Simon, Black Lab, 051217 S 12x12

Update:  Simon has been ADOPTED!

This painting of Simon, is part of a series of paintings of homeless shelter dogs and is available for adoption at the Brown County Humane Society, Nashville, Indiana.  Shelters often report that black dogs languish, overlooked and unadopted.  I am hoping this painting shows some of the personality and uniqueness of a "plain black dog".   Yes, I am guilty  of using that phrase once when someone brought me a black dog.  My first comment was, "She's rather plain."  But I kept her anyway and loved her for 13-14 years.  I have had many plain, black dogs ever since, over the years.  I hope that people will take a look at the dog's personality and joie de vivre and give them a chance.  I think Simon is the perfect ambassador for the job.

Here's my set up ready to start painting.  I have already drawn Simon on a pre-tinted panel.

 I start with all that black fur in the shadow areas.  I use the palette knife to "carve" out the fur and give it texture.

A lighter value is mixed with Ultramarine Blue, Cadmium Red and/or Primary Red-Magenta, with Titanium White and used for highlights on the black fur.

I mixed up a hue with more red in it to shift it to violet.  I add the nose and tongue.  For the tongue, I used three values of the Primary Red-Magenta, a rather transparent color, mixed up using Titanium White.

For the eyes, I mixed a golden brown using Cadmium Yellow Light with a touch of violet.  I also used a golden brown with a touch more red in it and mixed a black pupil.  The highlight to his soft eyes used a very light violet mixed with Cerulean Blue and Magenta.

 

I added the background using the golden and violet colors that I had used on Simon's fur and eyes only with more white added.  I continued fine tuning the details in his fur and shadows.

Here's the final painting:

"Simon, Black Labrador", homeless shelter dog, oil on panel, 12" x 12", Code #051217 S 12x12, c. 2017 by Charlene Marsh.

If you can give Simon a good home he is currently available for adoption at the Brown County Humane Society.  Update:  Simon has been ADOPTED!

Thanks so much!

Cheers,

Charlene 

P.S. I love to hear from you so please send me an email or leave a comment or even use the old fashioned telephone!  I still have a landline with great reception.

040717 S 24x30 Happy Dancing Flowers, PART TWO

This is PART TWO of a three part blog about the creation of a commissioned oil painting for a couple for their bedroom and shows the creation of the first of two paintings created for them to choose from.  Please visit PART ONE to see the evolution of the foundation of the project and PART THREE to see the second painting created and find out which one Andy and Beth selected. 

Beth and Andy visited the studio/gallery and looked over the paintings I had in stock.  We discussed what they liked and the size of the space.  In particular, Beth loves purple.  Blue-purple is her favorite.  This was a fun challenge to integrate what they liked -- the colors, the waterfall, the flowers -- into a painting to fit their space.

After making some sketches, I started with a drawing on the panel using cold pressed linseed oil and a bit of pigment.

I mix the darkest values using Ultramarine Blue and Cadmium Red Medium.  I put in the dark values wherever I see them on the painting.

For the darker, background trees, I mixed Ultra Blue with a small amount of Cadmium Yellow Light.  I mix up a small batch of color and apply it throughout.  Then i mix up another small batch of color and use that until it is gone.  Some batches I mix in more yellow, some more blue.  Some, I add Cerulean Blue and/or a touch of Titanium White to get a lighter value.

For the brighter greens in the foreground space, I mix up small batches of green the same way but, instead of Ultramarine Blue, use a warmer Cerulean Blue with Cadmium Yellow in varying ratios.  I also would add a touch of Cadmium Red Medium and Primary Red-Magenta to tone it down.

I blocked in the water on the creek using Ultramarine Blue since my clients liked the cobalt color more than a turquoise color.  I also worked in some of the earth tones from the land mixed from predominately Cadmium Red Medium with Ultra Blue and Cadmium Yellow.

Next, I mixed a light blue for the sky using both Ultramarine Blue and Cerulean Blue plus Titanium White and blocked in the sky in the negative space around the trees.  

I then scratched into the surface all over with a rubber tipped implement to create the branches and twigs and sense of movement.

Finally, time to start adding the flowers!  I start with the hollyhocks in the background using various mixes of magenta with a touch of yellow, magenta and white, magenta and ultra blue, magenta and cerulean blue.

More flowers are painted in.  The waterfall in the creek is painted in.  Goldfish are added and then ripples swept over them.  I even go back and add some dark green from the background when I think there may be too many flowers. 

The surface of the painting is alive with the flowers pulsating across the landscape.  Hollyhocks, magic lilies, marigolds, poppies, Queen Anne's Lace are all dancing across the painting.  

The finished painting.  "Happy Dancing Flowers", Code #040717 S 24x30, oil on panel, 24" x 30", c. 2017 by Charlene Marsh.

I ended up painting a second piece to give Beth and Andy a choice.  I also wanted to better integrate what they wanted with the emphasis on purples and violets and blues.  Although I absolutely love the vibrancy and excitement of this painting, I felt like maybe it didn't have enough purple to really meet their expectations.  Also, I just feel better giving clients a choice and then I can add the second piece back into my inventory.  Win win for everyone!  

PART THREE of this blog features the creation of the second painting.  I'll let you know at the end of that blog which painting Andy and Beth selected.  
 
Thanks for following along! 

Happy Trails!

Charlene

P.S.  Be sure to sign up for my newsletter to find out what I share exclusively with fans!  www.CharleneMarsh.com  Thanks!

032417 Commission Project, PART ONE

This is PART ONE of a three part blog about a recent commission project.  PART ONE discusses the evolution and inspiration of the project.  PART TWO covers how the first oil painting was created and PART THREE shows the creation of the second painting.  My clients were then shown both paintings and given a choice of their favorite between the two paintings.  I'll let you know which one they selected in PART THREE so stay tuned.

While visiting the studio/gallery, Andy and Beth looked through the paintings I had in my inventory and picked out various ones they liked.  But they needed a specific size for their bedroom and nothing I had on hand fit what they wanted.  I told them I could paint a painting as a commission project and take into consideration and incorporate exactly what they wanted.

"Poppies and Hollyhocks by the Creek", Code #032416 24x36, oil on panel, 24" x 36", c. 2016 by Charlene Marsh 

Beth really loves purples.  All kinds of purple!  Especially blue-purple.  But she also loves red-violets and blues.  She wanted a flower painting with these colors highlighted.  Pinks and magentas were fine, too.

Beth not only loved the flowers in this painting(above) but the waterfall in it so we wanted to incorporate a waterfall in the final painting for their home.

"Zinnias, Marigolds, & Mums by the Goldfish Pool", Code #091116 12x16, plein air oil on panel, 12" x 16", c. 2016 by Charlene Marsh 

She loved the dark water in the goldfish pool(above) as well as the color of the flowers and the habenero hot pepper plant on the right side although purples had to predominate.

"Lilies by the Goldfish Pool with Glass Bird Bath", Code #070214 12x16, plein air oil on panel, 12" x 16", c. 2014 by Charlene Marsh 

Beth liked the very pale yellow flowers in the lower left of the painting (above) as well as a few poppies.

"Morning Glories", Code #081215 12x12, plein air oil on panel, 12" x 12", c. 2015 by Charlene Marsh  SOLD

After they left the studio, I looked through printouts of past, sold paintings and pulled a few other images that I thought met their criteria and would be good inspiration.  The blue and blue-purple morning glories (above) would be perfect for the painting.  
 

"Purple Ironweed", Code #082316 9x12 no2, plein air oil on panel, 12" x 16", c. 2016 by Charlene Marsh  SOLD

All this purple ironweed(above) definitely fit the bill! 

"Magic Lilies and Hollyhocks", Code #112415 12x12, oil on panel, 12" x 12", c. 2015 by Charlene Marsh  SOLD

I love the Magic Lilies and Hollyhocks in this painting(above) especially vibrating against the green foliage.

So I arranged a couple original paintings to the left of my easel and made a bulletin board of six printouts of past paintings to use for inspiration and reference while working on the commission piece.  You can see the set up in my studio in the photo above.  My palette is on the right side with extra palette knives, paint, and paper towels on the left.

So, with a firm foundation of what my clients want and what direction I want to take the painting, I am ready to get started.  

Please visit PART TWO to see how the first painting in this project was created.  PART THREE with the second painting is now up and you can see which painting Andy and Beth selected.

Thanks for following along!

Happy Trails!

Cheers,

Charlene 

Ten Reasons to Ditch the Brush and Switch to Palette Knives

Ever thought of trying the palette knife but didn't know where to start?  

 

One of my fans emailed me with some questions about palette knives.  He wrote:

I am fairly new to painting and am experimenting at this point.  I have a limited budget and wish to explore the use of the palette knife.  Are there a couple of specific types or dimensions/styles of knifes (sic) you recommend that I begin with?

Perhaps, if you have not yet in prior blogs, consider expanding this kind of explanation in one blog post?  That is, why you prefer a knife over a brush when a certain type of opportunity is presented.  What at the advantages you have found over the years? 

 

Good questions!  Thanks for asking.  I bet other people have the same questions. 

I started out painting with brushes like a normal painter and used them for many years.  It wasn't until I started backpacking out into the forest to paint on location "en plein air" that I started using the palette knife.  Not quite sure what prompted the first time use except, perhaps, a sense of exploration and experimentation.  

Lighten the load while embracing impasto! 

I also wanted to ditch the painting medium in order to lighten the load in my backpack.  About the same time, I wanted to create a heavy, impasto surface that better conveyed the raw, wild energy of the forest.   When I had to use medium to mix the colors of the paint, it thinned it down too much to create the impasto effect I wanted.  So I had two reasons to dump the medium and turps:  lighten the weight in my backpack and get the heavy impasto effect in my paintings.. 

I ended up switching to a different brand of paint with the perfect viscosity to mix with the knives and without the medium.  That was all about 15 years ago so I don't remember which came first, the chicken or the egg, but it all coalesced about the same time.  

I love the palette knife so much, I use it 99% of the time.  Sometimes I pick up brushes again but end up back with the knives in short order.  Now, the brushes feel like I am painting with a mop!  Ha! I included a #8 Flat brush in the photo because I do still use a brush to sketch out the initial drawing for the painting.  I use a smaller brush on smaller paintings. 

And, so, here are ten reasons to ditch the brushes and pick up the palette knife.

 

1.  One or two knives can replace a handful of brushes plus medium and turps and lighten the load when painting on location. 

 
2.  The knives are super easy to clean unlike brushes.  All you have to do is wipe the blade with a paper towel.  If paint dries on the knife, clean it with steel wool.

 
3.  Mixing colors with the knives is a breeze.  Mixing up small or large batches of color at a time is easy as pie.  The artist is able to mix real clean colors and avoid turning them to mud.  Keeping your colors fresh, crisp, and clean is easy because of Reason #2.  Just wipe the blade before picking up a new color or value.

 
 4.  Ability to create a heavy impasto texture with the knife.

 
 5.  Ability to create a wide variety of marks with the knife from scratches to organic swathes to quick dashes.

 
6.  With a wide assortment of sizes and shapes to choose from.  The possibilities are endless.

 
 7.  Switch easily from a dark value to a light value, or vice versa.  With one wipe of the paper towel, pick up a fresh color, value, or tint and you are off and running again.  No worries that your dark value will go light or, worse, turn into mud.  No messy turps or handful of brushes for each color and value to deal with.

 
 8.  Great for use on a hard panel.  This is where the rubber meets the road and I find the steel palette knife works great on panels!  Like frosting a cake. 

 
 9.  Palette knives last darn near forever.  Just don't use them to pry open a paint can or screw in a bolt.  You can bend or warp the blade.  Yes, head hanging down, I screwed up one of my blades using it for something it wasn't intended.

 
10.  Loosen up your paintings with palette knives!  Palette knives force the painter to distill out unimportant details and focus on the big picture.  The result is often a painting that is more "alive" and that captures the essence of the subject in an exhilarating way.

 Everything but the kitchen sink!

 

Yep, I bought every single palette knife in the universe that I could find.  Big, small, skinny, fat, square, round, diamond, oval, triangular, pointy tip, rounded tip. You name it, I bought it. 

I bought every brand I could find on the planet, too:  Creative Mark, Grumbacher, Liquitex, Frederix, Tara.  Tara doesn't make anything except canvases anymore and Creative Mark has by far the largest selection of palette knives to experiment with.  I ended up buying thirty different knives to find my favorites.

 But you don't need to do that!  Unless you want to, of course. 

In the end, my very favorite is.....drum roll...the T3 by Creative Mark. This knife is numero uno in my book.  I have five or six of these and even though they are the same size and shape, each one "feels" different.  The "spring" of the blade, how the paint feels when being applied to the support, and how comfortable the handle feels in my hand make even one or two knives of the same style my ultimate favorite.  The smaller knife (above) is a good one for smaller marks and details but the number has long since been buried in paint so I can't tell you what it is.  There are plenty to choose from so just pick what you like.

Course, every artist has to try the knives for themselves and see what they like best.  What works for your style and taste?  How comfortable does the knife feel in your hand?  And how does it feel when applying the paint?  Does it have the right "spring" for you?   

Gotta start somewhere! 

I don't think you can go wrong if you start with the T3 by Creative Mark.  I have done very intimate, delicate work with it as well as large marks and large paintings.  The T3 is my "go-to" knife.  You can easily find this palette knife and others at your local arts supply store or at online suppliers.    

Thanks so much for your questions.  Please ask away and I will see what I can do to answer in a future blog.  I love hearing from you so either leave a comment/question on this blog, send me an email, or give me a call.  Yeah, I mean the old fashioned telephone and, yeah, I still have an old fashioned landline. 

Thanks for following along.

Happy Trails!

Cheers,

Charlene