041217 12x16 Plein air spring

Such a gorgeous, perfect day!  Seventy degrees, sunny, low humidity!  In short, the best day ever!  I loaded up my EasyL pochade and Kelty backpack and headed out to the woods.  I walked one mile out a ridge and then dropped down to the creek, hiking another mile back up the creek.  I stopped at this spot to paint.

Only takes a few minutes to get set up.  I have to attach the pochade to the tripod and get out the panel and knives.  I discovered I only had one paper towel so had to make it last!  I had pre-loaded my palette with oils before leaving home.  Having to carry tubes of paint adds too much weight to the backpack.

I started with a quick sketch of pigment picked up with a brush dipped in cold pressed linseed oil.  Then started to paint in the shadows and crevices of the rocks. 

With spring, the colors are changing rapidly.  Spring greens are pushing through the "march mauves" of the decaying leaves creating a shimmering color.  I struggle to capture the beauty.  This is my first plein air painting of spring in the forest and I am a bit disconnected from mixing the right colors to convey the magic.  The creek is an ocher green with turquoise and cerulean highlights.  I usually use a mix of complementary purples and red-violets and bright spring yellow-greens but that combo didn't really seem to fit what I was seeing. 

Here is a shot further back from the painting with my dog, Kendra, ensconced on her bed of leaves.  Although you can't really see them in my photos, the forest floor is covered in wildflowers:  wild phlox, purple and yellow violets, spring beauties, trout lilies, Dutchman britches,  mother-in-laws tongue, and more!

Here's another long shot as I am near finishing the painting.  I added some of the wild, purple phlox to the painting before wrapping up. 

This shot was taken right before I packed up my gear and the painting and headed home.  I usually pack an extra jacket but didn't this time and it was getting a bit chilly as the sun went down.  I was ready to get moving and warm up.

"Spring in the Forest, April 12, 2017", plein air oil painting, 12" X 16", c. 2017 by Charlene Marsh

Thanks for following along!

Happy Trails!

Cheers,

Charlene

P.S.  Be sure to sign up for my newsletter at www.CharleneMarsh.com for special info only shared with fans!  Thanks! 

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

032317 S 18x24 Key West Boats Version 3

In two earlier posts I wrote about how I created two versions of the Key West Boat painting, one done with brushes and the second one, with palette knives.  I had another collector who loved the palette knife version of the painting.  Because the collector who originally commissioned the painting selected the palette knife Version 2, I painted Version 3 in palette knives for the second collector.  There may be a Version 4 with a rosy sunset sky for another collector but that will have to wait until I finish another commission project first, one of a flower scene.  I need a break from the boats, anyway, so I can come back recharged.

I start with a drawing on the tinted panel.  Whoops!  Forgot to take a picture before I started to apply the paint.  Oh well.  The darkest values in the painting are mixed from Ultramarine Blue and Cadmium Red Medium.  More Ultra makes it darker. 

The roof of the shed is primarily Cadmium Red Medium tinted with Ultramarine Blue and touch of Cadmium Yellow Light.  A little bit of Titanium White is added to the Cad. Red/Ultra Blue mix to make the gray areas on the boats and the fish netting.  A rusty red is added to bottom of the boats and reflections on the water.

I mix Cerulean Blue and Titanium White for the brighter sides of the boats.  The rooftops are a warm peach mixed with white to contrast with the cool blues.  I did go back near the end with a touch of blue/red mix to tone the roofs down just a bit.

The ski is mixed from various combinations of Cerulean Blue and Cadmium Red Medium and Titanium White with a smidgen of Cadmium Yellow Light to create the clouds with a hint of greenish-grey stormy weather.  I paint in some of the color in the sky and pop some in the water at the same time.  I add in the reflections of the masts on the water. Sometimes I paint the sky and clouds across the masts and then go back and pull the masts back out in front.

I also paint in some of the warm peachy color into the clouds that are catching a bit of the late afternoon sun.  I know this is not the greatest photo(below).  Sometimes when I am working late into the night, the light (or lack thereof) screws up my photograph.  There is a reason I am a painter and not a photographer! 

One of the last steps is to scratch into the paint with a rubber tipped implement the rigging on the boats.  I also go over some of the rigging with paint applied using the palette knife.  I use the negative space (the sky) to make some of the ropes and rigging narrow again if they came out too fat. 

And the final painting!  "Key West Boats, Version 3", oil on panel, 18" x 24", Code #032317 S 18x24, c. 2017 by Charlene Marsh.  SOLD

Compare Version 3(above) to Version 2 HERE, also painted with palette knives.  Which do you like best?  And why?

This painting would be great to activate the area of the living space that represents one's Path in Life or Career. Boats represent a journey and, along with the blue colors and the squiggly, free form lines, hanging this painting in the front center area of a room, home, or work space will help to create an auspicious environment for a change in one's career, a promotion, a better job, or to achieve one's goals.  Boats can also represent a spiritual journey and new possibilities going forward.  Feelings of being happy, content, having fun, and good memories are often associated with boats.

Thanks for following along!

Happy Trails!

Charlene

031717 S 24x36 Twilight in the Snowy Forest

This is one of my very favorite, plein air, snow oil paintings painted late in the afternoon with the sky starting to turn a peachy sunset color.  I wanted to work this up into a larger, 24" x 36", painting.

"Twilight in the Forest, February 16, 2014, plein air oil on panel, 12" x 16", c. Charlene Marsh.

So I started with a sketch on a magenta tinted panel. 

I mixed up a dark value for the creek water using Ultramarine Blue and Cadmium Red Medium.  I also mixed up an orange with the Cadmium Red and Cadmium Yellow Light and then added generous helpings of Ultra Blue. 

The same mix of Ultra Blue and Cad. Red, heavy on the Cadmium Red, is used for the treeline on the horizon of the hills.  Cerulean Blue and Titanium White, with a touch of Cadmium Red and/or Yellow is mixed for the shadows in the snow.  I wanted to keep this palette on the warmer, Cerulean side of blue.  I often slide over towards periwinkle and blue-red-violet for the shadows to keep the golden highlights from shifting to green.  But for this painting I wanted to keep it in the cyan blue range and use peaches for the highlights. 

I often set up the palette for a painting based on a foundation of complementary colors that also make a nice range of ethereal neutrals.  Some highlights using the peachy colors are used on the top of the hills.  Cooler hilltops use various blues mixed with white.

I continue painting the snow on the hills.  The sky color is mixed with two complementary colors.  First, Cerulean Blue and Titanium White are mixed for the sky color at the top.  A second color is mixed from Cadmium Yellow Light and Cadmium Red Medium and/or Primary Red-Magenta to get a sunny, peachy orange.  Generous amounts of White are added to this sunny color and used along the horizon line. 

The two colors, blue and peach, are mixed to get the magical, middle color in the sky.

Once the surface is covered, I start adding the trees.  The major, big trees are painted in first with my palette knives from a deep brown mixed from Cad. Red, Ultra Blue, and a bit of Cad. Yellow.  I use a rubber tipped implement to add twisting and twirling branches and limbs throughout the entire painting.  I continue adding trees and branches with the palette knives. 

I also added the delicate, light, salmon colored ash leaves that cling onto the branches throughout the winter.  I work the entire surface, back and forth from foreground to background, and then back to the foreground pulling the foremost trees out.  I will even go back into the sky to push back certain areas and pull others forward.  Golden orange highlights are added to the foreground of the creek.

 And here is the final painting:

"Twilight in the Forest", oil on panel, 24" x 36", Code #031717 S 24x36, c. 2017 by Charlene Marsh. 

Thanks for following along!

Happy Trails!

Cheers,

Charlene

030917 S 24x36 Fall Forest Fantasy, Part 2

This blog is Part 2 that features the execution of a gorgeous fall painting in the studio.  You can see Part 1 HERE where I write about and show the process and influences leading up to the start of this studio painting. 

I do an initial sketch with a brush dipped in oil, picking up a little magenta and cerulean pigment.

I start by fleshing in the darkest dark values mixed with Cadmium Red Medium and Ultramarine Blue.  For the blackest black, I use more Ultra Blue.

I start "carving" in the hills and woods mixed from cadmium red, primary red-magenta, cadmium yellow, and a smaller amount of ultramarine blue and/or cerulean blue.

For the burnt golds in the creek and hillside, I first mix a red-violet from magenta and cerulean or ultra blues.  Then I mix cadmium yellow light with cadmium red light(orange) and/or magenta to get a mostly yellow-orange.  Then I mix a third color with the mostly yellow-orange, pulling in some of the violet. I use the burnt gold in the creek and again in the treeline.

Then white is mixed with some of the violet, with a touch of the yellow-orange, to make a lighter value for the distant space.  I often use complementary color systems in a painting, all of which are mixed from the basic primary colors.  I have a very simple palette with two blues, three reds, one yellow, and Titanium White.

The greens in this painting were mixed with Cadmium Yellow Light and Cerulean Blue with a touch of red or orange to give it the tinge of autumn and cut the brightness of the "summer green".  This makes a nice moss green color on the rocks.

A dark green/rust is popped into the sky area for the canopy of the forest.  A luscious turquoise for the creek is mixed with Cerulean Blue, a touch of Cadmium Yellow Light and Titanium White.  I may also add some Cadmium Red Medium for the parts of the creek with rocks just under the surface of the water.

The sky color is mixed from Cerulean Blue and Titanium White.  I use the lightest value at the horizon line and make it slightly darker with more Cerulean toward the top of the painting.

The light sky color is popped into the creek which is reflecting the sky.  The burnt orange leaves and tree branches are added to the reflections in the creek.

Tree trunks are mixed from Cadmium Red Medium and Ultramarine Blue (leaning more towards the red) and the major trees are added.  The trees really start to define the depth of the space.

In a very loose, organic way, using a rubber tipped implement, I dash in branches, thin tree trunks, and reflections across the entire surface.

Smaller trees are added as well as branches and limbs using the palette knife.

I started adding green and yellow-green leaves on the left side of the painting. 

More leaves are added across the entire painting.  The leaves are mixed to gradate from green to yellow-green to orange-yellow-green to orange and yellow.  The leaves tumble down onto the surface of the creek.

Some of the tree trunks and branches are pulled back out in front of the leaves adding to the dimensional qualities of the painting.  The distance space is tweaked and highlights added to the water.

A few final bright yellows are added in the areas in the foreground and some spots of sky are added back in.

And the final painting:

"Fall Forest Fantasy", Code # 030917 S 24x36, oil on panel, c. 2017, by Charlene Marsh

This painting captures the extraordinary beauty and peace of the deep forest on an autumn day and would be excellent to enhance the Wealth & Abundance energy of the living space as well as the Core Health & Family Relationships and Spiritual Growth energies.  



Here's the link to Part 1 again so you can see the genesis of how the painting evolved.

Thanks for following along!

Cheers,

Charlene 

P.S.  Be sure to sign up for my regular newsletter to receive info about new paintings, special releases, upcoming shows, demos, color and feng shui tips, and more. 

Bonus! When you subscribe, you will immediately receive a FREE one page report on How to Create Health, Wealth, and Harmony using Fine Art!

030917 S 24x36 Fall Forest Fantasy, Part 1

I am going to break this blog into two parts.  The first part will cover the seven, plein air, oil paintings that were created on location in the forest over a period of five years and used for inspiration for the finished studio painting.  The second part will focus on the step by step evolution of the studio painting.

In this plein air painting created this past fall on November 1, 2016, http://charlenemarsh.blogspot.com/2016/12/110116-12x16-warm-day-late-fall.html, I particularly love the background hills and trees and colors as well as the sky reflected on the creek and the fallen leaves on the water.  I frequently referred to this painting while working on the background elements and the creek.

In this plein air painting, dated October 22, 2016, http://charlenemarsh.blogspot.com/2016/11/102216-12x16-early-autumn.html, I really liked the creek in the left hand side of the painting.  That golden color, rusty reflections, and smattering of fallen leaves was really enchanting.

The turquoise creek, due to the shale rock, was absolutely gorgeous in this painting.  This plein air painting was done on October 24, 2016, http://charlenemarsh.blogspot.com/2016/11/102416-16x12-turquoise-water.html.

This is another plein air painting, dated November 1, 2013 with the turquoise water which is flowing this time.  Interestingly, this painting was done on the same date as the top one above only three years earlier.  I love to compare the unfolding of the seasons from year to year. 

In this painting dated November 3, 2013, I really like how the color of the leaves changes from green to yellow green to orange-green to oranges and rusts.  These last three paintings are done in one of my favorite spots to paint out in the forest.  I love the composition of the creek receding into the distance.  Last year, several trees fell across the creek in this location, obliterating the view.

This painting dated October 12, 2012 shows the beginnings of the fall colors but is still predominately green.

Just two days later on October 14, 2012, the colors have already changed dramatically.  Some years, fall comes early and some years, like in 2016, it comes quite late.  We did not even get a frost or freeze until mid-November.  I love how the paintings document the unfolding seasons year after year. 

So I print out photos of all these paintings and mount them on my "inspiration board" that I could refer to as I worked.  Here is my set up, ready to go.  

This is the end of Part 1.  Sometimes setting up the painting and deciding what to do is the biggest part of a project.  Part 2 is available HERE that shows how the painting is executed now that I have determined what I want to do.   

Thanks for following along!  

Happy Trails!

Cheers,

Charlene 

P.S. Be sure to sign up for my email newsletter so you don't miss out on upcoming shows, specials, first look at new work, and more.