Tuesday, December 31, 2013

Golden Mountains (Mini-Painting as of Dec. 21, 2013)

Here's another miniature painting, as it looked on December 21. This is oil bar on a canvas that is 3 inches square. I have been working on these small paintings as a way to finish up when I have been working on larger paintings. I added some lights and darks to this one, and it is still a work in progress. I am working from imagination here, and from golden memories of the mountains in my home state of Colorado.

Monday, December 30, 2013

Landscape with Green Field (Mini-Painting as of Dec. 21, 2013)

Obviously, this miniature painting is a work in progress, just barely started on December 21, 2013. This is painted with oil bar on a canvas that is only 3 inches square. When I am working on larger paintings, I often end the painting session by working on these mini-painting. This one is to be continued. . . .

Sunday, December 29, 2013

Branch with Golden Berries (Oil Bar Painting as of Dec. 21, 2013)

Here is the oil bar painting I have been working on, as it looked on Dec. 21st. At that point, the composition was basically in place, and I began to work on clarifying lines and shapes. This painting is loosely based on one of my posterized photos, published here on the first of December.

Saturday, December 28, 2013

Sun and Water (Mini-Painting as of Dec. 15, 2013)

Here's another miniature painting that I started back on December 15, 2013. This is oil bar on a canvas that is 3 inches by 3 inches. This is a work-in-progress, barely begun in this photo, but will be a landscape of sunlight on the ocean.

Friday, December 27, 2013

At Galatea Dec. 27, 2013

At Galatea Dec. 27, 2013 by randubnick
At Galatea Dec. 27, 2013, a photo by randubnick on Flickr.
I took this photo today at Galatea Gallery. These are two of my acrylic mountain paintings, on display for the "Smaller Works Show". I meant to take a picture at last weekend's Open House, but I forgot. But since I had to drop something off today, I had another chance. Good thing, too, because this show comes down on Monday.

Thursday, December 26, 2013

Golden Mountains (Mini-Painting as of Dec. 15, 2013)

This is a work in progress, another miniature painting that I started on December 15. This is oil bar on a 3 inch x 3 inch canvas. I am working from imagination, inspired by memories of the mountains in my home state, Colorado.

Wednesday, December 25, 2013

Storm Watch

Storm Watch by randubnick
Storm Watch, a photo by randubnick on Flickr.
Yesterday I made this digital drawing on my iPad, using the Brushes app which creates a stroke-by-stroke video as you draw. This image is the finished drawing and the final frame of the video. Here is the link to the video, in case you missed it: www.flickr.com/photos/randiart/11537908613/

Tuesday, December 24, 2013

Winter Storm Watch


Winter Storm Watch a video by randubnick on Flickr.

I used the Brushes app on my iPad to draw this snow scene. The Brushes app captures a stroke-by-stroke video as you draw. So I am sharing this with warm wishes ofr friends and family. To watch this winter storm, just press play.

Monday, December 23, 2013

Branch with Golden Berries (Oil Bar Painting as of Dec. 15, 2013)

Here is my oil bar painting, still a work in progress, as it looked on December 15th. I am using one of my photos as a reference (posted here Dec. 1.) At this point--with the lines, shapes, and colors of the composition basically established--I worked on sharpening some of the edges, and adding definition to branches and berries.

Sunday, December 22, 2013

Spring Field (Mini-Painting)

Here is another of my miniature paintings as it looked on December 13, when I finished it. That day, I was trying to complete several of these little paintings so I could show them at Open Studios as Porter Mill, then following day. This is oil bar on a canvas that is three inches square, and is painted from imagination.

Saturday, December 21, 2013

Branch with Golden Berries (On the Easel, Dec. 13 2013)

This is the oil bar painting I have been working on. On December 13, I had already finished painting (and had already taken a photo of what I had done), but I caught a glimpse of my painting in with sunlight and shadows from window blinds hitting it. I liked seeing my painting this way so I took this picture because it captures just a tiny bit of the happiness of painting.

Friday, December 20, 2013

Another Heart Shaped Box as of December 20, 2013

Late this afternoon, I spent some time in the studio at Porter Mill, working on this project. I am using tiny pieces of printed metallic ribbon to cover this heart-shaped box with collage patterns. The box top is going to have stripes of purple and orange, which are just beginning to be visible. By the time I finished working, I didn't have enough natural light to get a good picture, so I had to turn on the lights to get this picture. Even though it made to harder to get a clear photo, it was nice to see the how the metallic ribbon reflects the light. I call this project "Another Heart Shaped Box" because I did one previously, a few years ago. You can see it if you follow this link: www.flickr.com/photos/randiart/sets/72157632769935420/

Thursday, December 19, 2013

Blue Sky Golden Field (Mini-Painting as of December 13, 2013)

Here is another miniature painting as it looked on December 13. That day, I was trying to finish some of these tiny paintings because I wanted to show them at Porter Mill's Open Studios the following day. Like the others, this little landscape is done with oil bar paint on a canvas that is 3 inches square.

Wednesday, December 18, 2013

Red Mountains, Brown Field (Mini-Painting as of Dec. 13, 2013)

This is one of my miniature paintings as it looked on December 13. This is oil bar on a canvas that is 3 inches square. I was trying to finish up some of my mini-paintings for Open Studios. For this one, I added color to the sky and a red sun.

Tuesday, December 17, 2013

Golden Branches (Oil Bar Painting as of Dec. 13, 2013)

This is my oil bar painting of a branch with golden berries as it looked on December 13. I worked on adding more contrast to make the flow of the leaves show up, and the painting began to look the way I hoped it would. I am using one of my photos as a reference and for anyone who wants to see, it is posted here on December 1.

Monday, December 16, 2013

Spring Field (Mini-Painting as of Dec. 10, 2013)

Here is another miniature painting as it looked on December 10th. Like the others, this little painting is oil bar on a canvas that is 3 inches square. This is from imagination, but the scene makes me think of spring.

Sunday, December 15, 2013

Red Mountains Brown Field (Mini-Painting as of Dec. 10, 2013)

This is another miniature painting that I started on December 10, also oil bar on a canvas that is 3 inches square. I am painting from imagination here, but the imagery comes from memories of Colorado, my home state.

Saturday, December 14, 2013

Boulder Daydream (Mini-Painting as of Dec. 10, 2013)

On December 10, I also worked on this little painting. This is oil bar paint on a canvas that is 3 inches square. These tiny paintings are based on memory and imagination. This one is inspired by memories of the mountains near Boulder, Colorado. On the 10th, I added more color to the mountains and sky (and a suggestion of a red sun.)

Friday, December 13, 2013

Branch with Golden Berries (Oil Bar Painting as of Dec. 10, 2013)

This is my oil bar painting in progress as it looked on December 10. This painting is loosely based on one of my posterized photos (published here December 1). It had been several days since I had worked on this painting. (The previous session was December 6.) Of course, I was busy with other things. But I think I was also frustrated because I seemed to be losing the composition as I added colors to the background. So on December 10th, I began with the main focus, those golden leaves and berries, and revised my placement decisions until I began to get those long lines of yellow and gold. So even though I continue to use the reference photo quite a bit, my emphasis shifted to the composition on the canvas. By the time I was finished painting for the day, I felt things were back on track.

Thursday, December 12, 2013

New Paintings for Porter Mill Open Studios Dec. 2013

This morning I went up to the studio at Porter Mill to get ready for Open Studios, which is this weekend. I hung some paintings, and four of my recent oil bar landscapes are on the wall. I liked the way my paintings looked together so I took this picture. (The smaller works toward the bottom are five of my Colorado drawings, based on an old sketchbook I took along on a trip back home in the eighties.)

Wednesday, December 11, 2013

Boulder Daydream (Mini-Painting as of December 6, 2013)

Here's another miniature painting that I worked on last Friday (December 6th). This is oil bar on a canvas that is approximately 3 inches square. On Friday I added some blues and purples to the sky, and added some brown and purple to the mountain. I am working from imagination, but this reminds me of the Flatirons near Boulder, where I spent several years as a student.

Tuesday, December 10, 2013

Blue Sky Golden Field (Mini-Painting as of December 6, 2013)

This is one of my miniature (3 inches square) oil bar paintings as of December 6, 2013. I brought the yellows and oranges of the field to the bottom of the canvas. I also added some light blue to the sky, trying to retain the shapes of the original strokes of dark blue. (I wanted to soften that electric blue a bit, but may bring just a little more of it back in.) I create these tiny paintings at the end of my painting sessions, working from memory and imagination. Some have suggested that this little painting looks like Kansas. No doubt I am drawing from visual memory of big sky, flat horizon line, and low clouds, that I saw often during road trips from Kansas (Emporia and Lawrence) to Colorado.

Monday, December 09, 2013

Branch with Golden Berries (Oil Bar Painting as of Dec. 6, 2013)

This is my oil bar painting as of December 6. I have been trying to lay in the background, finding darks and lights. (I am using one of my posterized photos as a reference, posted here Dec. 1.) It is fun getting lost in all those leaves, but I think the next step will be to simplify the background and re-emphasize the main lines of the branches. There are also some adjustments that I want to make to the composition.

Sunday, December 08, 2013

Boulder Daydream (Mini-Painting as of December 4, 2013)

This is another tiny (3 x 3 inch) oil bar painting that I started on December 4th. I have been ending my painting sessions by working on these tiny paintings, often using whatever color is left on my brushes that day. I call this one "Boulder Daydream" because the silhouette of the mountains reminds me of the Flatirons. This is a work-in-progress. . . .

Saturday, December 07, 2013

Blue Sky Golden Field (Mini-Painting as of December 4, 2013)

Here is my miniature painting as it looked on December 4th. This little landscape is oil bar on a canvas that is 3 inches square, and it is still a work in progress. On the 4th, I added a bit more color to the field and sky, but I am planning to tone the sky down before I am done.

Friday, December 06, 2013

Branch with Golden Berries (Oil Bar Painting as of Dec. 4, 2013)

Here is my oil bar painting in progress as it looked on Wednesday (Dec. 4). That day I was still working out placement and composition. I used some purple to indicate where the shadows should be. I am using one of my posterized photos as a reference (posted here Dec. 1) and you can see plenty of purple in the shadows.

Thursday, December 05, 2013

Another Heart Shaped Box as of December 4, 2013

Yesterday I went to Porter Mill Studios and worked for a while on this project, a heart-shaped box that I am covering with collage designs made from pieces of printed metallic ribbon. I am creating orange and purple stripes on the top of the box, and they are beginning to appear. I named this work "Another Heart-Shaped Box" because it isn't my first. If you want to see the first collaged heart-shaped box I made, just follow this link: www.flickr.com/photos/randiart/sets/72157632769935420/

Wednesday, December 04, 2013

Blue Sky Golden Field (Mini-Painting as of December 3, 2013)

This is a work in progress, a new miniature oil bar painting that I started yesterday. The canvas is only 3 inches square.

Tuesday, December 03, 2013

Branch with Golden Berries (Oil Bar Painting as of Dec. 3, 2013)

This morning I worked on this oil bar painting for about an hour. This is loosely based on one of my photos, originally taken in October of 2009. (I cropped that version to get the reference photo, posted here Dec. 1, 2013.) Today I continued to work on composition, starting with placement of the main branches, and then the berries and yellow leaves.

Monday, December 02, 2013

Branch with Golden Berries (Oil Bar Painting as of Dec 2, 2013)

I was determined to get my new painting started today, even if I was short on time. So I took a few minutes to start roughing in the composition. This painting will be loosely based on my photo of a branch with golden berries (published here yesterday). I only put down a few lines, but of course, I already want to make changes. But it is good to get started, anyway.

Sunday, December 01, 2013

Golden Berries (Posterized) for Painting

I am planning to start another oil bar painting this week. I want to do another smaller painting (8 x 10) of branches, this time with berries. Tonight I found the photo I will use as a reference. Back in October of 2009, I took a photo of golden berries and posterized it. I really like it, but the resolution is very low and it will only print a very small copy. So I played around with it in Painter, trying to increase the resolution with posterizing, and when I had done all that I could, I cropped it to get a composition that would work in an 8 x 10 inch format. And here it is.