Thanks for poating the October thread, Becca!

This is a class assignment. We were asked to select a master’s painting and do a value study (black and white) of it. I chose a 1901 painting by Matisse, Dishes and Fruit on a Red and Black Carpet. First, the original:

And here’s my study:

I had so much fun with this Assignment! Because the brushwork in the original was so exuberant, it freed me to be much more expressive with my paint application as well.

Meh, the photo of my piece really doesn’t show proprer contrast. It’s there in my painting., but I don’t’t have any more time to edit

Hi everyone, just started on this painting a few days ago. Almost finished the cockatoo and now I’m just starting to block in the basic colours of the trees and branches etc..

Lookin’ good, Goodcatbadcat.

I just adhered and trimmed some oil paper onto birch panels for some pieces I need for December. It’s been a couple years since I did any painting on paper, so I am just a bit apprehensive to start.

Last time I mounted them on panels after I painted them, but those were hand torn and oversized to give a ‘floating’ effect, especially after adding a floater frame. The ones I still have, have held up well, but that was too much work for pieces with a $100 (give or take) price tag.

I rather enjoy oil on paper, because it can accept paint as a wash, but also take layers, very versatile. And when varnished, the painted areas shine and the varnish soaks into the paper, leaving it matte. It is a nice effect.

Lookin’ good, [B]Goodcatbadcat[/B].

I just adhered and trimmed some oil paper onto birch panels for some pieces I need for December. It’s been a couple years since I did any painting on paper, so I am just a bit apprehensive to start.

Last time I mounted them on panels after I painted them, but those were hand torn and oversized to give a ‘floating’ effect, especially after adding a floater frame. The ones I still have, have held up well, but that was too much work for pieces with a $100 (give or take) price tag.

I rather enjoy oil on paper, because it can accept paint as a wash, but also take layers, very versatile. And when varnished, the painted areas shine and the varnish soaks into the paper, leaving it matte. It is a nice effect.

Thanks, Mtpalms! Funny enough, I just went through your threads a couple of nights ago. I saw a painting you had posted and wanted to peek at the rest of your work. I’m a fan! I really dig your painting style.

Were/are you using Arches? Paper is my favorite substrate, but I haven’t been able to find a way to make it work perfectly yet. I came across an artist on Instagram that seems to use paper with oils exclusively- Arches, from what I can tell- with good results. I had trouble with Arches warping if I didn’t mount it beforehand and it struck me as a lot of work for a painting I might screw up or not finish. Still, that’s the greatest appeal with paper for me- there’s a lot less pressure involved, at least I trick my mind into believing so, and if I’m not thrilled I can simply toss it and start over without blemishing a linen canvas. The flip side is, if I paint something I consider especially good it’s on less than ideal substrate for professional works.

I haven’t varnished any of my paper pieces yet, but you’ve given me courage. I’ve always been a bit afraid of uneven distribution but I think I’ll give it a shot on some current paintings.

I will be eagerly awaiting your new paintings on paper! Please don’t hesitate to clue me in if you discover any tips and tricks along the way.

mtpalms,

You convinced me. I just ordered a pad of Arches. My technique has changed pretty radically since I used it last, and if you haven’t experienced any curling or warping, I’m going to give it another shot. I have gessoed plenty of watercolor paper in my day- I probably would have preferred shellac to gesso. That’s kind of a brilliant idea, because I wasn’t in love with the grit of gesso.

If you’re curious to see another artist who uses paper, the fellow I was referring to is named Barnaby Whitfield. He’s not a well known artist, but his paper works are interesting to me. I’m happy to see paper gaining traction with the oil painting community.

In general WOYE news-

While I let study #1 dry, I had a tube of Daniel Smith’s Raw Umber Violet arrive in the mail today, and eager to see how it performs as an underpainting color, I worked up a quick study. And by that, I mean I really couldn’t lolligag because the paint dried so fast for some reason. I painted the eye, got up for a couple of hours to make dinner and putz around, and when I sat back down to work on it the small piles of paint I had mixed up were completely hard and dry. I use Liquin in everything but this was truly unusual.

So, here is the first layer. I’m not really sure how I feel about it. I’m hoping the violet tone will make the transition to glazing a little smoother. We’ll see.

And just a note- the eye in the reference photo really is that deep set. It’s mine and the photo really emphasizes my bony orbital rim. I will likely soften and change some values for readability.

Here is what’s been on my easel this month. My daughter keeps an eye out this time of year for pretty vegetables and bought me this squash. I started in monotone, then added color:

Here is the finished color version. I’d never tried leather before, but the box seemed to enhance the composition:

Before the rains came I was doing a lot of plein air painting at Rainier:

And at our local high school in Tacoma:

[B]GoodcatBadcat[/B], you have a wonderful profile to paint, and are off to a very good start. Maybe it is seeing the image on a screen, but the violet umber doesn’t look much different than burnt umber. Nonetheless, intrigues me. It seems like it would compliment skin tones nicely. Particularly white skin, but black as well. Asian and Laino, maybe. Keep us posted on how well you like it..

Mtpalms, you have a good eye. I actually mixed burnt umber into it because I was a bit afraid I wouldn’t know how to handle the violet-ness of it on it’s own. Though, I admit it looks a little browner in the photo than in life. It kind of has that rose gold color that is trending.

I have a question for you. So, my Arches came in today and it is actually really well suited for the techniques I have currently adopted. I’m very happy with it. But, what side of the paper do you paint on? The backside feels treated too and I’m wondering if anyone has had success using it. I can’t really get the level of detail on the front that I normally would shoot for and if the back isn’t appropriate, that’s okay. I really need to work on simplifying my portraits and focusing on mood anyway. I just like the option of tight lines and details.