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Painting Onion on Newspaper

Posted on by Wess Foreman


Painting Onion on Newspaper
14x22" | $400

No, this one isn't a postcard-size painting, but I wanted to post it today: the day after the painting it depicts was posted.

This was an interesting painting, both in the process as well as in the finished piece. It started with a photograph of my working surface - newspaper, onion, and the painting. I wasn't sure I was going to paint the scene when I first took the photo, but after spotting a canvas with the right dimensions, I thought I'd try it out . . . see what happens. A few hours later, I found myself still working on the piece - adding details and correcting annoyances. At the very end, I added the paint brush to firmly establish the painting of the onion as a flat, two-dimensional thing.

I'm not sure what it is, but something within me gets excited about this painting. Something makes me turn my head every so often to see the image again, to study its detail, to understand it somehow. It could be the autobiographical nature of the piece, revealing something from my life. It could be the narrative aspect, telling the tale of a work in progress. This was one of those paintings where the Creative Flow took over, leaving an interesting painting in its wake. In any case, I plan to paint more of these in the future.

Please leave me a comment. And if you’re interested in purchasing this or any other painting, contact me with the name of the painting you’re interested in. Thanks!

 

Garlic Bulbs

Posted on by Wess Foreman

Garlic Bulbs
4x6" | $40

Please leave me a comment. And if you’re interested in purchasing this or any other painting, contact me with the name of the painting you’re interested in. Thanks!

 

creole

Posted on by Wess Foreman


Creole
5x7" | $55

Please leave me a comment. And if you’re interested in purchasing this or any other painting, contact me with the name of the painting you’re interested in. Thanks!

 

accordion player

Posted on by Wess Foreman


Accordion Player
6x4" | $40

Please leave me a comment. And if you’re interested in purchasing this or any other painting, contact me with the name of the painting you’re interested in. Thanks!

 

river crawfish

Posted on by Wess Foreman


River Crawfish
5x7" | $55

Please leave me a comment. And if you’re interested in purchasing this or any other painting, contact me with the name of the painting you’re interested in. Thanks!

 

sailboat

Posted on by Wess Foreman


Sailboat
5x7" | sold

This was painted from a reference photo I took while at the art market in Madisonville. A lone sailboat on the banks of the Tchefuncte River (yeah, I had to look up how to spell it).

 

December's Painting-a-Day

Posted on by Wess Foreman

For the month of December, I'll be posting a new postcard-size painting every weekday. Yes, I've got a few already finished ahead of time (it would be difficult for me to find the time and motivation everyday during the Holidays). So, stay tuned and contact me if you would like to purchase any of these. (It starts tomorrow)

Taking better photos

Posted on by Wess Foreman

With Thanksgiving in a couple of days, and the Christmas season hot on it's tail, I thought I'd throw up a
quick post on taking better photos - just general tips. Hope they are helpful. Here we go:

 

Week 7/52: A cup of tea

 


1. Fill the frame - too many great smiles disappear when they are a mere fraction of an inch in the photo. Get up close and use your zoom lens if your camera has one - fill the viewing area with that great smile.

 

2. Be aware of everything in the frame - sometimes a good photo is ruined by distractions in the background. Make sure to check everything in the viewing area before taking the picture. Is there anything distracting behind your subject? Is there a better angle that would make a better photo? For instance, in the photo of the teacup to the right, the dark shirt of the person in the background provides a perfect foil for the light cup and saucer in the foreground - had the angle been lower, the photo might have been ruined with too much white in the background

3. Think about your shooting angle - This especially comes up with shooting pets or kids (with cameras). When taking photos of kids or pets, get down on their level - this can be inconvenient sometimes, but trust me, it makes a big difference in your photography.

4. Camera orientation - Most photos are probably taken with the camera held horizontally, but don't forget you can also take vertical photos. Be willing to change the camera's orientation depending on the subject matter - if the subject matter is mostly vertical, like an individual or, I don't know, a candle, it would be harder to fill the frame with a horizontal shot . . .

5. Use a flash indoors and out - Your camera's flash is good for low-light, indoor shots, but also good in bright afternoon sunshine. When the sun is high in the sky, facial features lose all nuiance - dark shadows fill the eye sockets and beneath the chin, not to mention underneath hats. To make a better portrait, try facing your subject(s) away from the sun (to reduce squinting in your subjects) and shooting with the flash engaged (to brighten up the face).

6. Take lots of photos - snap away. The more photos you take, the better your chance of getting a great one. That said, don't take the same photo more than twice (and only twice if you think someone was blinking in the first photo) - move around, get different angles and compositions. Here's one way: start with a broad establishing shot, then move in closer and closer to your subject, then move around the subject for different perspectives. Just a thought.

Well, that will get you started. For further reading, here's a link to Kodak's: Top 10 Tips for Great Pictures

In another post, I'll describe my post-processing secret-sauce that'll give your pics some professional polish. Happy Turkey Day!

horse and carriage - painting process

Posted on by Wess Foreman

Just another painting process wherein I rough sketch the scene, fill it up with color, adjust the shapes and colors and lines, and finally start adding details and finishing the piece. Enjoy.


Horse & Carriage, 12x12" $100

After finishing this one, I realize I must be ready for Christmas...

met the artist

Posted on by Wess Foreman

Just got back from the Meet the Artist shin-dig put on by Inside Northside Magazine (followed up by a burger meal at Outback). A great time was had by all. I'm a bit tired now, but I just wanted to post a big Thank You to all you who made it out tonight - it was great meeting you all, I'm sure :-) Thanks!

More later.

Ave. F - Bogalusa | painting process

Posted on by Wess Foreman

Here's another painting process. Just a note: I failed to correct the white balance of these photos - they are, in reality, less yellow-brown in color - the photo of the finished piece is pretty close to correct. Not the most dynamic of subject matters, and this is one case where I like the photo still a little better than the finished painting. Still there are aspects of it I love - I'll point them out later. Here's the initial sketch:

...and I think that's one of the main reasons I like the photo better than the painting - notice that I cropped the photo severely to better match my canvas. I thought this would emphasize the center of interest better (the red building and its leaning metal pole), but in reality it lessened its impact. (Hindsight is 20/20)

And then it's just a matter of paint-by-numbers. Filling it all in with paint.

et cetera...

et cetera...

And adding in the darkest darks and lightest lights.

And starting to fiddle with things - adding the trees.

And then it's just more detail work, until the final piece:

Ave. F - Bogalusa - 11x14" - $75

The details I love about it are the telephone pole in the background - I left the initial china marker sketch and just painted around it. That gave it a nice effect, I think. Also the building just below the telephone pole - I like the way it turned out . . . almost a watercolor look to it. I also enjoy the sidewalk/curb running along the bottom - the waviness of the hand-drawn lines give it a certain charm i think. The colors are not quite as contrasty as in this photo, by the way, and be sure to click the photo for a closer look - otherwise those details cannot be appreciated.

I'm pretty sure I will be returning to this photo in the future - a wider-aspect canvas and a more muted color palette would work wonders, I'm sure. Any thoughts?

Two Quick Sketches

Posted on by Wess Foreman

Ah, the elusive sketchbook. I always admired the idea of a sketchbook - always at the ready for a quick sketch in-between the goings and doings of real-world things. But practically speaking, I never quite got the sketchbook. Sure, I could fill up a sketchbook if it was for an assignment in art class - especially as a deadline drew nigh - but carry it around with me? Sketching those precious little vignettes of life at a moments notice . . . just for the joy and experience of it? Nah, I just didn't get it.

Well, I still don't carry one with me everywhere - nor do I find myself wanting to sketch much more than once or twice a week, truth be told - but I do find myself enjoying the finished product of my sketches of late. Who knows, I may even assemble them into a little book one of these days. Here are a couple of quick sketches of boats I drew the morning of the Madisonville art market, as I waited for the market to begin. Now that I think about it - these weren't in my sketchbook at all; they were sketched in my moleskinne. [Maybe I should at least get one without lines?]

Painting Process Roundup

Posted on by Wess Foreman

I've done several posts in the past on the painting process - my painting process, that is - and I thought I'd dig those out and put them into the spotlight for anyone interested. So, here are four links - enjoy!