Three more from the Having Fun With Gourds Series: No. 3, 4, 5

[JamieWG]

I've been busy playing with my new toys. hehehehe


5x7, Oils on canvas covered hardboard
No. 3: Contemplating a Carnation
http://www.wetcanvas.com/Community/images/18-Oct-2006/13766-061015_Gourds3_Contemplating_a_Carnation_450.jpg

8x12, Pastel on Wallis Belgian Mist
No. 4: Sunbathing
http://www.wetcanvas.com/Community/images/18-Oct-2006/13766-061017_Gourds_No4_Sunbathing_500.jpg

5x7, Oils on canvas covered hardboard
No. 5: Three's a Crowd
http://www.wetcanvas.com/Community/images/18-Oct-2006/13766-061018_Gourds5_Threes_a_Crowd_450b.jpg

There are setup and progress images posted on my blog (http://hudsonvalleypainter.blogspot.com) if anybody's interested. I'm finding that these paintings are taking me a reeeeeeally long time, but they're challenging, satisfying, and feel "complete" to me. It's been hard for me to get to my larger pieces while spending so much time on the little ones. I think I need more hours in the day!

Jamie

[Elannie]

Jamie ~ These are so much fun! The sunbathing one makes me smile! Love seeing what you are coming up with from these!

[JamieWG]

Thanks, Lisa. I'm afraid I'm going to run out of ideas soon!

Jamie

[Peter-MN]

Hi Jamie,

Once again these are gourd-e-ous! very realistic, well lite and
masterfully painted.

I like how playful you are with the comps.

Peter-MN

[JamieWG]

Hi Jamie,

Once again these are gourd-e-ous! very realistic, well lite and
masterfully painted.

I like how playful you are with the comps.

Peter-MN

Thank you, Peter! I'm so glad you like them. I'm starting to finally feel the urge to paint something else though! LOL

Jamie

[wabbitt]

Adorable! "Sunbathing" is my favorite...I guess it's the humor, but they're all wonderful.

[JanB]

:D :D Sunbathing!!:D :D Love it! If you keep at these daily paintings your speed will improve. Not that speed is really a goal but you do just get quicker from all the practice. Some subjects just naturally take longer because they're more complex. Sometimes I can complete a piece in 20 or 30 min. IF it's what I consider an easy subject for me. This whole series is just wonderful!!

[ChuckL]

I agree with Jan, Jamie...it is a wonderful series...my favorite has to be "Sunbathing"...it's interesting, humourus ....and quite beautiful as well.
Good Stuff!
...chuck

[JamieWG]

Julie and Chuck, thanks so much. Sunbathing does seem to be the favorite! I got some more over the last few days, but have been painting other things.

:D :D Sunbathing!!:D :D Love it! If you keep at these daily paintings your speed will improve. Not that speed is really a goal but you do just get quicker from all the practice. Some subjects just naturally take longer because they're more complex. Sometimes I can complete a piece in 20 or 30 min. IF it's what I consider an easy subject for me. This whole series is just wonderful!!

Jan, speed is an interesting phenominon. I think it is very closely related to stylistic preferences. I've been working the one hour speed drill, and sometimes 20 minute speed drills, for about four years, beginning with Craig Nelson's "60 Minute Paintings" book. We had threads going in the Oils forum based on that book several years ago, and other forums started doing it as well. Plein air work also focuses on speed as a matter of necessity.

I think I'm turning a corner and heading in the other direction for awhile though. Some people look through Craig Nelson's book at the one hour studies and then the more time consuming takes on the same subjects, and prefer the one hour pieces. But I always looked at them and thought the longer pieces were just.....better. Better color, better design, more thought, more deliberate strokes, stronger message, more refined.....better art in terms of quality.

I too dash off a quick one now and then when I'm just "sketching", but it is no longer my focus to do something fast. I think there's a line between the block-in stage and a photorealistic finish that we all need to draw for ourselves. For my own self-satisfaction, I need a more refined and detailed finish than some artists and less than others. I started seeing a lot of what I considered to be flaws in my work that were due to just not taking enough time. I'm trying not to let those things slip so much anymore. It does take a lot more time to turn out work this way (two to three times as long on the average for me), but I'm soooooo much happier with the results. I don't think I'm going to push for speed again for quite some time, especially when working in the studio, where I have no excuse for not taking all the time I need to get the result I want.

I look at Duane Keiser's paintings and drool. They're real big on what I call the "sigh" factor. His paintings are less than 4x6", and he spends up to three hours on them! They don't have the high contrast, color-popping "WOW" factor. They are just so beautifully elegant, subtle, refined.... I just seem to be naturally attracted to that subtle kind of work. I'm not sure it can be done quickly. The fastest person I know who gets that kind of a result is Marc Hanson, but he too found the daily paintings to be extremely time consuming in his style.

jamie