4. QC Solvent Free Oil Painting Session 4

Session 3 Review:
In the class we discussed briefly the use of a transparent underpainting. I referred the students to the "Oil Painter's Solution Book" demos by the author, Elizabeth Tolley.

I continued on the "Santa Rita Mountains" briefly, trying to allow plenty of time for everyone to make progress on their paintings.  Some photos of these additional painting stages, courtesy of Steven Piepmeier, are included here:
Texture added to the mountains.  Trees cut back (perhaps too far, removing the more interesting shapes they did have. I also lowered the horizon here to try to push the mountains back.




To be continued....

I took a trip the day after the 3rd session to Tubac to see the Big Horn Gallery.  Of interest were the paintings that had the pinkish glow we have been attempting.  Here is one and note her demo in Tubac next week.

Painting by Jessica Garrett, who will be giving an artist demo on Mar 12 and 13, 11-4


Other items to be reviewed in this session: sequence of stages for two paintings I worked on this week and will have in class.  I was re-inspired to work on Ghost Ranch paintings, though they are different from Arizona.  But I have to prepare for my trip to Sedona where I will gather photos for us to use. And the cliff colors of Sedona are supposed to be reminiscent of Ghost Ranch.   I have painted in a spot off the highway just past the entrance to Ghost Ranch many times. Here are my stages of a painting:








Removed the wild clouds since they need to be redone (or keep them as is).






Of course, I was not happy with the result, though it's okay, and would like to analyze it for how I could improve it. The B/W might help with this analysis. For example, the ground could be lighter, at least the sun-struck part.

The next day, I wanted to work on another version of a Ghost Ranch Chimney Rock painting that I did last year.  This is the painting from last year, "Ghost Ranch Smokes", 10x16:

"Ghost Ranch Smokes", 10x16, oil

Before beginning I played with the painting image in Photoshop and decided that it needed more shadow patterns to add some excitement to the painting:
"Ghost Ranch Smokes" photoshopped with shadows

I used the photoshopped version as my reference.

These are the stages of my reworked version: 16x20, oil:

"Ghost Ranch Cliffs", 16x20, oil. Stage 1, transparent udnerpainting

"Ghost Ranch Cliffs", 16x20, oil, some revision still transparent


"Ghost Ranch Cliffs", 16x20, oil, beginning to add opaques (mixes with white)


"Ghost Ranch Cliffs", 16x20, oil nearing completion to be studied in class


I am also considering doing a new version of one of my favorites (sold): "Chama Cliff Evening".  First the photo of the scene
PHOTO of cliffs above Chama River near Ghost Ranch in the late afternoon

"Chama Cliff Evening", 11x14, oil (sold)

As you can see, this is a very loose interpretation of the scene.  Painting it impressionistically gave me freedom I had not used before this point (summer of 2014).  On my website I described the experience of painting this: Painted "en plein air" at the beginning of Monastery Road, just up the road from Ghost Ranch. We were looking north at the wondrous cliffs formed so long ago during various geological ages. The light was playing in and out of the clouds, but it was fun to try to capture it anyway, waiting for the light and the shadows to return. Painted without a paint brush, with a paper towel and palette knife. I intend to touch it up slightly, perhaps with a paintbrush, providing a little more detail in the foreground. I have to wonder a bit about the prominent cliff structure. It's one of the 'muffin-top' cliffs that are ubiquitous along the Chama River in this part of New Mexico. But a viewer thought it was a hole in the mountain. Perhaps I was trying to see through the mountain to the beginning of its formation! I've decided to leave it as is; I rather like the ambiguity. Sold at the Purple Sage Gallery, www.purplesagegallery.biz. 


I would like to challenge myself to paint this again, somewhat more realistically, but hoping to maintain the magic I del when I painted it.  Note that this description should include some thoughts on the use of the transparent washes.  

And finally, I will have in the class a painting by a favorite Santa Fe instructor and friend, Roger Williams, a wonderful artist and master oil and pastel painter, www.rogerwilliamsart.com.  I have included some steps of a painting he did later in the morning.

Ghost Ranch Cliffs in the afternoon

Ghost Ranch cliffs in the late morning with artist, Roger Williams


Beginning stage.

Palette


Continuing

"Ghost Ranch", 8x10, oil by Roger Williams









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