Category Archives: Traditional Oil Painting

Vessel Loading – Bainbridge Island to Seattle

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I spent the day with a young friend from Seattle on her13th birthday more than a year ago. Now it was time for her to return home.  I took her to the ferry – her mom would meet her on the other side. Amongst others, I took this photo as she prepared to board the Bainbridge Island Ferry.

A few days ago,as I perused my photos searching for any interesting reference photo to paint – I came upon that image and was inspired to paint it. Getting the perspective right was challenging  for sure and the was a dominant consideration for this painting. 

Initial Sketch and Design 

Developing Values and Perspective

Values and perspective  and image content are increasingly developed. 

Below:

I’ve  been reminded of a digital painting I created a few years ago. I was in New York and walked down the stairs into Penn Station. Immediately, I saw this little girl playing the trombone and her brother holding the music.  I love the story and the memory. I added a few dollars to the trombone case.

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Suspending Judgement

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Suspending Judgement –  8×10 Oil on Canvas

We’re so hard on ourselves, always wanting to get it right, the design, the color, the brushstroke, the values. perhaps you’ll wonder if others will like it.  What if we suspend  this brainwork and jump into bonafide play – just throw some paint around. No one else needs to see it. Tell the brain to take a rest – you won’t be listening – and you’re doing it just for your self!!  Digital or traditional painter – it won’t matter. That’s what I did to create this painting.

It was fun. There was no thinking – no right or wrong.  I wanted “to do” and not “to think” about it. Lets face it, some of what’s been learned always shows up a bit anyway. You cannot teach yourself “not to walk”  – you just do it. Your painting should take not more than 5 to ten minutes. Try to paint quickly so you don’t have time to think.

For this painting, I only used the left over, already mixed oils on my palette, limiting my  color choices and I started “plopping” on paint with a palette knife. Who knew where it would go – there was no plan. Remember, NO THINKING – just play! We all need to play. It’s amazing the part of yourself you might discover. I had no idea there would be polkadots all over. Never did I DECIDE, “I will put dots all over”. I put a few on the upper part of the painting with the end of a brush, then a few more and a few more. I did think it was pretty cute however.

Funny, I usually do my wildest painting  experiments using a pear as subject.  I don’t have to think about creating a pear shape.  You might want to create something different.  I had a student say she didn’t want to paint a pear but she would paint and apple. Okay, apples are cool and anything else!!

Since you’re here and we’re looking at pears. I’m going to show you another painting. Below is the second oil painting I ever did.  I thought it was ok – for learning to use oils. 

Now, 6 weeks later, I decided to paint from the  same reference photo again – it’s simple, fast and just practice. This time I did a value sketch – I don’t think I did that for the first painting and it’s vitally important. Then, I added paint to it. There’s a big change from my initial painting.  I thought you would enjoy seeing the change.

Orange and Pear Simple Still Life

I’m sure I will paint the reference photo again in a few weeks ti see if I can’t take it in yet another direction. Thank you for taking a look. Winifred

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I’m painting far more than I anticipated and hence posting more blogs. If there are too many – do let me know.  You  can also unsubscribe but I would hate to loose you. Winifred

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Dirty Birds – Oil Painting

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Dirty Birds – 12×9 oil on gessoed board.

Dirty Birds by Winifred

  There is always a challenge in painting. There were so many decisions with respect to design, values, color and chroma. I still see changes I will likely make. There were many elements in the photo reference which I ultimately eliminated for design and simplicity sake.  The photo which inspired this painting was taken in Guatemala by photographers Daphne and Art Carlye who often work summers with Rotary International.  There were lovely palm trees in the background which ultimately I ignored.

Below – initial tonal sketch 

Below – INITIAL PAINTING – Too much detail – No place to focus. No place to rest ones eyes – though there are some aspects of this image I like. In my initial painting I found my eyes darting all over the place – not a good sign.  Everything is foreground and everything was the same levels of saturation and contrast. I know better than to do that. I scraped the paint off the background and made changes to design and expression.  

Below: This version is not too bad and I rather like it but I decided to push the background  back even more by simplifying  it –  and muting the colors, thus arriving at the final version at the top of the page. I may have made a mistake in that regard – but, I share my mistakes with you as well.  

What do you think? Which image do you prefer and why?

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Canal through Murano Italy

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“Canal in Murano” (9 x12 inch oil painting on gesso board)

Murano Italy is home of some of the most amazing glass factories in the WORLD!!! It is where Venetian glass was created. In this painting, I’ve attempted to capture a canal running through Murano. However, I find that I’ve buried myself in details. Particularly – so many pilings!! I deliberated but thought I had to add them.

I was afraid that if I didn’t do so, the boats would drift aimlessly into the canal, bumping into each other and float away – what a mess that would be.  

Before Pilings

I’m discovering I like bold blocks of color without lots of fuss.

Starting to add boats

  As you can tell, the above painting phase is not developed, as it could have been, but you can see that it reflects a different possibility from the finished painting which is filled with boats and pilings.

Below, a quick value sketch. Notice, no value for boats!! I love this kind of loose abstraction.

Value Sketch

Below – Adding Initial Color (I love this kind of looseness).

adding initial color

I hope you enjoy seeing how my paintings evolve.  Notice, I didn’t show you the reference photo. I did this on purpose. It is to prevent you from looking back and forth comparing my painting to the photo. However, it is not intended to be compared. This is simply my interpretation – though for sure the photo contained lots of boats and pilings! 

You may think my images are out of order but that the way I chose to present them – it’s the way my mind works. Thank you for visiting my blog and please subscribe if you have not.  Thanks, Winifred

Before Pilings

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Three Friends Walking – Traditional Oil Painting

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This has been a fun and challenging week of Painting.  I have painted so much that I’ve gone through a couple tubes of oil paint at this point – but that’s what it will take. 

I took photos prolifically, while in Italy.  I thought it adorable when I saw these three ladies walking. Actually, there was a fourth, as you can see in the reference photo, but I found her distracting. I also found the wall/garage door, in front of them distracting also.  I knew I would have to to develop a more interesting and creative environment.  In my first attempt to do this, as you can see in the tonal sketch at the bottom, I painted a wall of square columns – somewhat replicating the right side of the photo.  That didn’t work. Ideally, the design of the painting would be determined in the initial sketch phase – certainly by the time the tonal sketch is done – but sometimes, I just haven’t figured it out – and keep going. This is not the best approach.

“Three Friends Walking”

Ultimately I decided on a textured side of a building and a curved doorway.  I went with that idea. Still, what to put in front of them.  I didn’t know for the longest.  I rather enjoyed the ethereal look of “space”.  Finally, I envisioned it as an open landscape – leaving it largely to your imagination.  I could play with interesting color for a sky and create just a hint of a horizon line.  I would allow the painting  to maintain these few and simple elements – resting on Interesting light, shadow and color. I’m making baby steps with my oil painting and so long as I do, I hope to progress.

Reference Photo ( hemmed in by their environment)

Tonal Value Sketch –  a great way to see what doesn’t work!

Thank you for visiting my Blog!  Another post will be coming  quickly – colorful buildings, boats and a canal in Murano, Italy – many many boats!!  I never painted so many boats before!  Winifred

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Portrait Paintings – Italy

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The Shop Keeper – Oils – Italy

I decided I was ready to try painting portraits with oils. Color mixing and blending edges has improved tremendously.  Both task are important to portrait painting. “The Shop Keeper is my most recent painting.  

This lady was so lovely and so willing to pose to display to the camera some of her goods.  I ate some of the fresh pick fruit from the fields. OMG!! So yummy!! The photo has been substantially reinterpreted. 

Reference Image for Painting Above

 

Weary

This portrait I also enjoy. It’s from my “Venice at Night” series which I photographed in the rain.  This portrait, I feel. I think she is very tired. It is the emotional content of this photo which inspired the painting.

Unfortunately, I have not been able to capture the painting in the photo of the painting. I am not pleased with it’s appearance.

In the distant past, artist, almost exclusively, mixed all of their colors from very few pigments.  For both of these paintings, like artist from the past, I used only black, white, yellow and red pigments to mix the other colors you see.  I’ve learned quite a bit about mixing pigments by doing this. I’ve not been able, however to get a decent blue, which I read would occur when mixing Ivory black with Titanium White. I’ve gotten a mixture a little warmer than grey but not exactly what I was after.   No doubt it is my paint and the quality of my pigments.  Of course, I could just use one of the  several blues I own – but I just didn’t choose to. It’s been a great exercise.

Reference Image for Painting Above

 

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Silver Coffee Pot

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The Silver Coffee Pot –  8×10 Oil on Canvas

 

I love the abstract reflections which occur in metal. People think there is a special way of painting reflective metal surfaces.  There is really no secret to it.  If you simply paint what you see. Paint accurately the colors and tones you see.  In the end it will appear as the metal you’re painting.  No secret at all.

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Painting with Traditional Oils – Creating Still Life Paintings

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Traditional Oil Still Life Paintings  

The Beginning!! You can watch me progress. I created these paintings during the past 3 weeks.  Really, oils out of tubes!!!  Some paintings have turned out better than others – no surprise!!  The first painting which you see was my first oil painting.  I  actually destroyed the canvas but kept this photo of it. Fortunately, I photograph various stages of a paintings development. This was a very early stage of  the oil painting.  I kept painting and painting until ultimately I ruined it. It was not worth the time to try to recover it – I just threw it out.  I’m glad I had such an early lesson on the detriment of overworking a painting.  

Above – My first oil painting 

Lighting is  one of the most important aspect of creating a still life,  Having a few fun items to paint is important as well. Almost anything can be interesting if well lit. I have used both daylight and artificial light as a source in my still life paintings.

Orange and Pear Simple Still Life

  I used daylight for the above painting of the orange and the pea abover.

I continue to enjoy lots of texture in my paintings, which I create allowing my brush to “dance” as I paint. Pretty fun.  Most of these paintings are 8×10.

 I paint almost everyday – stoping for a day only when I burnout,  before proceeding again.  

Above, Brass tea pot.  I will certainly create more.

 

 

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