Saint Francis

16x8.25, Oil/Linen Panel

Painting this statue of Saint Francis in my backyard Saturday morning was a good exercise in finding the middle values of the forms and then adding accents of the darks and highlights... without too much lingering.

Wet Paint, Plein Air...

It was an early start to a beautiful morning painting at Bonnet House with the low slung cast shadows of the garden walls and the vegetation beyond. Keeping my shadowed areas illuminated was my goal with this 8x10 Oil/Linen Panel. I am sure enjoying the occasional addition of Indian Yellow to my pallet. It is especially noticeable in the warm green foliage of the tree beyond the opening of the wall.

Wet Paint, Plein Air...

Painted Palms 12x12 Oil/Linen Panel

Plein Air painters are without a doubt some of the finest people to spend time with... painting , laughing and sharing ideas, all outdoors in nature. We had a great time painting Saturday morning and I couldn't help but just have fun and let go with this painting.

Blackbirds At Dusk....

Oil/Wood 9x16

Sitting in traffic at a red light the other evening, I passed the time watching several large flocks of birds moving like a roller coaster in the sky as they were deciding where to roost for the night. Their movements were amazing and I imagined the thrill they must be having... it was thrilling just to watch how fast they were moving and with such choreography.

I did this today from memory in the studio using a limited pallet of Manganese Blue, Cad Yellow Light, Ivory Black and Titanium White. I also used a warm gray that I made from mixing the leftovers on my pallet from the day before to temper the blue of the sky... that worked really well.

Here is my question about this painting... I did it with an upcoming abstract show in mind. In concept I saw this possibly working... I will be the first to declare that abstraction is not my forte... is it too defined to work for this show? Probably just by asking the question, the answer is already "Yes!"... oh well, I still have two days before drop off ...

Wet Paint, "Coming Around"...

Coming Around Oil/Canvas 18x18

For this painting on Sunday, I revisited a reference photo that I used for Towing The Line, an earlier painting. This time, I zoomed in on the focal point, cropping out much of the background info. I was attracted by this man moving his boat from one side of the dock to the other... man versus machine... using just a rope, a piling and determination.

I apologize that my photo has a bit of a highlighted glare. I felt this photo shows accurately the richness of color and the textures of the painting as I built it up in the alla prima approach... constantly moving and working the overall painting with brush and pallet knife.

60 Minutes...

Andrews Bridge, Silver Day

Bonnet House Structures, Morning

For each one of these 6x8, Oil/Canvas Panels, I set a timer for 60 minutes, start to finish. I have no plans for hitting the road as a speed painter... I hear that gig is already taken... it was just an exercise in keeping the brush moving and the eyes open, hopefully with synchronicity.

Think Pink...

"Afterglow" Oil/Canvas 10x8

"Think Pink" is an upcoming exhibition, sponsored by The Broward Art Guild and being held in conjunction with The American Cancer Society's, Relay For Life Kick Off Event. A percentage of the sales will go to the Cancer Society. All works submitted are to be predominately PINK. It is a good cause that provided an interesting challenge for me... It made me get out of my box where I strive to paint the tones I see and think about values and harmony in a more tonalist way.

Painting At Vizcaya....

Photo-Ellen Weiss 10-11-09

Vizcaya Waltz 20x16 Oil/Canvas

Vizcaya Morning 16x20 Oil/Canvas

Painting at Vizcaya was a wonderful experience. The architecture, gardens & statuary throughout the grounds could provide for countless paintings. Knowing that John Singer Sargent painted there added an intensity to the way I felt about what I was seeing...."What would Sargent do?"....

Saturday's painting, Vizcaya Waltz, was painted from the gazebo that juts out into the bay looking back toward the estate and the steps that come down to the water to greet arriving boats. Venetian pilings festively line the dock. There are some great photos of several of the artists here, taken by Anna Maria Windisch... including one of me working on this painting...

Vizcaya Morning, painted on Sunday, seemed to become more ambitious into the day as the heat index approached near 100. I was attracted by the view from this terrace overlooking the garden maze toward Vizcaya with Miami in the distance. If you notice the steps on the left side of the painting, there is a narrow ramp in the center. All the many steps on the property have this ramp, which was built in to provide access for the gardeners with their wheelbarrows!

Coconut Grove Paint Out

Come join me for The 8th Annual En Plein Air, Coconut Grove, October 10 & 11,2009. I will be one of seven artists allowed to paint at Vizcaya, the estate built by John Deering in 1916.More information is available at Windisch-Hunt Fine Art, One Ear Society. Many other artists will be painting throughout Coconut Grove during this two day event.

Captain Jack's Wharf 2009...

A trip to Provincetown would be incomplete without a painting of Captain Jack's... so I did it again. This 7x9.5 version was painted when the sky was starting to pick up some pink hues from the approaching sunset. The shiny low tide made for some nice muted reflections. The Marsha Savage pastel collection I brought worked nicely for this last painting on our last day on the Cape.

The first time I saw Captain Jack's was twenty-five years ago. Since this was before the self-isolation days of the iPod, you were carried along the dock by music played from an LP. The speakers were set up discretely among all sorts of groovyness. We didn't stay there, but I do remember the music being the type that would make any pirate want to come to shore with roses for his mate.

Incoming....

About five o'clock one afternoon, I walked over to the Moors to see what I saw. It had been a cloudy, rainy day so I was pleased to see that the lowering sun was making a presence as it prepared to go rest. When the tide comes into the Moors, it comes in fast!... so, with no easel this time, I stood with paper in hand to do this 6x9, Pastel/Sanded Paper. About a half hour into it, a fine mist of rain started leaving small pock marks on the surface of the paper. I had the basic info I needed to pull it together, so I packed up, went back to the cottage and finished it at the table.

Painting In The Dunes...

Photo-Ken Tackett

Since I decided to pack light for this vacation to Cape Cod, I took a set of Terry Ludwig pastels that I thought would work best for the local terrain, 60 Deborah Paris' Plein Air. This collection has a great assortment of sandy and grayed colors plus a nice. limited range of greens. I found I was getting frustrated by the tones I was seeing versus what I was putting on my paper. It wasn't until I finished this 7x12 on Sanded Paper that I realized I had packed a different set!... the 60 Marsha Savage Southeast. This is a beautiful collection, nonetheless, and in hindsight, I see my mistake took me literally out of my box and made me look for accurate values using what was on hand.

Plein Air, Cape Cod

SOLD

We are in Cape Cod for the week. I am traveling light this year with only a box of pastels, a few sheets of sanded paper, and no easel! I actually thought it might be a vacation where I would do everything except paint. I am having a great time with my friends, running into old acquaintances and making new ones, but I started getting a little on edge with the "not painting idea". I took about an hour this morning before lunch and walked over to the Moors to do this 6x9, pastel/ Sanded Paper. This is a spot I have painted at many times before, and was only too happy to be here again looking out toward the dunes and painting...

Wet Paint, In The Studio...

This painting, Keeping Shabbat, 12x12, Oil/Linen Panel was painted from a reference photo I took as I was painting downtown. I see this gentleman regularly, as he walks from the morning Shabbat service. Visually I was attracted by the contrast of his traditional garments as he walked toward the contemporary stucco building... which I understand is scheduled for possible demolition.

On The Veranda...

I did this 18x14, Oil/Canvas Friday morning at Bonnet House on what is referred to as The Veranda. It is on the side of the house that faces East, with a slight view of the ocean and overlooking the lake where the Bonnet Lilies grow. Frederick Bartlett, the artist who built the house, used primary colors to accentuate the architecture. A bold, almost Cadmium Yellow, predominates on all the trim work, shutters and railings. The ceilings are a Cerulean Blue and a large arched gateway is flanked by bright red doors.

Painting this view was a good challenge for me and one that I am already looking forward to doing again... there are some paintings that once completed tell what I need to do differently next time. Usually, the message is, "You should have stopped sooner..." This one tells me, "Get the value right, put it on and leave it alone..." It is not that I am totally unhappy with this piece, but the beginning had a moment of brilliance...

Plein Air, Bonnet House...

I got an early start painting today with my friend Janet, at Bonnet House. I did this 6x8, Oil/Linen Panel, Raking Light. We both walked away from my painting spot a few times during the process and found it extremely funny how my painting seemed to keep getting smaller and smaller each time we came back upon it.... My plan had been to do several small quick 6x8 studies today. Instead, I got captivated by the Banyan-like tree... probably a ficus, of sorts... with its multiple trunks and the glowing yellow trim of the Bonnet House as the morning light crept up on the bank and across the lawn. Next time we are setting a timer to limit ourselves to an hour for each 6x8 canvas ....

Resting/Detail...

I am making it a point to work at least one day a week with a model in the studio. This is a detail of one of four drawings from our Monday session. The complete drawing is 24x18, Conte'/Pastel Paper.

I am finding working with the model is helping my drawing skills all around, including painting en plein air. Good drawing, which makes for a good painting, is all about measuring... visually and form to form.

Tarpon Bend Morning

In this 12x6, Oil/Gessoed Panel, I wanted to emphasize the high key of the clear morning light as it contrasted against the lower key of the cool shadows. I quickly put in the sunlit areas first to hold the shadowed areas in place... amazing how fast the sun rises, leaving a very small window for this sort of view.

Nude Brian

In order to hone my skills at the human figure, I have been working with a model, Brian, in the studio. All of our efforts so far have been drawings in conte' and pastel. Today I did this 16x9, Oil/Linen Panel, of Brian, using the natural light from the North window.

Pastel Portrait, Ken

Today, in the studio I did this 12x9, Pastel/ La Carte Sanded Paper of Fidgety McFidget, uhm, Ken that is ... Sitting with his right side facing a North lit window, I tried to get the effect as I saw it of the Northern light illuminating the side of his face. For my second attempt at a pastel portrait, I learned a bit more about my process in layering the colors and remembering patience in the highlights.... all of which I will apply in the next one. I have assured him the next one will go faster, in half the time.... wink.