A recent commissioned painting

A recent commission I did for a collector. Happy to say they loved it!
It was based on an older painting that had sold long ago.  It's in a slightly different size, and it was fun to redesign and distort the subject to a square format.

Cyclamen on patterned cloth revisited 

Acrylic on panel                         24X24

Just for interest, below is the original it was based off. They're pretty close, but you can have fun playing spot the difference on a few elements, aside from small color and tone changes.

Cyclamen on patterned cloth

Acrylic on panel                         18X24

Photographing still life subjects

Spent a long day photographing still lifes arrangements. The list is long and time consuming to collect. Everything must be brought together; the fruit, flowers, vases, pots, drapes, cloths, tables and lights.  Who knows what will be needed to create the perfect arrangement. All this work before even the arranging can begin.

Then meticulously I arrange each grouping, attempting to make each different from the last.

 My aim is to create a number of photographs from each session that I can turn into a variety of paintings. I don't want too many paintings from each session, but I want enough shots to feel the time was well spent. Nothing makes my creative juices flow and excites my 'still life' passion like a new photo shoot!

The goal of this rush of activity was to create some really nice reference material for next weeks trip to Santa Fe.  The town hosts an annual 'paint out' event, where artists from a variety of galleries come out and paint!  #Ventana_Fine_Art, has a group show opening on the Friday the 17th, and the 'Paint out' event is on the Saturday. Looking forward to visiting beautiful Santa Fe again, seeing friends, gallery staff and artists! Tel (800) 746-8815 for more info.

I think I got shots that will work really well, looking forward to getting cracking - Now the fun begins!

'One on one' art workshop

Over the last couple of weeks I've given 3 days 'one on one' private teaching. Good fun and a great opportunity for an artist to really get to know not only 'what makes me tick' and how I approach my work; but also to really dig down deep and explore their working method and style.

This intense and direct process gives far greater granularity and focus than I'm able to give in my usual 'group' workshop teaching. It allows me to focus in on specific areas that the student wants to explore.

 Delphinium with Apricots and Poms

24X18               Acrylic on panel

This painting I completed on day one, as part of an introductory demonstration.  I didn't get it 100% finished, since I spent a lot of time talking, explaining techniques and covering other art techniques & processes. I made the finishing touches to it  over a few other sessions.

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During the later workshop days we worked on a lot of 'challenges' or 'painting exercises'. They sound dull, but are a great way to break out of bad habits, and make new ground. Additionally,  many of them are great fun too! We explored simplifying complex forms and designing good color schemes.  I haven't posted visuals of these tests for the blog, but perhaps I should photograph them and post them later?

The painting below is a 'little one' I produced while the student was working on theirs. I like these small grouping of objects;  I love the way they can still clearly define a message and style despite the simplicity of the subject.

Above - Early days. (Photo taken at an angle, so you can just see the set up in the background.)

Lemons with a pair of reds

14X11            Acrylic on panel

Point Lobos Seascape

I love trips to #Point_Lobos (near Carmel, CA). It's such a beautiful coastline and has yielded many wonderful paintings. There's so many small headlands looking down onto small coves or inlets of beautifully clear ocean waters. The trees stretch out precariously over the edge.




I enjoyed working on finding the right temperatures in the colors of this painting. Balancing the violets and greens with the colors of the ocean. The distant headland balancing both the composition and the overall color palette.

 Across the cove
24X25        Acrylic on panel

Group 'landscape' show in Colorado

A few of my pieces are in a group show this month at Ann Korologos Gallery in Basalt Colorado. This is one of them, tel (970) 927-9668 for more information.

http://korologosgallery.com/out-of-the-west-landscapes/

http://korologosgallery.com/artist-angus/

 Cool Impressions 

18X36 Acrylic on canvas

Plein Air

Spent the day Plein Air painting at Joseph D Grant park just outside of San Jose, with my artist friend Ocean Quigley.  Fun to get out of the studio.

Delphinium, and tonal 'pop'

 Jug, Delphinium & plums on blue

24X18 Acrylic on panel
 

I love those dark plums on the blue tablecloth and the mix of warm and cool colors throughout the painting. I wanted to keep the 'color play' across this painting pretty loose and fun. 

I knew I wanted a strong contrast of tone for the flowers against their background and I wanted interesting counter change from foreground to background. Colors resolved themselves throughout the painting from that original idea.

I think I did a pretty good job of achieving this marrying; the jug with the background colors, and using the colors within the chair to play between foreground elements and the background. I originally planned the plums to be lighter in hue (perhaps closer to the purple chair), but as I completed the painting I realized they would be stronger if I gave them a powerful 'pop' of a strong tonal change next to the rich blue cloth.