New Painting: "Lunch Line"

Hi Everyone,
I've been painting furiously in the studio since I have a number of shows coming up soon. This is one of the paintings I'm going to send to Texas Art Gallery's Auction in November. Even though the auction isn't till November, the paintings are due in the middle of September.

Lunch Line, 24X40", oil on linen

Back in June, I spent a few days in Colorado. While there I met Ian, the wrangler for the ranch where I was staying. He was kind enough to allow me to follow him around snapping photo reference of him doing his everyday chores. This painting is a result of that day. Lunch time came around, and as he started filling the troughs with hay, the horses all took their places along the rail and waited. As he filled the troughs, it got pretty dusty. With the sun backlighting the scene, it fairly glowed with light. I knew when I was standing there that I would be painting this scene. I combined many photos to get this painting. A couple of photos for the background, the wrangler came from another and the horses were placed to best show off their individual colors and poses. I almost never get that perfect photo from which I can paint in the studio to make the scene I have in my head.

Sometimes naming a piece is harder than painting it. Once in a while I have the name nailed down before I start. Sometimes I come up with a name and think of a scene that fits it. But usually its a bit like giving birth. I think about it, let it develop in the back of my mind, but never force it. Thank goodness it doesn't take nine months for it to be born. Often times I'll discuss my ideas for names with my wife Ann. Sometimes she likes what I come up with, other times she just smiles at me (that's how I know I need to keep working on it). After a short brainstorming session, she came up with the name for this painting "Lunch Line". I knew when she said it, that it was the perfect name.

Along with a custom western frame from America West Frames and a name plate, the painting has the impact I first dreamed of when I was standing at the site. If you are a painter looking to take your painting to the next level, I've found a custom frame with a name plate is the way for me. I always love to look at paintings that have a name plate that tells you the name of the painting, along with the artist's name. It just feels so complete to me. Like a cherry on top of a sundae. After all, I like to think of the frame as an extension of the painting. If you choose the right one, you can make a good painting look great! The way an artist frames their paintings tells me a lot about what they think about themselves as an artist. If you put cheap frames on your work, it tells the world that even the artist doesn't think that much of it. Scott Christensen once told me that when he first started out, often the galleries would make more on one of his paintings than he would, because he would put the best frame on it that he could afford. Since artists pay for the frame themselves, the cost of the frame is taking that part of the profit directly off the top. But your paintings will show much better and in the long run, your reputation will grow because of it. Collectors of art aren't just informed on art, they also know frames. So do yourself and your legacy a favor and put the best frame you can on your painting.

Who's Your Daddy

"Whos Your Daddy", 20X24" oil on canvas, ©2008

Hi Everybody,
I did this painting as a result of my recent trip to the YO Ranch in Mountain Home, Texas. This ranch, which is located in the heart of Texas Hill Country, is rich in history and animals. In addition to the exotics that roam the 50,000 acres, like Giraffe, wildebeest and camel, they have lots of longhorn cattle as well. If you've never been close up to one of these bulls, you can find yourself pretty intimidated by their size and power. Everything about them shouts power and nobility. Instantly recognizable, Longhorn cattle are prized for the size of their horns. Horn spreads have been recorded over seven feet! These calves were following their daddy and sticking pretty close to him. But they also were pretty interested in me. I did my best to keep a healthy distance from them, since all animals can be pretty unpredictable when it comes to their young.

My aim in this painting, beyond showing the bond between this bull and what I assume were his offspring, was to convey the heat of a Texas day. The sun is so bright that everything fairly glows. I love the boxy lines of cattle, especially the longhorn variety. I can see why Texas is so in love with these animals. They are a ball to paint!

Thanks for looking

Native Dancer 1, new series has started

Hi Everyone,
it's time for another post! I finished this one yesterday and am excited to have begun a series of native dancers that I've been thinking about for some time. Last week Ann and I had some of our extended family from Norway make the trip to Minnesota. They stayed with us for a long weekend before moving on to stay with other family members. When we asked them what they wanted to do while here, they told us without hesitation that a pow wow was a must. Luckily the Ojibway (Chippewa) were having one of theirs that weekend. It lit the fire under me to begin this series while it was still fresh in my mind. Man, those drumming circles are LOUD! I bought a CD of indian drumming at the pow wow and played it while I painted this piece.


This painting is all about the rhythm, balance, color and energy the pow wow dancers display. No unnecessary details here to distract from the focus. Just pure joyous abandon (just like in painting). It was a ball to paint. I discovered that when you photograph the dancers, often times they are obscured by so much fringe and movement. Usually you can't tell what the dancer is doing. You can't simply paint what you see, but must simplify and construct something out of which our eyes can make some sense. You must paint what you know, not what you see. That's the challenge on a painting like this. So much of this painting is about feel and intuition. You have to feel when it's right and when it's finished. I could have easily allowed myself to overwork it. I also wanted a more energetic and abstract background than I usually paint.

Thanks for looking, Steve

Three plein airs from trip to Rocky Mountain National Park trip

Hello everyone,
I'm posting three of the paintings I did on location in the Rocky Mountain National Park, June 9-14. The first is a view of Twin Sisters peak as seen from across Lily Lake. As I painted this, there was a chipmunk who could smell the energy bar I had in my backpack. These critters are so tame that he grew brave enough to jump onto my lap and beg for a piece of my bar.

The Twin Sisters, 9X12 oil on linen panel

the second painting was painted at Mary Lake outside of Estes Park, Co.

Mary Lake Shoreline, 8X10 oil on linen panel

The third painting was done along the Trail Ridge Road at the Ute trail trailhead, in the Rocky Mountain National Park. According to the signpost nearby, prehistoric people used this path thousands of years ago. The Utes and Arapaho indians used the trail to cross from their Winter to Summer grounds. The trail led trappers and prospectors across the Rockies in the 1800's. All of this took place at an altitude of about 10,500 feet. The wind was blowing so hard that I had to sit in my car to paint it, so I wouldn't be blown over the cliffs. Being from Minnesota, where the tallest thing around are the buildings, I was pretty happy when I finished this one and could move on. Trail Ridge Road peaks at about 12,110 feet. I made it to 11,800 feet before the wind felt like it would blow the car over the side of the mountain and I turned around. The day before the park service had closed the road due to high winds.

Rocky Mountain Pass, 6X8 oil on linen panel

I always have a great time in Colorado and I can't wait to get back there again. Next time I think I'll go later in the season. Estes Park had gotten three inches of snow the day we arrived which was June 6th. I would have thought the snow was done for the season, but I guess winter goes slowly that high up. I'm really glad I over packed and brought along some warm clothing with me.

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One final note. When Ann and I were driving from the Denver Airport to Estes Park, we passed through Boulder. During our breakfast we noticed that there was a western art museum a few blocks away and decided to stop in. I didn't know anything about the Leanin' Tree Museum, but immediately knew we had stumbled onto something special from the moment we arrived.

The Leanin’ Tree Museum of Western Art in Boulder, Colorado, exhibits the private art collection of Ed Trumble, Founder and Chairman of Leanin’ Tree, Incorporated, publisher of fine art greeting cards since 1949. His collection was born of a passion for American western art that has spanned five decades and continues to grow today. The scope and quality of this rare collection will surprise you. As we walked around, we were stunned by the scope and quality of this man's collection. Over the past 50 years he has assembled a virtual who's who of western art and shares it with the public (and here's the best part) free of charge. He doesn't charge a nickel for you to see it! Not only does he have a wonderful collection of paintings, but there is an incredible sculpture garden as well, with some monumental bronzes. There are 250 paintings and 150 bronzes by some of the west's art masters. If you are ever in or near Boulder Colorado, do yourself a favor and take an hour or so and treat yourself to this visual feast. I promise you that it will stay with you for a long time to come. While you're there take a moment to say hello to Sara, the museum's curator. The museum is lucky to have her.



Till next time, thanks for looking, Steve

Thanks for looking, Steve

New Painting, "Rocky Mountain Fall"

Rocky Mountain Fall, 9X12 oil on linen panel

Hello Everyone, thanks for checking in. I've been working on some larger studio paintings lately. I've not been able to get outdoors more than once or twice since returning from Texas and I miss it. But the cure is on the way because I will be heading to the Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado this week. Part of the reason for the trip is to attend a family member's wedding, the other part is to be able to bring my paints and camera and get some quality on location painting time. The last time I went I was just getting started at plein air painting. I wasn't yet ready to tackle the complexities of the mountain vistas. I'm really excited for this trip. I did this painting as sort of a warm up to painting there. I handled it much as I would any on location subject and gave myself a limited amount of time to complete it. The next morning I touched up a couple of areas.


Happy Painting, Steve

Recent painting trip to Texas Hill Country

Looking to the West, 8X10, oil/linen board

This painting was done as a result of my recent painting trip to Kerrville and the Texas Hill Country in Mountain Home, Texas. I spent five days painting and taking reference there two weeks ago. I wish it had been longer. While there I stayed at the YO Ranch and had hoped to be able to wander the private ranch, which has exotic animals such as wildebeast, camel and giraffe on the grounds. Not to mentions thousands of deer and cattle. Unfortunately, I was not allowed to roam the ranch freely, since it is also a hunting ranch, where hunters pay lots of money to visit and kill these animals ( not the camels and giraffes though). Next time I'll probe a little deeper about the ranch rules. I figured with 50,000 acres, there would be plenty of room for me. Oh well, live and learn. But the people there were wonderful and helped direct me to lots of beautiful places at which I could paint. This painting was done back in my studio though, right after I got back home. I took the photo on my way back to my cabin after a long day spent painting in the field. I was beat and couldn't have done another painting if my life depended on it. So I stopped the car and stood by the side of the road and just took it all in. Of course I took some pictures, but that only took a moment. The rest of the time I watched, I took mental notes on the color temp shifts and the values. So many artist's I talk to talk about doing the same thing all the time. They are constantly noticing the complexity in the colors of nature. About how she balances out the warms and the cools. How marvelous it is to really look at the way God has mixed it all up so that it all makes perfect sense when you are experiencing it, but how difficult it is to invent it out of your imagination back in the studio. There are subtleties there that seem to be insignificant, but if you leave them out, your work will always have an amateurish quality about it. That's why I paint on location. It's information you can gain no other way. It teaches me every time, how little I know, and how I understand even less.

Fishing the Llano River (field study), 6X8, oil/linen panel

I did this painting on location on the same trip. I did 10-12 paintings while there, but I only brought a few home with me as carry on. The rest I Fedexed home along with my easel and paints. I'm still waiting for that box to arrive. This was a beautiful spot along the South Llano river which runs through Junction, Tx. I started the painting without the figures, and about half way through, these fishermen came along and make a perfect focal point for this piece. I'm going to start putting more figures in my on location work. They add so much to a painting I think. I love that the main figure in this one is setting the hook. A little action in a painting can be such a good thing.

Morning Texas Pasture (field study), 6X12, oil/linen panel

This was also a plein air piece. There were cattle that dotted the far pasture, and I might add them to a larger studio painting of this. But this one's size made me a little hesitant to try to do that. I love back lit landscapes. That's why I do so many of them. This one was my first piece of the day and I couldn't have asked for a better subject. I was just off the highway, where no one goes slower than 70mph. It's good training for being able to block distractions out while you paint. If you can concentrate while Semi's blow by you, hell bent for leather, then you're ready for all the crowds you attract while painting on location. No doubt.

Thanks for looking, Steve

Joanna Van Gogh and the power of One

Robert Genn is an artist who sends out a weekly blog/newsletter to which I subscribe. His recent post was about Joanna Van Gogh. Joanna was Theo's wife, who survived both of them. Now, most people in the arts are well familiar with Vincent's and Theo's story. Theo was not just Vincent's brother. He was also his link to the world, his confidant, his funding source, as well as his art dealer. It's impossible to put too much value on what Theo has done for the art world by preserving his genius brother's work. Not to mention the invaluable record of Vincent's inner thoughts, dreams and philosophy through the letters they exchanged over the years. However, a story that is almost unknown is the importance of Joanna's dogged determination to have Vincent's work recognized for the Genius that is was. We have Joanna to thank for single handedly championing Vincent's work after his death, and Theo's death a mere six months later. This story illuminates better than any I've heard about the importance of family, as well as the difference one determined person can make on the world. Enjoy...

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Joanna Van Gogh

Robert Genn's Twice Weekly Letter
Insight and inspiration for your artistic career.

Dear Artist,

Vincent van Gogh died in 1890. Theo van Gogh, art dealer and brother of Vincent, died six months later, in 1891. Johanna, Theo's wife, inherited all the shop remainders including virtually all of Vincent's work. She soon moved with her small son from Paris to Bussum near Amsterdam. Johanna, age 29, went into distribution mode.

Reading the brothers' correspondence, she became convinced of her brother-in-law's genius and set about to do the right thing by him. "I am living wholly with Theo and Vincent," she wrote in her diary, "Oh, the infinitely delicate, tender and loving quality of that relationship." Placing work in various commercial galleries in the Netherlands, she also arranged for the gifting of works to strategic museums. It was hard going at first--people laughed at Vincent's work. The critics were skeptical at best, but in the end her writings and her persistent, visionary advocacy fanned the Vincent flames. She typed and revised the Theo-Vincent letters, finally publishing many of them in Dutch in 1914. When she died in 1925, she was still working on letter 526. Johanna also assisted in publishing a handbook for detecting Vincent forgeries.

In the "all's well that ends well" story of artists' lives and successes, there are worthwhile prerequisites. Some artists try some of them so the fruits of their labour can be enjoyed while their creators are still walking around. Vincent, who never saw a guilder from his art, had benefit of all five of the prerequisites:

Distinctive, recognizable style
Limited supply (200, plus drawings)
Controlled distribution (one caring person in charge)
Story (failure, poverty, passion, health issues, ear-off)
Tragic, preferably early, end (shot himself, age 37)

A dose of nepotism helps too. The van Goghs and the Bongers (Johanna's maiden name) were educated, professional, well connected and upwardly mobile. Vincent was the black sheep. It was Vincent's publisher-uncle C. M. van Gogh who was first in print with Vincent's story. Another uncle designed the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam. Johanna was herself a sensitive, literate yet practical type who spoke and wrote beautifully in three languages. After thirty years of hard work, she finally and graciously consented to allow England's National Gallery to buy Vincent's "Sunflowers."

Best regards,

Robert




PS: "Everything is but a dream!" (Johanna van Gogh, 1891)

Esoterica: It may take bereavement, another generation, or a canny dealer to see preciousness and perhaps value in a body of work. The combination of hoarding and distribution is part of the art. Work should not be too readily released or made commonly available to just anyone. Stratospheric prices come after the groundwork is laid. After that, as in the National Gallery, "Sunflowers" are now made available on mugs, calendars, shirts and brassieres. Theo and Vincent now lie side by side in the cemetery at Auvers-sur-Oise. If those two idealists hear about those mugs, they'll be rotisserating in their graves.

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Incidentally, Bob Dylan's song "Visions of Joanna" found on the 1966 album Blonde on Blonde, was about Joanna Van Gogh and her single handed vision of what Vincent's work could mean to all of us.

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Two Western Landscapes

Juniper Lake Study, 6X8, oil on linen panel




Mountain Snowmelt Runoff, 6x12, oil on linen panel

Hi Everyone,
I'm posting a couple of the smaller paintings I recently finished. Both are scenes in Wyoming, but are very different in their mood. The first is a lake near Yellowstone toward the end of the day. The second is early in the morning looking almost directly into the sun. That one is outside of Jackson Hole on the way to Yellowstone. I never get tired of the landscapes around the Jackson Hole area. I bet a person could spend several lifetimes painting it and still only scratch the surface.

Thanks for looking, Steve

Art Auction, May 9-10, 2008

Update: "Sizing Up The New Hand" and "Morning Has Broken" were sold at the Auction this past weekend. It was a great event and I want to thank Texas Art Gallery for putting on an incredible weekend. It was great getting to meet so many of the gallery's reps, great artists and informed and enthusiastic collectors. I'm looking forward to the next one coming up in November.


Sizing Up the New Hand, 20X30, oil on linen

Since I'm going to be participating in my first art auction in less than a week, I thought it would be a good idea to post my entry here and talk about it a little. I called this painting, "Sizing Up The New Hand". I had the idea of wondering what it is like for a cowboy who shows up for his first day on the job. Cowboys, being like everyone else, would be curious about their new co-worker. But Cowboys, being like nobody else, wouldn't sneak a peek at him. They would just look. No Bull, no pretenses, and no fear. Even the dog gets in on the once over. I made sure that the new guy's jeans were clean (and still blue), and his shirt was pressed. The other cowboys clothes have long since given up the ghost when it comes to looking new. After all, this is a working ranch.

The Auction, which will take place on Saturday, May 10, 2008, will be hosted by Texas Art Gallery and held at the Inter-Continental Hotel in Dallas Texas. The preview starts at 6:00 pm and the auction itself will begin at 7:30.

In addition, there will be a fixed price draw at the Gallery on Friday, May 9th, 2008. Draw will be held at 8pm. I have three pieces in the draw. The first is:

Morning Has Broken, 11X14, oil on linen panel


Mixed Team Roping, 13X20, Charcoal on Strathmore




Two Seconds To Go, 21X14, Charcoal on Strathmore

Ann and I are excited to get to meet the Gallery staff and Collectors. It's a chance to meet some pretty wonderful people who all love Art just as much as we do. Everyone at TAG (Texas Art Gallery), has been so very good to us. This gives us a chance to put faces to names. Not to mention, having the opportunity to meet the people who collect art and give people like me the ability to live my passion every day. We've had a chance to look over the Set Price Draw and Auction catalog, and we're excited to get to see some pretty wonderful art. I'll check in after the event and let you know how things went.

I'll be doing a bit of painting in the Hill Country after the event, so I would appreciate any tips on where to visit!!

Till next time, Steve

Clouds Over Texas, new painting

Clouds Over Texas, 9X12, oil on linen board
Texas Art Gallery, 800.783.4278


Hi Everyone,
I finished this painting recently. When I was in Texas last May, I was struck by the incredible cloud formations. When I moved to Minnesota from Ohio, I thought Minnesota had wonderful skies, and they do. But then I experienced Arizona Skies and thought they were the best. But nowhere have I seen such beautiful skies, day after day, as I did in Texas that weekend. Unfortunately I was in town for only a short time and I wasn't able to do any on location painting. So I took lots of photos. Back in the studio, six months later, and working from several photos, I came up with this scene along one of their many rivers. I decided to make it a late day scene and make the bottom half of the trees in shadow. Setting the painting at this time of the day allows me to play up the saturated colors that make these skies as interesting as they were. In the original photo of the river that I used, there were some uninteresting rock formations on the left hand side, which I replaced with the shrubs on the foreground shore.

Thanks for looking, Steve

New PA's for April 2008

Hi Everyone,
It had been almost six months since I had been out painting on location. I've been painting every day in my studio/dungeon, but I had gallery commitments to fulfill, not to mention making the transition of illustrating full time to painting full time in February. Lord, I can't believe how much time is not spent painting, when you start painting full time, LOL. But the change is behind me and I got out of the studio this past month more than a few times. Needless to say, on location painting in April in Minnesota isn't always the most pleasant experience, but it beats working for a living!! I ain't complainin'

Here are a few of the paintings from the past sessions....

A Change in Direction, 6X8
This is the first painting I did after my self imposed extended break.

A Fresh Blanket of Snow, 8X10
Painted on April Fool's day. It had snowed heavily all night and there were paintings everywhere I looked. Every branch was bent with a thick layer of snow. It warmed up so quickly that there was so much less snow when I finished this study than when I started it.


Outstanding In His Field, 9X12
Painted on what I thought was the Minnesota Arboretum's property. That is, until the farmer that owned the field came out with his very upset dog and asked my why I was out standing in his field. Luckily, he was nice enough to let me stay and finish.


April's Melt, 9X12
This painting was done in the afternoon of the same day as "Fresh Blanket of Snow". This is how quickly the snow had melted off in just a few hours. I was standing in what must have been a direct flight path of Canada Geese, as there seemed to be an unending stream of them flying by all afternoon.



Late Winter Shoreline, 6X8
This was the final painting for the day. I wanted to do a quick study, so I did what I call a guerilla painting. I give myself 40-45 minutes to get down the essence of the scene. Quickly decide on the focal point (which in this case was the oak tree in the upper left third of the painting), winter came so quickly here, that this tree was still holding onto it's yellow leaves. Everything else is simplified and subordinated to it. I love starting the day doing these quick studies to loosen up. I'll also do them at the end of a day, if I feel that I was spending too much time concentrating on details which only hurt the painting in the long run.

Happy Painting, Steve

Walk Softly, finished version

Update: "Walk Softly"was sold at the Bosque Conservatory Art Classic in Clifton, Tx. The collectors who bought the painting told me that they loved the painting and also loved being able to follow the creative progress, and was part of the reason they decided to purchase it. ---S.



Hi All,
I decided to put my painting, Walk Softly against the wall for a while and come back to it with a fresh eye. When I look at something for too long, my perception becomes stale and the problems with the painting are tough to see. Even if the problem is a glaring one, you can miss it. Taking a break allows me to see things much more clearly.
When I put the painting back on the easel, I knew what I had to address. The painting was too warm all over, even the greens. There was no difference between the temps in the clearing he was standing in, and the trees behind him. Also, the coloring made the painting too ominous. The subject matter of this weapon is adult enough without playing it up in the colors. Here is the version before I made any changes...


Previous Version


New Revised Version


As you can see, when you compare the new version to the old one, the changes are pretty significant. I made the colors more true to life and believable. I also repainted the blades on the warclub. They had grown pretty big as I had painted on them and were out of scale with the weapon. The other thing I was unhappy with was how I had applied the paint. It's now much more painterly and exciting to look at. Now I can say it's finished. It's a perfect example of not rushing a painting out of the studio. If there is ever anything that doesn't please you in your work, give it time to rest and come back to it with a fresh eye. Richard Schmid advises to never leave anything on your canvas that you know is wrong. Sage advice to be sure. I would add to that.... to give yourself a little time to live with a painting to find out what those things may be. Once you let the painting out of the studio, it's kind of like going to the top of a mountain and releasing a handful of feathers. You can't ever get them back again, no matter how hard you try.

Happy Painting, Steve

Horseback Along the Virgin River

Hi Everyone,
I finally got around to posting. I've been busy on a large painting and it's taken up most of my painting time. But, thanks to my friend Jacquelyn, who lit a fire under me, I committed to doing a painting for the Zion National Park competition. This is my attempt to convey the grandeur of Zion Canyon. If you look very closely along the shadowed side of the river, you will see three dark figures. Two riders on horseback and their trusty dog. They were added to try to give extra impact to the scale. It was difficult to paint them small enough. I kept having to redo them because they always ended up too big. Everything I did, from the lighting and shadow of the cliff from the opposite canyon wall, to the river and trees are doing everything I can to point you to those tiny tiny figures in this vast landscape. That's also why I've given the painting the name that I have. It lets you know that there's something extra worth looking for.

Thanks for looking, Steve

The Warclub, a painting "work in progress" Day4

Hi Everyone,
I apologize for taking so long to get this posted. I had it ready last week and didn't have the time to get it photographed and posted. I still don't feel that it's 100% finished, but it's close enough to post if framed on my website as finished. Also, I will be replacing this photo with a sharper version in the next couple of days. I've started using a Canon 40D DSLR and, at least for me, the learning curve has been steep. I long for the days of my old point and shoot Olympus Camedia C-5050!! But enough of that.

Here is the latest version of "Walk Softly" ( formerly "The Warclub"):





I decided to rename it to something a bit more creative and to make a play on an old saying. I feel that the name of a painting should be as creative as the work itself. It has to work as a whole. And if you find that you don't like a painting's name, you can always rename it ( as long as it hasn't sold yet).

Most of the work that's been done on it since my last post has been detailing. Tightening the features of the face. Painting in the hands. Working varied color temps into his buckskin shirt. I added rawhide decorations and feathers around the handle of the club itself. I noticed that the original shirt the model was wearing had puffy cuffs, which works for fabric shirts, but not for buckskin warshirts. So I had to rework the ends of the sleeves to be more like a jacket with fringe. As I painted him I tried to keep the edges softer to keep the painting from being too brutal. I especially worked on getting the blade to glint in the sunlight. Adding that glow is a great way to get your focus from the Mountain Man to the club. I kept the background subdued so that he really pops. I still need to flesh that background out a touch. But I wanted to wait until I had the figure just about done. That way I can add only as much as I need without having it compete with the figure.

Steve

The Warclub, a painting "work in progress" Day3

Hi All,
Here is the progress I made during my second day of painting. I forgot to mention that this piece is 18X24.



As you can tell, I've done quite a bit to it since the last post, but the working process is always the same. Work the entire picture at once. I have rendered his face more and it doesn't look so blocked in. It is further along, but I still don't consider it finished. As I look at it, I realize the size of his nose has grown. It happens. I have a tendency to do that, so I will continue to perfect his face. To me, this is the most important part of any painting with a figure in it. the face has to be exactly right and painted tighter than the rest of the work. You just can't be sloppy with a face. I read somewhere once, and I've taken it as one of my mantras, "Don't accept something in your work that you wouldn't accept in someone else's work". If I look at a figurative painting or a character study and the face isn't right, I just assume that that was the best they could do. That they couldn't see the problem and couldn't paint it any better. I never want that to be the case on one of my paintings. As I work on it, I am continually looking at it in the reflection of a large mirror I have hung opposite my easel. This immediately lets me see any problems with drawing or perspective that my eyes have grown accustomed to. His Buckskin is also further along than it was, but I'm still working on it. I'm pretty happy with the front of his shirt, but his sleeves are still in process. I've barely begun to rough his right hand in, while his left hand is still a drawing. This part isn't concerning me right now, as I know what I want that to be like. The biggest change you are probably noticing is the background. As I let the painting sit for a couple of days last week, I became bothered by not having some kind of a background. I didn't want anything too distracting, but he needed to be in a setting. It came to me that many of the masters would paint in backgrounds that were not distracting by painting them in a more monochromatic technique. Something that was more than abstact and not as much as a full fledged distracting background. I liked what I had in the way of composition, so I worked with what I had as shapes, and just fleshed them out a bit. Adding trees and a field, always making sure the rhythm and balance was working. I was also very aware to keep the focus on the mountain man by keeping this the lightest/darkest area. This is where it ended up. It's a much more pleasing and satisfying painting with placing him in a wild setting. I will continue to fine tune it. I've hinted at the fringe on his shirt. Probably the only thing I consider finished on this is his beard, the wooden part of his warclub, his shirt front and his head wrap. Everything else is closer to completion than it was, and in a better place, but still very much a work in progress. Thanks for checking in.

Happy Painting, Steve

The Warclub, a painting "work in progress" Day 2

Hi Everyone,
Here are the results of my first day of actual painting on "The Warclub". I thought long and hard about how to approach the finish on this painting. There were many ways I could have gone. One way I considered taking it was to put a full blown background in. But I ruled this out almost immediately since I felt that even a simple setting would have detracted from the strength of the focal point, which is the club wielding mountain man. Then I thought about putting him on a dark background of deep green or some other compliment that would pop him off the background. A better choice than the first, but I ruled this out in the end because it might have been too tranquil a background for this painting. The thing I kept coming back to in my mind is that this is a brutal, almost prehistoric kind of weapon and it required a background with some slashing life to it.


So I brushed on a transparent layer of raw umber and earth green near the figure, then used a brush to fleck and slash it with turpentine. The turp lifted the wet paint, dripped in places and created a wonderful effect of a stone like texture. Just the background that this painting needed to give it some life, but not overwhelm. Everything is loosely painted at this point and nothing is finished. the hands are still only drawings. The subject from which I am painting was wearing a bright blue fabric shirt. Way too blue to be period correct, so I changed it to a buckskin coat and will be adding fringe along his shoulders. Buckskin is thicker than fabric and the folds have to be painted in a more rounded softer manner than the fabric would be painted. I've also added a couple of beaded strips down the front of his coat. This lets you know this is indeed a western mountain man and that he possibly has a native wife somewhere. I will be letting the shadow part of his coat melt into the background colors. This gives it a more pleasing effect and doesn't draw unneeded attention. At this point, I'm just trying to get everything in so I can judge what it needs and can do without. I'm really trying to avoid putting in unneeded details and really orchestrating what I want you to see.

The Warclub, a painting "work in progress"

Hi Everyone,
I've decided to do something a little different this time. I've had some inquiries about the process I use on my figurative pieces, so I thought it might be fun to do a post which follows along as I work on a piece. I will take a photo at the end of each sessionof my painting and explain what I've gotten accomplished in each session. I don't know if this piece will be successful, but that's the way it is with every piece that artist's do. There are no guarantees.

This painting will be called "The Warclub". This mountain man is holding a particularly nasty native american weapon called a warclub. We don't know how he came to have it. He may have won it on the field of battle, or just stumbled across it while traveling the wild country. This weapon was feared and was particularly effective in battle. I guess you can see why. It was made out a a plank of wood, two wicked blades stuck out of the side and it was decorated with brass studs, horsehair twine, beads, and at times, feathers.

This is the way I start most of my figurative paintings. I'm using Claessins #166 acrylic primed linen. I tone my canvas with yellow ocher acrylic paint. Not always, but usually. Then I begin to draw on the canvas with hard vine charcoal. I draw lightly at first, but because it's vine charcoal, it wipes away very easily, so corrections are easy to make. At this stage everything is very fluid. One thing I have learned is that a drawing can look just right when you draw it, but once it's framed it can feel off. And if it doesn't feel right, it's wrong. So, sometimes I will do my drawing while I have the frame around it, or sometimes I look at it framed after the drawing is fairly well along. Here is the drawing in the frame to check how it balances. I always try to use the frame it will be sold in. That way there are no surprises.


Everything is loose at this time, in fact I keep it loose for as long as I can.



Here is a close-up of the head. Here you can see that I've kept the drawing to major areas of lights and darks. Why put in all that detail, if you're just going to cover it up in the block in?

This is the end of my first session. The drawing took 1 1/2 - 2 hours and was done at the end of a full painting day, or I would have started the painting.

Steve

Sketchbooks, the key to painting better.

Hi Everyone

Occasionally a beginning painter will ask me how to speed up the time it takes for them to paint better. I only know what works for me.... the basics. Everyday I try to set aside some time to draw. There isn't any magic potion for me. I'm a grinder. It doesn't come easy for me and I have to work at it everyday, and probably always will. I don't possess a photographic memory ( at least if I do, I don't remember that I do), so working on finding that shorthand to record what I see, or rather, how accurately I see, is a matter of practice. Of course drawing from life is best, and I do that whenever I can. This sketchbook page to the left was done sitting on a bench at the Lake Harriet Rose Garden, just minutes from my house. But often a hectic schedule keeps me from going out as much as I would like. In that case, I use anything I have at hand to draw from, magazines, books, catalogs, and photos I've taken. I even draw from some of my favorite websites. Since I'm not selling these sketches and am not profiting from them, I'm not infringing on anyone's copyrights.

There was a time, long ago, when I first started drawing that it wasn't much fun. But that doesn't last too long (only about a year I think). Before long, you will see yourself making progress, and the things that you couldn't do become second nature. I read somewhere that most people give up the new things they are trying to do, just before they would make a breakthrough, and so never succeed. But if you stick with it and are kind to yourself, soon you will look forward to your time with your pencil. I'm going to post some pages from my sketchbooks here to give you an idea as to the different things I draw and the goals I set for myself. Almost always these drawings are loose and don't take a lot of time. Some are looser than others. The goal of a sketchbook is to do quick little studies and train your eye to see size space relationships. The goal is not to create finished drawings to sell or hang on your wall. Oh, and remember, you can click on any image you see for a larger view.


The sketches to the left were done to work out the best composition on a painting idea. I do these all the time. 5-10 minutes on these kinds of sketches will save you a lot of false starts on your easel and wasted time. I also do these when I'm painting on location, and I would recommend if you paint outside too, that you give it a try. You will know immediately if your composition is strong enough to support a painting. Also, I do move things around to make a better painting, so this kind of drawing lets you work it out beforehand. I try different layouts and dimensions too. Sometimes your first idea isn't your best and this will force you to try out new looks and get away from your usual solutions.


Same with these quick sketches, just a compositional exercise. Sometimes I will fire off a sketch when I get an idea for a painting, just so I don't forget my idea. "Sunscreen" was one of these sketches. Two older folks getting ready to get into their canoe for a day on the water, take a moment to apply sunscreen to each other. Along the Treeline was another compositional sketch to work out getting the focal point clear in my mind.
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This photo had potential for a painting, but was too busy and lacked a place for your eye to rest.


so I did a sketch that added a field at the bottom of the canyon, which solved my problem. It isn't fancy or detailed, but that's not what I needed it for. Here is the finished painting. I used this sketch to refer to as I laid out the underpainting. I only used it as a shorthand drawing.


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These drawings, on the other hand, are purely about sketching and training your eye and brain to see size and space relationships. For me this is so very important in my painting. To paint well, you have to be able to see well. If something in your painting seems wrong but you don't quite know what the problem is, you probably have a drawing problem. It doesn't matter how well something is painted, if you aren't accurate in your relationships, you will not be successful. Sorry, but that's just how it is. Being able to draw gives me that ability to see. For me, I make the most progress in training my eye, by doing lots of quick sketches rather than one long labored drawing. I keep a small handheld mirror close by to view my sketch in reverse and make sure I'm on target. Using one of these babies will give you a fresh eye when you've been looking at your drawing for too long and your eye has grown used to your mistakes. Looking at your sketch in the mirror will quickly show you where you've gone wrong so you can correct it. I tend to draw a lot of nudes in these drawings since I find human anatomy to be the most unforgiving subject. If you've gotten it wrong, even just a little, you will usually know it. But don't feel that you have to draw nudes. I draw anything and everything. Whatever I'm interested in, or feel I need to work on is fair game, as you will see.


I'm constantly drawing horses and horse anatomy. I like to paint them and must be familiar with their anatomy enough to get it right. In so many ways horse anatomy is every bit as challenging as human anatomy. Even more so for me, because I'm not as familiar with it, so sometimes the mistakes aren't as easy for me to see.

In my sketches of the stray dog that my parents adopted, I was only concerned with getting his gesture and expression. These were quick and not labored.

I love doing the quick character studies of some of the reenactors I meet at the rendezvous I attend. This carpet bagger had a great look. Again, this is quick and I don't labor to get everything exactly right. I'm much more interested in getting something down quickly and getting my eye and brain to intuitively see relationships, angles, and to simplify values.

More quick drawings, though longer than a pure gesture drawing. Don't get distracted by unimportant detail. Also, start out drawing light enough so that you can make adjustments as you need to. I'm constantly making corrections as I go. Same with painting. Martin Greele says something to the effect that painting is a series of corrections. The same is definitely true of drawing.


This is about as long a pose as I will do in my sketchbooks, probably about 1-1 1/2 hours.

I also like to put multiple images on each page. And I work at trying to make it pleasing to look at as a whole, I guess it's the Designer/Illustrator in me.
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Well, that's all for now, I hope this gives you some inspiration to pick up your sketchbook and pencil and dive right in. You won't regret it and your paintings will be much easier for you to do.

Happy painting, Steve

Use RSS feed to be first and informed

Let's say you have a favorite artist (or ten) who's website or blog you like to visit. But who has time every day to jump to their artist's site to check if any new work has been posted. Well now RSS feeds can put you in control. Before I get to the why you should care, let's take a moment to talk about the what question first. What on earth is RSS? (Also known as Subscribe To: Posts (Atom) at the bottom of this page. It's the same thing to you and I.)

What are RSS feeds? Perhaps you've seen text or image buttons on various websites inviting you to "subscribe via RSS." Well, what does that mean exactly? What is RSS, what are RSS feeds, and how do you get them to work for you?

Answer
What is RSS? Short for Really Simple Syndication or Rich Site Summary, this handy service is revolutionizing the way we search for content. There's nothing complicated about RSS; just think of it as a way that websites come to you, the reader, with content, instead of you having to check up on them. Every time content is updated by your chosen website, a "feed" is activated, and then you can view these "feeds" (it's just a fancy way of saying content) in a feed reader. It's kind of like subscribing to a newspaper. Website feeds get delivered to you in your RSS reader, and you get to read them (We'll get to feed readers in just a minute!).

RSS feeds benefit artists like me too, since I can get my new work and new blogs to subscribers, like you, fast, by submitting feeds to various RSS directories (such as Google Reader).

What does this mean for you? Sure, that sounds interesting, but why is it for me?

Answer
Simply put, it means that you are in control and informed about any new artwork that's loaded. Also, if you RSS subscribe to my blog (musings) you will know as soon as I put up an new post of my ramblings. When I post it, you'll know it. Simple as that. OK, says you, I'm an artformation junkie and that sounds like it's for me. What do I do next? Luckily that's simple too. Step on is to Let's talk about RSS readers.

What Are RSS Readers? What are RSS readers and do I need one?

Answer
Basically, RSS readers are the programs used to view your RSS feed subscriptions. In other words, it's a way to clump all your RSS feeds from various websites, like all your favorite artists, into one handy dandy little interface. For example, the web browser I use is Firefox and when I subscribe to a RSS feed, it automatically shows up in my bookmark menu. Most people however, use another browser, so to make this really simple I'll use Google reader as an example, though there are many readers available. I like Google Reader, because there is nothing to download and best of all, it's FREE!

To use Google Reader, you'll need a Google account. Once you've signed in, you can access all the other nifty Google services such as Froogle, GMail. Here is a quick and easy link you can use to sign up at Google to begin using your Google Reader.
Google Account sign up.

Once you have your account, you can begin using your Reader to access all those websites that have feeds which sound interesting to you. By the way, RSS feeds are great for your favorite news sites. Now you can be the one to announce to the rest of the office that Paris was arrested again, or that there's a rumor that Britney was seen coming out of Chuck E Cheese in Boca Raton. Imagine the possiblilities! While you're at it, don't forget to add your favorite artist's sites.

So if you're interested, take a moment to subscribe to my feed by clicking the Subscribe to: Posts (Atom) link at the bottom of this page and you won't miss another post.

...what do you mean Britney's lawyers are on the phone? I didn't start that rumor.

Bosque Conservatory 2007 Art Show

Hi Everyone,
In September the Bosque Conservatory in Clifton, Texas, held it's 22nd annual Art Classic Competition. Out of more than 1200 entries, 200 works of art were chosen to be included in this years show. The Juror of Awards for this show was nationally renowned artist George Hallmark.

Before I get too far into talking about the show, I should tell you a little about the art scene in Clifton, Texas and Bosque County. In the middle of a sparsely populated area of Texas at the north edge of the Hill Country is historic Clifton Texas. Considered one of the “100 Best Small Art Towns in America,” Clifton has attracted such renowned artists as the late James Boren, the late Melvin Warren, Bruce Greene, Martin Grelle, George Hallmark, Tony Eubanks and George Boutwell. Many of those artists have exhibited or taught at the Bosque Conservatory. In this unlikely hard workin' no nonsense town, is the crown jewel of the Arts that is the Bosque Conservatory.

I learned about the show from my good friend Scott Myers who himself was the purchase award winner in years past. He told about the high quality of the entries in the show. The great prize money that is awarded. But mostly he told me about the people who run the Conservatory and their dedication to promoting high quality representational art. He wasn't stretching the truth.

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After I had entered seven pieces in the show and had gotten the phone call after the judging that I had won the Jones Purchase Award, one of the hardest things I had to do was to keep the good news to myself for the next two months until it was announced on opening night. Well, I kept it mostly to myself. Four entries are required to be eligible to win the John Steven Jones Purchase Award. This award is given to one piece of art in the show each year, along with a $5,000.00 check. In return, the painting is added to the Conservatory's permanent collection of paintings and sculpture. The award is in memory of Roland and Joyce Jones' son who died in a traffic accident. Their intent is to make the monetary award large enough that high quality artists are attracted to enter the show. And the reason that a minimum of 4 entries are required to be eligible, is to ensure that the painting entered wasn't a one time piece of luck. It ensures that the artist is competent in their chosen medium. You are only allowed to win this award once, and then you become ineligible to win again. Five of my entries were accepted into the show. The two that were rejected were the two that I thought had the best chance of getting in and maybe even winning the Jones Award. It just goes to show that you never can tell what the judge is looking for. Thank goodness for the requirement of the extra pieces. Here are the pieces that were accepted in the show along with the awards they were given.


Promise of Another Summer, John Steve Jones Purchase Award. 20X16, Oil on Linen.


Come Back to Bed, 2nd place, Oil painting. 8X10, oil on Gessoed Panel.



Mending, 1st Place, Pastel/Color Pencil. 16X12,Pastel on Archival Sanded Board.



Spring on Partridge Creek, 20X16, oil on linen



Autumn in Buffalo Valley, 12X16, Oil on Linen Panel.

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Ann and I flew into DFW and drove down to Clifton, where we were invited to stay with Art Collectors and Patrons Joyce and Roland Jones, who's hospitality knew no limits. We accepted their invitation greatfully and boy were we glad we did. They opened their home to us as though we were long lost relatives. They fed and housed us. And they showed us their beautiful collection of original art, which would make any museum drool. I had a hard time going to bed, cause I just wanted to drink in all those wonderful paintings and sculptures. The mornings were wonderfully cool with mist hanging over the ranch. Here are the angus cattle slowly making their way across the mist shrouded distant fields.


Our days were filled with sightseeing and lots of picture taking for reference. Here are two of the paintings I did from our time at the ranch.


Bosque Canyon Vista, 11X14 oil on linen panel.


Hill Country Moonlight, 12X16 oil on linen



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This show was every artist's dream come true. From the moment we arrived, everyone treated us so special. The show was spectacular, and I was proud just to be included with so many other wonderful artists. There was plenty of time to get aquainted with everyone and to make lots of new friends. Unfortunately, I was so intent on talking, I forgot to take many pictures of the show space and people mingling. Most of the photos I got that night, were given to me by friends. Here are some of the photos I have.

Joyce and Roland's grandkids and their significant others came down for the show.


...now where is that business card........


...oh, here it is!! Here I am networking and getting to know some of the guests.




Gregory Beck, Me and Jeff Gottfried. These guys both won awards in the Sculpture Category. Gregory took Second while Jeff got First Place and the Cap Award. Their work was so very different, but both are incredibly gifted. I hate saying gifted, cause it sounds like there is no work involved and it just comes naturally. Gifted artists tell me, there is very little good work that comes easily.

Here are some of the award winners:


Mike Evans, Watercolor First Place.



The very talented painter Mike Irvin, accepting the Peoples Choice Award.


Cindy Long accepting her award for her Drawing category First Place winner.
She is a magician with the pencil.


I can't remember the last time I smiled so much.



A nice surprise....



....I had no idea that I had received awards other than the purchase award. Everyone involved with the show decided to keep that to themselves. I didn't have a clue and almost passed out as I walked around. Joyce had a great time watching as I made the award discoveries.




The reason this whole dream night was possible for me are all standing next to me. Scott and Kathi Myers are on the far left. Scott is a great painter and a Jones winner himself. I would never ever have heard about this show, if it hadn't been for him. Thank you for being so open and supportive, not to mention taking the time to drive all the way down from Granbury to attend the show. And, next to me, the woman who means the world to me, my wife Ann.




Our friends, hosts, and very generous patrons, Roland and Joyce Jones.





Two of my very favorite things in the world, relaxing and talking art. The morning after a very hectic show opening.

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Thanks for indulging me in this chance to relive a very important night in my life. My sincerest thanks go out to Joyce and Roland Jones, George Hallmark, the talented artists and patrons who showed up and were so supportive of the work. And of course, thanks to everyone who volunteers their time and opens their pocketbooks to make the Bosque Conservatory a reality. Because of your support of representational art, you help to make the world a better and more beautiful place to live in.

Happy Painting, Steve