Home Forums Explore Media Oil Painting Oil Painting – Hall of Fame Oil-from-life challenge, Jan. 2018: optional winter theme

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  • #448744
    Grotius
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        Happy New Year, everyone! Let’s paint from life! As always, feel free to post whatever you like — landscapes, portraits, figures, still lifes, whatever — so long as your work is painted primarily from life. This month I’m suggesting an optional “winter” theme, encouraging us to peek out our windows and paint a little snow, or a figure in a parka, or maybe just paint a still life with a cup of hot chocolate in the foreground. As always, the theme is optional; post whatever you like. Four guidelines:

        1. Please paint primarily from life — not from photographs or imagination. I would like to see your direct impressions of your subject, unmediated by cameras. (It’s okay to post finished studio works based on studies from life; in that case, please post the original study as well as the finished work.)

        2. Please submit something created new, this month, not something you’ve done in the past.

        3. Please paint in oils. That said, please feel free to post studies in any other medium, so long as you also post your oil painting(s).

        4. Please list the size of your painting and support. E.g., ‘”8×10″, oil on panel.’

        Optional: Tell us the title of your painting!

        —————–

        Unfinished works, studies, and outright failures are all welcome. There’s no requirement that you invite comment & critique. If you’d rather post without being critiqued, just say so; that’s fine by me!

        At the end of the month, I will sum up the proceedings with a written awards ceremony in which every artist will receive at least one written commendation from me, in the form of a post here in this forum. If you’d rather opt out of receiving such a commendation, just let me know. (Incidentally, you can find older oil-from-life threads in the “hall of fame” subforum of the Oil Painting forum.) I’m still working on the December awards; I’ll probably post them tomorrow.

        I hope you’ll all consider posting something! Thanks.
        __________________

        - Geoff.
        My website and blog: https://www.geoffwatsonart.com/

        #537176
        Anonymous

            great theme Geoff, will do one of these for sure.

            #537180
            carolkay
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                I have a painting I did the right at New Year’s Eve … but I had posted several done in dec .. so this I won’t post here .. happy New Years everyone

                [FONT="Comic Sans MS"]Carol Sometime's failure is the opposite to success~ but sometimes failure can be the pathway to success
                #537153
                Grotius
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                    Carol, we can bend the rules for a December painting! Please feel free to post it. I always love seeing your work. I learn a lot from it. :)

                    - Geoff.
                    My website and blog: https://www.geoffwatsonart.com/

                    #537154
                    Grotius
                    Default

                        (Cue stage lights.) And it’s time for the December Oily Awards! Not surprisingly, still life was the most popular subject during this chilly December, but we did have several plein air submissions. The envelopes, please!

                        Still life

                        Best hat: Mauricio Calderon – still life with what looks like an accordion. Mauricio, have you made any changes to this picture, or is it finished?

                        Best picture of our implements: Zooreka – still life with palette knife, paint tubes, and other interesting objects.

                        Prettiest ceramics: CarolKay‘s fantastic still life of a turquoise pitcher with grapes and other fruit, in a classic frame. One of my favorite paintings of the month.

                        Coolest ornaments – lep0224, “Shiny Balls.” Very appropriate for the holiday season!

                        Most disintegrated candle: Me, “Candle & Pitcher & Friends.” Usually I worry about fruit falling apart while painting a still life, but this candle is melting under my lighting. :)

                        Best fruit portrait: lep0224’s marvelous orange. It’s a textbook demonstration of how to paint light and shadow on a spherical object!

                        The Degas Award for Composition: Carolkay, “After the performance,” featuring dancing shoes and other related objects. A really neat painting with a great choice of subject-matter.

                        Plein air

                        The Bruegel Award, for chronicling society in winter: DMA for her engaging “First Attempt with Winter Scene.” I learned a lot about DMA’s European neighborhood from this picture. It has a peaceful, holiday feel. Well done!

                        Best ocean scene: Smitty (Feral Ginger) with an ocean scene painted with the knife, plein air. Great knife work!

                        Best bistro: me, with “Mon Ami Gabi.” This painting was very fun to do, and the waiter arriving at work was a gift!

                        Largest plein air: me, with “Cabin John Woods,” clocking in at 12″ x 24,” done outdoors in one 3-hour session. I hope to do more large plein airs this year!

                        Best abstract or semi-abstract from life: Smitty with the knife-painted ocean scene. This is one of the few abstract or semi-abstract works we’ve ever seen in an “oil from life” thread. I hope Smitty will give us more! I really enjoy looking at this picture.

                        The Cezanne Award for the Prettiest Woods: Phyllis Rennie, for her lovely plein air landscape and her studio piece based on it. I still admire the colors in this one. She painted the studio piece on Christmas day, which is pretty neat!

                        Congratulations to all the award-winners! (My apologies if I missed anyone — please PM me and I’ll consult with our accountants to fix it.) I wish you all a Happy New Year, and I look forward to seeing what we paint this cold January. :)

                        - Geoff.
                        My website and blog: https://www.geoffwatsonart.com/

                        #537181
                        carolkay
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                            I can’t seem to post anything .. it isn’t working

                            [FONT="Comic Sans MS"]Carol Sometime's failure is the opposite to success~ but sometimes failure can be the pathway to success
                            #537155
                            Grotius
                            Default

                                Hmm. This forum can be glitchy. Maybe try again in a bit?

                                - Geoff.
                                My website and blog: https://www.geoffwatsonart.com/

                                #537182
                                carolkay
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                                    Hmm. This forum can be glitchy. Maybe try again in a bit?

                                    I’ve tried many times …..

                                    Thank you for all yr
                                    Positive comments for everyone !

                                    [FONT="Comic Sans MS"]Carol Sometime's failure is the opposite to success~ but sometimes failure can be the pathway to success
                                    #537183
                                    carolkay
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                                        When clicking on the
                                        Photo to add to yr coment … it takes me to a totally differant sight online … doesn’t work !

                                        [FONT="Comic Sans MS"]Carol Sometime's failure is the opposite to success~ but sometimes failure can be the pathway to success
                                        #537184
                                        carolkay
                                        Default

                                            Finally it’s working … this is from life ..oil on linen 11×14
                                            Silver and Roses
                                            Happy newyear everyone !
                                            I’m greatful was able to do a couple paintings – as I think it will be awhile before painting again!

                                            [FONT="Comic Sans MS"]Carol Sometime's failure is the opposite to success~ but sometimes failure can be the pathway to success
                                            #537192
                                            Anonymous

                                                Can I post several more later? I plan to do still life painting from life.. Unfortunately I dont have winter here in my country… so sad… so let me warm the winter by painting this chilies.. :) This was done yesterday night, roughly 3 hours..

                                                This one is RED CHILIES – Oil painting on canvas 25×35 cm.

                                                #537156
                                                Grotius
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                                                    Wow: two glorious paintings to start the New Year!

                                                    Carol, another fantastic still life! The reflections on the pitcher make my heart ache. Really well done. The composition is lively, as always in your paintings. The flowers look great too. And the drawing of the pitcher is impeccable: it amazes me how fast you work from life, both in your still lifes and your figurative/portrait work. (You’d be a great art teacher; maybe you already teach?) I’m only sorry to hear you won’t be able to paint for a bit! It’s going to be a busy month for me too, so I know where you’re coming from, but I hope we’ll see more from you this month.

                                                    Armada Setyadi, those chilies look superb! They have a lot of energy, as if they’re ready to bounce out of the picture and heat us up. Very stylish! I also like the variation between the warmer foreground and the cooler background. What a wonderful painting. Don’t worry, summer themes are also welcome here; the “winter” theme is merely a suggestion. I think all of us in the cold would appreciate some more “hot” paintings, so please keep them coming. Above all, welcome to the Oil From Life thread; I hope we see more of your work here soon!

                                                    - Geoff.
                                                    My website and blog: https://www.geoffwatsonart.com/

                                                    #537193
                                                    Anonymous

                                                        Thank you Geoff.. I was a photo realist painter, just moved out from that safe zone into more expressive brushwork.. That one is my very first painting and I enjoy it more because it’s more fun but at the same time requires me to think more. LOL

                                                        #537157
                                                        Grotius
                                                        Default

                                                            Armada Setyadi, I’m glad to hear it! Photorealism is great, but as you say, “painterly” work can require tougher judgment calls. I hope you keep at it — and keep posting your work here!

                                                            - Geoff.
                                                            My website and blog: https://www.geoffwatsonart.com/

                                                            #537158
                                                            Grotius
                                                            Default

                                                                I’ve had a miserable cold to match the miserably cold weather. Today was the first day I’ve felt up to painting all week. I chose a subject close to my heart — or, more accurately, close to my throat. “Cough Drops,” oil on panel, 6” x 6.”

                                                                - Geoff.
                                                                My website and blog: https://www.geoffwatsonart.com/

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