Saturday Schemes - Figures on Friday!

Saturday Schemes, 6 x 8, oil on panel, L. Daniel © 2023

Click to purchase - $150 + $15 s/h

I happened upon these two young guys down at Lost Creek in Austin (I mean, isn't that name just fuel for the imagination?) I was painting further up the creek while they had taken up this spot under the bridge... clearly making plans for their afternoon. Oh, the joy of that fabulous young freedom! "The world is our oyster", "we can do anything"... those feelings were so evident and compelling. I took a quick snap on my phone and kept going. Plans like these are not to be disturbed! ;)

Here is how the piece started out...

Block-In

Finished piece

Since the background was so dark, I toned the canvas to bring the value to a more workable starting point. Also, you can see where I had to make some corrections in my drawing. I originally made the torsos too short. Note to self: Check and double check dimensions after the block in, and make adjustments before moving forward. 

2023 SPRING WORKSHOPS (click HERE for info and registration):
April 14-15 - The Contemporary Austin Art School in Austin, TX (Wait list only)
May 4-6 - Anderson Fine Art Gallery in St. Simons Island, GA

A Good Day

A Good Day, 8 x 8, Oil on panel, L. Daniel © 2023

Click to purchase $200 + $20 s/h

Some days are just GOOD. And I am so grateful for those days! A friend of mine recently reminded me how easy it is to miss that goodness. Maybe it's because life is full of challenges and maybe we just aren't paying close enough attention. It can take intentionality to find the good, but it is SUCH a better perspective when we do! Thank you for the reminder, SS!

2023 SPRING WORKSHOPS (click HERE for info and registration):
April 14-15 - The Contemporary Austin Art School in Austin, TX (Wait list only)
May 4-6 - Anderson Fine Art Gallery in St. Simons Island, GA

Park Gazebo - Fix It Friday!

 

Park Gazebo, 12 x 12, oil on panel, L. Daniel © 2023

I do love a Friday Fun Day... A different perspective and freedom to play... 

Today I am revisiting FIX IT FRIDAY - a practice from the cooped up Covid days of 2020! During that time, I posted a new "fixer upper" for 25 straight weeks in a row! It got me through the dog days of staying home and social distancing. From there, I moved to FIGURES ON FRIDAY (like the one I posted HERE last week). Both practices offer a little break and are good for my soul. ;)

BEFORE

AFTER

Problem - Lighting is overall muted and flat.

Fix - Increased the contrast by "pushing" the darks and lights on the structure and foreground trees.

Fix - Brightened the sky with a more intense blue and contrasty clouds.

Fix - Changed the gazebo roof to a cooler, crisper color (which makes its shade below it feel like a cooler place to be too.) 

Problem - Figure on left was not working for me. Too large? Proportions off?

Fix - When in doubt - DELETE! What a relief!

Fix - Narrowed the path which got too wide trying to accommodate my odd figure. 

OBSERVATIONS

Sometimes I can see that I have fallen short with my value range. (It's always so much easier to see after the fact. We get retina fatigue and just stop too soon.) That was happening here. It just needed that final pop of values to set the light and overall tone of the painting. 

Now I can feel the ocean breeze and the sunshiny reflection off the water. Ahhh!

2023 SPRING WORKSHOPS (click HERE and join me):
April 14-15 - The Contemporary Austin Art School in Austin, TX (Full with wait list)
May 4-6 - Anderson Fine Art Gallery in St. Simons Island, GA

And the Walking Girl Walks - Figures on Friday!

And the Walking Girl Walks, 8 x 6, oil on panel, L. Daniel © 2022

NFS

Meet my sister. Two years my elder, we grew up together through thick and thin! She is fiercely independent, a brilliant musician, the leader of the pack, and a lover of the morning walk (the earlier the better.) Maybe you can catch a glimpse of her personality in this painting... not much gets in her way!!! 

Oh, and always the wild one... she got grounded for life by our dad in high school (a week-long penalty never quite got her attention). So, technically, she is still grounded! ;)

2023 SPRING WORKSHOPS (click HERE and join me):
April 14-15 - The Contemporary Austin Art School in Austin, TX (Full with wait list)
May 4-6 - Anderson Fine Art Gallery in St. Simons Island, GA

Fall Fade with Process Shots!

 

Fall Fade, 10 x 8, oil on panel, L. Daniel © 2023

Available - Click for information 

The muted tones of fall are deliciously soft and comforting. Nature seems to be going to sleep to rest up for its spring display. I love the cycle. 

Below are some process shots...

I kept my dark underpainting very thin and sketchy.

As I added color, I toggled back and forth between the trees and sky, kind of mushing them together. I wanted to hang on to the softness and branchy-ness.  

To finish it off, I used my warmest tones and greatest contrast in the front row of trees and grasses. This added some depth. It helped push the background back and pull the foreground forward.

2023 SPRING WORKSHOPS (click here and join me):
April 14-15 - The Contemporary Austin Art School in Austin, TX (Only 1 spot left!)
May 4-6 - Anderson Fine Art Gallery in St. Simons Island, GA