2015 Oil Painters of America National Exhibition!!

Greetings!  I'm thrilled to announce my painting, "Reaching" was selected for the 2015 OPA National Exhibition!

Over 2,000 paintings were submitted by artists from Canada, the United States and Mexico, but only 218 paintings were selected! It was quite an honor to be among those selected!  

On the evening of May1, 2015, OPA's Awards & Recognition Ceremony was a time to honor members' achievements, and for Juror of Awards, Huihan Liu OPAM,  to announce the award winners, including the recipient of the coveted Gold Medal! 

This year, the Gold Medal was given to Jonathan Stasko for his painting, "Pure Religion is This." It is an amazing piece that includes ten children!  Jonathan used images sent to him by his sister who was in Uganda with folks who were digging wells so villagers would have fresh water. These children were among those blessed to finally be able to drink clean, fresh water, and Jonathan Stasko captured their personalities and reactions so beautifully!  If you'd like to learn more about this  incredible artist, you can visit his web site at: http://jonathanstasko.com/about/


The entire conference was amazing!  A number of valuable demonstrations and Q & A sessions were available throughout the weekend, and there was even a plein air competition and exhibition at another, nearby Cutter & Cutter gallery!  That show had dozens of great paintings, too!

If you ever get the opportunity to attend this national event, jump at the chance!  It was inspiring, educational, entertaining and altogether worthwhile!! Best of all, it was a great opportunity to meet and stay connected with other artists who create "representational art!  

NOTE: The Oil Painters of America Twenty-fourth Annual National Exhibition is being held at the Brilliance in Color Gallery, part of Cutter & Cutter Fine Art Galleries, in St Augustine, Florida from April 29 - May 25, 2015.




 


 




  

Painting Roses - A Simplified Approach

Last term, in my Thursday Flower Painting Class, students began a new two-session project - which included  a large white rose with pink and blue accent flowers in a small crystal and cobalt vase.

Here are the steps I used to create the white rose.

Step One

Get basic rose shape established.

 

 

 

Step Two (Three Photos)

Create warm and cool areas, enlarging the blossom as you go.

 

 

 

 

Step Three (Two Photos)

Add warm darks in crevices.

Then, "pull" each dark area, on only one side,

to create form shadows.

 

 

Step Four

Adjust cools and warms to create subtle form changes.

Step Five

"Clean" edges and sharpen subtle light areas.

Step Six

Add strong highlights to rose (center of interest)

and add cobalt blue and clear crystal areas of vase.

 

Note:  The vase still needs some work, so I will post the final painting a bit later, once it is completed.

 

Seeing Rich Red - Painting "Juicy" Roses

In my weekly Flower Painting Class, we will be learning about painting roses, but we will also be learning about using rich, vibrant red!

"Controlling" red is a necessity to create form and depth, keeping shadows dark, but not too dark and the lights believable and rich.


Notice the first rose (single blossom, above) has a translucency in the center petal that is closest to us, while the lower right petal seems more opaque.  Paint qualities, especially the degree of transparency and intensity of color help with this illusion.  Also, note the variety of exterior and interior edges that help create the illusion of depth.

Here are two other sample roses, one in profile and one almost straight on, with some overlap between them. 

Notice how the light is caught on the rose in profile; the petals protruding toward us are lighter but not pink, just "hit by light" as are some of the edges of the petals.

Finding ways to make red lighter, without turning it pinkish, can be frustrating, but in the end, very rewarding!  Likewise, finding a way to create rich, warm darks to allow brushstrokes of red to disappear and reemerge between petals is a challenge. 

The key is slowing down, thinking through the options, and choosing wisely. Then, testing each color choice with only one stroke of paint, adjusting value/color/intensity as needed. It also involves choosing accurate angles and effective brushstrokes.

 

Here are some additional images that depict the steps taken to create these sample roses:

 

 

SINGLE ROSE

 

 

Start with a simple, basic sketch of overall form,
keeping first strokes at same angles as actual petals.

Begin adding shapes with
accurate value and intensity of red.
Keep overall shape more angular than curved.

Apply wide, skinny, and irregularly shaped
(but accurate) strokes of color to create form or mass
 - but avoid outlining shapes.

Begin to add darks, with narrow shapes
that can be "dragged" wider and longer, as needed.

Step back and check overall impression. 
Does it look like a rose from a distance?
Is the silhouette more angular (good) 
than curved (not so good) ?

Begin dragging shadow color across petal as needed.
Keep brush parallel with the canvas, not perpendicular. 
Pay close attention to keeping the depth of the rose.
(Petals go back for that elusive third dimension.)



PAIR OF ROSES

 

Begin with a rough sketch and petal strokes
 that "follow the form" of the rose.

Proceed deliberately,
taking time to think before placing each stroke. 
IMPORTANT:
Be sure to wipe your brush right after EVERY stroke,
or you'll pick up unexpected color and deposit it 
in your pools of paint or with the next stroke.

Don't panic!  Just keep progressing with the darks.
Once the darks are established,
the mid-tones and highlights will "pull the petals out."





Before completing first rose,
begin the rose beneath and behind it. 
Begin with the darks, and note the strokes
follow the form of the actual rose.

One way to proceed
is to create the area outside the "bowl"
and then fill in the deep, translucent shadow.

After the bowl is full of rich shadow,
interior petals can be added.



After completing the rose on the lower right,
petals protruding toward us were added to the first rose,
so that they overlapped the second rose. 
A cool background of broken color was added
to emphasize the warm red of the roses.

See the final sample painting, below:

 

Here is the final sample painting
with background and shadows added.

Hope these images and comments were helpful!

A Simplified Way to Learn Brush Technique!

 

Sometimes experimenting, without concern about the actual results, can lead to effective new techniques and valuable insights!

 

 

As I was preparing a sample painting for the students in my weekly Flower Painting Class, I decided to experiment with a monochromatic (single color) scheme.  I used two angled brushes, one for white and one for blue. The surface was simply a sheet of canvas from my canvas pad.

The colors I chose were:

 

 Ultramarine Blue

Cobalt Blue Light

Titanium White

a bit of Soft Mixing White

and that's it!

 

Here are some of the results:

 

It was great fun creating lost and found edges, depicting all the striations and color/value changes, and capturing the hollow in the center of the blossom!

 

I tried to record the actual progression of each blossom throughout the painting session.  By the way, the flower that was my subject was pink! That way, I had to ignore color and only pay attention to value, edges, and form.

 

There are just a few images for the first flower since it was quickly done, there are several more for the second flower since it was more involved, and there are a few of the bud.

The initial drawing was roughly sketched in a water soluble colored pencil - which was absorbed into the paint.

Simple start - Use dry brush technique to create the of silhouette for first flower.

Use edge of brush to pull the outline into the flower area, to remove the outline.

 

 

Add dimension to base of flower and continue petal work. 
(Wait to add the final dark/depth in center of blossom.)

 



Begin second blossom with dry brush technique. Keep center of blossom high to angle flower downward.
 



Add foreground petal,
which is coming directly toward viewer, to the left flower.
Work on defining shape of petals, remember to pull outline of silhouette into the petal shapes to eliminate the outline.

 
 


Add large dab of Ultramarine blue in center of blossom.



Begin to Spread daub of Ultramarine Blue upward and outward.

 

 

Spread strokes outward and upward to edge of petals. Be patient and think before adding any strokes. Some will be pulled from outer edge inward, and others from center area outward, to create the blossom.

 

Add lighter strokes to petals on left of lower flower.



Continue to add shadow, light, and form to each petal.

Add Ultramarine Blue to center of blossom on right.
Take a short break from first two blossoms,
returning to them later.
Begin bud, with simple dry brush strokes.

Add dimension to bud through value changes and edges.
Notice all lost and found edges and surfaces on all blossoms.
Clarify near petals, make lighter.
Add dark accents to edges of near petals.
Added a white background so I could clean up edges easily.



Bulk up top of the bud, so it better resembles this species.

Look over all areas, back up and view as a whole, compare petal angles with center of blossoms, but leave some "twisting angles" so they look natural, not stiff. Stamen will be added later.

Final advice:
USE ENOUGH PAINT
WIPE BRUSH CLEAN BETWEEN STROKES
STROKE ONCE, WIPE AND RELOAD BRUSH
FOCUS ON VARIETY OF EDGES
CHECK DRAWING OFTEN
WORK FOR DIMENSIONALITY
ENJOY THE PROCESS

(*I also created a visual aid with various means of creating petals, showing steps that can be generally followed, but that will have to be in a future blog post.)







Two Workshops: How to Mix Color Accurately & Draw Accurately!

On Saturday, October 11th, I'm exited to be offering two half-day workshops: "Fundamentals of Color Mixing" and "Fundamentals of Drawing Accurately."



Burst of Spring by Diane Reeves
Selected for the2014 National Oil and Acrylic Painters' Society
Annual "BEST OF AMERICA" Exhibition

These  half-day workshops are unique opportunities to learn a lot of crucial concepts and specific techniques in a short amount of time at a very reasonable cost. The workshops are only three hours, so the content is focused and practical.

Bernadette by Diane Reeves

In the COLOR MIXING workshop, participants will learn concepts and skills via instructor demonstrations as well as guided exercises, to mix virtually any color, while avoiding common mistakes.  The importance of knowing if a color is transparent or opaque, cool or warm, strong or weak, will all be explained. Four specific steps will be taught to arrive at the color you need. The workshop content is valuable for any painter, from representational to abstract - and whether landscape, portrait or still life subjects are involved. (*A full color booklet will be provided, allowing participants to look back on the content and try further exercises at home.)

 

 

Model at Rest by Diane Reeves

The DRAWING workshop will focus on how to actually identify key elements in your subject, allowing you to truly draw more accurately.  You will be shown how to calculate proportions, see more precisely and avoid errors in drawing.  A variety of key approaches will be taught to increase your accuracy and boost your confidence, whether your goal is to create a finished piece of art or simply to sketch your subject accurately on canvas to begin a new painting. (*A black and white booklet will be provided, allowing participants to look back on the content and try further exercises at home.)

If you are interested in attending either or both workshops, please click on the link provided.  Hope you will join us, THIS Saturday! 

COLOR MIXING: https://asoft10113.accrisoft.com/bocamuseum/index.php?src=forms&ref=Class+Registration&class_id=2655&id=Class+Registration


DRAWING ACCURATELY: https://asoft10113.accrisoft.com/bocamuseum/index.php?src=forms&ref=Class+Registration&class_id=2653&id=Class+Registration

YELLOW CROCUS - START TO FINISH

We will be painting beautiful yellow crocus next week, during our new Flower Painting class!  Here are some images of the set up, as well as the steps used for the sample painting. 

 

Important: Be sure to notice how dark and dull the yellow crocus initially appear on a similar yellow background - yet how bright and engaging they suddenly become when a dark background is added for contrast!

 

HERE IS THE SUBJECT OF THE PAINTING - 

BEAUTIFUL YELLOW CROCUS!

 

(Note: I DECIDED TO KEEP THE BOWL RATHER NEUTRAL

SO THE FOCUS WILL REMAIN ON THE FLOWERS.)

 

 

STEP ONE

GENERAL WASH AND BEGIN BLOCK IN

WITH THINNED RAW SIENNA

AND A BIT OF UMBER

 

STEP TWO

BEGIN FLOWER HEADS

FOCUS ON CAPTURING DIMENSION

AND AN ACCURATE SILHOUETTE

 

STEP THREE

GIVE WEIGHT TO BOWL

DEPICT STEMS COOLER/DARKER THAN PETALS

 

STEP FOUR

ADD MORE "LOCAL COLOR" IN MASSES

OF LEAVES, FLOWER HEADS AND BOWL

 

STEP FIVE

BEGIN TO FORM BULBS

EMPHASIZE THICK WALLS OF BOWL

AND PALE, COOL LIGHT STRIKING SUBJECT

 

(*NOTICE HOW THE PALE YELLOW BACKGROUND

TRULY "WASHES OUT" THE YELLOW FLOWERS)

  

STEP SIX

ADD DARK BACKGROUND FOR CONTRAST

ADJUST EDGES* OF FLOWERS, STEMS, BOWL

(*HARD, SOFT, LOST, FOUND EDGES)

 

LOSE SOME EDGES IN THE BACKGROUND

ADD HIGHLIGHTS AND SHADOWS

 

Please let me know if you have any comments or questions.

Simply enter them in the "Post a Comment Box" found below.