Red Cat and Captive Audience

Two new paintings, one of which is two (called a diptych).

 Cat in Red Light, 24x30" $400

 Captive Audience #8, 2-20x20" $500

'A Captive Audience' Series

Continuing a series I sometimes return to whenever I run out of reference photos, I present four more from the "A Captive Audience" Series...

A Captive Audience #3, 12x12" $100

  A Captive Audience #4, 12x12" sold

A Captive Audience, Med., 24x30" $400

A Captive Audience, lrg., 30x40" $700

Patchwork Landscapes

Two new paintings. Interesting style, I think. Only title I could come up with was Patchwork Landscape With Moon #1 and #2

 
Patchwork Landscape With Moon #1 30x40" $650

Patchwork Landscape With Moon #2 24x36" $350

Batch of New Paintings

Took a while to get all these photographed and resized and uploaded and posted here, but here are the paintings I completed last week (all but the Tire Swing painting were started last week as well).

(above)

Tire Swing,40x30" $700

Yellow Flowers, 24x24" $350

Wave, 24x48" $400

Lure, 30x48" $800

(below)

American Flag #3, 48x18" $400

American Flag #4, 48x30" $600

Boiled Shrimp #2, 24x24" $350

Terrier Pup

Alright, I'm back to painting now. Here's my latest.

Terrier Pup, 24x18", $300 (click for larger image)

Painted this one late last night - took me maybe three hours, all told. Felt like only an hour or less the way it just came together. Painted it from a photograph of a friend's dog (though I did not bother making it look exactly like the dog . . . same breed and basically the same as the photo, but the owner might not recognize it as their dog, that's all).

One thing that has kept me from getting back into painting [perhaps] is the big unanswered question in my mind: What should I be painting? Both subject-matter-wise and style-wise, but mainly the problem of style. My paintings have a definite style, in terms of "my brushstrokes", "my sensibilities", "my color balance", or whatever, but have always varied greatly in what I might call "artificial style" - where I am always trying out new ideas or styles, always changing things up in that regard. Anyway, I finally put aside the idea of style . . . deciding that the majority of my paintings share a certain style that I tend toward anyway, and that's what I should paint. As in this painting, there is a certain amount of messiness to things - lots of movement within major shapes, lots of busy-ness going on. A trope of mine that one might call "wessiness", where the History of the painting is evident, where various layers-beneath-layers show through, giving the final layer a more interesting, exciting aspect.

So, that question solved in my head, it's on to subject matter . . . for that, I'll just take it painting by painting.

a very long, very unintended hiatus

I've not been painting very much these last few months . . . a few one-off paintings here and there, but not in earnest, as they say. It has given me time to dabble in other interests of mine - writing, reading, other things I can't think of right now but surely they were constructive in some relevant, enjoyable way - and, of course, lots of wasted time in between [but that's normal, whether I'm painting in earnest or not].

All that to say, I'm back at the easel now, brush in hand, poised and ready, set, painting! Feels good, though I'm struggling, as always, to find the right subject matter to put to canvas. Anyway, I should have a plethora of new paintings at the next NorthShore Art Market [October 10th], where I will probably be painting throughout the day as well. Meanwhile, if you have any suggestions of subject matter for me to paint [paint more of this or that, et cetera], post a comment or send me an email - thanks!

Returning Home #2 - process

This is a large painting - a bit over five feet tall. I was commissioned to paint it based on the painting Returning Home. It was a fun painting despite a lot of ancillary problems that came up during the painting process (several days of foul weather, an artshow, and an evil bout of lower back pain from which I am just now recovering). The slideshow, of course, shows some of the painting process. The photos are in order, but as you may notice, the painting took a circuitous route to completion as I experimented with different techniques, especially in the sky and trees. Click the slideshow to get a larger view of the finished painting.

Oranges and Jellybeans

This is just a quick little sketch of some oranges and jellybeans that were lying around on the kitchen countertop. I had an urge to sketch something and this was the first thing I spotted.

White Lillies #1

White Lillies #1 - 30x40" $600

Started and finished this painting in one sitting . . . er, standing. Inspiration came from a neighbor's yellow day lillies - they seemed so happy, like they were all giddy and chatting freely amongst themselves [perhaps it was the fact that Spring is in the air, perhaps they especially enjoyed and still celebrated May Day, who knows]. Painting from memory, I began by painting the flowers quickly in white on a green background. The reason for this is that yellow shines much brighter if painted over a white foundation (yellow is just not as opaque as other colors). After that, I painted the flowers yellow, but I had already gotten used to the idea of white flowers, so I painted them white once more (boring story, I know). I added some charcoal, smeared and smudged it here and there, added other colors for interest, and that's it. I called it good enough. The end.

Happy May Day.

May Day-ish update

The weather has been tremendous this past few weeks. I have been out there much of the time, experimenting with paint, keeping my two-year-old out of trouble, and painting some more. It's been a strange week in regards to my painting - I've been going at it full-tilt and most of it has been totally different than anything I've painted before. So now I'm left surveying all that I've been busy at, wondering: is this good? do I like this? will other people like this? I suppose the answer is yes, but only time will tell.

The next NorthShore Art Market will be Saturday, May 9th - starts at 10am, goes until 4:30pm. I will be there with a booth full of new paintings. And like last time, I will be painting throughout the day. Should be fun. This is the last of the Spring markets - starting up again in September. More details at northshoreartmarket.com.

Two Paintings

These are two of the paintings I did while at the NorthShore Art Market. This first one I'm just calling "Rainy Streetlights" (22x28" - $275, click image for larger view) because I'm not that creative at naming paintings. I did the majority of it at the Art Market and finished it the next day at home. I struggled with getting the balance of the thing just right and though it still doesn't make my favorite-paintings list (if I had such a list), I did manage to get it to a point that I can call completed, and I'm generally happy with many aspects of the finished product.

The second painting, I'm calling "Dragonflies on Red"(11x28" - $175, click image for larger view) for the same lame reason I gave for the first. It would definitely fall under the heading of decorative painting. That is to say, there are no subtle points to explore, no greater themes or techniques at play here; it's just what it is: a fiery red background with three images of dragonflies superimposed on it. It's just: "look at these interesting shapes paired with these pretty colors" - blam. Nothing wrong with it. It's still art. It's just different, that's all; in some ways, easier.

I guess I'm to the point of rambling now, so I'll stop. I've finally recovered from the last art show and I'm just beginning some new paintings to have for the next Northshore Art Market (May 9th). I'll post them as I finish them.

A Few Pet Photo Tips

A few tips on taking dog or cat photos (works for kids too, go figure), as well as a shameless plug at the end:

1) best to get the camera down to their level or bring the "animals" up to the camera level, with the help of a platform of some kind (chair or table . . .). The reason: shooting on the same level as the subject is more natural looking (much more natural than that "deer-in-the-headlights", top-down angle that we've all shot from from time to time because we were just too lazy to move).

2) best to "fill the frame" with the subject matter - this one is true as a general photography tip. If you take in an entire yard, for instance, wanting to simply capture a shot of your precious pet, he or she gets lost in the background. Better to zoom in, or move in, to a point where most of the picture frame consists of Fido's smiling profile.

3) best to avoid using the on-camera flash if possible - move the "animal" outside or near a big window if it's too dark inside. The on-camera flash looks unnatural, creates a halo-like shadow around the subject, promotes red-eye, and tends to blast away details in the face. (interesting side note: if shooting in direct sunlight, it's usually better to use a flash as it will help fill in any shadows created by the top-down sunlight - though some point-and-shoot cameras might not fire the flash in that situation)

4) Try to catch your pet off-guard. Usually when a dog sees the camera come out, he drops his head and ears as if to be friendly/submissive toward the camera - this might not be the best pose for your loved one. Always pay attention to how the subject looks (sounds obvious, but you never know)

5) take plenty of photos to choose from (doesn't hurt, especially with a digital camera), plus the more photos you take the more familiar and natural your pet becomes toward the camera.

6) coincidentally, I paint portraits from photos (amazing coincidence, no?), and I highly recommend commissioning one today! If you plan to do so, I can always use an extra photo or two to give me a better idea of what they look like from different angles.

Pet Pricing:
14×11″ - $200
24×18″ - $350
30×24″ - $500
40×30″ - $1000
(same price for two pets :-)

Examples and Portrait Pricing and more info available here: http://wessforeman.com/pricing

Hope at least part of this was helpful! (and Happy Easter!)

I'm one sun-ripened tomato. Turns out that painting outdoors all day in direct sunlight without sunblock turns the skin a bright red, especially the arm holding the paint brush. But I'm not complaining - it was a great day yesterday at the Northshore Art Market.

I enjoyed meeting lots of new people and recalling familiar faces - great fun was had by all. I didn't have time to take any more photos, maybe next time, but here's one of my modest booth. I opted against putting up my canopy, and you'll note the easel on the left, this is where I was for most of the day, painting four paintings in all.

The first painting was sold before it was completed - it's an abstract painting of the street lights, pictured below. Several other paintings sold yesterday as well, and several new contacts made, all adding to a very successful art market for me. Sincere thanks to all who came out and to all who wished me well. Next Northshore Art Market is the second Saturday of May - I'll be there painting once again (with plenty of sunblock this time).

click for larger view

Deep Greens

Deep Green #1 - 16x20" $300

Deep Green #2 - 18x41" $500

I like the simplicity of these two paintings. I have decided to make a few more versions, varying the color palette . . . blues, greens, and yellows, probably.

Slant of Sunlight

As an artist, I sometimes hit upon an idea that catches in the brain. It turns into something of a compulsion: to capture that idea, to expand upon it, and to alter it [finding the edges, the breaking points]. A series of paintings along a central theme. Sometimes obvious, sometimes hard to put into words. This happened a couple years ago when I explored my civilization series - primitive landscapes painted in primary colors with brush and pallete knife. I stayed with that theme for about a year before moving on to other ideas.

I had one such idea catch hold yesterday, completing painting after painting, as if possessed of some artistic apparition. Hardly a theme as these seven paintings basically depicted the same scene with the same basic design elements - an unmowed corner of the field behind my house - but all created from that same compulsion in my artist-brain. I did not stop to judge the paintings too harshly - sure, as an artist this is all I do, judging the various aspects of design, judging the likeness of the painting, judging whether the painting is working or not - but I simply [ultimately] judged whether I liked them or not . . . a simple litmus test . . . yes/no, true/false, good/bad. Passing that test, I moved on to the next painting. And so on.

I am a fairly quick painter on the whole - I don't bother with the details if none are called for [I've perhaps left a few paintings a little short of their potential as a result, in fact] - but seven paintings in one day?! Well, they are simple paintings, and they are basically the same painting - flowers at the edge of a field set against the dark beginnings of a tree line, painted with a certain level of whimsy in their positioning and their bright colors - really, the same painting. This makes it impossible to give them unique names, so I present "Slant of Sunlight" numbers 1 through 5 [the other two are similar, of course] . . .

Slant of Sunlight #1, 24x36", framed - $500 (click for larger version)

Slant of Sunlight #2, 18x24", framed - $350

below:

...#2 & #3 - 11x14", framed - $200

...#4, 9.5x14.5", framed - $200

New Irises

New Irises 14x11", framed $200

Lighthouse

Madisonville Lighthouse 8x10", framed $100

Thanks to Brent Brown (gbbrownphotography.com) for the reference photo!

Welcome to the New Website!

Anyone looking to put up a new website, I highly recommend squarespace. This is the web platform I am using for the new site. It makes it a breeze to get up and running quickly and a lot easier to make changes to the templates, in my opinion - not to mention, being easier in the longterm to maintain the site going forward.

I'm pretty happy with the new design - would love to hear what you think. Please comment below. Thanks!

With the onset of Spring, I have been thawing out. stepping outside more frequently. painting a little more. and have become something of a confident artist once more [happens every year around this time]. I'll use this post to show off a few of my latest pieces.

These two are: Balloons 12x12" SOLD, and Egret 10x8" SOLD(charcoal pencil)

And of course, pictured above is a New Orleans Streetcar painting (the second one I've painted from the same reference photo - interestingly, this one has garnered a distinctly different perspective than the last . . . the cars are coming a little more head-on than in the first). It's 24x48" SOLD.

To the left, Field of Sunflowers 8x10" SOLD.

Update

on 2009-03-18 16:56 by wessf

Art market went well last Saturday, just to let you know. It rained a little, here and there, but relented for most of the day. And more people than I expected showed up. Also I got to pet a giant cockroach and let a millipede crawl on my hand (the New Orleans Audobon Mobile Bug-mobile was there).

Update

on 2009-03-18 22:29 by wessf

Got a request for a larger version of this one . . . here's a cropped detail . . . I could get up from my chair and go out to the garage/studio and take another, clearer photo of it, but I'm not going to do that. Here's a slightly fuzzy, but larger version. Enjoy!

Shrimp on Newspaper

Shrimp on Newspaper | 8x10" $100, framed

Update on 2009-03-20 15:07 by wessf

This one is sold, but I plan to paint more like it in the future.