Peonies: Painting Class

There is something to be said for creating something colorful, soothing and beautiful where only hours before there was a blank canvas and some tubes of paint. Painting from life teaches me so much more than a photo ever can. I love the entire process, from choosing the flowers at the market to setting them up in my studio with just the right light. When I am painting, I am lost in moments of color, texture and movement.

This fresh new painting project was in preparation for my beginners painting class at Woodmen Valley. I realized that painting peonies might seem like a daunting task for the beginner painter, but what a fun way to jump into painting; color, simple shapes and value brushed onto canvas in just three short hours. Our goal was not to create a masterpiece for each student but to learn the power of paint, touch on the academics of composition and to have fun applying paint to canvas. I think we can all learn something about ourselves if we dare to step out of our comfort zones and try something new.

Peonies
20 x 16", Acrylic on canvas
Rita Salazar Dickerson

Stage 1: Setting up the still life composition. It was a rather dark, rainy day but I was determined to paint from the natural southern light coming from my studio window. I arranged the three flowers following some simple composition guidelines that I could later explain to my painting class.

Stage 2: Painting in the lines of my composition. Using a thinned mixture of alizarin crimson and white, I broke the painting down into thirds.

Stage 3: Painting the flowers. Thinking in terms of thirds, even in the values of the flowers, I painted them with a light, medium and dark pink. With a single natural light source from the window, seeing the three values was much easier.

Stage 4: Completing the painting. Once the flowers were done, I focused on the leaves, the foreground and background all at once. With acrylic, working wet on wet, I had to work fast so that my background and foreground edges worked in well with the flowers, the leaves and stems before the paint dried.  Each leaf was 3 to 4 strokes. I put the main color of green down and then added the lights and darks of reds and yellows.  I had fun adding the colors from the flowers and integrating them into the background and foreground.

With the painting complete, I was ready to teach the class.

First, I started the class with 8 x 10" canvas boards to create a color study. This starts the thinking process regarding color and composition. It also helps get the jitters out.

After spending a half hour or so on the color studies, we pulled out the 20 x 16" canvases and got to work creating the actual painting.

 By the end of the second hour, colorful, fun peonies filled the class!

 I walked around the class and started taking photos of all the great paintings that were being created right before my eyes. Enjoy scrolling down and seeing the variety of beautiful results.

Standing back and looking at all the multiple paintings of the peonies took my breath away. Each art student's style and personality emerged. We are all unique, like our paintings.

Here are some favorite quotes I jotted down while I was at the Art of the Portrait conference in Atlanta, Georgia a couple of weeks ago.

"I like to paint order out of chaos...It doesn't matter how large or how small (your painting is) its gotta be beautiful and intentional." Quang Ho

"I look for passion, imagination and the means to communicate...Use all of your experiences, emotions, your life situation and put that in your paintings." Everette Raymond Kinstler

Formal Portrait: Business Portrait Part 2

Squeezing blue and white oil paint onto my palette and then brushing it on the canvas to make it look like fabric is always more challenging than I first imagine it to be. Working wet-on-wet, it was time to paint the dress shirt.

Stage 5: The underpainting. Blocking in the shirt and tie.The draping of clothing over the human form is always a challenge.  If you don't get it right, you know it. The folds and creases have to be believable. I tried to break the shirt down into general shapes and values while brushing the paint on with broad strokes.

Stage 5: Completing the shirt. Using thicker paint I paid close attention to my brush strokes and edges, adding detail but not too much detail. Now its time to let it rest. Next, the hands. 

Colorado Landscape Series: Grand Valley

When the car you are riding in is zipping down Interstate 70 at 65 miles an hour and you yell to the driver, "Stop!", you have to have a very understanding driver. Fortunately, I did. My husband, Robert, gets it. He's a team player when it comes to my painting, supporting me above and beyond what would seem reasonable to others. And so, on this gorgeous October morning, he stepped on those brakes just in time for me to hop out of the car and capture this scene in the Grand Valley, a part of Colorado most people miss if they never venture west beyond Vail. Western Colorado in the fall, lovely.

Grand Valley
14 x 18", Oil on canvas
Rita Salazar Dickerson (c) 2014

Stage 1: The composition. After tinting the canvas with a wash of Transparent Earth Red and Ultramarine mixed with mineral spirits, I loosely painted in the lines of the composition before starting with the sky.

Stage 2: Painting the sky. I chose an earthy orange-rust for this under painting.

And then with a palette knife I began placing the shapes of the blue sky that appeared behind the clouds. With each stage of this painting I worked with the method of wet-on-wet paint. 

With my brush loaded with paint, I began to place the clouds. Once all of the colors were down, I wiped my brush and then started moving the paint around, blending and softening edges, then pulling the colors into each other. I left bits of the orange under painting showing.

Detail of the clouds.

Stage 3: Painting in the distant mountains.

Stage 4: Blocking in the middle ground of trees and bushes.

Stage 5: Adding texture, color and detail to the trees and bushes. I used a brush first and then the palette knife for this stage.

Stage 6: Painting the water.

After blocking in the water and then placing the second layers of color where I wanted them, I used a wide brush to drag the paint across the canvas to give it texture.

Stage 7: Blocking in the foreground.

Stage 8: Completing the painting. Once again, I used a brush to lay down the paint colors and then alternated with a brush and palette knife to get the effect I wanted for the grass.

Family Portrait Painting: Part 7

Its late and I'm tired, but I really wanted to get this post in before the Thanksgiving holiday tomorrow. I took painting breaks today to make cornbread for the stuffing, a pie crust, and then a pumpkin pie.


Stage 18: Painting the background. I started first by blocking in the main shapes of color on the bush behind Steve and Patty.

Stage 19: Continuing with the background. Knowing that the paint would still be wet from working on the bush last night, I got up early this morning and continued so that the paint would still be workable, wet-on-wet. From there I kept going, blocking in the light green behind the tree and then doing the tree and branches last. I love the light; its everywhere in this painting. And it always amazes me the way a background can  dramatically change the dynamics of a portrait(s).

 To my readers in the United States, Happy Thanksgiving!

Portrait Of A Little Girl: "Clio" Stage 5

Clio

16 x 20", oil on canvas

Rita Salazar Dickerson 2013

Stage 5: The arms, hands, background...completing the painting. I began this stage by painting in Clio's arms and hands and did not get very far before I realized I had to paint in the background (as well as the white plastic covers of the chains on her swing)so that I could have a better idea of colors and values. The green background started out very light green; the minute I finished it I realized it had to go darker and warmer. There are more colors in the background than it looks like at first glance. Yellows, pinks, blues along with the various shades of green...at times I wondered if I would ever be happy with it. After the background it was time to revisit each section of the painting. Painting wet on wet, the edges of her hair had to be reworked into the background as well as the edges of her skin and dress. Small but important adjustments were made throughout the painting. Now, its time to let it rest and hopefully see it with fresh eyes in a week or two.

This painting reminds me of one of my favorite children's poems, The Swing, by Robert Louis Stevenson. Do you know it?

Visiting Northern England: Final Painting # 6

There is a place in England,

along the River Nidd.

Where winter snows fall gently down,

the grass beneath is hid.

There is a place in England,

a place I love to go.

Where twisted trees and branches grow,

to catch the falling snow.

Rita Salazar Dickerson



Reflections On The River Nidd II
24x20", Oil on canvas
Rita Salazar Dickerson

When I saw this scene as I walked from the village, Pateley Bridge, I was so excited that I took photo after photo of it with each picture looking almost exactly the same. Sometimes I stood, other times I knelt, and a couple of times I leaned from one direction to the other. I wanted to capture this memory in the best possible light, angle and composition. In the end, I decided on this simple, straight forward view because of the trees. The grouping in the middle reminded me of a Chihuly sculpture with each tree twisting and moving in a different direction.

I started with a simple line drawing that I free handed with a number 2 filbert brush and a thin wash of paint (four parts mineral spirits to one part Torrit Grey, though any dark color will do).

Next, I blocked in the darkest value and then began painting in the light purple sky.



At this stage, I finished blocking in of all the colors. I always tell myself that this part will be quick and easy; it rarely ever is. Painting around these simple tree shapes was a lot more difficult than I had imagined.

 I completed the painting with the the second layer, wet-on-wet, using brushes and palette knives - and generous amounts of paint.



I didn't do a small study of this painting because I originally hadn't planned on painting it. But after completing the first Reflections On The River Nidd (See Visiting Northern England: Completed Painting # 2, July 15, 2012), I yearned for another winter scene of North Yorkshire and here it is.



Visiting North Yorkshire: Final Painting #5

Confident
Oil on canvas, 24x30"
Rita Salazar Dickerson

I have never thought about a sheep looking confident before, but this one looked like she really had it together.

There was something about the way she stood and gazed at me with her dark eyes.

Her striking dark face and legs were the perfect contrast to her luxurious, wool coat and white muzzle.



The sheep's horns added movement and texture.

Since I was working wet-on-wet I wanted to complete the face and horns during the first session.

Using my color study as a guide, I knew which colors to mix for blocking in the entire painting.

I liked this zigzag effect that the stone fences created in the composition.

Once the painting is completely blocked in I can usually tell whether I am going to like it or not. I was so excited to mix large amounts of paint and start completing the entire piece.

The nice thing about painting a small study first is that I have given myself time to think about the composition and decide what I like about it and what I would like to change in the final piece. In this instance, I realized I wanted the focus to be on the sheep and took out much of the background.