Last week, I attended a 3 day painting workshop by Master oil painter Neil Patterson. I am still digesting all I learned. Neil paints loose and colourful, something I am trying to achieve with my work.
In 3 days, I "produced" 14 painting studies. All were painted with acrylic paint except the last 2 - I decided to try oils again - I'll be sticking with acrylics for the time being! I'll go into more detail on this and other things in my next post. Right now I just want to share with you some of my studies! REMEMBER - they are studies...These are ones I'll likely keep for awhile...I've already got 7 of them that are "refuse and recycleables"!
Most of the paintings were 16X20 or 9X12, much larger than what I normally paint. To give you an idea of how fast I painted and the size relationship of what I usually paint, look below -
In 3 days, I "produced" 14 painting studies. All were painted with acrylic paint except the last 2 - I decided to try oils again - I'll be sticking with acrylics for the time being! I'll go into more detail on this and other things in my next post. Right now I just want to share with you some of my studies! REMEMBER - they are studies...These are ones I'll likely keep for awhile...I've already got 7 of them that are "refuse and recycleables"!
Most of the paintings were 16X20 or 9X12, much larger than what I normally paint. To give you an idea of how fast I painted and the size relationship of what I usually paint, look below -
My apple painting is 6x6 in. The floral is 16X20. About 8 or 9 times bigger! I may not paint larger YET, but I will certianly loosen up my brushtrokes. The other thing I learned is the advantages of painting on a dark surface, rather than a bare white canvas. The darks are there for you already...you just need to paint the light! Easier said than done...it still takes practice!
I also have a couple images from the weekend of the Opus Plein Air Challenge. Its sure was a challenge...trying to find something interesting to paint, setting up outside, composing, painting within the time limit and finishing up. A great experience, but full of annoyances!. The canvas we were given was 16X20, too big for my light plein air easel and ME...I had to lug my full size french easel around...so I didn't go far from where I parked. I wanted to paint an urban cafe scene....I was not very pleased with my result (canvas too big, paints dried too fast, ...Oh I could go on...) BUT I did enjoy it, will do more of it. I will NOT paint this large outside ...and I may use oils outside...not acrylics....they dry too fast!
Next post I will highlight a couple important things I learned from both of these painting experiences. AND I will come up with a new theme for the month of May! Stay tuned!
Next post I will highlight a couple important things I learned from both of these painting experiences. AND I will come up with a new theme for the month of May! Stay tuned!