The Foundry - Sutter Creek Plein Air

On a whim early this morning I called my artist friend Howard Rees to see if he was free for some plein air painting.  Fortunately he was!  And to add to my last minute luck, at an art event the evening before, Julie Trail had told Howard she would be painting at the Foundry in Sutter Creek.

We met there in the most incredible spring weather....I think it reached at least 80 degrees...it was calm and the skies were clear and blue.  Wow, what a day.  Amazing.

The Foundry is actually a collection of buildings.   It is no longer in operation, but I think the history dates back to the Gold Rush, when the Foundry built mining implements.    It's a great collection of wooden buildings.  Unfortunately, they are pretty neglected...and in a decade or two, I'm sure they'll be gone.  But in the meantime, what a wonderful plein air subject.

We had a great time painting and then repaired to Pizza Plus in Sutter Creek for some absolutely delicious pizza, and, of course, an ice cold 24 oz beer.   Things don't get a lot better than that.

The Old Foundry - Sutter Creek  Oil on linen panel  12"x16"

When I got home this afternoon, I took the painting into the studio for some final touches.  As often happens when I paint in bright light, the painting overall was a bit dark.   I lightened the side of the building, which .helped define the structure a little more clearly and also reduced a large dark area.  I also added a few suggestions of greenery above the roof line.  I had originally painted some very light -almost white - sky there to separate the roof from the burnt umber tone I had previously applied, but it was too intense and distracting.  Adding the green and gray tones calmed it down and allowed the building to come forward.  Finally, I added some interest and texture in the near surface of the road and around the painting in general.   All in all, the time in the studio was probably less than 20 minutes.

I'm pleased with the painting.  Again I tried to plan before I started by doing a small sketch of the composition and the lights and darks.  I wanted to resist painting and then correection, painting and correcting, painting and noodling.  I blocked in everything with Transparent Maroon and Ultramarine Deep.  After my first block in, I did not like the size and location of the building, so I wiped out most of it and blocked it in again.  That's a real advantage of blocking in with transparent color line and wash on a non-absorbent oil primed panel.  Once I had it as I wanted it, I began to add color and to define shapes with restated darks as much as possible.  There was a lot of jumble and junk around the area.   I felt it was critical to capture the feeling of that junk without getting caught up in rendering it.  It's interesting how much you can suggest without really painting anything specific at all.  Those intense darks in the foreground junk also made for some great contrast with the light areas in the foreground as well.   I love the effect of that relationship....it gives such life and energy.  This painting was a lot of fun. 

My Art Site: Bruce Hancock Fine Art

Jill - Oil Portrait Sketch

Friday I joined several other artists at Patris Studio and Gallery for a 3 hour "open studio" session.  Our model was Jill and she posed in a beautiful dress, but I decided I wanted to try a portrait.  I keep the canvas size small so I wouldn't get overwhelmed in the brief time we had.

The block in was done entirely with W&N Transparent Maroon with a bit of Rembrandt Ultramarine Deep added for darks.  The transparent colors like this one and Rembrandt Transparent Oxide Red are wonderful to work with and mix well with other colors.   They serve particularly well for laying in line and wash when you are establishing shapes and the light and dark areas of a painting.  Very forgiving, easy to paint over and easy to wipe off and redraw a passage when necessary.

My goal was to think "art" during this painting.   I tried consciously to think about each brushstroke: to resist the urge to paint on auto pilot.  I forced myself to step back often...to stop and look and consider for a few moments before continuing.  And in the end, when I found myself making the first 'blending' stroke, I put my brush down for the day.  It's surprising how good that felt after the initial anxiety!

"Jill"    Oil on Raymar Panel,   9" x 12"

"Jill"    Oil on 9" x 12" Canvas Panel 

 

My Art Site: Bruce Hancock Fine Art

"Helen" Oil Figure Study

 Another open studio day at Patris Studio and Gallery.  The rain came down in torrents at times.  Inside the studio there were only four painters plus Helen, our model.  It was warm and peaceful.  The sound of the rain on the roof was soothing and welcome in our drought parched valley.

This was another 2 to 21/2 hour oil sketch.  Good practice.  Once again I felt that the morning was successful.  I've fallen in love with the Isabey Mongoose Brights that I have and this evening I ordered several more, including some new sizes.  The chisel shape is wonderful and the feel of the brush on oil primed linen is magic.

Helen   Oil Sketch on Linen   16" x 12"

My Art Site: Bruce Hancock Fine Art

"Bella" An Oil Portrait

This painting is from a photograph.  I really enjoy doing portraits and when the subject is as beautiful and the pose as striking as this young woman, it becomes a special journey.  I've read many artists who say that in order to do their best, they must feel a connection to the subject...no matter whether it is a portrait or a landscape or a still life.  I couldn't agree more.  Whenever I force a painting simply because I should paint "something", I usually have a less than successful effort.  I suppose every painting is a lesson worth experiencing, but when there is a connection to the subject matter, it becomes special.

It would only be a slight exaggeration to say that for a while, I fell in love with Bella, the subject of this painting.  I couldn't resist that "look"...it would melt an iceberg.  Although I only had a photograph as a source, painting Bella was a joy...and good for an old painter's soul. 

Bella    oil on stretched canvas   16" x 16" 

My Art Site: Bruce Hancock Fine Art

The Red Dress

It's been months since I've attended an open studio figure painting session.  I miss the experience and the opportunity to paint from life, so I finally got my act together.   On Friday morning, I attended a session at Patris Studio and Art Gallery in Oak Park.   (http://patrisstudiogallery.blogspot.com/)  It's been a while since I have visited Patris's wonderful new location as well, so this was a doubly productive morning.  Patris's Studio is also where the upcoming workshop with the fabulous Qiang Huang
(Chong Wong) will be held.  I can't wait for that one and the opportunity to meet this fabulous artist and human being. (http://qiang-huang.blogspot.com/ )

This was a three hour session, but I probably have about two hours total into this 16" x 12" painting.  I felt good about the outcome.  Workshops and more frequent painting are combining to give me more confidence in tackling and completing a study like this.  I feel more like I know what to do next....a bit more in control.   Much more practice on simple proportions is obviously needed, but the execution of the painting - given the time constraints - felt planned and controlled.

I'm looking forward to attending Patris's open studios more often.

The Red Dress   Oil on stretched canvas   16" x 12"

My Art Site: Bruce Hancock Fine Art

Howard's Mill - Watercolor

Rain has finally come to Northern California.  We are in a severe drought situation, so it is very welcome.  My artist friend Howard Rees and I had arranged to paint outdoors on Saturday, but the rain drove us inside Howard's studio...where Howard had set up a complete watercolor station for both of us.   I had my own personal Howard Rees watercolor workshop.  Howard is an accomplished watercolor painter, so it was a very informative rainy day activity.  I painted from a photo of a painting Howard had done some time ago.  He painted the same scene so I followed step by step as much as I could.

I made lots of mistakes.  Years of oil painting have to be set aside in favor of more carefully controlled watercolor techniques.  My biggest sin in watercolor is to paint too fast.  Watercolor requires some careful thinking before you begin and as you proceed.  It is a wonderful medium though...so much different than oil.  I had a great day in Howard's studio, learned a lot and did this painting.  I look forward to the next attempt.  Hopefully, I'll do a little better.

I call this Howard's Mill.  I don't even know if it is a mill, but who cares?  Thanks for a good day Howard.

Howard's Mill   Watercolor on 15" x 22" Arches Rough

My Art Site: Bruce Hancock Fine Art

A Red Fence In Locke -- Plein Air

Today the Sacramento Plein Air Painters met in Locke.  It was a beautiful morning, but cold in the shade.  After about an hour and one half working on this painting, I had to stand in the sun for 30 minutes to thaw out!  I guess I shouldn't complain too loudly though...in most of the rest of the country, this weather would be very welcome.

 Sometimes I find myself wandering in Locke.  It is so incredibly fascinating and unique that it's difficult to settle on something to paint.  But today I arrived a bit late so I set up fairly quickly.  I made a quick pencil sketch and felt like I had a good feel for what I wanted to paint.  I made a real effort to keep things simple.  I think it worked out well.

A Red Fence in Locke   12" x 16" oil on canvas   Plein Air

My Art Site: Bruce Hancock Fine Art