Shady Meeting

Shady Meeting

12x12” oil on RayMar ($300)

My husband titled this painting for me.  He's usually good for a catchy titles when I draw a blank.  If you know my background, it is even better.

Artistic License

This was one of my first museum paintings & people in museums have become one of my favorite subjects to paint. 

I saw this young lady at the Smithsonian Portrait gallery.  I liked the color of the wall and how the young lady was so casual in that formal setting.  But as I painted it I realized the museum painting was a dark portrait and didn't work at all with this gal.  Plus, I just didn't like it.  So I walked around the Smithsonian National Gallery until I found a painting I thought matched her personality.

Finished Painting (sold)

The roughed in painting, first layer

I enjoy starting with an under-painting to get a feel for what works and what doesn't.  

• After this quick under-painting, I decided the green was too bright, I wanted more color in her shirt, and I wanted to change the painting from the wall.   
• The beautiful Renoir replaced the roughed in18th Century portrait
• Changed the color of her shirt to blue once I decided on the painting I would use
• The wall was toned down
• Highlights & shadows were added throughout the painting
• A touch of light blue was added to the right to indicate a hallway and add more light to the painting and to balance the blue in the museum painting & her shirt
• Changed the color of her flip flops to red

Tips & Tricks to help you photograph your art work

I don't know about you, but I love surfing the net for art sites.  It's weird how often I find great art work by artists I would never have had the pleasure of seeing or interesting art sites.  Funny thing is most of the time I couldn't tell you how I found them.  Guess that's what happens  jumping from site to site.  But that's half the fun.  For me, its like a treasure hunt.  

Photographing your art work

One of  the toughest things to do is photograph my art work for posting on-line.  I recently purchased the small   photo set-up recommended by a number of artists including Dreama Tolle Perry.  I haven't had a chance to test it out yet.  

I just found these videos about photographing your art which I think will help me post better photos of my work.

How to photograph your art found on artists daily videos (time: 4:03 minutes)

By Tyler Stalman

 

How to photograph your own artwork

By Bellvue Fine Art (time: 11:09 minutes)

Gas Dock on the Occoquan River

Gas Dock 12x12 oil on canvas (sold)

The theme of one of our Loft Gallery art shows was anything about the town of Occoquan. 

The Loft backs up to the Occoquan River & I love reflections in the water so it was easy for me to pick a subject.  Once decided, I made a quick trip down to the docks to see what would catch my fancy.  Believe it or not they've planted palm trees near the boat ramps.  Somehow palm trees & Virginia just don't work for me, but I really liked the gas dock.

I think reflections make paintings interesting.  I try to include them whenever I can.  Of course a lake or river are the most obvious for adding reflections, but you can add them to still life or put a puddle in some paintings if it works with the composition.  I've even added some in my museum paintings.  All you need is a shinny floor.  

     Frank & Ernest

Created by Bob Thaves

Art/Painting Critiques

Self Critique Tips

If you've painted for any length of time you know there are a number of things you can do to "self critique" a painting.  

• Turn the painting & the reference photograph upside down.  
• I've heard stories of new painters being told to look at the painting upside down and the instructor turning around & seeing the poor student almost standing on their head trying to look at the painting "upside down."  It'll save new students a headache if they just turn the canvas upside down.  
• Why do this?  It causes you to have to throw out preconceived notions of what you think something looks like and start looking at shapes.  It helps me correct my proportions & lines when they are off.  
• Look at your painting in a mirror
•  The mirror image allows you to look at it from a different perspective
• Take a photograph and study the photograph.  
• Its amazing to me how often something jumps out at me I hadn't noticed before when I photograph the painting.  
• Put the canvas somewhere you can casually study it.  
• Near where you watch TV is good place.  Sometimes it just takes a while before you realize why the painting isn't working for you.  It happens when you least expect it.  I think of it as an aha moment.  

Catching a Wave - Before & After

Before Changes

Finished Painting

Group Critique

Fresh eyes is what this painting needed.  I knew while the little girl had thin legs in the reference photograph, but it just didn't translate well to canvas.  Knowing it needed at least that improvement I decided I would use this painting for a group critique to get additional suggestions before I started painting on it again. Once again, I implemented the suggestions made after my painting was critiqued and think it is greatly improved.  

Suggestions  

• The top waves were too big for the composition and one person said she initially thought they were clouds - boy I didn't see that being so focused on trying to paint in the waves
• The legs could be a little wider
• The forward shoulder and arm angle needed to be changed
• Allow the bottoms of her shorts show to bring some green to another part of the painting

Painting out the waves, you can see the overall appearance is lighter because of the colors I used.   As I was implementing the suggestions, I brightened the splashes in the water around her feet too. 

Young Girl Waiting to Catch a Wave

Catching a Wave, 12x16 oil on canvas ($275) 

I saw this adorable young girl waiting ever so patiently with her bright pink pail and matching Crocs.  Who could resist? 

Birdwatching

Birdwatching, 10 x 10 oil on canvas (sold)

I submitted this painting when the Springfield Art Guild was invited to be the first group show at the Workhouse Arts Center in Lorton, Virginia.  I was thrilled that Birdwatcher was the first painting of many that sold at that show.

The Workhouse Arts Center

Washington, D.C.'s old Lorton Prison was closed and the deserted buildings were converted into an art center which opened in 2008. If you haven't had the pleasure of visiting the old prison you have to stop in.  I know many of the wonderful artists who have studios there.   Well the cells have been removed when the old brick buildings were gutted, but they've left a few cells and have a small museum for visitors.     

There a great quad where they hold events in warmer weather and the old guard towers are still there.  The buildings that once held prisoners behind bars, now have bright airy studios full of color and laughter. 

 

Holding onto Summer

Holding onto Summer, 8x8" oil on gessobord

I love to paint beach umbrellas.  There's something about them that just make me happy.

Frank and Ernest

By Tom Thaves

Add caption

Tony & Joe's Restaurant

Tony & Joe's 20x16" oil on Canvas (sold)

If you haven't been to Tony & Joe's restaurant in Georgetown, in Washington, D.C., I recommend you try it the next time you are in town.  If the weather's nice its great to dine outside along the Potomac River. 

Close up of the Table

Loft Gallery, Occoquan, Va.

The Majestic

The Majestic, 16x16" oil on canvas (sold)

The Majestic restaurant is located in old town Alexandria, VA.   I loved the great reflections in the windows. 

ART TIP - Organizing Your Paint

Like many artists, I have lots of paint... I can't help myself.  I love to ask people what their favorite color is and if I don't have it I can't wait to add it to my arsenal of paint.  Making on-line order... I always get a tube or two.  Of course, I rarely walk into an art store and not buy at least one tube of paint no matter what I'm there to buy. 

With so many tubes of paint, I found myself spending way too much time looking for a particular color when I was painting.  I came across this 4 part plastic storage container at Target for about $10.

I divide my paint in a way that works for me: yellows & browns; blues & greens, red & everything else, and the 4th container I put my large white tube, palette knives, glass scrapper and other miscellaneous items I carry.

I keep it divided in my studio then pop it together to take it to classes or workshops.  Word of caution.  If you have a lot of paint, the individual layers, which snap together, can pull apart when you pick them up. ... I learned that lesson the hard way.  My solution was to get a strip of Velcro and strap it around the container when I move it.  It works like a charm.

Before putting my paint into my art carry bag I put the velcro strap
around it so it doesn't accidentally pull apart due to its weight.  

This is what it looks like in the top drawer of my "art cart" 

a counter height rolling cart I bought at Ikea.

Budding Artist

Budding Artist, 8x10" oil on gessobord (sold)

This is the second of 3 paintings of the neighbor kids across the street painting and chalking on their driveway.  They spend hours drawing away.  Sadly, this is the oldest who is probably getting to the age that's it isn't cool to be drawing on the driveway.  I'll miss seeing her delightful creations. 

Mug #8, Pam Tadlock

WANTED

Pam, aka, “The Godmother” Tadlock

Mug #8 Pam, 4x4" oil on Gessobord

I've found that when I'm looking and painting someone who has tilted their head I somehow  unconsciously straighten their features.  I'm still working on that trying not to do that. 

Many thanks to "Supervisor" Wanda Rottenfusser for all of the wonderful background write-ups she has done for the Hilton Head Caper.  Wanda's latest lead:

     This week an APB had gone out for Pamela “The Godmother” Tadlock.  Pam (or Pammy P.I. as her gang affectionately calls her) is the head of a large and ruthless Florida crime family with ties to New York.  We know she was seen in the company of Karin “Quickdraw” Jurick in New York in May 2010 and again in Hilton Head in the fall of 2012.  What influence this had on her remains to be seen.

     We do know her own gang continues to grow.  Originally there were seven plus a partner-in-crime and a huge menagerie of animals but the current numbers are unknown.  She still maintains a cover as an artist but we have seen no evidence of recent activity in that field.  We suspect she is spending her time training her gang in far more nefarious activities but we have no proof.  As a senior statesman and artist once said “This is one of those cases in which the imagination is baffled by the facts”.  No matter the truth, she needs to be apprehended so keep working on those mugshots.

With 20 people painting the same painting, it is similar to interviewing eye witnesses... no two people ever see things the same way, but they all bear a resemblance to the truth.  To see other "eye witness" accounts of the Hilton Head Caper their paintings can be found at:  2012hiltonheadcaper.blogspot.ca