Magical Valley, Part 2

POSTED ON DECEMBER 26, 2022 BY CHARLENE MARSH

Magical Valley, Part 2

Check out Magical Valley, Part 1 to see the start of this painting.

Taking up where I left off last time, I continue painting the water in the creek and waterfalls.

Progress on the commissioned oil painting.

Blue Creek

My collectors wanted the creek to be more blue than earth tones and wanted the painting to really jump off and contrast with the red wall.   I thought the turquoise blue would really work well on the deep, red wall.

Adding trees in the background.

Trees

Next, I added the greenery of the trees in the background that are painted a dark value, silhouetted against the sky.

More trees.

Lighter value, background trees are added that will help add the illusion of depth and receding space.

Building up the ground.

Next, I paint the undertones for the flowers and hills.  The plan is to paint in the complementary colors to the flowers that will go on top.  That way, the complementary colors will optically vibrate against each other and enrich and enliven the painting.

Background hills.

I paint the lighter values of green for the background hills.  Not only are the greens lighter in value but a bit of complementary colors like red and orange are added to shift the green from a bright, saturated green to a duller, more distant green.

Am I crazy or what???

Must admit, at this point, I question my sanity and if the painting will turn out okay.  On a certain level, it is a mess!  Just have to power through and keep working, holding the faith that it will all come together.

Commissioned oil painting progress.

Next, I add more distance hills and finish painting in the background for the flowers.  I went heavy with the green which is the complementary color to really pop the red poppies I will be painting on top.

Then I start to add the vertical lines of the vegetation.

Tree trunks and the first hint of sky.

Tree trunks are painted over the background trees.  And the first strokes for the sky are added.

So that is it for today!

Next, we will add the flowers and put the finishing touches on the painting.  I will also have a short, time lapse video of how the painting was created from start to finish.

Be sure to tune in and see how it turns out.

Thanks so much for reading and following along!

I love and appreciate you very much!

Happy trails.

Love,

Charlene

P.S. The studio/gallery is open through the holidays!   Lanam Ridge Road should be passable in the next day or two now that the weather is warming up a bit and the snow will start to melt.  Call me (812-988-4497) or email me (Char@CharleneMarsh.com) and let me know when you would like to visit Brown County.

Magical Valley Part 2

 

My Ugly Christmas Dress and Merry Christmas!

POSTED ON DECEMBER 23, 2022 BY CHARLENE MARSH

Hello dear friend,

I love vintage clothes so about ten days ago, I stopped in Goodwill to look for some treasures.  I had not stopped by for several years and was surprised to see the dressing rooms had been eliminated.  Several ladies took turns standing in the aisle in front of the lone mirror trying to gauge if the clothes might fit.

This time of year, I took a quick look for any wool – wool jackets, dresses, and sweaters.

They can be hard to come by.  I lucked out and found one of each.

Pro tip

Here’s a pro tip I learned from my days studying clothing construction and design.  The pockets of nicely tailored jackets are shipped to the store with the pocket seams still sewn shut.  You need to take out your handy seam ripper or tiny sharp scissors and, carefully, rip open the pocket’s seam.  I found a beautiful, wool, maroon, Talbots jacket with black bound pockets and piping trim on the lapel edges with the pockets still sewn shut!  First thing I did when I got it home was rip open the pockets and stick it in the washer.  So, now I have a great, thigh long, wool jacket with deep, luscious pockets.

Another pro tip from someone who dyed hundreds(maybe thousands) of pounds of wool for 25 years — yes, you can wash wool.  Just use cool water and the gentle cycle.

Funky find

Back at Goodwill, one funky find was an ugly Christmas dress…you know, like an ugly Christmas sweater only a dress.  A red skirt with yellow pompoms with gold metallic glitter on the poms and a slate gray top with Santa on the bodice.  Just totally hilarious and gauche.  I finally decided that it wasn’t “practical” and hung it back on the refuse rack.

Dreaming of an ugly Santa dress

The next day, I kept thinking about the ugly Christmas dress and regretted not getting it.  The next day, I woke up, literally, dreaming about the ugly Christmas dress!!  Criminy.  At that point I decided I needed to drive all the way back into town and see if it was still available.  When I got to the store, I had no trouble finding it.  The dress practically leapt off the rack into my hands.  My sister teased me saying, “Of course it was still there.  Nobody else wanted it.”  LOL.

Got it home and it fit like a dream, which I guess it was.

Elf hat

Pairs perfectly with an elf-like hat knitted by my sister-in-law’s dad many years ago that he gave me one Christmas.

Ugly Christmas Dress

Here, I am standing next to my Christmas “tree”, that is actually a large houseplant covered with lights and deer ornaments.  Yes, I love to collect deer ornaments.  All kinds.  Outside, brutal cold temperatures and blowing snow cap off the festive Christmas feeling.

May you create and share many happy memories with your loved ones this holiday season.

Wishing you many blessings, joy, happiness, love, beauty, health, and prosperity in the coming year!  I am so grateful for each of you that you are in my life.

Happy trails.

Love,

Charlene

P.S.  And, oh yeah, here is a lovely Christmas painting of downtown Nashville here in Brown County, Indiana.

“Peace On Earth”, Christmas oil painting, ©Charlene Marsh, Code #111921 S 9×12.

P.P.S.  The studio and gallery is open for visitors if you are coming this way.  Call (812-988-4497) or email me (Char@CharleneMarsh.com) to let me know what will work for you.

Magical Valley, Part 1

 

Magical Valley

POSTED ON DECEMBER 19, 2022 BY CHARLENE MARSH

Magical Valley

Today, I start on a new, commissioned oil painting for a couple I have done two prior, large paintings.  They wanted a floral painting to fit on their brilliant, maroon red wall at the top of their staircase.  This location is one of the first things people see when they enter the front door.

Lightfastness

They were concerned about two hours of morning sunlight hitting the painting each day.  So, I did a great deal of research, consulted experts in the field, and came to the conclusion that using lightfast oil paints would be safe in this location.  The paints I use have the highest lightfast rating so they are fine to use for this project.  The very interesting subject of lightfastness in oil paints will be the topic of a future blog.

Location for the oil painting

Site for commissioned oil painting

As seen from the bottom of the stairs.

Site for commissioned oil painting

After discussing with Tom and Kendra their preferences for the painting, including colors, subject matter, size, framing, location, etc. I gave them a quote which they approved.  After receiving the down payment, I got to work on the painting.

Frame and panel prep

The painting was to be a custom size, 28″ x 46″ with an overall finished size of 36″ x 54″, so I ordered the frame and constructed the panel.  The frame came chopped and had to be joined at a local frame shop.  By the time I got the frame back from the frame shop, I had the panel cut, gessoed (front and back to seal the entire support), tinted, and ready to go.

Sketches for commissioned oil painting

Sketches

In the meantime, I worked on some thumbnail sketches to develop the composition of the painting.

Sketches for commissioned oil painting

Before I started the painting, I wanted to make sure the painting panel fit exactly in the frame.  Once I knew it was a perfect fit, I was ready to start painting.

Set up

I finalized the composition, had the panel prepped, and the frame on hand, so I set up my painting area.

Painting set up for commissioned oil painting

The panel is set up on double easels with reference paintings and photos pinned to foamboards on both sides.  I have overhead lights as well as easel lights and natural light during the daytime hours.

Initial sketch

The initial sketch is drawn on the panel using my paintbrush dipped in a mix of magenta + ultramarine blue + cold pressed linseed oil.

Starting the oil painting

Starting with the darkest values, I apply the paint for the shale rocks alongside the creek and falls.

Dark values applied first on the oil painting

The darkest, earth tones are mixed using Cadmium Red Medium and Ultramarine blue.  For the shale, I use mostly Cerulean Blue + a touch of Cadmium Yellow, Cadmium Red and Titanium White.  The front left of the creek, I used Cadmium Red + a touch of Blues,

Creek

Then the turquoise for the creek is painted.

Various shades of turquoise are mixed using Cerulean Blue + Cadmium Yellow + Titanium White + Ultramarine Blue.

Well, that’s it for today!  We will take up where we left off next time.

Thanks for following along.

Happy trails,

Love,

Charlene

P.S.  The studio/gallery is open this month, decked out in holiday finery.  Just call, (812-988-4497), or email, Char@CharleneMarsh.com, and let me know when you would like to visit Brown County!

Charlene Marsh Studio and Gallery

 

Fall plein air oil painting

POSTED ON DECEMBER 14, 2022 BY CHARLENE MARSH

A couple days ago, I was so tired I went to bed at 8 p.m.  I think the last time I went to bed at 8 p.m., I was six years old.  Naturally, when I went to bed so early, and fell right to sleep, I woke up super early, like 2-3 a.m.  So I read until I fell asleep again.  Then woke up and read some more until I fell asleep again.  Finally got that much needed RR&R, rest, relax, & read.

Crazy, busy time.  Earlier, a couple mornings ago, I wanted to just snuggle into my warm bed piled with dogs and a cat and sleep, rest, read, and relax all day.  But, I had things to do, people to meet, and deadlines looming.  So I sprung out of bed and kept going.

Winter just really makes me want to hibernate.  Tuck into home with a fire going, Christmas lights twinkling both inside and outside, and a good book.  Actually sleep 7-8 hours.  I used to think I would use January to get caught up on painting but usually just got caught up on sleeping.  The days are so short that even getting up at dawn isn’t good enough.  I blink and the sun is setting.

But I love the different rhythm of winter.  The dogs get walked much earlier and I am still often coming home in the dark.  But then there is a long stretch of working inside, uninterrupted.  Fewer outside distractions once I have brought in firewood, picked a few wild greens, shoveled any snow.

And just now catching up with my blog.  Wow!  What a whirlwind!   So many projects and events, my head was spinning.

I must apologize for being so behind in sharing new paintings with you.  I never even got to the rest of the fall plein air paintings!  Then I did a series of 6″ x 6″ minis.  They were supposed to be part of the Christmas Art Launch but when I moved that up three weeks, there was no way to get the minis done in time.

So, I don’t really know where to start.

I guess I’ll go in order and start where I left off with the plein air paintings from the fall season.  This painting was not part of the Christmas Art Launch so you’ve never seen it until now.

“October 28, 2022, Yellowwood State Forest”, plein air oil painting, ©CharleneMarsh, code#102822 12×16.

This lovely plein air painting is one of my favorites from the fall season this year.  Drought like conditions made for a very dry autumn and a pretty dry creek.  I used some artistic license and added a touch of water in the creek.

“October 28, 2022, Yellowwood State Forest”, detail, plein air oil painting, ©CharleneMarsh, code#102822 12×16.

Luscious details that capture the vibrant energy of the forest and bring it into our living spaces.

Detail, “October 28, 2022, Yellowwood State Forest”, plein air oil painting, ©CharleneMarsh, code#102822 12×16.

So yummy I could eat it!

Shot from the side showing the thick paint, “October 28, 2022, Yellowwood State Forest”, plein air oil painting, ©CharleneMarsh, code#102822 12×16.

Signature Detail

Signature detail, “October 28, 2022, Yellowwood State Forest”, plein air oil painting, ©CharleneMarsh, code#102822 12×16.

I wrote my field notes on the back of the painting but the painting is out in the gallery and it is pouring rain right now so I don’t want to go fetch it.  So, the notes will remain a mystery.

That’s it for now.  Glad to share the latest plein air painting!

Happy Trails!

Love and hugs,

Charlene

P.S.  The studio/gallery is open all month.  Just call me, 812-988-4497, or email me, Char@CharleneMarsh.com, and let me know when you would like to visit Brown County.