A Remarkable 1st Year - Taming the James River & Discovering the Sun

A few months in I discovered a plein air subject with few equals - the rising sun!! It would be a major influence on me going forward. I already spent a great deal of time painting the James Rivers intercity rapids.

Taming the River

 #29 James River Rapids 8x10  (first one) oil on canvas panel completed en Plein Air 5/7/2009

 

#31 James River Rapids 11x14 oil on canvas panel Completed en Plein Air 5/8/2009

 

 #36 James at Belle Isle 8x10 oil on linen panel completed en Plein Air 5/13/2009

#179 James River from Belle Isle 18x24 Oil on linen panel completed Alla prima 11/30/2009

By the end of the first year the combination of many en Plein Air studies of the James River, the suns first and last 15 minutes along with many studio paintings resulted in more finished paintings like #179 James River from Belle Isle.

The sun was another story - difficult to photograph and only minutes between dramatic changes. 

I had a great sunrise most mornings out my studio window over looking an old farmers field. Very difficult to describe, but fair to say it was stunning and had to be painted. My favorite is when we get a morning fog or due, then everything glows. Those seem to happen frequently between May and June when the the nights are still cool, days are hot and we get late afternoon showers. My fist attempt #45 was a disaster! However I did get a grasp of how fast it moved. The sun has 3-basic colour changes, hot coral, yellow/gold (heat) and finally a lush cream before it settles to the normal blinding light we need sun glasses for. The series was called15-minute sunrise. Below is a sampling of both the en Plein Air and studio paintings resulting resulting from the series.

 The Sun and 15-minutes

 #45 15-Minute sunrise (first one) 8x10 oil on canvas panel completed en Plein Air 5/23/2009
Note: this is the 3rd lush cream stage - I was chasing the sun with a late start.

 #54 15-Minute Sunrise 8x10 oil on canvas panel completed en Plein Air 5/30/2009

 #76 15-Minute Sunrise 8x10 Oil on canvas panel competed en Plein Air 6/23/2009 6:30am

 

 #78 Randall Sunrise 11x14 oil on canvas panel completed Alla prima 6/23/2009 (from study)

#82 15-Minute Sunrise  8x10 oil on canvas panel completed en Plein Air 6/25/2009

 

 #88 15-Minute Sunrise 8x10 oil on canvas panel completed en Plein Air 6/28/2009

 #107 15-Minute Sunrise 8x10 Oil on canvas panel completed en Plein Air 7/12/2009

#132 15-Minute Sunset (Libby Terrace) 8x10 oil on canvas panel completed en Plein Air 8/8/2009

 #182 Belle Isle Quarry - Last Light 16x20 oil on linen panel completed Alla prima 12/7/2009

Winter Sun

 #190 15-Minute Sunrise 8x10 Oil on linen panel completed en Plein Air 12/22/2009

#192 15-Minute Sunrise 8x10 oil on linen panel completed en Plein Air 12/23/2009

 #197 December Dawn 16x20 oil on linen panel completed 12/29/2009

At years end I was comfortable with the sun and frequently use an actual sunrise for my studio painting - after all it's right outside my studio window!

Artist organizations, Art as a Competative Sport & Validation!!

One of my power points was to join artist organizations and become involved.

Early 2009 I looked for a local en Plein air group, but at that point Richmond didn't have one or one I could locate. It would come much later in 2010 (they found me via OPA). I did find several online en Plein Air blogs, such as Southern Plein Air Painters which I readily joined. I soon started posting my en Plein air paintings and writing brief descriptions every few days. I still post all my en Plein Air paintings and occasionally sell one. It allowed me to see what others were doing and it led to other links. It also put me on Google search engines...very cool.

Websites

While surfing I came across a few artists web sites and those led to others, but the first one that caught my interest was one a en Plein Air painter who had a rather smart looking site, it included a link to Fine Art Studio Online. Good timing, I needed a web site as one of my first year goals and FASO fit the bill. FASO was very inexpensive, user friendly, newsletters, contests, hundreds of artist
world wide - quite complete. I've been with FASO for several years it now has a significant membership. Great break material, I could look at the best of breed and see what they were doing and compare my art against theirs. I could see my short comings and would go back and work on it until I was happy....eventually I could see snippets of their short comings........PROGRESS!!!

Competitive sport

I started entering the FASO Bold brush monthly painting completion. Before this, I never looked at art as a competitive sport, but when you think about it, it clearly is!! You do plan and you do scheme for position, you do ask yourself "why did this painting get picked over mine"? Better yet when you do get picked - Wow!...I got their attention!! I must be doing something right. It's all about validation! I found solid feedback to be the hardest part of painting to find. I never knew if I was on the right track or not. As a designer I knew what worked on a wall, but as a painter I needed outside validation. The monthly contest was invaluable in this way to my growth and maturity as an oil painter - my bar was continuous raised and will continue to do so.

Juried shows

Soon after I started with FASO I noticed different shows and organization the top players belonged to and again got in the game. Mid 2009 the first major organization I joined was Oil Painters of America (2-annual events). I entered the 2009 Eastern exhibit and accepted!!....I was stunned...that was a good day!!

FIRST VALIDATION

#126 Richmond - Libby Terrace Sunset 18x24 Oil on linen panel completed Alla prima 8/4/2009

The evening before, I was painting en Plein Air the sunset at Libby Terrace. I completed (2) 8x10 panels and shot maybe a 100 photos. I used the photos, studies and my fresh memory painting Libby Terrace in my studio the next morning.

A Good Case for en Plein Air….But on our “Best Walls?”

 "Golden walls"

Speaking as a designer, probably not, but as an artist I came to understand en plein air is a very useful learning tool. My first year required me to redevelop my painting skills, basically relearn everything, because as an artist I eventually wanted to paint for the "best walls". As a designer I knew rather quickly not all painting are worth hanging. As an artist I have different reasons to paint beside “those golden walls”. As a designer the process moved much faster than it might otherwise – I knew the end product I wanted on the "Golden walls". En plein air was critical to the outcome. I did my homework!!

 “Know your subject”

It was clear if I wanted to paint fast running water or an even faster changing sun it had to be studied first hand and understood – “Know your subject” is true of anything you might want paint!! I wouldn’t leave a subject until I reached my goal or taken it as far as I could. I’m a rotation painter (multiple subjects) if I understand the shape I can paint it! Each rotation got better. I just keep adding new subjects, currently its portraiture, my first move was to join the Portrait Society of America and enter the 2011 international portrait contest. I enter three paintings – two which were painted exclusively for the completion. None made it to the finals, but very few do. I then had all three critiqued – a service of the society. Former 2000 Best in show winner and master portrait painter Margaret Carter Baumgaertner did the critique. (a bit scary) I wanted to know my short comings so I could work on it for the 2012 competition. I always could do portraits but never tried from life tho. Generally I knew my subject so it passed as my three entries did. I thought I was going to get clobbered, but I did OK, well better than OK. She gave me a great deal of useful information and recommended life painting. I knew en plein air worked so I recently started painting from life. The first go was bit rough, but the second time went very well. I’m at the front end of this project, but I approached each subject the same way…. I can tell you it works!

"First portrait  since 1967"

 #156 Chris 24x20 oil on canvas 10/3/2009 was my first portrait since 1967

I thought it might be of some interest - my original style was back within 7 months of my first painting. The heavy clumsy textural style seen in my stinkers collection is no longer evident - I think it developed during the pallet knife years and seemed to hang on each time I reopened my paint box.....surly why I closed it each time. When I started painting the sun each morning the heavy textural approach gave away to my more natural fluid style.

My 3 submission to the Portrait Society of Americas 2011 International portrait competition

#159 John & Chris 20x24 oil on canvas completed Alla prima 10/8/2009

#439 Julie Adler Sparage 30x30 oil on linen Completed 2/16/2011

#442 Gene Ruark 36x30 Oil on linen Completed 2/25/2011

FIRST (3) LIFE PAINTINGS

#526 20-minute life study 10x8 oil on linen Completed Alla prima 5/26/2011

#527 Two hour life study 20x20 oil on linen Completed Alla prima 5/26/2011

#542 Terry - life study 3-hours 20x16 oil on linen Completed Alla prima 6/14/2011

Painting requires a real confidence in your ability to do something. Painting while pleasurable is a very serious undertaking, it's complex, very competitive and now globally marketed. It's a very demanding mistress!! Obviously my simple plan expanded dramatically during the first year...LOL

Why Plein Air? The stinker period!!

Why plein Air? 

At first I really didn't know, but I knew my few paintings completed  in Plein air felt better than those in the studio. It made sense to continue on.....

My 4th and 5th were studio paintings,true stinkers!!! I used one of my photos and one heisted off Flickr (by chance) while looking for places in Virginia to paint. The search for  suitable places to paint clearly was the first real challenge!

A FEW STUDIO STINKERS!!

#4 Mirasol 8x8 Oil on canvas panel 
Completed Alla prima 3/27/2009

#5 No-title 20x24 Oil on canvas panel (palette knife) 
Completed Alla prima 3/29/2009

ONE OF MY FAVORITE

A friend has a place at Fishing Bay. I drove down with an eye out for suitable material. I also carried my paints and camera, during my visit I painted #6 Ruark Loggia en plein (water view was cold and grey) that day I got my first taste of really cold meant – even colder on the water. Even so, I got a painting I still like today. Later I made it a gift to my host. 

#6 Ruark Loggia 11x14 Oil on canvas panel Completed en Plein Air 3/31/2009

After this I did a few more in the studio, but felt it wasn’t working, I needed more information than just my photos. I went back out to my first plein air location, Libby Terrace (very close to me) a park high up on a hill with commanding views of Richmond and the James River. April is still cold in Virginia – I could handle 50 degrees for a bit more than an hour but by mid-April the days were getting better and the trees were starting to bud, even some flowers. 

Better days ahead…..

The plan and Plein Air

Once I decided on painting as a career and before my 2^nd painting I had a simple plan with set goals – at the end of the day I knew what I wanted out art!!

The original plan was a simple concept, become a financially successful oil painter with an international reputation, paint at least 5000 canvas, leaving those not sold in a trust for the benefit of my family and also included an endowment to the arts supporting emerging artists. I allowed 15 years for the entire project.

I Know 5000 sounds like a big number and it is, but the number is based on on my average out put. Not an unrealistic number for a daily painter or in my case also an Alla prima painter (one session or all at once). The only exception is my larger works which may require several sessions.

YEAR ONE

These 3 power points turned out to be the key and from this list it evolved very quickly into a more refined plan producing a solid platform. The first years results were stunning and beyond my expectations.

• Redevelop my skills as a painter
• Web site as a launching platform
• Join professional artist groups - meet other artist and become involved

PLEIN AIR

I needed a good quality product to sell so that became my first project and priority. I allowed one year relearning everything I knew or thought I knew about painting - basically redeveloping my skills as a painter. Plein air seemed like a good place to start and looking back it was a good choice. As proof - my very first en Plein Air painting (#2) and my last (#548) completed last Friday at the VPAP (Virginia Plein Air Painters) monthly paint-out at Tuckahoe Plantation. As you can see by the numbers I have 4452 paintings to go:=)

#2 Libby Terrace 8x8 completed en Plein Air on 3/18/2009

#548 Tuckahoe Plantation
8x10 completed en Plein Air at the VPAP paint-out on 6/24/2011

I don't know what the tree is, but its "very yellow" and had to be painted! We had at least 25 artist in attendance - special thanks to Marla Colman (VPAP founder) and Stella Jones our host for the day.

Tuckahoe Plantation is a privately owned historic property, a working farm, and the boyhood home of Thomas Jefferson. It has lovely pastures and meadows (with cattle, sheep, chickens, horses, etc.), extensive formal and informal gardens, lovely old outbuildings, a historic house (tours are by appointment only), and a wooded slope down to the canal and the James River. There are bathrooms in the old stable, found in a collection of outbuildings near the house. There is plenty of shade, if the day is a hot one. It is a peaceful location, full of paintable scenes.

http://www.tuckahoeplantation.com

It started with a simple painting and a business plan with goals

Today I decided to start a blog about one of the most fascinating career choices I ever made, pursuing a career as an oil painter. In this post I’ll only give you a little background on how it started. 

 

I started out as a painter in my early youth, as a teenager I made money at it and continued to do so up until I turned 35. I was also a successful commercial designer. By the way this was a great combination if you also worked. I made an interesting choice to drop Oil painting, I never did anything as a hobby and it included oil painting. I knew if I wanted to go to the next level (whatever that was) I would have give it 100% of my time. It would also be fair to say I leveled out or lost interest so it was probably an easy choice.

Over the following decades I opened my dusty paint box twice, after 20 or 30 paintings later I would close it again. Not that I couldn’t paint, I just didn’t see it leading anywhere. It wasn’t about time, because my time was always my own and my paintings sold in the past so I had no financial constraints. I believe it lacked a serious challenge, no goal, and no real reason to do it other than a pastime and I didn’t need a pastime!! As a designer I had the creative issues covered. I was dealing with space light and colour and I spent a life time manipulating it... How could a painting compete? Then it couldn’t!!

Everything changes with time and I got weary with design projects, to counter the boredom I would only do projects I’d never done before. That worked for a few years. Then I got lucky. The California economy went in the toilet and as a designer “we are a luxury item” and “we got shelved”!!...Lucky!!! Well…at first I didn’t think it was funny, but it happened fast and the timing was right, besides I was finished with it (design) and no intentions of hanging on for what might be a long recovery process. One day, and I don’t completely remember why I opened my paint box (now totally unusable). I resupplied it, got a few canvas panels and cheap little table easel and on March 16^th 2009 I painted my first Alla prima (all at once) canvas in two decades.

#1 (no Title) 14x18 oil on canvas panel 3/16/2009

As you can see it wasn’t that bad, in fact if it were for sale today it might even fetch a price. The real value of this painting is not the money it might bring but that it got the ball rolling. The big question for me was “where could I take it”. The following day (after sleeping on it) I developed a simple business concept with goals and the game was on!!