Still Life with Kugel (Illustration as of March 24, 2015)

I am working on a illustration for a recipe on our food blog (seasoningforeverypalate.wordpress.com). This is going to be for my mother's recipe for a Passover apple kugel. Yesterday I sketched out the idea in ballpoint pen on typing paper. Today I started the illustration, sketching it out in pencil on paper. I made adjustments in placement, but am going to use a similar composition.

Still Life with Kugel (Idea for Illustration)

I am working on another recipe for our food blog (which is Seasoningforeverypalate.wordpress.com) .This time the recipe is going to be an apple kugel that my mother made for Passover. This morning I read over the recipe, and then quickly sketched out some ideas for an illustration. I am going to go with this one, though I will probably modify the composition.

Original Photo for Tree and Hillside (Oil Bar Painting)

This is the photo that I first took at Appleton Farms, the first look at the tree and hillside, and it inspired the painting that I recently finished (see post from March 20). It was late October and we were on a tour of Appleton Farms, to see how cheese is made. There were other people on the tour, it was cold and windy, and the tour guide was moving us along to the dairy barn. But I liked the look of that tree and hillside, so I took a quick picture. I only had time to capture the idea, but didn't have a chance to really set up the shot. So just to make this into a presentable photo (which later became one of my reference photos), I had to crop out the pile of big black tires just beyond the fence. You can also see a bit of a baby carriage (belonging to another tour participant) in the lower left, which also had to be cropped out. Then I adjusted the composition to make it more pleasing, and I had the photo I wanted. Then to get from the reference photo to the painting, I made other changes that went beyond what is possible with photo editing. I adjusted the composition again because to show more of the top of the tree (which I actually had to invent). I adjusted the whole composition for a square format. And I modified the line of trees in the background. To emphasize the main tree, I eliminated a second tree (on the left) and straightened some of the lines of the fence. This is what it means to create a pleasing photo (art) from a quick snapshot of an event, and what it means to create a painting inspired by (but not a copy of) a photo.

Detail of Tree and Hillside (Oil Bar Painting)

Yesterday I finished up this painting, an oil bar landscape. It is based on photos that I took in October at Appleton Farms (Ipswich, MA); my reference photos are posted here on January 2nd and 3rd.  This detail shows one of the areas I worked on yesterday, the row of trees in the distance.

Tree and Hillside (Oil Bar Painting)

I finished this painting today. This oil bar landscape was inspired by photos that I took in October at Appleton Farms, in Ipswich, MA. (My reference photos are posted here on January 2nd and 3rd.) This morning, painted in the row of trees in the distance, then cleaned up the lines of the hillside and brightened the sky, and added a few more leaves on the tree. Then I hung the painting up on the studio wall and over the course of the day, made a lot of tiny corrections. If I discover anything else that needs to be corrected, I will take care of it when I will seal the edged of the canvas (starting tomorrow). So now I am ready to say that this is painting is finished. Not perfect, just finished.

Detail of Tree and Hillside (Oil Bar Painting as of March 15, 2015)

I meant to post this a few days ago. This is a detail of my oil bar painting as it looked on March 15, 2015. I have been painting a scene at Appleton Farms (Ipswich, MA) from photos that I took there in late October. (My reference photos are posted here, on January 2nd and 3rd.) On March 15, I was working mainly on the area shown here, trying to create a subtle suggestion of the wires in the fence.

Ring of Kerry (Watercolor)

This is a much better photo of the image I posted yesterday. This is a painting that I did a few years ago. My friend asked me to paint this scene of the Ring of Kerry, in County Kerry, Ireland, as a gift for his wife, whose name is Kerry. Yesterday I discovered that the only photo that I had of this painting was very small, so after failed attempts to enlarge the image, I resorted to a screen shot. Meanwhile, I asked my friend back in Colorado to take a better photo for me, and he did -- so here it is.

County Kerry (Watercolor)

This is a watercolor of a scene in County Kerry, Ireland. Several years ago, a friend of mine asked me to paint this scene  for his wife, Kerry.  I worked from a postcard that my friend sent me and used it to create this stylized version of the scene.  This painting now hangs in their home in Colorado.  I decided to post this today for Saint Patrick's Day. But I discovered that the jpeg image that I have of it is too small (not enough pixels).  I tried to fix the problem in Painter, but couldn't find a good solution.  Finally, I decided to enlarge the image on the screen. I  adjusted the brightness and focus, and then took a picture with my iPhone.  This is far from a perfect solution because you can see some artifacts from the screen shot, but the image is sharp enough to see and still true to the colors. At some point,  I hope I will be able to get a better photo from my friends, but until then, this will have to do. 

Tree and Hillside (Oil Bar Painting as of March 15, 2015)

Here is my oil bar painting as it looked yesterday after my painting session. This landscape is based on photos that I took at Appleton Farms of Ipswich, MA, back in October. (My reference photos are posted on this site, on January 2nd and 3rd). Yesterday I continued to work on the fence, and added suggestions of wire. I also did a little work on the green field. There are just a few more things to do. . . .

Still Beautiful

It's been a very snowy winter here north of Boston, over 100 inches, I think. And like everyone else, I have had more than enough of the inconvenience, snow-covered cars, non-existent sidewalks, nowhere to park, and great heaps of snow in every parking lot. Despite a general rise in temperatures, it snowed again today, possibly more than was expected. It was a quiet and stead snowfall. And I looked out the window and had to admit that despite everything, the snow is still beautiful. So I took a picture with my iPhone, and this is it, right out of the camera.

Detail of Tree and Hillside (Oil Bar Painting as of March 13, 2015)

I am still working on my oil bar painting of a scene at Appleton Farms, based on photos that I took there back in October. (My reference photos are posted on this site, January 2nd and 3rd.) I didn't paint today, so here is a closeup of the painting as it looked yesterday. I added some more burnt orange leaves on the path and on the grass, and adjusted some of the shadows in the foreground. I think I am approaching the finish line on this one, but there are still a few things to do.

Tree and Hillside (Oil Bar Painting as of March 13, 2015)

I finally had a chance to work on this painting late this afternoon. I am using oil bars to paint this scene, working from photos that I took in October when I visited Appleton Farm in Ipswich, MA. (My reference photos are posted here, on January 2nd and 3rd.) Today I made some adjustments to the lines of the path. I also added more fallen leaves on the ground, and added grass to the center line of the path.

Detail of Tree and Hillside (Oil Bar Painting as of March 11, 2015)

I didn't have a chance to paint today, but here is a detail of the painting I am working on, as it looked yesterday. This is an oil bar landscape based on photos that I took in October at Appleton Farms, in nearby Ipswich, MA. What I worked on yesterday was trying to suggest fallen leaves on the path, using color and shape. I am using the direction of the brush strokes to reinforce the perspective of the path. This is not easy. . . .

Tree and Hillside (Oil Bar Painting as of March 11, 2015)

Here is my oil bar painting as of today. This is an oil bar landscape based on photos that I took in October at Appleton Farm (Ipswich, MA). My reference photos are posted here on January 2nd and 3rd. I didn't get a chance to paint until late afternoon, and I didn't have much time. But I kept going with the fallen leaves on the path. I am trying to add the suggestion of the leaves without interfering with the perspective of the path.

Tree and Hillside (Oil Bar Painting as of March 10, 2015)

This is the painting I have been working on. I am using oil bars to paint this scene, working from photos that I took in October at Appleton Farms in Ipswich, MA. (My reference photos can be seen on this site, posted on January 2nd and 3rd.) I didn't have a lot of time to work on this today, but I used my reference photos to determine where the fallen leaves should be on this path. Then I began to work out how I would go about indicating leaves on the path.

Closeup of Tree and Hillside (Oil Bar Painting as of March 8, 2015)

This is a closeup of the oil bar painting I am working on as it looked after yesterday's painting session. (I am painting from photos that I took at Appleton Farms in Ipswich, MA in October; I posted my reference photos here on January 2nd and 3rd.) Yesterday I spent a lot of time on this area, adjusting the perspective of the fence. Getting there, I think. . . .

Tree and Hillside (Oil Bar Painting as of March 8, 2015)

This morning I worked on my oil bar painting of a scene at Appleton Farms (in Ipswich, MA), from by photos that I took there in October. (My reference photos are posted here on January 2nd and 3rd.) I worked on the road and fence again today. This is tedious, but has to be done. I realized that one of the fence posts in the painting wasn't standing straight up. It was leaning over in the photos as well, but I decided to straighten it out so see if that would help with my perspective problems, and it did. I also reworked the horizontal rails of the fence, which also helped a lot. Then also tried to straighten out some problems with the lines of the path. At this point, I am painting in corrections in red so I can see what I am doing. I think I am almost finished fussing with the perspective, and will be able to get on with the rest of the painting. This part is frustrating and not exciting, but It's worth the time it takes to get this right.

Many More Hamentoshen (Pattern)

A few days ago (March 4), I posted a digital drawing of hamentashen (triangular filled cookie eaten on Purim, a Jewish holiday). I made the drawing using Painter's kaleidoscope grid which allows you to draw six multiple images at once. Since then, I have been wondering what this would look like as a pattern, so I finally decided to try. I used Painter's "capture pattern" to make a pattern from my drawing, and then used the "paint bucket" tool to fill a new image with the pattern. Maybe I will use on Zazzle.com to make Purim cards and gifts for next year.

Closeup of Tree and Hillside (Oil Bar Painting as of March 4, 2015)

Two days ago, I took this closeup photo of the painting I am working on. (I am using oil bars to paint a scene that I photographed at Appleton Farms last October.) This shows the part I have been concentrating on for the past few days: the perspective of the road and the perspective of the fence.

Tree and Hillside (Oil Bar Painting as of March 4, 2015)

This is my painting as it looked when I last worked on it, which was yesterday morning. I am using oil bars to paint this landscape, basing it on photos that I took in October at Appleton Farms in Ipswich, MA. My reference photos are posted on this site, January 2nd and 3rd. Yesterday's task was mostly continued work on the path and fence, trying to get the perspective right. In this painting as in the reference photos, there are going to be fallen leaves on the path. Of course, that will soften the lines of the path, but still I want the lines of the path to be convincing before I add the leaves.

Hamentoshen Kaleidescope

Today I used Painter's kaleidoscope tool to create this image. Hamentoshen are triangular filled cookies eaten on Purim, a Jewish holiday that starts tonight at sundown. I am sending this image out to say "Happy Purim" to those celebrating.

Tree and Hillside (Oil Bar Painting as of March 3, 2015)

This afternoon I worked on this painting. I am using oil bars for this landscape, which is loosely based on photos that I took in October at Appleton Farms (in Ipswich, MA). My reference photos are posted on this site, January 2nd and 3rd. Today I concentrated mostly on perspective. First I worked on the path, struggling to get the lines to behave. Although I think it looks better, I still need to make some more adjustments to get the perspective right. I also worked on the lines of the fence and fence posts.

Tree and Hillside (Oil Bar Painting as of March 2, 2015)

I returned to this painting this morning, an oil bar landscape based on a scene that I photographed in October at Appleton Farms (Ipswich, MA).  I started this painting two months ago, and my reference photos are posted here on January 2nd and 3rd.  This morning, I started by adding yellow to the tree, both as local color and to show where light is hitting the leaves.  I also added some yellow to indicate leaves on the ground. I also used yellow to indicate light hitting the tops of the backlit trees in the distance. I started to photograph the painting but realized that I needed to straighten out the lines of the path, so I worked on that for awhile.  There is more to do on that task, and I left red lines to indicate where I need to make corrections.

The Back Gate (Big Snow 2015)

If you look closely, you can see the top left corner of a chain-link gate, which leads to the back yard along a path behind the garage. This is one of the photos I have been taking of extreme snow scenes from the Big Snow of 2015. I liked the combination of shapes and textures, so today I edited it in iPhoto and cropped it to get this composition. This was taken February 26, 2015.

Two Paintings at Galatea (February, 2015)

Today we were at Galatea Fine Arts in Boston, and I finally had a chance to see the February show, which I really enjoyed.  Two of my pieces have been on display this month in the "Artists' Alcove".  This was the first time I saw hanging on the wall there, so I took a picture.  These are two of my mountain landscapes: "Storm Coming over Pink Mountains" and "Purple Ridge", both done with acrylics.  These paintings will be up for the rest of the weekend, and then on Monday a new show goes up for March. To find out more about Galatea, go to http://galateafineart.com.

One Hour Parking

I didn't have a chance to paint today, so I thought I would post one of my snowstorm pictures. This is a photo that I took on February 22, a picture of a parking sign buried in the snow.

Tree and Hillside (Oil Bar Painting as of February 26, 2015)

I worked on this painting late this afternoon. I am painting a scene at Appleton Farms (Ipswich, MA), based on photos that I took there in October. (The photos are posted on this site, January 2nd and 3rd.)  Today I started by trying to work out how to indicate fallen leaves on the ground. I also worked on light and shadow on the tree, especially the trunk, as well as on the ground. And I fixed a number of small problems.  

Tree and Hillside (Oil Bar Painting as of February 25, 2015)

This is my oil bar painting in progress. I am working from photos that I took in October at Appleton Farms in Ipswich, MA. (Reference photos are posted on this site on January 2nd and 3rd.)  Today I worked on the hillside itself, which had a thin undercoat of paint.  I modified the color to make it a brighter and sweeter green, and now it is closer to what I want.  I also changed the shape of the hillside on the left of the canvas.  I had blocked in another stand of trees in the distance, but decided against it, so I painted over them.

Tree and Hillside (Oil Bar Painting as of February 24, 2015)

Here is my painting in progress, an oil bar landscape. I am working from photos that I took in late October at Appleton Farms (in Ipswich, MA). If you are interested, my reference photos are posted on this site, January 2nd and 3rd. Due to a rushed morning schedule and super cold temperatures in my home studio, I didn't get a chance to paint until late afternoon. I used my black and white reference photo again, and added some patches of light on the tree trunk and branches. I also changed the color of the dirt road. That's all I had time to do today. Although the painting looks darker, that's just because I photographed it in the late afternoon.

Tree and Hillside (Oil Bar Painting as of February 23, 2015)

I did some more work on this painting today. I am using oil bars to paint this landscape, working from a photo that I took at Appleton Farms (Ipswich, MA) in late October. (My reference photos are posted on this site: see January 2nd and 3rd.) This morning I concentrated on the shadows in the grass (in the foreground). I recently created a black and white version of one of my reference photos, and it was helpful today as a guide for where the shadows should fall. To put in those shadows in the grass, I turned the canvas upside-down, and turned the black and white photo upside-down as well. (It is often surprisingly helpful to look at things upside-down.)

Closeup of Tree and Hillside (Oil Bar Painting as of February 21, 2015)

I have been working on a oil-bar landscape of a late October scene that I photographed at Appleton Farms (in Ipswich, MA). I took this closeup yesterday and it shows what I was working on, which was negative space: adding light blue strokes among the branches and leaves to allow the sky to be seen through the leaves .

Tree and Hillside (Oil Bar Painting as of February 21, 2015)

This morning I worked on this painting, a landscape of a scene at Appleton Farms in Ipswich, MA, based on photos that I took there in late October. (I have posted my reference photos here, January 2nd and 3rd.) Today I mixed some pale blue and concentrated on sharpening the lines of the branches and defining the negative spaces, adding touches of pale blue to suggest the sky peeking through the leaves. This involved making a lot of small changes that might not be noticed one at a time, but taken together, I think they do make a difference.

Tree and Hillside (Oil Bar Painting as of February 19, 2015)

This is my oil bar painting as it looked after yesterday's painting session. I am working from photos that I took in late October at Appleton Farms in Ipswich, MA. (My reference photos are posted here on January 2nd and 3rd.) Yesterday I used iPhoto to transform one of my reference photos to black and white. (I posted it here last night.) That black and white photo really helped me to see lights and darks in the leaves, and made me a lot more confident about what I am doing. I mixed burnt orange with green and used it to add more shadows to the leaves, using my black and white photo as a guide. I also used more dark blue shadow on the tree trunk so the leaves would stand out better. I also put some dark green on the trees in the distance.

Hillside at Appleton Farms (Black and White Photo)

I have been working on an oil bar painting of this tree and hillside at Appleton Farms (Ipswich, MA), working from photos that I took there in late October.  In trying to paint the tree,  I have been struggling with light and shadow in the foliage. I think it is hard for me to see the differences in light and dark because I am so distracted by the many colors in the autumn tree. So this morning, I decided to go back to my photos and see what happened if I looked at the scene in black and white.  So I used iPhoto to make a black and white version of one of the photos.  It was very useful for painting (and I plan to post the painting tomorrow).  But I liked the black and white photo for its own sake, and decided to post it here.

Tree and Hillside (Oil Bar Painting as of February 18, 2015)

I didn't get a chance to work on this painting until late afternoon. I am painting this scene at Appleton Farms in Ipswich, MA, from photos that I took in October. (My reference photos are posted here, January 2nd and 3rd.) This afternoon I continued to struggle with areas of light and dark in the foliage. In the photo (and in this painting) the sun is beyond the tree with shadows cast toward the viewer. So the tree is back lit, and that means that the leaves in shadow are closer to the viewer. I am using pale yellow and dark green to indicate light and shadow; while I am working, exaggerated differences in color and value help me to see what I am doing, but I will tone things down a bit before I am finished. I also added more shadow to the foreground.

Tree and Hillside (Oil Bar Painting as of February 17, 2015)

This is the landscape I have been working on. I am using oil bars to paint a scene at Appleton Farms in Ipswich, MA. I took some photos there in late October, and am using them as reference photos. (They are posted here January 2nd and 3rd.) I worked for just a short time today, but did make a start on putting in the shadows in the foreground. I also added a bit of light yellow to the foliage.

Tree and Hillside (Oil Bar Painting as of February 16, 2015)

Here is my oil bar painting as it looked after I finished my painting session this morning.  I am painting a scene at Appleton Farms (in Ipswich, MA), working from photos that I took there in late October. (My reference photos are posted on this site, January 2nd and 3rd).  Today I started by looking at my photos on the computer, so I could zoom in and study the lights and darks in the foliage. This was a good idea and it really helped. The area beyond the fence is in sunlight, but the area up to to the fence is in shade. (I am starting to put the shadows in.) So the part of the tree closest to the picture plane will be in shadow, including the foliage as well as the tree trunk. I put that idea into practice by applying areas of shadow for foliage of some branches that reach toward the picture plane. When it was almost time to stop for the day,  I realized that I hadn't made those shadows consistent with which branches cross "in front" of other branches, and therefore read as closer.  I started to work on that, but was running out of time.  But at least I think I am on the right track.

Another Winter Fantasy

Yesterday I posted a little bouquet that I drew with fine-line felt-tip pens. I had so much fun that I decided to draw another one and here it is.

Winter Fantasy

Too much snow here north of Boston. Today I drew this little bouquet with my recently acquired set of colored Sharpies (fine-line pens). I worked from imagination to create this winter fantasy. I really had fun playing with colors and patterns.

Composition in Snow

Here's another photo that I took yesterday. This was shot from a second floor window, looking down at the tops of (buried) blueberry bushes and (buried) deck railing.  I liked the way the dark branches looked against the snow, so I took this picture.  I used iPhoto to crop this image out of the original version. I also used Painter and some digital pastel to get rid of a distracting little withered leaf on one of the bushes.

Composition with Icicles

In case you haven't heard, we are having a run of snowstorms here north of Boston. In addition to an astounding amount of snow, we are also seeing some amazing (and potentially dangerous) icicles. I decided to take some pictures of them today. I cropped the original photo to get a composition that shows window and icicles. I thought this photo looked good in black and white.

Tree and Hillside (Oil Bar Painting as of February 11, 2015)

Here is my oil bar painting as it looked after I worked on it this morning. I am painting this scene at Appleton Farms (in Ipswich, MA) from photos that I took there in late October. (My reference photos are posted on this site, on January 2nd and 3rd.) Today I worked on the path, struggling to get it to behave. The perspective is a bit tricky and I think I still have corrections to make. I also worked on the lines of the fence.

Tree and Hillside (Oil Bar Painting as of February 10, 2015)

I spent a little time working on this painting this morning.  I am working from photos that I took in late October at Appleton Farms (Ipswich, MA). You can see my reference photos posted here on January 2nd and 3rd. I have been working on the foliage, which is the hardest part.  But today, apart from adding a little yellow to the leaves, I decided to concentrate on the hillside.  I put down some yellow-green, but it probably won't be the final color.  I used some darker green to begin to establish shadows in the foreground.

Tree and Hillside (Oil Bar Painting as of February 9, 2015)

This morning I worked on this painting for a while. I am using oil bars to paint a late October scene that I photographed at Appleton Farms (in Ipswich, MA). (My reference photos are posted here on January 2nd and 3rd.) Today I was still concentrating on establishing the shapes of the foliage, and doing a little bit of work on light and shadow on the tree. I also did a little bit of work on the foreground and on the line of trees in the background.

Tree and Hillside (Oil Bar Painting as of February 8, 2015)

Today I got back to this painting after over a week. (The delay was a combination of cold temperatures in my home studio and simple procrastination as I get to the more difficult parts of this painting.) This oil bar painting is based on photos that I took in late October at Appleton Farms, in Ipswich, MA. (My reference photos are posted here on January 2nd and 3rd.) I am still working on placement of the foliage and today I broke out the burnt orange and red, which was fun. I also made the tree trunk a little darker to maintain contrast so I can see what I am doing. One of the hardest things is just trying to understand what I see, and in this case, I am trying to understand the light and dark areas of the foliage.

Little Shed in Winter (Posterized Photo)

This image started with another photo that I took the other day at Waring School (here in Beverly, MA).  I liked the way this little shed looked at the edge of a snowy field, with trees behind it. I cropped this out of the original photo and then used Painter to add the posterizing effect.

Evergreen on Snowy Day (Posterized Photo)

Yesterday's post was my photo of this beautiful tree on the Waring School campus here in Beverly, MA. Tonight I edited the original version in Painter, adjusting the values to make it easier to see the beautiful tree trunk. Then I added a posterized effect.

Evergreen Tree on Snowy Day

I took this picture today from the library building at the Waring School (in Beverly, MA). I looked out a window at the snow and saw this tree just outside. I liked the moss and snow on the trunk and the field and trees in the background, so I took some pictures. Tonight I cropped this image out of the best one.

A Year for a Tree (Digital Drawing)

This is a little drawing of a tree that created yesterday, using the Brushes app on my iPad. As you draw, the Brushes app captures a stroke-by-stroke video, so this is also that video's final frame. I posted the video here last night, but here is the link if you want to see it: randiart.blogspot.com/2015/02/a-year-for-tree-video.html

The idea was to show a tree going through four seasons of the year. I posted this for Jewish arbor day (aka Tu B'shevat), but it is also a good reminder that spring follows winter.

A Year for a Tree (Video)

Here's a little video that shows a tree through the four seasons. I am posting this today for a Tu B'Shevat (the new year of the trees, my favorite holiday in the Jewish calendar). But no matter what calendar you follow, it is good to remember that spring will follow the winter. I drew this on the Brushes app on my iPad, which captures a stroke-by-stroke animation as you draw. (Tomorrow I plan to post the drawing.) If you are tired of winter, just press play.

Snow on Blueberry Bushes

Here's another snow scene, this one also cropped from the photos that I took on January 24 (pre-blizzard and now two snowstorms ago). I liked the way the snow looked on the branches of the blueberry bushes, so I took some pictures. Tonight I cropped the original to get this composition. I wonder if this might make a good digital woodcut.