# 14......clearing the clutter

This getting in to the studio every day is so much easier this time. I think it is a mindset and the fact that this year I had chosen all the reference material ahead of time. Although i haven't stuck to keeping it simple, I am somehow having more enjoyment in the process.It could be that I am in the mode of 'cleaning out'..........you know, lessening the clutter. Not just the physical but the mental clutter.

I have been fortunate in recent years to travel a great deal and have some wonderful experiences with fellow artists. As I always have my camera and am gathering reference photos, I have accumulated a great deal. Many have stuck in my head for a painting, a series, a competition....you know what I mean! Anyway, I have been paring down my closets, Christmas decorations, just STUFF!

It feels wonderful to start putting some of those finally down on canvas and getting rid of some of the clutter in my mind. I think the fear of failure is my worst enemy. I am trying to get beyond that and if a painting is a failure, that's okay. It just puts me that much closer to the next good one.

Using the same surface for a number of paintings in a row is also teaching me a thing or two. I am growing in my knowledge of what surfaces work best for me and my statement.

Although I need to go back and tweek a thing or two, not a bad effort for today....

               #14   Sunflower Bonnet

             12 x 12" oil on panel NFS

#13 ....30 paintings in 30 days 2013

This one was a challenge to deal with the dappled light, reflected light and all the crazy things going on in the fleshtones! Knowing the general light source gave me a start but I seemed to have it too warm, then too cool...........remembering this gentleman, I knew he had been in the sun alot so he had good color but the cool light bouncing all around seemed to wash it out.

I at least knew better than to keep going and made a real mess of it, so I will let it sit a day or two and then go back and warm it up and add some needed finishing touches. I am ready to start the next one which is full of colors!

Again I mixed a chromatic black using my blue green and my maroon, using more towards the blue this time. I think I should have had it a little more towards the red with all that cool background.

Every day in the studio is a lesson...............thank goodness I love to learn!

                                      # 13   Stetson in Black

                                  12 x 12" oil on panel   NFS

Once again, thank you so much for viewing my art........Ruth Ann

# 12 Velvet Hat w Brooch

What a challenge! Trying to paint something that is black and show interesting contour and color variation  is difficult. Rather than rely on the number of tube blacks that I have, I chose to mix one. For one I mixed Rembrandt Blue Green ( similar, I think to Pthalo Green) and my favorite, Grumbacher's Perylene Maroon. When I mixed a few different chromatic blacks, I got some very interesting, yet very different hues. The one appeared much more red and I liked it when I started brushing it on the canvas for this hat, so I chose not to go for something closer to black.

It was very dark but yet gave me some variety and even more value variation than I could see in the photo, but knowing the light source and strength, I could make a pretty accurate guess.

The hardest part was the background and keeping it simple and IN the background. I still want to hit my highlights again and tweek the background but for now I will consider this one ready for the drying rack!

                      #12 Velvet Hat w/Brooch           

                                                 12 x 12"       NFS


As always, thanks for looking...........Ruth Ann

Painting #17 ...Watching Over You

Today is dedicated to a very special person;  a successful professional in the  health industry as an RN, BSN,  a devoted mother, an adoring sister, a compassionate friend, a truly amazing daughter..............but most of all, one that is blessing us all with her existence, to celebrate another birthday, despite the attack of cancer that she continues to battle!

Here's to you, my darling daughter ,  Melissa Lynne Sturgill Windau!!!  You are my inspiration and joy...may you celebrate many, many more!!!

Watching Over You     8 x 8" on wood panel   NFS

Although TIGGER is gone, he lives on our memories................

Painting #9 "No matter how you slice it...

Some days you have so much pending, you almost forget what you were planning to do when you went to the studio. That was my day. Before I knew it, a couple of hours had gone by and I was running short on studio time to get my daily painting done.

I decided to grab a quick bite for lunch, first. The leftover cherry turnover made perfect desert. But wait, it was too hot to eat and the cherries oozing out the seam just screamed "paint me!". I was already to start when I just needed to change the angle.........too late! Gotta eat it. Yummy! Okay, on to plan B...

I had some leftover fruit that needed to be used or thrown out, so I sliced the orange and then the apple ........but that was a little boring, so I had decided to slice the apple sideways.....wa-la a set up!

The title seemed obvious...........

" No matter how you slice it, it is still apples to oranges..." 

5 x 7" oil on panel        

Painting #8 ......." Spurred On..."

All gessoed panels are not created equal! Today I wanted a different size than I had on hand in the Ampersand brand, so I used another brand from the local art supply store. I felt it was rather shiny and a little too slick so I used some 220 grit sandpaper on it and sanded in layers; first top to bottom, then cross that grain from side to side; then diagonal, then crossed that grain on another diagonal. Giving it less shine and a little texture, I proceeded to paint.

 "Spurred On"

8 x 8"   oil on panel  $75

To put it mildly, I struggled! Big time! I was too far into the painting to scrap it since I was feeling under the weather due to a reaction to medication, but I was determined to do the painting today.

The plan was to paint this with real drama and darks,  but I rather like it this way, too. I am pretty sure I will try it with the drama using linen on panel.

Painting #7 Study in Orange

What a wonderful day! Traveled to Dayton to one of the galleries I am in and while in town we took advantage of the American Chronicles.....Norman Rockwell exhibit at the DAI. Fabulous! It sure put me in the mood to want to paint people again.  That will wait for another day, though, when I can devote more time.

The first attempt today was a "wiper"....so I did just that and started over. Entire new set up. I was able to settle down and thoroughly enjoy the process............whoops, where did the time go? I love that part of the creative process....time has no meaning.

Looking forward to tomorrow...maybe I will do the spur again?????

Painting #6 Jailbird Feather ( in umber)

Okay,,, you are probably wondering where in the heck I got that title.  Funny story! For those of you who know my husband, Claude, you know he is pretty quiet and not much on the "sense of humor".

Recently we were on vacation out west and had stopped on our way back from Tortilla Flats to explore this little ghost town. Upon exploring the old jail cell, there on the floor lay this black bird feather. I collected the feather to put in my newly adorned cowgirl hat. As we headed for Cave Creek I said to my husband, "I wonder what kind of bird this came from", not  expecting an answer from him but I got no response at all...then he turned to me and very seriously replied...."It must be a jail-bird feather!".
I cracked up!!!! One of the best one-liners he has ever come up with. Now, I can never part with that feather.

Jailbird Feather    5 x 7" oil on panel 

Today I also went a step further with my viewfinder.. I decided to cut a piece of cardboard with an opening to match the size I was painting on; 5 x 7".  Then I fastened it to my Stanright easel and moved it around until it had the composition I wanted. This really helped as I could move much further away so I didn't get caught up in details right away.

I also decided to try gridding it off with string to match how I grid my canvas. I love it! I usually do that with photos, so I love being able to solve the issue when painting from life.

Here is a distant view also....

Until tomorrow....... 

#5 painting,...Calling the Spirits ( in umber)

Setting up became very time-consuming today, as I am esp. easily distracted by so many things that need done. Finally, I found a design that I liked then to set up to paint. Last night my neck and shoulder really caused me some pain, making it difficult to paint, therefore today I decided to try to eliminate some of the aggravating factors.

One is holding up the viewfinder, constantly tensing up the muscle that attaches to the base of my skull. We joked about solving this issue in Carol Marine's workshop but I thought...why not try to really solve it. So I thought the issue through and came up with this;  

I used a piece of bamboo to hold the viewfinder, cutting notches in it with a utility knife. Then I inserted the bamboo piece into the opening of my Stanrite Easel post. It worked great!

  I played around with the position until I had it right in my line of sight.            

You can see my composition in the photo on the right.

 I am loving these panels and can't get myself to move beyond the beauty of working in umber. Today I used raw umber. Love it! Using less medium today and that seems to suit my style better.

Calling the Spirits         ( in umber) 5 x 7"

 
I will eventually do this in color, as I bought this turqoise vase because of its wonderful color. Let me know if you have any questions....

Painting #2 lemon w shadow

Guess I am making lemonade today in the studio, that is, after I paint it! I was planning to make a needed trip to a gallery in Dayton to pick up some of my paintings, so I never quite got into the right brain. Add several distractions, well, you know...

Hopefully, I will get a chance to redeem myself tomorrow, after I work on installing the photography show at Artspace/Lima.