself, see if you might not agree...many are analogous
in color.

This one, 8"x 10"...and not quite yet finished...but interesting
enough to share and report progress...and you must, you
simply must click on this one to see larger. The color and
brushwork will impress you totally different and you will see
more what I was doing!!!

Wednesday, September 12, 2007

Now for Something Completely Different!!!

Well...its that time once again to experiment, push myself
in directions unfamiliar, discover what I can and implement
thereafter what I find useful and pertinent to me as an artist.

I have been taken in by a Russian Artist, whom Californian
artist Bill Wray has introduced us to on Wetcanvas.com, his
name is Bato Dugarzhapov and I suggest if
you check him out, do take time to look thru a good many
pages of his work. At first you may not get it...but using a
lighter light key in many of his work, he suggest so stinkin'
much appearing to do so very little!

To make it easier, I have a thread going at Wetcanvas.com in
the Animal/Wildlife art forum...where you can see examples
of Bato's that speak to me...and some works of my wildlife art
for comparison. That is, if this whole experimental push thing
interests you. Just click on the word Wetcanvas.com above.

I decided tonight, I would take a 5"x 7" panel, mix up a
simple palette in a higher light key than I might more
likely use. It certainly is NOT Bato enough...but I was
inspirted by Bato's work to try something looser, more
suggestive.

Some artists fear such experiments, or especially sharing
such things, but the art instructor in me asks "why not let
you come along on the journey with me?" ...so, I tend to
take risks perhaps in what others might think of my work.

In truth...I act like a teacher giving myself assignments,
knowing it has been said that a "mind stretched can never
return to its former dimension"...and I stand to learn
something valuable. I can do such believing that what I
experiment on does not ultimately HAVE to DEFINE ME.

My wife and I recent spent time on the Pine River, at
La Salle Falls in NE Wisconsin, and while there I envisioned
black bears visiting the spot. Here is my "BATO" driven
first attempt...

Please, by all means click on this image to see a much
better larger image. The brushwork and color will make
much better sense.

















available at Moondeer & Friends Gallery-
(Boulder Junction, WI)

Sunday, September 09, 2007

Chicago Art Institute- Lion...Nocturne Plein Air Oil Painting

Well...four hours of sleep Friday night got my wife and I off
to a slow start to drive down Saturday, not getting to my son's
place until about supper time. After eating...he wanted to go
paint plein air. Getting dark, we first walked about eight blocks
to a Walgreens and we bought several clip on lights for our hats.

I wanted at first to paint on Wilson Ave about a half-block from
a McDonalds, the arches a cool urban light against a backdrop
of a building and interesting evening glow. Turns out the
neighborhood had a number of shootings this past week...could
well be initiation activity of gang members choosing the homeless
for targets. Didn't take too much for my son to talk me out of
that area! :eek: :D

So...we hopped the famour "L-train" around 9-9:30 pm...and set
up in front of the Chicago Art Institute. I was quite caught up with
the light hitting one of the famous lion sculptures that grace the
steps leading up to the art museum, and the lights of cars,
sidewalk lights and such. We painted until about 1am...drawing
a surprising attention to ourselves. At least twice, we had people
asking my son and I if we were in a race...or racing?
Strangest question!

Here was my effort, a 9"x 12" oil...


















Original- SOLD!
Buy a giclee print of this work at Imagekind!

Click on the image to see a larger more satisfying view!

I chose a split-complementary palette of a yellow-orange
(as my dominant)...with violet and blue as my split-comps, plus
black and white. Yep...that's right, for this one I told my son to
bring along a tube of black paint in case I opted to use some.

I toned my birch panel a yellow-orange to start.

Took us about 25-30 minutes for the L-train to get us
downtown...but took about 1 hr and 40 minutes to ride it
back to my son's area. We couldn't believe how slow it was
going back...as if we weren't tired enough! Got to bed
around 3am...

My wife and I drove down for one grand daughter's birthday,
turning four...and the grand daughter/baby getting dedicated
in church. That meant about 3-1/2 hours of sleep. So...driving
about seven hours home wasn't the easiest!!!

Had a lot of fun though. I could really get into painting urban
scenes around Chicago at night. The glow, colors were quite
fascinating. More than enough city adventure for this northwoods
boy!!!

:)


Larry

Thursday, September 06, 2007

Plein Air Oil Landscape Painting- Last Hour River Light

Well...it's been a little while, with school starting back up
in sesson, preparing for students, lesson plans and so
forth...but I've been chompin' on the bit to get out and
paint. Might be painting with my son, Jason...down in
Chicago this weekend. Take our gear somewhere
to paint outdoors, and didn't want to feel rusty!

A lovely light tonight. Premixed all my colors, value
driven...then turned loose on it.



















8"x 10" oil on pumice/gesso birch panel-

Click on the image to see a larger view