Practice for A Midwinter NIght's Draw

This is NOT the Hallwalls painting to be auctioned from Hallwalls in Buffalo at the end of the month but it is the practice painting I did to measure my time. This is a bit smaller and a slightly different view but it sure is similar! Trying the painting in advance helped me prepare for the official film for the event.

I will post the auction painting when the auction opens February 24, until then, all the artist's pictures are out of sight. But this one is available now.

Morning Cataract, 12x16 pastel c. 2021

UPDATED!

Here is the final donated painting.

I hope I am informed about the buyer, there were 11 bids on this before closing Sunday night.

Hallwalls MidWinter's Draw

 I was invited to film (on Zoom) a timed 45 minute painting. It is for Hallwalls annual fundraiser. I've attended the drawing rallies the past, an event with lovely food and drinks and dozens of artists working while we watch. After 45 minutes the works are posted for auction and new artists take their places. At the end of the evening the winning bidders take their art home. 

The 2020 summer event was held online and bidders had several days to view videos of artists producing their art and to bid. It allowed for a wider audience than when people had attended the events. This "Winter Night"s Draw" will also be a virtual experience with several days to view online before the bidding ends.  Bidding will be February 24, 7pm and close on February 28 9pm.

I am THRILLED to have been invited and be a part of this annual event.

Here is a smidgen of the my work. It's a good one, bid high.

Reading Alla Prima by Richard Schmid

I found a link to Alla Prima II by Richard Schmid that I could download and read online as a pdf. This book in 3-D is a valued reference and frequently resourced by artists but I didn’t own it. I would like to hold the real book, to investigate the many color reproductions and flip back and forth to the footnotes and resources. Although I usually read library books online, this pdf didn’t change pages easily and is presented as one single long document, not as book pages. It’s a big book to read this way.

The copy I had didn’t have good color reproduction but I was thrilled to read Schmid's philosophy and approach at a time I needed to start thinking deeply about my work. The spontaneity of his brushstrokes are an illusion. Each stroke is planned and purposeful, each value is carefully measured to the adjoining ones. 

Classic cars committed to canvas

Nearly finished

My assignment was to use individual color reference photos of two cars, combine them with another image of an old building and make it into a realistic oil painting. What’s involved? Considering the scale of the different items, their angle of view has to match, and shadows and light were corrected and accurate for each part. With help from Carl and photoshop the composition was adjusted and established and I enlarged the plan to a 16x20 canvas. Normally, I paint on the entire canvas at the same time-for example in a landscape, a bit of blue paint from the sky lands in the water and on a flower or a shadow's edge. But these are cars so other than the chrome colors they were separate paintings. I did use touches of their colors throughout but that was a forced practice. There is the merest suggestion of one reflecting color onto the other.

This commission from a 2nd cousin is headed to Georgia. I believe it was Facebook that allowed us to be reunited online after many years. We had several phone conversations about the details of these cars, our mutual relatives and parents and memories of being kids. 

Knowing what is important to a client helps a commission become successful. The convertible was restored by him and had belonged to his parents. I chose a WNY sky on a bright day, using cloud shapes to draw you into the composition and mirror the car angles.  It was a welcome challenge to paint summer light as winter closed in and Covid lockdowns were cancelling our holiday plans. Fortunately for my sanity (painting keeps me sane) it took more than a month, not constantly painting but evaluating, doing research and correcting. This was a first for me, I’m usually attracted to rusty tractors and barn equipment en plein aire. It was a pleasure to do and I’ve enjoyed having it nearby and 'watching the paint dry' before shipping the painting.

Ready for shipping

"Where's the Key" 16x20 oil c. 2021