Saturday, August 7, 2021

Greg and Tamara’s First Dance

POSTED ON JULY 25, 2021 BY CHARLENE MARSH

Greg and Tamara’s First Dance Oil Painting

Country Wedding

Greg and Tamara were married nearly three years ago on November 3, 2018 in a country barn venue, Harvest Moon Pond, outside of Madison in Poynette, Wisconsin. Despite living in Chicago, they wanted a country wedding and found this beautiful venue. Their twin boys, Charlie and Hank, were born on September 4, 2020 so they are a happy little family. Ironically, Hank and Charlie’s great-grandparents were married on September 4, 1950, exactly seventy years prior.

Cache of photos

Because I didn’t collect my own visual information for the painting, I connected with their cache of 325 photos from the event to piece together the composition for this painting. I made this composite for the painting from several photos. You can see that some of the photos were black and white and some were color. This composition incorporates the gorgeous large chandelier and the loving way Greg looks at his new bride.

Greg and Tamara's First Dance, wedding painting, oil painting — Greg and Tamara’s First Dance, wedding painting, oil painting

Pie instead of cake

They did not have a wedding cake. The bride is a pie gal so Greg and Tamara had wedding pies instead. So I didn’t need to figure out how to add the cake to the painting composition. Luckily, there was enough going on that a cake wasn’t missed.

For this painting, I wanted to include that stunning chandelier and the guests up in the balcony. So, this painting is a vertical format.

Prepping the panel

I drew the scene onto a pre-tinted 24″ x 18″ panel. I make the panels myself, prepping the surface with multiple layers of sealer, gesso, and acrylic tint before I am ready to start the oil painting.

The drawing is all ready to go but it doesn’t show up too well in the photo.

Studio set up

Here’s my entire set up in the studio.

Plans

I keep the master composition on the left side and have a foam core peg board on the right. Photos most pertinent to the section I am working on get rotated and pinned to the right side peg board.

My palette is laid out and ready to get started. A lot of thinking, planning, and preparations go into the painting to get to this point.

Starting with the top

So, I am starting with the upper beams, ceiling and exposed duct work. While I could have added brighter metal highlights to the duct work, I did not want to draw attention to it so I left off any sparkling highlights.

Next is the small chandelier in the loft.

The area around the chandelier is painted a brighter red mixed with some yellow and cadmium red light to reflect the glowing light.

Loft

Then I started painting in the people in the loft looking down on the dancing newlyweds. I scratch the wiring of the railing into the wet paint over the people with a rubber tipped tool.

Then I add the railing, wiring, and beams with planters overflowing with greenery and flowers.

Large chandelier

One highlight of the painting is the large chandelier in the upper right. The chandelier has to be magnificent!

Negative space

I started by painting the negative space around the brass and sparkling, flame-like light bulbs. Like with the smaller chandelier, I used reds and oranges for the negative space. I also put in the beam underneath it and in the background. This made the “frame” for the chandelier.

The chandelier proper

Then, using palette knives, I painted in the brass and the flaming bulbs. For the brass, I mixed cadmium yellow with cadmium red medium, magenta crimson, cadmium red light(more of an orange) and a touch of ultramarine blue. The highlights were mostly a dash of pure yellow. The bulbs were cadmium yellow with a heavy dose of titanium white.

The heavy paint “carves” out and seems to bring to life the chandelier and flames.

Background

Next, I paint the beams on the underside of the loft and the background lights.

Painting guests

Then, I add some of the people in the background. As I normally like to do, I start with the darkest values in the section and work to the lightest values. While it is easy to lighten a dark value, it is impossible to darken a light value.

More people added including a little girl in a bright orange-red dress.

So that’s it for now. I appreciate you tuning in! Check back to see how the rest of the painting goes and the final result.

Happy trails,

Charlene

P.S. Go here to learn more about the wedding paintings.

When I attend the wedding/reception, I do live sketching, giving the drawings to the guests and/or save some for the couple. Also, I collect all my visual data for the painting and then create a stunning heirloom oil painting in the studio. I can also work from photos if not possible to attend the event or if the event has already happened. These make great wedding or anniversary gifts!

Saturday, July 31, 2021

Collectors Corner From Southlake, Texas

POSTED ON JULY 13, 2021 BY CHARLENE MARSH

Collectors Corner

I met John and Donna in 2015 when I exhibited in the Art in the Square show held at the Southlake Town Square in Southlake, Texas. Southlake is north of Dallas and Fort Worth, in between the two cities. Dallas is about a fifteen hour drive for me. I break the drive into two days. Twelve hours to Texarkana and then the final leg of three hours, the next day, and then I set up at the show and check into my hotel.

This show is usually held in the early spring. So it was my first outdoor show of the year. I usually change out the gear in my van for indoor shows and store the outdoor gear in the shed on my property. Then, when the outdoor shows start up, I change out the gear and load my outdoor equipment in the van. I remember getting to the venue in Texas and starting to set up. With growing horror, I discovered I had not packed my two main support beams for the tent for my booth! What a disaster!!

I scrambled to try to find a rental tent. Nope, nothing available, too late. Then I thought I could possibly try to find a pop up to buy locally to get through the weekend. I had no idea where to get one in a strange city.

Then the show director suggested that I ask around and see if anyone had a spare tent. So I started walking the aisles of the show as artists were setting up just asking if anyone had a spare tent. Much to my relief, someone said that they did! They had an extra pop up that they were not going to use that weekend! Whew! So wonderful of them to loan it to me, a complete stranger. Although, in our little vagabond, pop up, art village, no one is a stranger. Everyone chips in to help in a time of need when we are all so far from home and hearth.

Thankfully, I had my Propanel walls that would work with a pop up. I also use canvas walls that can only work with my Show Off brand tent. I have all kinds of configurations depending upon the show and the artwork. The Propanels are dark gray, hard walls and the canvas walls are white, stretched fabric so sometimes I prefer one type of wall over the other.

So, anyway, I got my booth set up and Donna and John bought a painting that weekend. Then, subsequently, they bought several more during my online art launches. They ended up buying all four seasons and rotate them in and out according to the season.

Donna recently sent me pictures of the current, summertime, installation.

I just love this arrangement with the side board and western art! The painting, table runner, and lively plant add a splash of color and texture to go with the wood and metal pieces. I’m gaga for the mint green walls!

Here’s a close up of the painting in situ.

Thank you Donna for sending me these photos! I love seeing where and how the paintings are hung and I am sure other people enjoy seeing the photos, too.

If you have one or more of my paintings, please send me photos of where you ended up hanging the artwork so I can share with others.

Thanks so much!

Many blessings and happy trails,

Charlene

CHARLENE MARSH

Saturday, June 19, 2021

Fourth of July Fireworks Over Lake Lemon

POSTED ON JUNE 12, 2021 BY CHARLENE MARSH

Fourth of July Fireworks Over Lake Lemon

So, this week I want to share another fireworks painting I recently finished. I just love how the fireworks reflect on the lake. Lake Lemon, which straddles both Brown County and Monroe County in Indiana, has the best show!

Lake Lemon 4th of July, oil painting — “4th of July Fireworks Over Lake Lemon “, oil painting, 12″ x 9”, #052621 12×9, ©Charlene Marsh.

I used photos I shot last year during the fireworks show on the 4th of July. Check out this painting and this painting that I did last summer.

Here’s the painting in an antique black with gold lip, closed corner, museum frame:

Lake Lemon 4th of July Fireworks, oil painting — “Fireworks Over Lake Lemon “, oil painting, 12″ x 9″, #052621 12×9, overall finished size with the frame is 18″ x 15”, ©Charlene Marsh.

Just in!

My collectors, Paul and Susan, just sent me photos of last week’s fireworks painting that they bought and hung in their home in the kitchen/family room area. Looks FANTASTIC! No bias here!

This view is looking towards the living and dining rooms. Another one of my paintings, a spring forest scene, is on the wall in the background.

I love how this painting fits right in with the wine rack and wine bottles. Perfect balance! I also love all the turquoise accent pieces connecting the spaces.

This view is looking towards the kitchen.

Thanks so much for reading along! I really appreciate you! Hoping you are having a fabulous summer!

Happy Trails,

Charlene

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Wednesday, June 16, 2021

Lake Lemon 4th of July Fireworks

POSTED ON JUNE 4, 2021 BY CHARLENE MARSH

Lake Lemon 4th of July Fireworks #051921 S 12×9

With the 4th of July holiday fast approaching, I wanted to work on a couple of new fireworks paintings. For reference, I used the photos I shot last year of the fireworks bursting into their gorgeous glory over Lake Lemon. Lake Lemon straddles both Brown County and Monroe County in south central Indiana. The lake is a scenic 4-5 mile drive from my house.

I set up on the causeway for a great view. Getting there early is imperative to getting a good spot. Luckily, I secured a small wharf with loose boards and holes where I could see the water below. As space filled up, others joined me on the small wharf. A friendly crowd lined the lakeshore. Many, with boats, filled the lake.

This is an incredible view where one can easily see the fireworks as they reflect magnificently on the water. This was the only show in the area that was not cancelled last year.

Detail with signature in the wet paint: