More Work in Progress

Still a painting in progress! Oil on Canvas, 30" x 30". I know I've been a bit obsessive with this painting but I wanted to show the differences, and how far this painting has come. The top painting is the most recent stage. I will continue to work on it until I am satisfied. I feel it is just coming alive in the above image. This isn't the only piece I'm working on - I always have about four or five in various stages of completion. I'll be posting other pieces soon.

Works in Progress

More updates on my shore paintings, and still not completed. A recent trip to Maine has me working on a few more paintings for this series which I will post soon. The small, common and overlooked object or image can be just as interesting and just as valid as any other image an artist may choose.

More Beginnings

An update to the painting in my post last month. The underpainting is disappearing, the stones are becoming more solid, the stones underwater appear submerged. More work needed to get this piece how I want it.

Beginnings

Here are two very different shore paintings, both in progress. I start out with an underpainting then work with lines and shapes until I like the composition. The painting on the bottom has a diagonal composition and when it is completed it will show rocks above water on the lower left and rocks under water on the upper right.

These two paintings together show the difference an under painting can make to the final piece. The top painting has a gray under painting, while the painting below has a burnt orange under painting. Even though the under painting will disappear it still influences the finished piece.

Stones and Water

Although I already have this painting shown in this blog in an earlier state, I decided to work on it more, getting the pain thicker and making the marks work as marks as well as rocks. This type of painting really lends itself to mark making. I love the tilt of the composition and I had a lot of fun completing this piece.

Many of my pieces can be purchased as Fine Art Greeting Cards at the link below.

http://www.zazzle.com/original_artwork_greeting_card-137685746214198193

Trees - A Beginning

This is a painting I've been working on from sketches and small watercolor studies. It isn't finished but I wanted to show the piece in it's working state. Sometimes at this stage the painting could change dramatically, but I like the composition and overall color. I took out the curved branch near the top and some of the other branches, I thought it took away from the vertical composition. I will also add more leaves in the background, as in the upper right corner. 

Winter Print

This is one of my first pulls of a linoleum print I recently created. The composition was sketched last winter at the Quabbin Reservior. You can see the lines from the marker I used to go over the original drawing. This is done because each layer of ink needs to be washed off before the next color can go on and I don't want to lose my drawing. 

The process begins with cutting out the spaces I wanted white, for this piece, the snow will remain white. I then decided what the lightest color would be in the final print. Moving from lightest to darkest works best because the colors are being printed over one another (except for the spaces cut out. I then mixed that color with Akua inks; for this print, a light purple gray for the shadows on the snow. I rolled the ink onto the linoleum with a brayer, then printed it by hand.

My next step is to cut out all the spaces I want light purple gray - mostly the shadows on the snow. I will then choose the next darker color and mix that. You've got to think ahead a step or two for this process. This type of print is referred to as a suicide print because once all the linoleum has been cut there is no way to go back. Planning is key for a successful print.

I'll post the next color steps in a day or two. 

Here's a picture of how I keep the registration the same for each print. Here's the blog I found which outlines the process:

printmakersregistrationsystem-mfykes.blogspot.com

Each print is printed in exactly the same place each time! I'm so glad I found the above blog with excellent directions.

I will soon post each color as it is added to each print.