Pen 'N Paint on Art

Painting Beaches in New England

2012-01-26T05:46:00.000-08:00

I love to paint beaches in and around New England. What's great about New England beaches is that they are all so different looking. Some are rocky and some are very sandy and white, while others are tan or a deep tawny rose, covered in seashells and old driftwood. There are beaches that are barely there while others stretch for miles. A number of them are lined in seaweed; others are interspersed with boardwalks, retaining walls, or even huge sand dunes. Here and there, you will see retaining walls with houses built right up to the edges. The views must be breath taking, but a little scary in a storm. Maine's beaches are interspersed with huge boulders that sport some great crashing waves, but if you go a little south to Cape Cod, you will see nothing but huge mounds of sand dunes all along the coast. The coast line of Connecticut is a mix of both rocks and sand, but it doesn't have the pristine beaches of the Caribbean. It does have interesting views of salt marshes, beach bungalows, and boat moorings. You can almost always find someone walking their dog, or children playing in the sand or water, even in the cooler months. It's often a surprise when I go beach hunting, so I keep an open mind, because it's always changing.

The above painting is in nearby Milford, CT, during high tide. I loved the way the sand wound its way out to sea, and the interesting blue-green rocks that lined the coast in one area. The area does have a tiny beach, which I will explore at a later date.

Hockey Game

2012-01-16T12:58:00.000-08:00

I set out to paint at a favorite spot hoping to catch a good snow scene. There's a really nice pond near where I live and I thought that the icy surface and the snow scenery around it would make a good picture. When I arrived, several young teenage boys were clearing the ice and getting ready for a fun neighborhood hockey game. I decided to set up and paint them. They were very nice about it and were quite curious about what I was doing. How lucky I was to have such a interesting diversion from my normal everyday landscapes. The players' clothes added a punch of bright warm color to the blues and purples of the winter snow. I am finding that I enjoy adding people to some of my paintings. I feel like they add life and enhance the surroundings.

Making My Own Panels

2012-01-12T06:16:00.000-08:00

I like to make my own panels rather than buy them from an art store. I can control the quality and texture of the panels this way and I happen to like the canvas covered type the best. I started by making them with Masonite, but have lately been using lauan, which is a thin and light birch plywood. Lauan is cheap but it is also light and easier to cut. Making my own boards is time consuming, but it is a cheap way to stock up on boards of all sizes. I can make around twenty 6’x8’ boards or around ten 9”x12” boards with one panel. These are the sizes that I prefer. For larger than this, I use stretched canvas. When I’m ready to make my boards, I buy a 2’x4’sheet of lauan at Home Depot, though I believe you can get larger sizes. This size is easier for me to transport.
Instructions:
Using a pencil and a metal straight edge ruler, mark out your measurements for the panels in pencil and then cut them on a table saw. Cover the boards with canvas. I use a medium or portrait grade canvas and measure out a piece for each panel with about an inch margin all around. To attach the canvas to the panel, I lightly drizzle Elmer’s glue on one side of the panel, getting it all over the panel as best as possible. Turn it upside down and use a brayer and press and roll it on the canvas surface until it is smooth without any air bubbles. Stack a group of heavy books on the panels and leave them to dry overnight. I like to use paper or plastic between the books and the table so that the glue doesn’t leak out and adhere to the surface. I usually stack the panels with the wrong sides together as well. The next day, apply glue to the margins and fold the canvas around to the back, carefully folding the corners inward.

I use medium bulldog clips to help hold the glued edges in place for a few minutes until it is set. Remove the clips and then stack heavy books on the boards as before. Finish the surface of each board with one coat of PVC glue. This gives the surface a seal that keeps the gesso and paint on top of the canvas rather than soaking through it.

Thin the gesso with one part warm water to one part gesso. Using a small roller, apply a thin coat of gesso to each panel. Let dry at least an hour, preferably two or more. Using a fine grade sanding sponge, sand the surface lightly. Repeat this exercise with two more coats, letting them dry for two hours and sanding the surface in between each coat.

Turn the panels to the wrong side. Using leftover house paint (latex is fine), apply a thin layer of paint to the back side of the panels. This keeps out moisture and prevents warping.

This supply will usually last me about a year. The panels are great for short plein air paintouts, field sketches that can be used for larger paintings, and for small still life paintings.I also like to stretch my own canvas, and use those throughout the year. In a later post, I will include my instructions for preparing stretched canvases.

Woodbridge Town Library Show

2011-12-09T06:10:00.000-08:00

I had a nice show at the Woodbridge Town Library on Tuesday night. It was nice to see the paintings under different lighting conditions and be able to view them from a distance. The feedback was very positive. Here's what the display looked like.

Street Painting of Guilford

2011-11-22T07:30:00.000-08:00

I finished this painting of the market in Guilford on the green. I love the way the sunlight bounced off of the buildings. Guilford has some quaint old shops in the center of town that are usually very busy and fun to visit. This painting is featured at the exhibit now on display at the Woodbridge Town Library, Woodbridge, CT.
Guilford Market, Oil on Canvas, 16"x20"

Auction Painting of Tomatoes

2011-11-18T06:15:00.000-08:00

I donated this 6x8 painting for the Northford Women's Club Dutch Auction. We do the auction every year, and I've been donating a small painting the last few years. The auction did very well. We had some nice hand made items as well as nice beautiful baskets. The proceeds go to the club's operating expenses. The winner was Carmel, our 85-year-old gem of a volunteer who always has nothing but good things to say about everyone. She is always so generous with her time as a volunteer and is incredibly active for a woman her age. She is thrilled with the painting and plans to give it to her son and daughter-in-law for Christmas.

Upcoming Exhibit at the Woodbridge Town Library

2011-11-11T10:51:00.000-08:00

I will have a new exhibit of my artwork at the Woodbridge Town Library in Woodbridge, CT, starting Saturday, November 12 and ending on December 31. I was able to get a bonus extension from one month to nearly two months. The exhibit will include a collection of new artwork never before on display, including landscapes, seascapes, and still life. I will be there in person on Tuesday, December 6, from 6:00 to 8:00 PM. If you get a chance to come by, I'd love to see you.

Painting shown: White Poinsettias, Oil on Canvas, 12x16, $400.

Eggplant, Lemon, and Egg

2011-11-07T10:26:00.000-08:00

My friend Frida picked this painting from the group of small paintings that I offered to my friends in Houston. I liked this one too. Eggplants are interesting vegetables and pairing one with a lemon, the opposite color on the color wheel, really worked.

Apple and Strawberries

2011-11-01T05:19:00.000-07:00

Here's another small painting that is going to Texas. One of my friends loves strawberries, so I figured that she might like this one or choose the one that is all strawberries.

Some Small Works

2011-10-31T10:33:00.000-07:00

I am visiting some friends this week in Texas. As a treat, I'm going to give each a small framed painting of fruit or vegetables. Here's one that I did of a peach and plum. I sent all of the paintings ahead to a friend. All of the mini paintings are 6"x8".

This one is one of my favorites. I had so much fun doing these little treasures. There was no pressure and I could work fast. I enjoyed exploring the colors as well. Hopefully, they will enjoy them.

Auction for Open Doors This Sunday

2011-09-13T06:34:00.000-07:00

The Open Doors and Windows of DT Milford Auction is this Sunday, at 4:00PM. The Milford Art Association will auction off forty windows and doors this year. There is a nice variety of styles and sizes to choose from. They will have some really delicious food there just before the show, so come early and enjoy the refreshments.

Here's a preview of this year's entries. Mine is the one on the first page, in the lower right-hand corner, with the swans on it.

More Open Doors of Milford

2011-08-10T06:12:00.000-07:00

I delivered my door last Saturday. It is nice to have it completed and delivered. The meet and greet party is this Friday evening at the Milford Arts Center. I will find out then which business will get my door for display. I do hope that it is going to be in the main drag area of downtown Milford. The open house night is coming up soon, August 19th. I really enjoy sitting out with the door and talking to passers by. I am going to bring some cards and brochures to give out. I also hope to make a map and hand them out to those who are interested.

I've been working on some street paintings lately. I really love to do street paintings. I get to practice perspective, which is always a good thing. People love trying to guess where the location is. So far, I've done one of Guilford, on the green, and Madison, in the downtown area. I would like to do one in Branford next.

I hope to get out to paint at least one day this weekend. The weather is supposed to be really nice. I just wish that summer would last a little bit longer than it does.

My Door for Open Doors and Windows of Milford

2011-08-01T12:44:00.000-07:00

This year, Open Doors of Milford expanded to include windows. I decided to again do a door, but I limited my painting to two scenes, one on each side. The side that you see here is of the duck pond in Milford, which is known for the swans, ducks, and geese that gather there all spring and summer long. The other side of the door is a twilight view of a pond covered with lily pads and flowers - kind of a zen moment. I will post a photo later of that. The door will be delivered on Friday.

The event includes an evening when all of the shops are open and all of the artists display their doors and windows outside on the sidewalk. It is a fun night. I enjoy meeting everyone and being in Milford. This is on Friday, August 19th. The auction is in September.

Open Doors and Windows of Milford

Abandoned House

2011-07-20T10:36:00.000-07:00

I started this painting a couple of years ago and put it aside. I just didn't like it. A couple of months ago, I worked on it some more and I like it a little bit more now. The house is owned by a farmer who lives next door. It is getting pretty old and sad looking, but it has some nice features like the side bay windows. I can imagine a large farming family living in it and growing corn and other crops and raising black and white milk cows in the surrounding fields back in the early 1900s. I hope that some day someone will tackle its remodel and restore it to its glory once more.

Fortress by the Sea

2011-07-12T09:26:00.000-07:00

Here's a painting that I recently finished of a house on Long Island Sound set high above a stone wall. I'm sure that it has a great view. I started this painting in the winter, so there was snow on the beach and some of the rocks. It is the only time of the year that you can see any part of the house. I struggle with rocks every time that I do them, but I figure that the more I try, the better they become.

"Fortress on the Sound" 16"x 20" oil on canvas. $440.

Lost Painting Possibly by Valazquez

2011-05-23T13:24:00.000-07:00

A painting was recently unearthed from a storage facility at Yale University by a junior curator named John Marciari. The painting, a damaged rendition of St. Anne teaching a young Virgin Mary to read, was identified only as Anonymous, Spanish School, 17^th century.

Marciari spent five years researching the painting, including consultations and analysis by experts, and then published his findings in the arts journal Ars in July 2010. He claimed that the painting seems to be the work of Valazquez. The story of the newly found painting hit newspapers around the world, including Spain’s leading daily newspaper, El Pais. In Spain, Valazquez holds a notoriety more renowned than all of the kings of Spain and he is considered the figure of Spain’s Golden Age, so this was big news.
There’s still a lot of controversy considering the attribution of this painting, some still not believing that it is by Valazquez, but rather an anonymous artist of the same period in Seville, Spain. The painting was on exhibit at the Yale Art Gallery for ten weeks from December 2010. Currently, the museum is trying to decide how to handle the restoration in a non-obtrusive way.
It would really be amazing if it were a true Valazquez. It will take a lot of work to refurbish the painting. A head was cut off at the top, so I can't imagine that they would be able to replace it.

Reference; Smithsonian Magazine, April 2011

Monet's Water Lilies

2011-04-04T08:50:00.000-07:00

The Wadsworth Atheneum in Hartford is currently exhibiting a collection of paintings by Claude Monet of Water Lilies. The exhibition started on February 17 and runs until June 12, 2011. Monet began painting water lilies in the late 1800s when he purchased a piece of land adjacent to his current home and built a water garden and Japonese bridge using the existing pond. He continued to paint the pond with the bridge and the water lilies until the time of his death in 1926. His style changed during this period, partly because of a cataract operation that helped to clear his vision. As a result, the colors that he used in his paintings became stronger and richer. Most interesting to me were the strong, definitive brush strokes and vibrant colors of his later works that you can’t see when looking at a photo in a book or magazine.

I attended a lecture held at the museum last week and found it quite lacking in information and rather strange. Charles Stuckey, a Monet scholar and curator for several art institutions, gave the lecture. His approach was to compare Monet’s work with other modern artists during his time, which I thought was a bit farfetched. Instead, it would have been more interesting to hear about Monet’s methods and professional progression as an artist through the years. The exhibit is definitely worth seeing, though I must admit that I wish that there were more paintings. I read that Monet painted over 300 water lily paintings, which is astounding.

Boats at Anchor by John Singer Sargent

2011-03-21T09:42:00.000-07:00

John Singer Sargent loved to paint the luminous effect of the water bouncing off of the hulls of boats in a harbor. He would get in a small boat and paint at almost water level boats in harbors from around the world. His works were executed in bold, strong colors with varying degrees of light colors to distinguish the hulls of the boats. He liked to paint on white paper, leaving portions of it showing for the extreme highlights. The diagonals of this scene draw you upward and inward from left to right and the large area of light color in the hulls are offset by strong dark contrasts in the water and the bridge. I particularly like the color mix of warm and cool, strong and light and also the bold brush strokes.

Winslow Homer and Watercolor

2011-03-09T06:14:00.000-08:00

Winslow Homer was an oil painter, but he was also known for being one of the best watercolor artists of all time. This watercolor, Boys and Kitten, was done on a summer working vacation in Gloucester, Mass. It is one of my favorites. His brushwork was fluid and the colors saturated, no doubt influenced by his career in illustration.
The subject matter of many of his paintings over the summer of 1873, that of children as they played, was one that he only touched on when painting with oils. His watercolors in Gloucester were also different from his previous work, the brush strokes are more free, less finished, with sharp patterns and distinctive light and shadows. This painting in particular almost divides the light from dark in half, with the left side being mostly light, the right, mostly dark, but the shadow pointing toward the subject matter.
He also started to use white gouache to separate the lights and darks. In fact, he applied opaque color in many of the watercolors of this period, building up from dark to light as if working with oil colors. It's a very interesting technique.

Photo from the book, American Traditions in Watercolor, The Worcester Art Museum Collection

Andrew Wyeth's "The Rope"

2011-02-16T05:49:00.000-08:00

When Andrew Wyeth moved to Maine, his work reflected the rustic, quiet and simple life of farming and open fields. His subjects were the instruments of the land and his neighbors Christina and Alvaro Olson, who were brother and sister. Alvaro was a fisherman and loved the sea, but when his father was too ill from arthritis to farm, Alvaro came home to take care of him and his crippled sister, Christina. Alvaro hated farming.

Wyeth’s paintings always tell a story. They pull you in emotionally to a scene, and invite interpretation. The Rope is a painting that on many emotional levels tells the story of Alvaro’s life and the unfortunate decision that took him away from fishing and the sea. Items from his life as a fisherman juxtapose with his life on the farm. The picture shows the dory stored in the haymow, a chicken crate that looks like a lobster trap sits on top, and nearby, a scythe sits on top of the clamming hod. The rope resembles a noose but also the pulley lines of a lobster boat.
Wyeth used a number of basic techniques when painting. He employed Sgraffito to some areas, scratching out top color to get at the paint underneath, and used his finger to smudge paint in others. This gave his paintings a raw look that emulated the hard farmer’s life. When Alvaro’s father died, and a year later, Alvaro and his sister died, Wyeth stopped painting the Olson farm. He said, “Without Alvaro and Christina, it’s just an object, nothing more-interesting perhaps, but not emotionally interesting.”

John Trumbull and Artistic License

2011-01-10T11:39:00.000-08:00

I was watching an HBO movie on John Adams over the weekend. At one point, the movie showed a scene where John Trumbull presented the painting that he did of the signing of the Declaration of Independence to John Adams. I think that he was expecting a positive response, however, he was disappointed. Adams pointed out that when the Declaration of Independence was signed, there was no assembly of men to witness the event. Signers came and went individually or in small groups, almost surreptitiously. So, Adams was a bit put out that Trumbull took artistic license with this. After all, he was a stickler for detail and historical accuracy.
It is a good example of an artist taking artistic license with history, and in my opinion, it went too far. I am all for adding or deleting items that might improve a composition, but in this case because paintings were historic depictions of events during this time in history, it implied false information about the event to the American people.
John Trumbull was an American artist during the time of the Revolutionary war. He painted many scenes of wartime activities and statesmen and was known for his historical paintings.
This painting is hanging in the Rotunda of the US capitol.

Color and Aerial Perspective in the Sky

2010-12-29T08:26:00.000-08:00

The sky itself, the lightest element in a picture, has different gradations, which causes variations in color and value from its highest point to the horizon. The reason for this is that the atmosphere for the sky at its highest point is the shortest distance with the clearest view. At the horizon, since the distance is longer, there are more “sheets” of atmospheric particles made up of gases between our eyes and the horizon. Like the colors of a rainbow, the zenith is a violet blue, as your eye turns toward the horizon, it changes to a truer blue, then a green-blue, a yellowish green, and finally a small strip of smoky warm rose nearest to the horizon, all the while lightening in value.

An exception to this is sunrise and sunset, where the horizon takes on more oranges, reds, and purples because of the sun.

The above picture is an exaggeration of the color changes in the sky under sunny conditions.

Aerial Perspective

2010-12-20T10:13:00.000-08:00

Aerial Perspective is the change in appearance on items brought on by atmospheric conditions and its effect on color distinction, contrast, value, and hue. The atmosphere is made up of varying densities of gases composed of water particles that are perpetually suspended, similar to a mist. These gases act like slices of films rather than a solid body that collect in layers between our eyes and the distant horizon. The more slices of films between us and the horizon, the more it will affect the hue, contrast, and strength of the items in the distance. It is said that all colors become cooler as they recede from the eye, except white. Cooler means that colors take on more blue as the distance increases.
For blue to increase, some colors must decrease. The first hue to decrease is yellow. Yellow alone and in mixtures such as brown, green, and orange, decreases as the distance increase, while violets and blues increase in intensity. For very long distances, such as those found in the mountains and large open spaces of the western United States, after the loss of yellow, reds will then also decrease and blues will finally prevail. Along with the change of hues, all things will become lighter in value as they recede from the eye.
What this means to an artist is that care should be taken to paint the nearer scenery darkest and most powerful in color and have more yellow and red, while items near the horizon should be painted in lighter values, and contain more blue, and less yellow, and desaturated reds. Edges should be softer, contrasts less distinctive. Whites, the exception, get warmer and darker as they recede.

This is my painting of Camden, Maine, from the park overlooking the harbor. The nearest trees were bright with autumn colors, but as the landscape recedes, the colors become lighter and the yellows start to disappear. The far horizon colors are purples and blues, devoid of all yellow.

Artist Reception, Woodbridge Library

2010-12-15T05:32:00.000-08:00

On Saturday, December 11, I had an artist reception at the Woodbridge Town Library, in Woodbridge, CT. It was a nice day, and I suspect that there were a lot of people out shopping for Christmas. I brought cupcakes, cheese and crackers, and drinks. A steady stream of visitors came by to see the 21-piece collection of paintings and to visit, so it was a nice time. I took advantage of the time to explain my art to some interested viewers, and I think that they appreciated it.

It’s important to educate the public about art and about your style and process. For example, I prefer to stretch and prepare my own canvas and linen, and my own boards. It takes time, but it is worth it to me. My style has evolved to become modern impressionist, influenced by some modern painters in the New England area and by European and American art of the 19th and 20th centuries.

While it is certainly a challenge, I also prefer to paint outdoors whenever possible, en plein air. There’s just nothing like the aroma of a soft summer breeze over a wild country field, the deep earthy dampness and pine scent of a New England woods, and the fresh ocean breeze rushing in to the shore. It really sets the mood for a painting and I think that my paintings are more successful when I am able to be on location. Sure, you have to deal with strong winds, sudden rain, and frigid temperatures sometimes, but you can also experience the warm, gorgeous sunny days that make you never want to stop painting.

While I didn’t make a sale at my reception, I did get a tip about a gallery to check out in a nearby town. A trip to the gallery on Sunday proved to be promising. I will go back on another day and speak with the owner about representing my art.

I consider it a successful reception, all in all. It was fun visiting with people and talking about art, and I was able to get some helpful feedback about my work and my progress. The library will continue to exhibit my paintings until December 30th in their beautiful meeting room. If you are in the area, come by and see it.

Finding Vanishing Points When Painting Outdoors

2010-12-07T05:58:00.000-08:00

According to Wikipedia, a vanishing point is a point in a perspective drawing to which parallel lines not parallel to the image plane appear to converge. The number and placement of the vanishing points determines which perspective technique is being used. The concept was first used by Renaissance artists such as Donatello, Masaccio and Leonardo da Vinci.

It is very important when painting outdoors to establish your vanishing points with objects, especially when painting buildings and structures. If you do not figure out your vanishing point early in your composition, your structure’s drawing may sit incorrectly and no amount of change, including values, painting technique, or even a great composition can fix it.
In my painting, "White Silo," the vanishing point is actually outside of the painting's left edge.

"White Silo" by Patty Meglio

Suppose that you are painting a building from a side view. A quick and easy way to figure out your vanishing point is to use your arms and feet as measuring devices. To do this with a building, face your building, and turn your left foot to line up parallel with the left side of the building. Raise your left arm and point it in the same direction as your foot, at eye-level. If you draw lines along your arm and from your foot outward, the point at which the lines meet will be your vanishing point. Do the same on the right side, with your right foot pointing outward parallel to the building’s right side, and your arm sighted along your eye-level looking towards the right. You now have two vanishing points from which you can measure the correct proportion of the sides of your building.

"The Last Supper" by Leonardo da Vinci

Leonardo da Vinci used perspective in this painting to draw the viewer’s eyes to Jesus as the star of his painting.

Da Vinci photo courtesy of Wikipedia.

Finding Your Horizon Line

2010-12-01T05:56:00.000-08:00

Perspective is a very important thing to grasp if you are a landscape painter, or for that matter, for any type of subject, even still life. However, to properly figure out vanishing points, aerial perspective, and reflections, you must know where your horizon line is. Understanding how to find the horizon line and to line up buildings and other objects properly to get the correct perspective is something that a lot of artists forget to do once they set up their easels. It’s very tempting to just throw some paint on the canvas and guess at the proportions, but you will end up spending more time scraping paint off and redoing your work if you don’t. Or, you will be disappointed at the results and not realize why it just doesn’t look right.

The first thing that you should do after you prepare your canvas is find the horizon line. To do this, you will need a straight object like a pencil or flat sided stick for measuring. I use a square edge dowel that is marked off with colored lines at one-quarter inch intervals. This dowel is about 12 inches long, with different colored marked lines for every inch. I use the different colored markings to measure and compare proportions of items in my picture. To find the horizon line, hold the stick or pencil out horizontally as straight as possible in front of you at your eye level. This will be your horizon line. If you are looking out from a high vantage point, your horizon line could actually be in the sky. Likewise, if you are looking towards a high point in a land mass, your horizon line will often be below certain aspects of the land mass or object.

You might want to do a few quick thumbnail sketches to figure out your design and where you would like to put your horizon line on the canvas. In most cases, it is best to avoid cutting the picture in half by centering the horizon line on your canvas. When you are ready, use a thinned transparent oxide red or brown or burnt sienna and draw the line, keeping in mind where your center of focus will be in your picture.

For my painting, Ship's Harbor, Maine, the horizon line is marked in yellow. This line was at my eye level from where I stood. I placed it high on my canvas so that I could focus on the rocks and grasses nearby and also so that I could include some of the water.

Part V: The Tour of the Boston Public Library

2010-11-19T13:31:00.000-08:00

The last installment of the Boston Public Library Tour series is the main reason that I wanted to tour this library in the first place. One of the largest and most controversial murals of all time is known as the Sargent Gallery. This 84 foot long, 23 foot wide, and 26 foot high space is actually a hallway between the Chavannes Gallery and Bates Hall. The atmosphere in this gallery is rather somber as is the subject matter, which is the progress of religion from pagan worship to modern individual freedom and spirituality. Named the Triumph of Religion, Sargent worked for years on the murals that depict Christian and Jewish religious scenes from the Bible and other writings. The figures depict the influence of pagan gods on mankind, and religious law, redemption, and guidance. Figures of the Messiah, Madonna, the blessed Trinity, and angels are painted in storybook style illustration in large murals high on the walls.

Sargent began the Triumph of Religion mural project in 1890 in Gloucestershire, England, and later, when he moved to London, he constructed a one-third-scale of the Library’s Special Collections Hall. Some of that construction still exists today. He made hundreds of preparatory studies in graphite, charcoal, and oil and sometimes added text to his murals from religious writings. He traveled extensively abroad for inspiration, visiting museums, and making sketches of historical monuments abroad. He copied Byzantine style painting, Egyptian and Greek art and hieroglyphics, medieval sculpture and European architecture.

Sargent used plaster and gold inlays for the first time on some of his murals to give them a three dimensional appearance. A crucifix is the most sculptural of all the pieces in the Hall, with the arms and heads of the figures rising outward completely from the wall.

The Synagogue panel was the subject of much controversy when it was displayed. Both Jewish and Christian individuals and groups urged its removal.

The Massachusetts state legislature passed—and then repealed—a bill to remove the picture. In 1924, two months before the repeal of the legislature’s bill, an unidentified individual splattered Sargent’s Synagogue with ink. Sargent and Herbert Thompson from the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, headed the restoration and were able to repair the damage done. Though it is unknown why, the controversy appears to have been the main reason that he abandoned Triumph of Religion before painting the planned keynote image, Sermon on the Mount. There remains one lone panel that is empty.

Another reason might be that after WWI, the artist’s metaphorical use of Jewish and Christian history and scripture to signal the progress of Western civilization from a pagan, dogmatic, and institutional past toward individual freedom and spiritual subjectivity became a less compelling subject.

The Triumph of Religion was completed in 1919.

Photos courtesy of the Boston Public Library.

Part IV: The Tour of the Boston Public Library

2010-11-08T10:41:00.000-08:00

From the Chavannes murals, we passed into the Bates Hall, which was featured in the film, "Good Will Hunting." The reading room was dedicated to Joshua Bates, who donated $50,00 for books for the library. It was simply decorated with green shaded reading lights that light the rows of plain wooden tables.
Occupying the whole front of the building on the second floor level and lighted by high arched windows, it is 218 long, 42 feet wide, and 50 feet high, to the crown of its barrel vaulted ceiling.
The next room that we entered was the Edwin Abby Room. This room held the murals of the Tennison version of the Search for the Holy Grail. Installed in 1895, Edwin Austin Abbey painted fifteen scenes from Tennison’s story and arranged them in a circle high up on the walls in this large room (64’x22’) that is now often rented for special events and parties. The ceiling is made of heavy ornamental rafters, and the floors are made of Istrian and red Verona marble. There are also two grand fireplaces made of red Verona marble.

The Holy Grail was fabled to be the sacred vessel from which the Lord had eaten at the Last Supper. Joseph of Arimathea had gathered the divine blood of the Lord’s wounds after purchasing it from Pontius Pilate. Its existence, its preservation, its miraculous virtues and properties were a cherished popular belief in the early ages of European Christianity. From twelfth-century narrators, Walter Mapes in England, ChrÈtien de Troyes in France, and Wolfram von Eschenbach in Germany, came folklore that the Grail was guarded for ages in the Castle of the Grail by the descendants of the "rich man," to whom the body of Jesus had been surrendered, where it awaited the coming of the perfect knight, who alone should be worthy to have knowledge of it.

King Arthur’s court first introduced us to the romances of the Holy Grail and to the perfect knight. To the one who possessed the Grail was granted the ability to live, and to cause others to live, indefinitely without food, as well as the achievement of universal knowledge, and of invulnerability in battle.

The scenes recount the journey of Sir Galahad and the knights of the round table to find the Holy Grail, and the mishaps, dangers, and triumphs along the way. Sir Galahad, always in red, the symbol of purity, eventually breaks the spell of Amfortas, the Fisher King, King of the Grail, and later frees the Virtues, maidens of the Castle of the Maidens. He remains virtuous and renounces every human desire, and is able to accomplish his mission. The Holy Grail appears before him and his soul is freed from his body.

The room is magnificent, the paintings are very powerful. If you have a chance to read the book and then see the paintings, do so.

Part III: Tour of the Boston Public Library

2010-11-05T06:16:00.000-07:00

Puvis de Chavannes (1824-98) was a French painter and the president and co-founder of the Société Nationale des Beaux-Arts. He was born Pierre-Cécile Puvis de Chavannes in Lyon, Rhone, France, the son of a mining engineer, descendant of an old noble family of Burgundy. Pierre Puvis was educated at the Lyons College and at the Lycée Henri IV in Paris. A journey to Italy inspired him, and on his return to Paris in 1844, he began his study as a painter under Eugène Delacroix, Henri Scheffer, and later under Thomas Couture. It was not until a number of years later, when the government of France acquired one of his works, that he gained wide recognition. In Montmartre, he had an affair with one of his models, Suzanne Valadon, who would become one of the leading artists of the day as well as the mother, teacher, and mentor of Maurice Utrillo.

His work is seen as symbolist in nature, even though he studied with some of the romanticists, and he is credited with influencing an entire generation of painters and sculptors. One of his protégés was Georges de Feure.

Puvis de Chavannes is noted for painting murals, several of which may be seen at the Hôtel de Ville (City Hall) in Paris, the Sorbonne, and the Paris Panthéon, and at Poitiers, as well as at the Boston Public Library in the United States.

His paintings were done on canvas and then affixed to the walls (marouflage), but their pale colors imitated the effect of fresco. He had only modest success early in his career but he went on to achieve an enormous reputation, and he was universally respected even by artists of very different aims and outlook from his own. Gauguin, Seurat, and Toulouse-Lautrec were among his professed admirers.

At the Boston Public Library, his mural designs were influenced by four academic categories: Poetry, Philosophy, History, and Science. His murals decorate the marble staircase leading to the second floor.

On the right-hand wall of the staircase as you enter appear in three panels Pastoral Poetry. Virgil, Dramatic Poetry. Æschylus and the Oceanides, and Epic Poetry. Homer crowned by the Iliad and Odyssey.

On the left-hand wall, three panels display more academics: History-attended by a Spirit bearing a torch calls up the Past, Astronomy-The Chaldean Shepherds observe the stars and discover the law of numbers, and Philosophy-Plato sums up in an immortal phrase the eternal conflict between Spirit and Matter. "Man is a plant of heavenly not of earthly growth."

On the end wall to the right and left of the windows there are two murals.

To the left is Chemistry (mineral, organic, vegetable): A process of mysterious change evolves itself under the magic wand of a fairy surrounded by watching spirits. To the right is Physics: By the wondrous agency of Electricity, Speech flashes through Space and swift as lightning bears tidings of good and evil.

In my next installment of this series, I will describe the Quest and Achievement of the Holy Grail.

Part 2: Tour of the Boston Public Library Central Branch

2010-10-29T06:12:00.000-07:00

The original site of the Boston Public Library was where the Colonial Theatre is today. The current site was built on what was once a swamp in Back Bay. Back Bay was filled in with hundreds of wood pilings before anything could be built on it. Many of the surrounding buildings are also structured above wood pilings sunk deep in the mud, and the water was extracted.

Inside the McKim building, the vestibule harbors a statue of Sir Henry Vale, Governor of Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1636-7. Three large bronze doors with sculpture reliefs designed by Henry French grace the entry way.

Iowa sandstone piers line three aisles of the entrance hall, which is a feast for the eyes. A vaulted ceiling displays thirty names of famous Bostonians, including writers, politicians, and community leaders, in marble mosaic. A seal on the floor of the lobby denotes the founders of the library, and signs of the zodiac in brass are inlaid in the center aisle. Everywhere there is marble and sandstone, in pale earth colors that are illuminated by mostly natural light from large windows from the second floor landing.

Connecting the Entrance Hall with the Main Staircase is a deep triumphal arch. The marble of the very polished steps is ivory gray Echaillon, mottled with fossil shells and the walls are a richly variegated yellow Siena marble.

The great twin lions, couchant, on pedestals at the turn of the stairs designed by Louis St. Gaudens are made of unpolished Siena marble. They are memorials to the Second and the Twentieth infantry regiments of the Massachusetts Civil War. My next installment will describe the paintings by Puvis de Chavannes at the top of the stairs.

Part I, Tour of Boston Public Library

2010-10-27T05:54:00.000-07:00

I recently participated in a tour of the McKim building in the central branch of The Boston Public Library. The Boston Public Library Central Library is located in Copley Square, a major hub of activity in the city of Boston. Established in 1848, it was designed to be a free library for the people, which was unheard of at the time. It was the first publicly supported municipal library in America, the first to lend books, the first to have a branch library, and the first to have a children’s room.

There are two buildings in the central library, the McKim and the Johnson buildings. Designed by McKim, Mead, and White, the oldest building known as the McKim building, is a huge mass of granite and marble with carvings and embellishments on the exterior and interior spaces that make it a work of art unparalleled today. McKim hired mostly American artists to create murals and sculptures that decorate the many rooms and lobby areas of the library, and the entrances. Minerva, the goddess of wisdom, graces the central keystone over the main entrance directly over the seals of the Commonwealth of Mass, the Library, and the City of Boston. The façade is decorated with the names of the great masters of art, science, religion, and statesmanship, and two large statues that represent Art and Science flank the steps leading to the entrance.

The Johnson building is the modern part of the central library and is only briefly described in the tour. Its architecture is not as impressive as the McKim building, though it does have modern amenities.

My next post will describe the interior architecture of the McKim building, which is very impressive.

American Modernists on Paper

2010-10-15T06:55:00.000-07:00

The Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art in Hartford, CT is currently hosting an exhibit of 100 watercolors, pastels, and drawings on paper by leading American modernists, called American Moderns on Paper. Some of the artists exhibiting include John Sloan, Georgia O’Keeffe, Edward Hopper, John Marin, Salvatore Dali, and Andrew Wyeth. My favorites of the show were two watercolors by Edward Hopper, Captain Strout’s House, Portland Head, and Methodist Church – so like New England and very cool angles, perspective, and color harmonies,

and a painting by Georgia O’Keefe, Slightly Open Clam Shell. O’Keeffe’s subtle use of color and softness inspire a curiosity to open the clam shell and explore the mystery within.

Another drawing that I thought was interesting was William Glackens’ Far From the Fresh Air Farm (East Side). It was packed with so much information so that there was very little white space and really spoke of a typical New York city scene, fast paced and energetic, even then. Eugene Berman did some nice sketches for the theatre and Granddaughter by Andrew Wyeth was inspiring both with color choices and composition. There was a nice mix of abstract and realistic art that was separated by different eras in history. Sections included Progressive and Avant-Garde artists (Demuth, Marin, O’keeffe, Dove), Regionalism, Social Realism and American Visions (Burchfield, Hopper, Bacon), Surrealism and Neo-Romanticism (Paper Ball, Calder, Blume, Tonny), and Postwar Abstraction and resurgence of Realism (Tobey, Wyeth, Kelly). Each section had a nice summary of that period in time and described the way that history affected the art of that period. You can see a slideshow of the exhibit and take an audio tour by going to http://americanmoderns.org/. Exhibit goes on until January 17, 2011. Be sure to see it.

Photos courtesy of Wadsworth Atheneum.

Visit to the Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute

2010-10-04T08:29:00.000-07:00

I visited the Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute over the weekend and was very impressed with their collection of American and European art from the 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries. There were fantastic paintings by Monet, Remington, Pissaro, Sergent, and Homer. What I really fell in love with was the Giovanni Boldini (1842-1931) collection. The Clark has the largest collection of Boldini paintings in America. His paintings at the Clark were mostly small, but done with an impressionist style that was intricate, colorful, painterly, and vibrant. He painted landscape and street life in Paris where he lived and was famous for his portraits as well.

Portrait of Mrs. Howard Johnston by Giovanni Boldini.
Sterling Clark settled in Paris and began collecting works of art, an interest he inherited from his parents. When he married Francine Clary in 1919, she joined him in what quickly became a shared passion. Together they created a remarkable collection of paintings, silver, sculpture, porcelain, drawings, and prints with complete reliance on their own judgments and tastes. In 1950 the Clarks founded the Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute as a permanent home for their collection, and the museum first opened to the public in 1955. Since its conception, the Institute has had a dual mission as both a museum and a center for research and higher education. It is in this spirit that the Clark has expanded over the last five decades to become the influential institution it is today.

A variety of special exhibitions is offered throughout the year, bringing together works from collections around the world and presenting them in intelligent, enlightening, and visually appealing installations. Recent exhibitions have included Dove/O'Keefe: Circles of Influence; Toulouse-Lautrec and Paris; Like Breath on Glass: Whistler, Inness, and the Art of Painting Softly; The Unknown Monet: Pastels and Drawings; Gainsborough, Constable, and Turner: The Manton Collection; Consuming Passion: Fragonard's Allegories of Love; and Remington Looking West.

The current exhibit is of John Constable, including works by his son, Lional. Coming in November, Albreckt Durer, the German Renaissance painter and printmaker. I highly recommend that you see this collection and their regular collection.

Picture courtesy of Artrenewal.com.

Designing a Bag for Support of CT Foodbank/Foodshare

2010-09-30T10:08:00.000-07:00

I recently broke down and bought an Intuos professional pen tablet for my computer. I had been thinking about purchasing one for a while now. I've struggled without one when designing some illustrations for a cookbook and for a logo for a flag project. While I'm not an illustrator, I love to design things and have struggled with the mouse for a while now.

I must say that it isn't an easy thing to learn because you can't watch where your pen goes on the pad, but rather you have to watch it on the monitor as you draw. At least that is true of the model that I bought, which is the Intuos4 medium. One thing I struggled with at first was resizing the monitor to fit my tablet size. Once I was able to do this, it went easier. I think that I will enjoy using the tablet, but it will take some practice. I would like to buy some of the extra pens with brush tips to go with it. It sure makes it easier to draw a design from scratch on the computer. I drew it in Photoshop in black on a transparent background and then converted it to white. The white will show up better on a dark background.

Here's the design and the bag for a promotion for the CT Food Bank through the Northford Women's Club and the North Branford Women's Club.

The bag with design in white.

The bag is an 8"x5" fold up nylon bag that you can easily tuck in your purse or carry bag and whip out when you are in a store. It comes in royal blue and black and goes for only $5, not including shipping. If you are interested, email me at info@northfordwomensclub.org. All profits go to supporting the GFWC/CT State Project, which is the CT Food Bank/Foodshare.

Workshop in Maine with Stapleton Kearns

2010-09-29T11:13:00.000-07:00

I went to Acadia, Maine last weekend for a three-day workshop with master painter Stapleton Kearns. The first day, we painted on top of some large rocks on the shoreline in Thunder Hole. It was warm and sunny mostly and quite pretty that day. Stape began with a demo with an underpainting in burnt sienna. He worked up a lot of the drawing into precise details. It was interesting to watch him use his large brush to work in the rocks and hills. He recommended that we work on the largest areas first, but keep working on different areas rather than finishing one area before going on to the next.

The next two days we spend painting at Ship's Harbor on the south side of the island near Bass Harbor. We had a short hike, though it seemed long when you had to carry a bunch of painting equipment, to a great spot near the water with beautiful pine trees hugging the shore. Both days were gray with mist and clouds, so it made for a softer, cooler painting. The colors were more intense but muted by the atmosphere, rather than a lot of light bouncing off of objects and desaturating the color.

Stape started out with a demo on the first day in Ship's Harbor with a purple underpainting, because of the cool light filtering through the picture. He then added color, working all over the canvas, bringing up one area and then another. Many of us had too short a range of values, with too little darks and too few lights. We tended to stay in the middle ranges. Perhaps the grayness of the day influenced our decisions. He did say that we needed to hone our drawing skills and work with larger brushes. He told me to take a value scale and compare it to photos of masters' paintings so that I can see their range of values. Getting the values right is not as easy as it sounds. I hope to take this painting and work on it more at home this week.

The group was a fun mix of artists and art lovers, all enjoyable to be with. It was small, there were only ten of us, which is the best size, I think. I even met an artist from Durham, the next town over from mine. That was a coincidence.
The rain kept threatening by the end of the day on Monday, so I packed up and drove home. I would have loved to stay another day, but not with a forcast of rain. It was a long drive, 7.5 hours, but it went okay. I will go back again on my own maybe next spring. I want to see more of the park and do some hiking. What a great place to paint and hike!

Open Doors Auction

2010-09-21T12:32:00.000-07:00

Well the Open Doors of DT Milford Auction was Sunday, Sept. 19th. There were 25 doors auctioned off, including mine. My door sold for $350, which is about average for the group. There was a nice crowd and really good food provided by area businesses. Bidding was fairly subdued for an auction, but the economy is affecting art like anything else. Rosemary Gordon of Gilded Lily got the highest bid for her door, which was over 2K. Here's Rosemary's door:

It was painted on glass with a type of cloisanne style application. Very pretty and colorful. I heard that the same couple that won the bid for Rosemary's door also won my door and two others. Rosemary's door will go in the couple's new Milford home, and the others will go to the couple's children.

So, on to next year and hopefully, the economy will improve and bidding will be better. The Milford Fine Arts Council benefits from 45 percent of the sales. They are a wonderful group of which I am a member.

Atwater Library Painting

2010-09-16T06:06:00.000-07:00

I painted this of the original Atwater Memorial Library building built in 1943. It was dedicated to Charles Atwater, and funded by his son, James. The new building that was just reopened after a year-long renovation project, is three times as large, and incorporates the old building.

They are currently trying to raise funds for the Rock Crusher, a painting that I did of the mamoth rock crusher at the Tilcon plant in North Branford.

Recognizing the Effort Behind Your Art

2010-08-27T11:35:00.000-07:00

What is talent? The Merriam Webster Dictionary defines talent as “the natural endowments of a person” and “a special often athletic, creative, or artistic aptitude” but, it doesn’t go so far as to say that some people are born with talent. So, are some of us just more inclined towards talent than others? And, if we are talented, how important is that in the scheme of things, especially to those who want to be successful in our artistic endeavors?

When showing my artwork, people who do not paint insist that they don’t have talent, but that I do and I must have been born with it. They tell me that this is why my work is superior to anything that they can produce. It’s very frustrating to hear this. I know that they mean well, but it’s rather insulting. They don’t take into account the many hours and years of work and study that it takes to produce a pleasing work of art. In fact, they dismiss this idea. This implies that talented people instantly produce good work from the start, which we all as artists know is not true. I spoke about this with a friend of mine who is an award winning floral designer and she agreed. No one sees the many lonely hours of practice, the frustrations of color mixing and design, and the countless disasters that end up in the trash. It took her years to perfect her style, in the form of hard work and hours of study.

While not obvious in the resulting work, all successful artists look to others sometime in their careers for guidance. The key is to find an artist that you want to emulate or learn from. And, the resources available to artists now are boundless. I’ve got pages and pages of notes and many work-in-progress photos taken in countless workshops and classes, and articles of all kinds downloaded from the Internet. Anatomy drawings with diagramed measurements are taped to my cabinet doors. My bookshelves are filled with how-to books on art, art philosophy, museum books and biography books on artists that I admire. Many of these books are riddled with yellow highlights, the pages dog-eared from repeated turning. I’ve got piles of old art magazines scattered all over my house.

As an artist, you have to develop a tough skin because you can’t progress without experiencing some frustration and disappointment. I’ve received countless rejections from juried shows and galleries, but I’ve also been accepted by some wonderful venues. I’ve had great experiences and learned a lot in artist workshops and classes, but I’ve also had to endure some harsh critiques from highly respected art instructors. As a student, you invite the criticism, knowing that the instructor is going to pull your work apart and leave you bleeding. But, without the critiques, your work can stagnate; a wall of doubt builds from not knowing how to fix something that you know is not right. You might not realize that the drawing is incorrect or even know how to correct it, or that the values are off. As much as you want a critique to help you improve your piece, you long for some scrap of approval, some small bit of encouragement that all is not lost. And sometimes, you are rewarded.

The day will come, as if an epiphany, when your work starts to improve. Slowly, you begin to unconsciously do things that you heard repeated many times in classes and read in books. It’s finally sinking in! You check your composition and values, your edges and focal point. Your way of seeing things change, and you learn to see things as a critical, conscientious observer. At the same time, you never stop learning and you never stop growing. But you don’t mind because you love every part of the creation process.

To be successful in any type of creative endeavor, you have to want to do it very badly and be willing to work hard and put a great deal of time in to achieve it. It’s not enough to have “talent.” You may have a creative tendency, but, just like anything else, you get out of it what you put into it. The harder that you work at it, the greater the rewards.

Open Doors of DT Milford Open House Report

2010-08-23T08:20:00.000-07:00

The Open Doors of Milford Open House on Friday night was a busy night for artists and shop owners. There were many people who came out to enjoy the perfect summer weather, packing the restaurants and bars, and taking in the tour of the doors. I had the perfect location, a very bustling corner with lots of traffic. I met some nice people, including artists, friends of the shop owner who came by to visit, and many area residents. My door got a lot of attention and admiration. The brownies went quickly, though I got no takers on my paintings. The shop owner, Martha Reed, was fun to work with. She did a lot of business that evening. We both encouraged people to fill out the application for People’s Choice for favorite door.

Now until the week of the auction, people can walk the tour on their own or take a guided tour on Saturdays up until Sept 11th. The doors will be inside the stores. After that, the doors will go to MFAC building. The doors will be auctioned on September 19th. It should be a lot of fun. I’m hoping for a big crowd.

Canvas Patch, where my door is located.

Open Doors of Downtown Milford Art Exhibit

2010-08-06T06:57:00.000-07:00

This is the door that I will be entering in the Open Doors of Downtown Milford Art Exhibit. I started my design and study in May by doing small studies of places in Milford that I enjoy and find interesting. Once I decided on the scenes that I wanted to use for the door, I chose a base color for the door, painted it, and started drawing my scenes using charcoal directly on the door. I decided to combine two themes that are prevalent in Milford.

One is the river that flows through the city to the ocean, along which a pastoral pond and park have been the site for numerous visits by residents. For many years, wedding photos were taken at the falls with its gorgeous pastoral view, and parents and their children come by to feed the ducks and geese.

The other theme is the sea, with the Milford Marina filled with all types of boats, and the sailboats out in the open sea on the bottom panel, and the popular Silver Sands Beach with Charles Island in the distance on the top panel.

I attached sound cards on each side, with recordings of geese and ducks quacking for Tranquil Waters and ocean waves and seagulls singing for Sea Breezes.

Please come by and visit me on August 20th. I will be there with my door and some additional paintings of Milford for sale. The auction in September is an exciting event as well. There will be food and refreshments and a lively crowd.

The finished door.

The falls in progress and then finished.

Closeups of each panel.

My Portraits From Liberace Workshop

2010-07-12T06:26:00.000-07:00

Here's three of the portraits that I did while in Brattleboro, during Robert Liberace's workshop. I feel like I did pretty well, considering that I have not done many portraits as of yet. I hope to do more, though. I bought his video and find it very helpful. I will refer to it over and over as I progress. His teaching is very precise and easy to follow.

Robert Liberace Workshop

2010-07-07T11:46:00.000-07:00

The Robert Liberace workshop in Brattleboro, Vermont was great. Robert shared his brilliant skills as a portrait artist with about 18 students at High Street Painters Studio for five rather hot days in June. The studio was divided into two areas, with two striking models per day. Setup positions for the students were picked by lottery out of fairness to all, though there were very few bad positions to speak of. Robert gave demonstrations each morning, for about two hours.

He lectured and demonstrated, all the time waving his arms in enthusiastic gestures. The students sat their attention rapt in his words, and soaked up as much information as they could. When it was their turn to work, Robert would come around and give pointers, all the while giving positive reinforcement and encouragement. Time flew by as day after day, students labored over their work, until all five portraits gradually appeared.

Robert did these two. I won the lottery for them, so I was able to purchase them. It will be great help when studying brushwork and value relationships.

Artist Workshop at North River Arts Society

2010-05-04T13:40:00.000-07:00

I took at workshop with Stapleton Kearns in Marshfield Hills, Mass last weekend at the North River Arts Society. The area was an old New England town with original houses from the 17th and 18th centuries. It is very close to the ocean with lots of salt marshes and wonderful views of islands off of the mainland.

The first day, we headed to the beach just south of Scituate. It was a test of wills with the wind, and somehow I managed to keep my easel upright, though I did have problems with the painting from the start. I was amazed at the stability Stape's Gloucester easel in the 59 mph wind. It didn't move at all. His setup looked stable and seemed light to carry. The Take-it-easel is a similar design.

The next day, we headed over to some salt marshes, as tried to quickly capture the view before the water drained down at low tide. The scenery was gorgeous, and you could see for miles across the water and marshes to an island in the distance.

Stape gave me some good pointers in design. He said to divide up the space into three spaces, Papa Bear, Moma Bear, and Baby Bear. Make one area the largest and most important, another secondary, and another, the smallest. Also, he warned against leading the eye off or too close to the edge. Think first of design, where the eye leads within the picture. He also tried over and over to get us to hold our brushes at the ends, with thumb pointed up for upward or side motions. For downward motions, hold at the end and pull down. But, pull and push the brush for light, easy strokes that don't destroy the work underneath.

For my sky, he had me take some very light peach and pull across in small patches to illuminate the sky and give it life. This is over the blue and white areas. In one painting in the beginning, he also took light peach and used it on the horizon line in a large swath, then mingled in blue and white at the top edges of this. He seems to have a lot of sky in his landscapes, but he never cuts the picture in half. To get the horizon line correct, he uses a stick or a brush to measure down from the top of the canvas.

I seem to make my distant land a bit too dark. Stape corrected this for me. I have to watch out for this. Also, put a line of lighter blue across the water near the horizon line to give the water some glimmer. Add darker tones for water ripples here and there, to counteract flatness.

The last day was spent at World's End, a nice island set in Nantasket. It was a wonderful day there, though the hike to the painting spot was hard work. I will definitely have to replace my glass palette with plexiglass or wood for large treks. We had a nice breeze off of the water that helped to displace the hot air.

The group was fun, and because it was small, we had great input from Stape and lots of attention. He liked to ask us what we learned, after each visit and day. It kept us thinking.

I think that the hardest thing when learning how to paint is to remember everything while you are out there. It has to become intuitive. I think that it takes years to develop this skill.

Tilcon Rock Crusher

2010-02-26T08:18:00.000-08:00

Last year, I went on a tour of the Tilcon facility in Northford and got an eye opener view of what has been one of the town’s largest industries for many years. Tilcon Connecticut Inc. is a leading supplier of crushed stone, hot mix asphalt, and ready mix concrete in Connecticut.

Giant rock slicers pierce big slabs of rock in the nearby quarry. Using monster front loaders, workers load the rock into huge dump trucks. The dump trucks deposit their loads into the rock crushers at the top and collect it at the bottom. I have long wanted to paint this enormous rock crusher, one of two in this location. It is a huge iron green machine, able to crush very large blocks of rock into various sizes of stone, depending on the order. Workers are able to enter and climb the rock crusher through a system of doors and stairways.

I was unable to get access to paint en plein air, so I was restricted to photos that I took from the bus and from across the street. I made up a couple of drawings before I started to paint just to get a feeling for the composition. I tinted the background with a mix of thalo green, ultra marine blue, and transparent oxide brown. I began by blocking in shapes starting with the darks. The overcast sky and serenity of the scene belied the powerful force of the rock crushing jaws, and heightened the strength of the greens and shadows of the structure. The American flag, the only spot of bright color, is a tribute to patriotism probably put there just after 9/11.

Painting: Rock Crusher, 12x20, Oil on Canvas, $350.

Rembrandt Exhibit at Wadsworth Antheneum

2010-01-13T09:50:00.000-08:00

I went to see the Rembrandt exhibit at least three times at the Wadsworth Antheneum in Hartford. It is small but really special. As you might expect, you get so much more out of viewing a painting in person as opposed to looking at books or other reproductions. The brightness and livliness of the colors is incomparable. And, even more important, you get to see the brush strokes, which are quite deliberate and facinating. His self portraits are my favorites, the colors and design really stand out and demonstrate his brilliance. I bought the museum book on Rembrandt, which has wonderful photos of many of his works and details his life and experience as an artist. The museum also played an old movie of Rembrandt, starring Charles Laughton. The film takes you to 1642 at the height of Rembrandt's career and follows his life until his last year. It was pretty old and quite amateurish by today's standards, but the details were not that far off from official accounts of his life. What an interesting man he must have been.

This exhibit is going on through January 24, 2010. If you have a chance, go and see it.

Bocce

2009-12-22T10:13:00.000-08:00

I spent some time visiting an all male Italian club in Kensington, Ct over the summer. The club house has six full scale bocce courts in the back, complete with regulation clay surfaces and divided and marked lanes. The guys get together most evenings and even on the weekend, and play. They hold tournaments on certain nights during the summer, with a mix of men and women on Monday nights, a serious group of men who play on Tuesday nights, and a more casual group of men who play and mingle on Wednesday nights. The men are a mix of old Italian-speaking-only men to young Americanized men who have one thing in common: they all enjoy a good game of bocce.

There is a bar adjacent to the courts where they can get a cold alchoholic or soft drink, and a large outdoor grill is always ready to grill the hotdogs or hamburger meat that they keep on hand and cook as they please.

When I watch them, it takes me back to when, as a child, I watched my grandfather and father and uncles and their male friends gather in our back yard to throw some balls. My grandfather had a monogrammed set, made of granite or marble, in various natural stone colors, so unlike the commercial sets that you see in the stores. I decided to paint the scene of the men playing bocce, taking into account their concentration and attention to the details of the game. I'm hoping to do a series next year.

Things That I Remind Myself When Painting

2009-12-10T09:58:00.000-08:00

It often seems so simple when an instructor shows me how to improve my work. They make it look so easy. What's worse is that I tell myself, "I know that, why didn't I do that?" I think that some of these things are not yet intuitive, or maybe they just are not yet ingrained in my memory. Perhaps after a few years, they will just pop to the surface.

I am starting, very, very slowly to see things that need improvement in my and other artists' painting. Still, I know that I don't always see things the way the experts see them.

Some items that I need to remind myself when painting:

When composing a painting, design a direction that will lead the eye into the painting and keep it there.
Soften edges to allow items to fade into the distance or to become less important.
Sharpen a few edges to pull the eye to the desired areas.
Use highlights sparingly.
Distribuite colors around the canvas rather than containing them to one area. This unifies the design.
Bring in background color for shadows and to help to add dimension to items.
Watch for curved items and remember to blend dark to light to establish three dimensions.
When painting leaves, use a large brush and add the color in one big swipe. Later go back and add details but keep it simple.
When painting reflections, especially in water, the reflected image is slightly lighter and less defined than the image being reflected.

Club Auction Painting

2009-11-28T08:53:00.001-08:00

The Northford Women's Club held their annual Holiday Auction in November. I donated this painting of a china cup and saucer. My friend, Michelle, bid the highest and she now owns this little gem.

The auction raised more than ever before, and was a lot of fun.

"I'll Have Coffee" - Oil on canvas over panel, 6"x8"

Raffle Winner

2009-11-08T10:45:00.000-08:00

This teapot painting was raffled at the 47th on the Green show in Glastonbury. It is a 6"x8" original oil painting, on canvas over panel. The winner is Nancy Cretaro of Manchester, CT. Congratulations, Nancy!

Maine Coastline

2009-10-28T10:22:00.000-07:00

This is a painting that I did on a trip to Maine last year from high above Camden Harbor. It was so scenic, but very difficult to do a painting from above and from a long distance. I started it there, but put it away until recently. I now have more information on how to adjust color and tone for distances, so the resulting painting is much better.

I went up to Maine with a couple of other friends to visit a friend who was staying at her husband's sister's house there while they were away. It was so pretty there. I especially loved Camden for its charm.

Oil on Canvas over panel, 9"x11", $300.

Charles Island

2009-10-23T17:58:00.001-07:00

Silver Sands Beach in Milford has a nice boardwalk with marshes filled with wildlife and a nice strip of beach from which you can see Charles Island. It was named after Charles Dern, a former owner of the island. There is a sandbar that extends out towards the island, making it nearly accessible by land during low tides. This was a crisp fall day and the winds were really kicking up. It was perfect weather for sailing.

"Charles Island" 9x12 $295 Available at Something of Bev's

Tilly Foster Farm

2009-09-09T12:58:00.000-07:00

I took a workshop with Marc Hanson recently at Tilly Foster Farm in Brewster, NY. It was a great workshop. There were 13 of us, all very serious about our artwork. With Marc's direction, we all did a small black and white study, then did three different sizes of a view that we liked. Each time, I was able to work out the details and values of the painting. Marc is a good teacher. He was able to critique everyone as they worked and his advice really helped. His demos were inspiring. He really puts a lot of time and attention to his paintings, even the smallest of details. The scene that he painted seemed fairly plain, but he made it look so special and interesting.

Tilly Foster Farm is a public park that has animals like chickens, sheep, a large horse stable, turkeys, cows, and two very interesting pigs. There were so many scenes to paint, it was hard to choose one. In the end, I chose one in which I could stand in the shade, as it was pretty hot after a while of being in the sun, and I chose a really neat looking barn. It was early morning, so the shadows were long and interesting. We had mostly great weather that week, except Friday, but we worked inside the last two days, so it didn't matter.

Thursday evening, Marc did a nocturne demo at a nearby lake that was so cool. I have not yet tried it, but I hope to do one soon.

I was happy with my painting of this large barn. I feel like I learned quite a bit during that week, if only I can remember it all. It was so nice to do nothing but art all week, too. I know that I will do the black and white studies, and have already done one on a recent painting trip to a nearby farm. It is very helpful.

Painting: Morning, "Tilly Foster Farm," 16x20, $650.

Prepping for My First Big Art Festival

2009-08-21T10:49:00.000-07:00

The first major art festival that I will show my work in is coming up soon. It's the 47th On the Green Fine Art & Craft Show in Glastonbury, CT. It is three weeks away, which doesn't give me much time. I managed to get most of my materials together for the display, including three new ProPanels and some joining hardware and some small tables.

I also ordered new business cards, updated my portfolio, bought a new receipt book, ordered a banner and a stamp, created and printed out new brochures, and bought a new cart. While that is good progress, I still need to varnish some paintings, finish some others, frame some recent work, and finalize my price list. I also want to make some weights for the tent.

To make things more complicated, I'm taking a workshop next week with Marc Hanson in Brewster, NY. I'm really hoping to get some good work out of that. I love Marc's work and it promises to be a good workshop. Hopefully, the weather will cooperate at least some of the time. After all, it's all about plein air.

I was hoping to get some postcards out, but it seems like the Glastonbury Art guild has not decided on a design for the cards yet. I would need to order them from VistaPrint and then mail them out. It's getting down to the wire, though.

I managed to get a booth that faces Hubbard street. I don't know if that's a good thing or not, but it will make setup easier, at least. If the crowds are good, I may get some business. I have a nice selection of landscapes, still lifes, and seascapes now. I also have a huge painting that I want to show. It will be a great focal point for the exhibit.

Hopefully, the weather will be cool and nice. Last year, I think that it rained. You just never know what it will do.

Hudson River Day Trip

2009-08-04T10:59:00.000-07:00

Above: From West Point looking north.

I went out to Peekskill, NY to visit some friends of mine one day. It was a nice day, but somewhat hazy. The river is surrounded by gorgeous tree covered hills, and the views were spectacular. We toured West Point and had lunch in the inn on the campus. We sat out on the veranda overlooking the river. It was perfect.

Charlie took us up one side of the river and down the other side. We stopped in Cold Springs and walked around the dock and boardwalk. What a great place for a cool drink while looking over the river towards West Point and the marina.

At left: From Cold Springs looking across at West Point to the south.

I'm looking forward to returning this fall to see the town just alittle bit north of here where the Hudson River School painters painted. I hear that it's quite a nice place to visit.

There are tons of painting opportunities all along the river. The docks are interesting and the people hanging out along the river with their dogs and families would make good subjects. Then, there's the railroad and the small shops that line the main streets in the small towns along the rail line.

Carriage Stone Farm

2009-07-14T18:33:00.000-07:00

This is a horse stable up the street from my house. It has gotten larger over the years. The view is from high up on a hill overlooking the farm. Our area is surrounded by hills in a pretty country setting. I attracted an audience of young children as I painted this on site. They were very quiet and captivated by my work.

Carriage Stone Farm
Oil on canvas, 18" x 28", $550

Thomas Eakins - A Favorite of Mine

2009-06-04T08:35:00.000-07:00

Thomas Eakins is an artist that I admire greatly for his individuality and his devotion to his art. He studied anatomy vigorously and taught his students that understanding anatomy and the movement of the body is paramount to learning how to draw and paint the human figure. His portraits were a departure from the traditional romanticized portraits of his era and before. They vibrate with emotion, the personality of the sitter is apparent immediately. His use of color and light is so striking. He was very concerned with accuracy and tried to instill this on his students. I like his realistic style, though I am more of a modern impressionist painter. Eakins also pioneered using photography with his work and studied the movement of the body using photography. What I am most impressed with, however, is his devotion to working from life. I included some examples of his work here.

Max Schmitt in Single Scull

Miss Amelia Van Buren

Studying Emil Carlson's Style

2009-05-18T05:22:00.000-07:00

On May 16, Jack Keledjian demonstrated the style and methods that Emil Carlson used when painting his still lifes. Emil Carlson had a unique style. His compositions were simple, soft, and they drew you in. His subjects were simple earthenware jugs, shiny brass and copper pots, and simple Chinese blue and white vases with dark wood stands.

Jack mixes Neo Meglip by Gamblin into his paint to give the paint the glossy, smooth quality that Carlson is famous for. It is the consistency of Vaseline.

Before he starts, Jack tells us that we need to think very carefully about our subject and to imagine what we are going to paint, each aspect of it before we begin to paint. Do not center your main object, but pick a location on the canvas that is off center. This provides better interest. Harmony is very important, he says. Work each stroke in relation to the one next to it.

In speaking of temperature, it is important to note that a color is not warm or cold until there is something next to it to compare it to.

Jack starts with a pale yellowish green color in acrylic paint, covering the canvas. This is the under painting that will come through later. You can do this in oil as well, but it will take longer to dry.

Jack begins by drawing the objects with a light brown shade, using the drawing to place the objects on the canvas correctly. Jack puts in the background strokes with broad swishes of the brush in crisscross pattern, almost basket weave-like. He uses cobalt blue, ultramarine blue, and trans. oxide brown. It's not solidly applied, letting the background color come through. You can use a crumpled cloth to pull out some of the color afterwards.

Jack starts by filling in each object with large strokes, but leaves light areas undone. He limits the number of highlights. The large brown crock is done in a dark brown with soft edges to keep it from coming forward. For the brass pot, he uses browns and cad orange, always using some Neo Meglip. He works on getting the rounded shape, and will punch the color with two strong swipes. He says to make sure that the color temperatures work together. Always put warm near cool, otherwise the colors look dirty.

For the vase, he uses several long top-to-bottom strokes of pale bluish purple in varying degrees of color and then softens the edges to blend them. Then he warms the shadow with some yellow. He punches the light with a lighter white blue. He puts the flowers on with small cross strokes, and then the leaves.

For the pansies, he uses orange to cut the purple color intensity. He lays on paint with a large brush in fan like strokes, one next to the other. Instead of the yellow pansy, he puts in a off-white bud. The yellow is too intense.

The onions were softly rounded and quiet, but interesting. He used some warm red and yellow to push back the brightness of the white. He added a onion skin at the bottom of the canvas and some flower blossoms leading into the pots. Lastly, he cooled the bottom right foreground and warmed the bottom left foreground.
leading into the painting. He cooled the bottom right foreground and warmed the bottom left foreground.

The Smith Library Show

2009-05-07T10:03:00.000-07:00

I recently had a show at the Edward Smith Library. It was their first art show ever and my first in my hometown. Now that they have a renovated library, they have space to do all kinds of shows, so it promises to be a nice venue for art. It was a successful show for me. One couple really liked Dirt Road to the Meadow and after some thought, put a deposit down on it. There may also be commission work later from this couple.

Members of The Northford Women's Club also came to show their support. It was a nice crowd. The next day, a member called and she and her husband came over to the house and bought two from the show and two from my stock at home. They also took one home to try out. It's very exciting.

Just yesterday, another member of the club called and wanted to buy the Sunflowers III painting. I'm glad that she decided to do so, since she has wanted it, apparently, for quite a while.
I'm going to go to the library and exchange some new paintings for those that sold. You never know when someone might come in and see something that they like.

I hope to do more shows there, perhaps later in the year. We'll see.

Looking for Opportunities

2009-04-24T10:42:00.000-07:00

In the summer of 2007, I learned that one of our small town libraries was closing for renovation. It was built in the early 1940s, so the building was quite old and outdated. I knew from looking at plans for the building that the architecture would change significantly and I thought that someone might be interested in preserving the original look of the building in other than a photo. So, I set up one warm summer day and began to paint the building en plein air.

Later, I contacted the director of the library with an idea of selling this painting and perhaps others to the library to decorate the new walls once it opened. I was met with some enthusiasm. I kept in touch with the director over the next year and was invited to meet with the board of directors for the library. They seemed interested in my work. When the building was complete, the library bought the painting of the old building. I put an article in the local papers announcing this event so that others in the town were aware of it.

Currently, the town is going to raisie funds for another small painting of mine of a local landmark. I am very excited about this. I'm also going to look into doing a painting of the other library in our town, which is going to be renovated soon as well. I've received some positive feedback on this quest as well from the directory of the library. The second library is very old with some really pretty architecture. It will be a pleasure to paint.

The exposure of my work to the public is probably the best that I could hope for in such a small town as ours. I'm hoping that I will garner some commissions in the future. If not, it's pretty exciting to know that some of my work is going to be part of a permanent display in my town's library for generations to come.

I've learned from this experience that you have to seize the horse by the tail and make opportunities for yourself instead of waiting for something to come along. It takes perserverance, but it's really worth it in the end.

Winter Snow

2009-01-24T05:42:00.001-08:00

It's been snowing a lot this winter, but it's been too cold to stay outside for very long. This is the view from my living room window. It is always so beautiful, but when I saw it that morning after the snowfall during the night, I had to paint it. The sun was coming up in the East, throwing long shadows over the fields.

"Snow Blanketed Field"
9"x12" Oil on Canvas Over Panel, $300.

Christmas Bouquet

2008-12-28T16:21:00.000-08:00

I received this bouquet as a gift from my cousin, Lisa, who is a premier floral designer. It was so gorgeous, I had to paint it before it withered away. It was fun to use luscious reds and oranges right out of the tube. There was some great reflected light that carried the warm color to the surrounding objects.

This was painted from life in my studio.

"Red Amarillis" Oil on Canvas, 14" x11", sold.

Piero

2008-12-19T08:00:00.001-08:00

Here's a commission for a Christmas present. This is Piero, a gorgeous parrot that is much loved by its owner. Apparently, he takes him into the shower with him and they talk parrot to one another. What a cutie.

It is 12" x 9", oil on canvas over panel.

Bonaire Oil Paintings

2008-11-29T15:53:00.001-08:00

This is a jetty made up of limestone rock, whose previous life was coral. The beaches were washed away by the hurricane three weeks before, but there was still some room for sunbathing. The water was clear and gorgeous, with different shades of green, aqua, and blue. You could see the dead white coral on the shore and under the water for quite a few feet. The iguanas love to sit and sunbathe on the rocks just like the tourists.

Bonaire Trip Paintings

2008-11-15T12:19:00.000-08:00

I went to Bonaire for a week in early November. The weather was hot, sunny, and beautiful. I managed to do these two gouache paintings while sitting at the swimming pool on two separate evenings. The palm trees are tall and beautiful with striking yellow coconuts. The bright yellow, pink, and blue hotel was a great backdrop for the pretty green fronds.
I really enjoy doing gouache. It is a little easier than watercolor, but just as portable and fun. The colors are vibrant.

A Still Life Class with Jack Keledjian

2008-10-19T07:35:00.000-07:00

On Saturday, October 18, I drove up to Putney, Vermont to take another class with Jack Kelejian. We painted a still life of apples and a white dish. There were seven other students, most of them regular followers of Jack’s. It was a chilly fall day, so we all elected to stay inside to paint.
I decided to watch Jack paint for a while instead of painting along with him. It was interesting to watch his approach, which was to put down a mix of Ultramarine Blue and Transparent Oxide Red with a large brush, in a criss-cross motion. Then, he wiped out the area for the white dish and the apples. He laid down color in solid long strokes, keeping the warm tones in the shadows and putting some juicy reds in the apples. I will continue to work on this, as my leaves need some work and maybe some more items to add to the composition. It seems empty right now. Still, I’m pleased with the progress on this painting so far.

Emil's Bench

2008-10-17T19:53:00.000-07:00

Recently, I made a weekend trip to Maine with two friends to visit Marge, another friend, and her husband. We stayed at Marge’s sister-in-law’s house for the weekend while she and her husband were away on a month-long meander through France (How lucky for them!). The house is a four-year-old, upscale two-level colonial, with tenderly cared for gardens and flowing paths, that backs up to Penobscot Bay on the east. The view from the back of the house, which is lined with large picture windows overlooking the bay, was breathtaking, especially in the morning when the sun slowly shows its face above the horizon. Marge drove us early the first day to a few local sights where she thought that I might find some good places to paint. One place was a campground, with a long winding road to a very high vantage point that overlooked Camden Harbor. Later that day, my friends and I went back there and I set up my easel. I painted the busy harbor with its many boats and the view of the bay while my friends read their books and relaxed. The fall colors were just starting to infuse the scenery, so the painting is splashed with shades of red, yellow, orange, and green and lined from above with the sea-blue ocean and bay. With the crisp fall air, it was a wonderful day to paint.

While up in Maine, Marge asked if I could paint a painting of a hand-hewn wood bench that her husband Emil’s father made many years ago. It is now in his sister’s possession sitting amongst the flowers, trees, and young bushes in her side garden. With my camera, I took several photos of the bench from different angles. One photo included a red wooden bird house, which I thought looked great with the bench. I used this photo as a reference and created a cozy, mini painting of the scene. The leaves were starting to change colors, so there were some light oranges and yellows, plus a strong beam of light on the bench that became the focus of the composition.

Emil's Bench, Oil on canvas over board, 6"x8"

Girls Day at the Beach

2008-08-15T13:43:00.000-07:00

These ladies decided to grab their chairs and towels and head for the beach for some sun. There were a few other families there, though it was a private beach, so it wasn't really crowded. I used a warm color palette on this one, and I'm happy with the turnout. The ladies were quite surprised to be the subject of my painting, but pleased nonetheless.

Oil on Canvas, 11"x14", Sold

Farmer's Market

2008-08-04T14:04:00.000-07:00

Here's my latest painting. I used a photo reference that I took last fall when all of the mums and pumpkins were on display. It was so colorful and it was a gorgeous day. This market has wonderful plants and produce for sale during the warm months of the year. The girl standing in the picture was actually there, browsing through the flowers. She really was a perfect focal point for the painting.
Oil on Canvas, 18" x 24", $449.
To purchase, go to my Website, www.pattymegliostudio.com

Straw Hat With Zinnias

2008-07-30T07:29:00.000-07:00

I was having a frustrating day. Nothing was going as I had hoped, so I decided to paint to ease my anxiety. Here's the result. I did this from life, in my studio. I had some lovely zinnias that my cousin gave to me that brightened up my house, and worked really well in this piece. It's a mini painting, only 6" x 8", but a lot of fun to do.

Oil on Canvas over panel, 6"x8", $149.
To purchase, go to my Website, www.pattymegliostudio.com

Plein Air in Old Saybrook

2008-07-29T08:03:00.001-07:00

I went out to Old Saybrook to paint one day last week. The weather was perfect and there was a slight breeze off of the calm water. The tide was low with a significant amount of sand bars peaking through the water. I was so involved with executing this painting that I painted nonstop for four hours. I am pretty happy with the results of this one. It really captured the mood and the light of the day.

Oil on Canvas, 11"x14", $350.
To purchase, go to my Website, www.pattymegliostudio.com

Flower Pots

2008-07-15T17:39:00.001-07:00

Here's a still life that I did while studying under Jack Keledjian. The pots sit on a table just above eye level. Jack's influence was more in the initial laydown of values, warm colors, and composition. I rather like the blue pot with its color variations.

Oil on Canvas, 20"x16", $450.
To purchase, go to my Website, www.pattymegliostudio.com

Stickney Falls

2008-07-15T17:35:00.001-07:00

Here's the final painting that I started in Jack's class. This was of the falls coming over a group of large, flat rocks. The colors were earth colors, mostly, in warm tones. It was a fun exercise and I learned a lot about applying color, working with values, and painting water.

Oil on Canvas over panel, 9"x12", $250.
To purchase, go to my Website, www.pattymegliostudio.com

Stickney Falls Paintout

2008-06-17T18:40:00.000-07:00

I took the day off and went up to Stickney Falls in Vermont to paint with Jack Keledjian. Stickney Falls is near Putney, in a wooded area tucked away in the hills. It was a gorgeous sunny day in the 70s, and the falls were beautiful. I remember the place from taking Albert's class in the fall of last year, so I knew I was in for a wonderful treat. The class was small but nice. I got some great pointers on how to start, layout a composition, and put in a waterfall. I hope to post the painting later once I touch it up a little bit. Everyone did a great job, thanks to Jack's guidance. I also brought some paintings along for a critique, which was very helpful. Jack is a good and patient teacher. What more can you ask for?

Drawing with Paint Study

2008-06-16T08:39:00.000-07:00

I took a drawing class with Jack (Hagop) Keledjian recently. We painted a figure with monochrome paint. I used Transparent Oxide Red, some Ultramarine Blue for the darks, and white. It was an interesting exercise. I got to concentrate on values, not color. The outline came first, then the darks, then the lighter tones, and finally I mixed in whites.

Putney Painters Art Show in Madison

2008-04-28T13:17:00.000-07:00

I ducked out on Friday night to see the Art show for some of the Putney Painters at Susan Powell Fine Art in Madison. It was jam packed when I got there. The place is tiny, but it was full of interested artists and art lovers. The wine was flowing and the food was exotic and delicious. But the best part was viewing the paintings. They were definitely influenced by the Putney style, with bright colors and a painterly style reminiscent of Richard Schmid and Nancy Guzik. Many of the paintings sold early. I especially liked Kathy Anderson's renderings of flower arrangements and Katy Swatland's marshes and sailboat scenes. Kathy was there, oohing at all of the great work as well. It was definitely an impressive display of good artwork.

Class With Jack Keledjian

2008-04-16T04:51:00.000-07:00

The class in Vermont yesterday was a lot of fun. We painted from a live model, a local girl who was very attractive. The pose was quite nice. She sat on the loveseat and posed with good arm and leg movement. My setup viewed her from a 3/4 view, which was just what I wanted. I mixed up a brown with ultramarine blue and yellow ochre, which was a bit too cool a color. I will need to get some transparent oxide brown for the next one. The first one that I did was too small for the canvas, so I restarted it, with Jack's help. The second one came out much better. I will need to use some charcoal next time to draw out the model before I paint, I think. Using one color to paint is an interesting approach. A lot of people went on to color, but I kind of liked using the one color with white. The class was small, but nice. I hope to take another one soon, possibly in May. It's nice to be back in a classroom again. I really miss listening to the ramble and art talk, and also seeing what others are doing. Publish Post

Class in Putney, VT

2008-04-14T10:27:00.000-07:00

Finally, they are going ahead with the Drawing with a Brush class at Village Arts of Putney. I can't wait. It's being taught by Jack Keledjian. I have so admired his work and I'm looking forward to taking this class. The first class will be with a live model. There will be six of us in the class, which is a nice small size. Hopefully, I'll have something to post soon.

Meanwhile, I've got a portrait commission to do on 18-month-old twins and will have one on two laborador retrievers. Stay tuned.

Log Cabin in Winter

2008-03-12T18:47:00.000-07:00

This is a plein air painting that I did from my bathroom window, looking out over the right of way to the log cabin home next door. It had just snowed that morning, so the snow was still fresh and bright. The sun was out and the birds were looking for food and enjoying the fair weather. It was chilly and a fire was going in the chimney. The far hills still had a frosting of snow near the skyline.

Oil on Canvas, 24" x 30", $900.
To purchase, go to my Website, www.pattymegliostudio.com

Lucy's Portrait

2008-03-12T18:40:00.001-07:00

This is Lucy, the sweet golden retriever, owned by friends from the Dive Shop. She is still very active, though she is getting old. I had fun with the fur on this one, and those eyes were so expressive.
Oil on canvas over panel, 6" x 8", sold.

Lucy's Turn

2008-02-28T18:38:00.000-08:00

My latest series of paintings focuses on animals. I’ve added a new page to my Website just for animal paintings. Most of my inspiration comes from pets of mine and some of my friends.
Lucy is a friend’s golden retriever. She is an older dog, but still quite energetic and loves to sit out on the porch of their beach house and check out the comings and goings of the neighborhood.

Seven Components in Painting

2008-02-02T18:42:00.000-08:00

You should be mindful of the Seven Components when you undertake a painting. The drawing and composition, in my opinion, are the most important elements. Within each component is a checklist of things to watch for and to be aware of.

Drawing
It is so important to have a strong drawing, and a well thought out layout. If the drawing is weak, you will struggle with the paint in an effort to make it work.

1. Upside down - Check the painting upside down for errors in the drawing
2. Negative space
3. Proportion midpoint, relative, foreshortening
4. Anatomy
5. Perspective sighting, people, buildings, interiors, aerial
6. Gesture
7. Seeing vs. knowing

Tone Values
1. Shape of dark and light
2. Five tone values
3. Non-reflective light
4. Reflective light
5. Value dominance
6. Local value/home value

Found/lost Line
1. Contour drawing basic/one-line
2. Hard/soft edges

Rhythm of Application
1. Strokes
2. Paint quality
3. Sliced-bread theory
4. Slow strokes
5. Fast strokes
6. Long strokes
7. Short strokes

Composition
1. Imitate/emulate: studying old/new master paintings
2. Golden mean
3. Focal area
4. Twelve-shape design
5. Tie shapes together

Design of light
1. Color/ value dominance
2. Tangents
3. Balancing extremes
4. Cropping format
5. Working from photos
6. Setting up still life
7. One scene, four versions

Color
1. Tone value in color
2. Colorist vs. tonalist
3. Limited palette: one color, two colors, three colors, four colors
4. Bracketing your colors
5. Color and complement
6. Color dominance
7. Color temperature

Motivation or Concept: Why are you doing this piece?
1. Relaxation
2. Stress management
3. Nurturing your creativity
4. For a gift
5. Learn or improve certain skills
6. Impress friends
7. Rite of passage
8. Fun

Ollie

2008-02-02T05:56:00.000-08:00

Ollie 6x8 Oil on Canvas over Panel

This is my boxer, Ollie. He is so regal looking in this painting. This is one in a series of dog paintings that I will be doing in the next few months.

Practicing Art, Repetition Works!

2008-02-01T04:52:00.000-08:00

Albert Handell said it over and over, and Richard agreed that you have to stop trying to think in terms of making money from art and just practice your art. Keep working on something (one thing) until you get good at it. For example, in my critique, he noticed that I like to do red brick buildings, so he told me to paint twenty paintings of red brick buildings. That’s quite a task, but maybe it’s a good idea. I haven’t done it yet, but I do like to paint street scenes so I may concentrate on that. There are lots of old brick buildings in my area that would make good subjects.

I also think that drawing more would be a good idea. I just don’t do this enough and I need to get back into doing it on a daily basis. I do keep a Moleskin notebook in my purse at all times, but I've got to use it more. I have lots of sketch pads too, so there’s no excuse. I did do some sketching at a recent state women's club conference. I drew head poses of several women there. It was fun and I was able to pass the time while the speakers took their turns at the podium.

Small Paintings and Value Study

2008-01-28T09:52:00.000-08:00

I’ve noticed that a lot of artists do small paintings and sell them either on eBay or their blogs. I’ve sold a few small paintings at the store in Milford, CT. I’m going to work on more of those and see what happens.

The small paintings are a lot of fun to do, and since they are small, I don’t labor over them as much. They are a great way to practice value studies too. I’ve found that my weakness is getting the values in my paintings just right. It’s really hard to wrap my mind around this concept. It’s in all of the art books and every teacher I’ve ever had emphasizes it, but it’s not easy to translate it on the canvas. Watching Richard Schmid, I noticed that he starts at his center of interest and works outward, but he doesn’t rework a stroke. He puts one down, leaves it, and works on one next to it. This is how he compares his values. It seems that if you go from one stroke to the next one over, you can tell better if your values are off. I can see how that might be true. Richard works with such certainty. It’s a confidence that is born from years of experience, I figure. I am trying to do this, but it’s really difficult. That’s way starting with something small works best for me.

Notes on Art Marketing

2008-01-24T08:46:00.000-08:00

I’ve been thinking seriously lately about how to market myself judiciously as an artist. With the economy sinking and near recession, it just doesn’t make sense to spend a lot of money on a canopy and outdoor festival fees. Plus, it would really eat into my time for creating art. I’ve kind of gone back and forth on this in my mind. I need to get my work out in the public, but how do I do it without running all over the place, wasting time, and without spending a lot of money?

And what about entering my work into area society shows? Is it worth it to do that, or should I just stay away for a while and concentrate on working on my art? I just don’t know.

I’m hoping that having a blog will help bring viewers to my Website . I’m also trying out some online galleries, like Boundless Gallery . I’ve been reading in Art Calendar about how so many artists are using the Internet to display their art and to attract viewers to their sites. Does this work really, or does it really depend on the artwork? How do I find my audience?

Landscapes in Oils at Boutique in Milford, CT

2008-01-19T19:27:00.000-08:00

I've got some of my work at a wonderful boutique and gift shop in Milford, CT. It's called Something of Bev's. Bev is a wonderful warm person, and she is the best person to work with. This painting, Duck Sitting on Falls, is featured at her store.

Albert Handell Workshop, Day One

2008-01-19T18:48:00.001-08:00

Day one was spent with a morning lecture about pastels and color theory. It included demonstrations on how to divide up a pastel box into six different values of colors, from light to dark. I had never seen a pastel demonstration before, so I didn’t know what to expect. It was definitely an eye-opener.

Albert works on Kitty Wallis paper, on 12 x 18 size paper. Anita uses panels. Panels do not let light shine through when painting outdoors.

Anita mentioned that you can keep pastels clean by shaking them up with cornmeal and drain the meal off in a colander.

To figure out if the values are the same, you would put two colors up against one another and look for an edge. If there is no edge, it means that they are in the same value group. If they are the same value, you can use them together and you will not get muddy color. But, you must keep to the same value. Albert started with the darks and then lay in the lights. He said to be aware of the temperature. A good varied temperature includes 2-3 darks, 2-3 midtones, and 2-3 lights.

Albert also spoke about the direction of the sun and how it looks on paper. A flat look is one where the sun is behind the object, a rimmed look is where the sun shines on the front of the object, and the half view is when the sun is shining across from one side. For the half view, you must quickly do the patterns of shadow before they change. It is important to capture proportion and placement.

Another thing to consider is lost and found edges and space. Things that are behind a subject get softened.

Scenes from New England

2008-01-18T16:06:00.000-08:00

I love to paint scenery in my native countryside. I am lucky to have friends who have homes in Cape Cod, Old Saybrook, Ct, New York State, and in the Boston area who have offered their homes as weekend retreats so that I could set up and paint.

This painting of a friend's cabin in upstate New York is an example of my attempts at plein air painting.