creativity by wess
Posted on by Wess Foreman
Something about the vertical lines in the early stages of this painting caught my attention and took me in this colorful direction. The distorted perspective of the coffee cup only adds to the quirkiness of the finished painting, as does the energetic color combination.
Posted on by Wess Foreman
Just realized I never got around to posting these two paintings on the blog here. Both are very strong and have gotten great responses from Art Market audiences. And, as of this writing, both are still available for sale!
Posted on by Wess Foreman
Landscapes [and waterscapes, in this case] are fun to paint. So many variations to be had, ranging from realism to utter abstraction, with none of the worries that can come from painting portraits, for instance (placement of eyeballs, adjustments of skin tone, etc.). This waterscape comes from a reference photo taken at Lake St. John, where my wife's folks live. I wanted a long, horizontal view, so I went with a three panel painting (triptych), at twenty inches tall. I kept the detail to a minimum and the feeling of the painting style loose. To complete the scene I added the suggestion of American coot in the middle-ground and the lone egret taking flight.
Posted on by Wess Foreman
Fresh off the easel, this simple image is one I've painted before [and still have in my studio]. I thought it would do well in this larger format. The painting's calm, somber simplicity is only amplified at this larger size.
Posted on by Wess Foreman
After a few weeks away from the easel, I returned and decided to lean even more heavily toward the abstract side of things with this piece I'm calling, "Substratum #1." I very rarely start and finish a painting in the nonobjective abstract realm. Usually there is some semblance of familiarity, even with my abstract work . . . a horizon line, something resembling trees or people, something recognizable. In that way, this one remains a mystery.
I like the color choices I made, keeping the primary colors, despite the dark, brooding atmosphere of the painting. Initially, I had the idea of going with a Sunday comics theme, the yellow, blue and red suggesting the newspaper ink, but somewhere along the way the idea changed into something else, perhaps something more substantial. And somehow the energetic, kinetic application of color throughout the painting is kept in check with the subtle black border, conveying less an idea of excitement and more of an idea of static, inner turmoil, in my opinion (though it might be seen by others as frantic energy I suppose; that's fine). Anyway, I like how it turned out, and I plan to do more like this.
Posted on by Wess Foreman
This is an image I've painted a few times now---something haunting about it, if I do say so myself. This is Algiers Point in New Orleans. See the painting process video below.
Posted on by Wess Foreman
Vaughen's Lounge is located in the Bywater area of New Orleans. I painted this from a reference photo I found online. It took me around two hours to complete. I like the cartoonish aspects of the piece (ie. the poles on the right) and the red-orange rust of the tin roof. Upon further consideration, I think I prefer paintings like this---paintings of real places rendered in an interesting style---paintings that evoke a memory of a place in time. See painting process video below.
Posted on by Wess Foreman
Here we see a large original live oak painting with overt hints of Mardi Gras colors throughout. Detail down below and a video of me painting this piece will be up soon on my YouTube channel!
Posted on by Wess Foreman
I was staring at a blank canvas. A large blank canvas. I was ready to paint, but I was out of ideas (or rather, I had too many ideas and none of them very good). So I was browsing through reference photos and ran across a photo of a small 14x11" painting I had done not too long ago and decided it needed to be painted big . . . posthaste! A few hours later and I present: A Jester's Lament. Let me know if you like it---especially if you think I should paint more in this series.
Posted on by Wess Foreman
I would love to do a larger series of these, eventually covering all of New Orleans. I don't like driving in the city, but I love the architecture, the people, the culture, the geography, and yes the rusty parts too. I think this style works well with the subject matter (though perhaps I could have painted out a bit more of the drips in this one...? I still might). And how about that purple: whaat!? (Look for a painting video of this one on my youtube channel soon)
By the way, I've started numbering each of my paintings, going forward (note the "no. 1032" above). I also will be writing these unique numbers along with the titles of the paintings on the back of each canvas I produce. This should help identify which painting is which, especially with similar or identical subject matter. Just thought I'd mention it.
Posted on by Wess Foreman
I had many doubts about this diptych (two-canvas painting) throughout the process of painting it, and I still have some as I write this. Like all the Mad Symphony paintings, this one is busy to the point of being frantic (but this is a major theme in the series and I think there is something endearing about its raw energy). I suppose it being so big (six feet wide and four feet tall) has me worried about carting it around until it finds the right buyer, but this is why I made it a diptych and not one giant canvas.
*11/29/15 update: This painting is no longer available
Posted on by Wess Foreman
I left the painting raw and unrefined, capturing (hopefully) the movement and energy of the city. I have nothing else to say about it really---it was a quick painting and I like the results. Find, please, the link to the painting video down below!
Posted on by Wess Foreman
I've been in an abstract-painting mood lately. Here's another in my Mad Symphony series. (the name is growing on me)
Posted on by Wess Foreman
This triptych (three canvas painting) began its life as a painting I never really loved, an imagined river scene with no real life to it. I recently turned my attention back to it and realized it was close to the same topography as Algiers Point in New Orleans. With a few tweaks and with the addition of the container ship, I am now thrilled with how this one turned out. Update 12/1/15: SOLD.