A New painting: Step by step

This is a new piece I completed a few months ago.  It is an older idea that I started in 2008 that had to be delayed because of my accident.  I was unable to complete this until now.

It is titled...

BitTorrent #7 "Interventio, The story of Calypso" 

48x36 oil on linen

2010

With each work of art that I create, I start with an academic study of my subject matter.  In this case, the story of Calypso from Greek mythology.  I tried to read everything I could about her, the people that wrote about her and why, what was going on in the area the writers were living in, and what was the social view of life in general, or the "weltanschau" at the time.  

For this piece, I studied the painting "Calypso," oil on canvas 1869, by Karl Ernest Rodolphe Heinrich Salem Lehmann.  I work at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts as a gallery guard part time.  Over the past 5 years, I have had the chance to truly observe this painting.  

After I feel satisfied with my study work (which I do because i just enjoy it), I then start to sketch out the composition.  Abstracting my study drawings until I find a composition that represents the subject-matter and in this case, the oil painting I was taking my inspiration from. 

Here are a few Iphone pictures of the process on canvas...

To the finished oil painting...

Mahalo.

  

Artwork of the month: American landscape

 Early in 2009, there was an exhibit of paintings at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts (owned by local Minneapolis collectors.)  For the most part, I found the exhibit okay, but the idea of celebrating the wealthy was as distasteful as citrus after brushing your teeth.  Out of that revelry for the rich and their possessions, I came to admire a brilliant example of expressionistic realism.

Last week I was surprised to find out the MIA purchased the painting in the exhibit that I felt was the best in show.  And here I believed that I would never see it again.

Theodore Robinson

American, 1852-1896

"Farm among hills, Giverny"

1887

Oil on canvas

"I must beware of the photo, get what I can of it and then go."

-Theodore Robinson


oh, the exhibit was titled "Nobel Dreams & Simple Pleasures..."
...wow what jerks.

My paint palette

I have been working with a new palette, or at least a new set of oil colors.  I prefer to work with Old Holland oil paints, but recently I found a company called Williamsburg that creates oil colors at the same quality as the old Liquitex oils from the 70's.

The new colors have inspired me to reinvestigate my ides of mixing and preparing oils.  I decided to start out with a classic layout of the colors.  Starting with the Atelier stye of laying out one's palette in the form of the color wheel.  It makes mixing easy for any artist.

From there, I just start the mixing and add colors as I need them...

It is simple, and I like it.