Copying Musuem Masterpieces with Ohio Plein Air Painters

Here are some of the artists I painted with at the Cincinnati Art Musuem this weekend. The Southwest Ohio Plein Air Painters have copied masterpieces every January for the past few years.

I learn so much from doing this and discovered a new local artist this time, John Ellsworth Weis, whose painting "Yesterday" I worked on copying.

Born in Kentucky, John moved to Cincinnati (Norwood) as a child. When studying at the Art Academy with the likes of Frank Duveneck and Herman Wessel, he so impressed teachers that he was offered a position on the faculty at the age of 22. Also a poet, writer, philosopher and member of the Literary Club, John taught at the Art Academy for thirty eight years and was president of the Cincinnati Art Club from 1927-1928. I loved the feeling of this painting I'm copying, in acrylics instead of oils, and all my friends here said it looks like one of my "happy houses."

I'm starting out Monday on a great high, for today I realized I sold more paintings in the last six months than I did in all of 2008; not more revenue but a lot more paintings, so I'm excited about that.

Copying "Yesterday" by John Ellsworth Weis

Here's today's effort: a copy of the painting "Yesterday" by J. E. Weis which is now hanging at the Cincinnati Art Musuem in the gallery displaying the collection belonging to Cincinnati Public Schools.

The musuem recently switched out a lot of paintings in this particular gallery and I found this one when looking for a painting of Bessie Wessel's I admired.

John Weis' original painting now hangs just to the left of Bessel Wessel's Hollyhocks painting that I love. I was not familiar with Weis or his work before trying to copy this one today but I fell in love with it and learned a lot from copying for 3.5 hours today during the Ohio Plein Air Society paint-in. It was a bonus discovering a new artist and I've found other paintings of Weis' that I like while researching him online.

Exhausted from this effort, I'm signing off for now to rest and will write more about this artist, his painting and my copying later.

Focusing on the journey instead of the destination

Here's my first hour and a half on a new 12 x 16" home portrait, based on the little color sketch in the top lefthand corner. I usually like to paint for 3-5 hours at a time, because things really get rolling. But I'm learning that I can make progress in 1-2 hours and that it's good for me to paint every single day, even if it's just a little.

I'll admit, painting for an hour and a half, like I did today, frustrates me at times because I have to stop just when it feels like I'm getting into the zone. But if I can focus on the journey rather than trying to rush headlong towards the final destination, it helps (in my life as well as in my work:)

I did the little 7 x 9" acrylic sketch for my client to give to her husband for his milestone birthday in November. She knew he'd want to be involved in the creation of the finished work, so we used the little painting to talk about what he liked and what changes he'd prefer. Originally, I used a warm orange background and then painted over it in layers of acrylics. What I like about this technique is that I can paint light over darker values and colors in small increments or glazes, like with oil painting. But I can also leverage what I call "clear color" -- the original vibrant acrylic paint in a single hue -- like my favorite watercolorists do.

Today I really did enjoy the journey, even though it was for such a short time, analyzing where the clear color should remain, as opposed to layering paint to create values and mute colors. I think it will be interesting to take and display photos of this one as it progresses a little at a time, so I'll post those pictures as this painting progresses.

Which view did she choose?

If I have or take several photos of a house, I usually draw 2-3 different views. These drawings sometimes satisfy clients as suitable for framing in their own right. They're also valuable for soliciting information before I begin a larger painting.

For example, did this customer prefer a vertical or horizontal painting? Which of these three views of her house did she like best? Were there things she wanted emphasized or de-emphasized? (plants, trees, features of the house or property?)

Check back and I'll post the finished watercolor painting I did for this customer, so you can see what she picked. Were her choices the same ones you'd have made?

A Quilter's Inspiration

No, this isn't my work. These beautiful pieces of fabric art were created by Cathy Pilcher Sperry, who talked about her own journey as an artist, what inspires her, and her processes for creating these beautiful quilted wall hangings in a program I attended on Saturday.

I didn't get much actual paint on canvas this weekend but got loads of inspiration from Cathy's talk and viewing a couple dozen pieces she's created in the last few years. This artwork is so beautiful when you see it in person, these photos really DO NOT DO IT JUSTICE. I think both of these pieces were about 3.5 feet square.

What struck me was Cathy's innovation and creativity in her processes of trying to achieve what she envisions. I had just finished reading David Hockney's book, Secret Knowledge of the Masters and realized that those artists I admire so much did the same thing. Even today, filmmakers like George Lucas and James Cameron envision movies they want to make and then they have to figure out new ways to actually realize them onscreen. I hope to try and do more of this in 2010, leveraging what I know how to do with a computer with making the marks on canvas or paper with pencils and brushes.

The other thing that was really neat about Cathy's talk was hearing about how starting to sew at age 12 and loving it have led her to what she's doing today. I saw a faith walk and spirituality that realized beauty and life beyond what I think human beings are capable of without divine partnership. Now that's inspiring!

Solitude: enough vs. too much?
While solitude is inherent to the life on an artist, sometimes it's just too much for me! As author John Ortberg writes, "When parents want to punish a child, the number one method is a time-out. And the most hated punishment prison inmates receive is solitary confinement.

The solitude necessary to painting felt like a curse to me today. This is the small color sketch I did in preparation for a 12 x 16" home portrait I'm working on. Talking about it with my client surfaced some important aspects of the final painting: close the garage door, American flag on the front porch, annuals blooming in front of the house and decorative lights on either side of the garage door.

But I've had a hard time getting going today and now am just starting again, at 9 pm. Usually I paint with some other artists in Lebanon on Thursdays but we cancelled yesterday due to snow. They, and the artists I paint with in Mason, would tell you that when it's really happening for me, I lose all awareness of everything and everybody around me. Now I'm ready to try it again, after enjoying the company of friends for dinner and a delightful 7 pm walk in the snow at Sharon Woods.

Tomorrow my major creation will be trying to make a recipe from The Art of French Cooking for a "Julie & Julia" dinner. I tried making a cheese souffle for dinner last night and it turned out great but I didn't love it (tasted like air), so tomorrow I'm attempting French Onion soup. While it cooks, hopefully I'll be cooking on this portrait too!

Preliminary color sketches for an oil portrait

While everyone was snowed in today, I finished the third and final color study to show my clients for their 18 x 24" home portrait. When we last met, we looked at all the photos I'd taken and they decided they wanted to see the house head-on in an "autumn-like" setting.

With three different little studies like this, I'll be able to find out more about their likes and dislikes before I begin the full-size painting in oils on canvas.

I actually end up liking a lot of these little studies. They're only about 7 x 9" on a canvas sheet in acrylics but they look great matted and framed in a standard size 11 x 14" frame, which is perfect for hanging in a smaller place or space. I sell these for $200 where the big ones go for $400-$600.

Looking Out at Snow and Thinking of Florida
Here's a photo one of my clients sent me today of a Christmas gift she commissioned for her parents of their home in Florida.
It's kind of fun looking at these paintings of warm weather houses on such a cold snowy day.
Haven't gotten any painting done yet today but plan to start a new 12 x 16 inch acrylic tonight so stay tuned for progress tomorrow.
I'm using this blog as accountability for how much painting I actually accomplish each day.

Great Start to a New Year!

Congratulations to fellow golfer and artist Joanne Greenway, whose original pastels are on display this month at Bellevue Bistro, 313 Fairfield Ave. in Bellevue, KY.

Joanne kindly let me share wall space at the Bistro and it's already been a very successful venue for my artwork. What a great start to the new year, 2010.

This work was one I was commissioned to paint as a Christmas gift. Today, it was good to get back in the regular routine of painting every day and, once again, I hope to chronicle my daily results on this blog. Stay tuned and Happy New Year!