Monday, May 25, 2009

Farmland


Farmland
5 x 7 inches
Oil on Masonite panel.

This is my painting for the current Different Strokes project, which was started by Karin Jurick, a great artist, who graciously gives of her time and advice to bring people together in the creation of art. She posted a black and white shot of a farm she photographed in Pennsylvania, and it was up to us to interpret the colors. It was a fun project and I thank her for always challenging us.

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Friday, May 22, 2009

Red Barn


Red Barn
5 x 7 inches
Oil on Masonite panel.

I grew up in southern Michigan and fondly remember the barns on a midsummer's day

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Thursday, May 21, 2009

The Back Porch

The Back Porch
8 x 10 inches
Oil on wood panel

This is a view of the back porch at my sister's house in Coldwater, Michigan. It is a lovely place to sit in the summertime and watch the grass grow in the back yard.

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Monday, May 18, 2009

Marion

Marion
8 x 10 inches
Oil on wood panel

The latest painting in my, Ladies of Legend and Literature series, is Marion. The Music Man, has always been one of my favorites, and Marion the librarian is an icon of woman for men the world over. A prim and proper lady, but blessed with an aura of sensuality. What more can you ask for.

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Tuesday, May 12, 2009

Morgause



Morgause
9 X 12 inches
Oil on Masonite panel.

I have decided to do a series of paintings called, Ladies of Legend and Literature.

I have always been a fan of Arthurian literature, and have read many of the books. I have decided to do my first painting on the women of Camelot. The first is Morgause. Arthurian books describe her as the half-sister of Arthur. The two had not previously met and were ignorant of their relationship. They share a night of passion, and she had their son, Mordred, who many years later slayed Arthur in battle. The taboo of this incestuous act has led some modern authors to merge Morgause with her 'evil' sister Morgan Le Fay in this respect. Sometimes portrayed as evil and others as an innocent beauty, she is a temptress, nonetheless.

I wanted to portray her as a mysterious, beauty, and let the viewer decide whether she is good or evil.

The painting was inspired by a photo by Henri Senders, a great photographer from Dordrecht, Netherlands, who has graciously allowed me to use some of his work for my paintings. You can see his work, which consists mostly of tasteful artistic nudes, here. When you get to the page, click on the link next to the words, Aantal foto's.)


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Tuesday, May 5, 2009

Afternoon Repose

Afternoon Repose
8 x 10 inches
Oil on wood panel.

I recently went to the Meininger art supply store in Denver. (One great place!) While there, I learned of the Gamblin Torrit Grey Painting Competition.

Every spring, Gamblin Artists Colors collects a wealth of pigments from itsTorit® Air Filtration system. They filter the air around the areas where they handle dry pigments so that the workers are not exposed to pigment dust. Rather than sending any of the high quality, expensive pigments into the landfill, Gamblin paint makers recycle them into "Gamblin Torrit Grey."

The mix of pigments is different every year, so Torrit Grey is always unique and will never be repeated.

Torrit grey tubes are given out free to artists. By hosting the Torrit Grey Painting Competition, Robert Gamblin invites painters to experiment with the first dimension of Gamblin Color Space: VALUE. See how light & dark values can have as much impact as color.

This is my first effort, though it won't be my last, as I learned much from this exercise. The painting was 99.9 percent done with torrit grey and white. I think I dipped my brush in the black once, but didn't like it, so stuck with the grey and white.

I owe a debt of gratitude to Rina H, a wonderful photographer from Germany, who has graciously allowed me to use one of her lovely photos as inspiration for this painting. She is very talented. Her work can be seen here. www.rinafoto.com

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