Sunflowers - Warming Up in a New Year

Sunflowers, 16 x 8, oil on panel, L. Daniel © 2023

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If you are like me, getting back to your routines after the holidays is a challenge! Whatever it is we are trying to accomplish, this often requires warming up, psyching up, and pushing ourselves into action. It's the same with painting. One thing that works for me is setting up a still life, squeezing out a good deal of paint, and focusing in. The key is to get the brushes wet and keep them moving. 

So... here are some sunflowers for the the new year. They are also the happiest flower created, and they bring great joy into the room with their sunny disposition! 

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

Ready for Harvest - Radiant Group Show

Ready for Harvest, 18 x 36, oil on canvas, L. Daniel © 2017

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This is the last of my pieces represented in the Davis Gallery summer group show. In case you missed an earlier post, the show is "focused on radial compositions, luminescent surfaces, circular shapes, and all things Radiant..." 

As I worked on each painting, a local farm scene from my plein air workshop kept screaming to be painted. This angle, with it's one point perspective, added another whole level to the radial design concept. In addition to the circular form of the flowers, the radiating design of their petals, the luminescent quality of their color... the rows of plants themselves create a radiating pattern as they disappear into the distance. 

Radiant. I love this theme. The show is up through August 19 at the Davis Gallery in Austin, Texas. For purchase inquiries, please contact Kevin Ivester, kevin@davisgalleryaustin.com.

Tilting Faces - Radiant Group Show and process shots

 Tilting Faces, 18 x 18, oil on canvas, L. Daniel © 2017

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This is the third of four paintings that are on display in the Davis Gallery "Radiant" show. I have had several people ask for more details on the underpainting technique I used to achieve the glow in these paintings. SO... below are process shots of how I preserved the golden areas by laying in a stain of Indian Yellow. Unlike the cadmium family, this yellow is transparent and works well as an undertone without contaminating the layers above. (Cadmiums are opaque and tend to mix into and change subsequent layers, instead of glowing beneath them.) 

Below you can see how I went from my block in, straight to staining the "glow" areas. This allowed me to preserve those areas for later development AND provided a base tone that would glow through subsequent layers. 

Sketch and beginning of block in.

Block in with Indian Yellow applied to floral "glow" areas.

I painted the yellow in, then wiped it out leaving a stain behind.

Working dark to light, I return to the foliage... 

Darkest darks and highest contrast in foreground, muted and softer in background.

In the final stage, I add highlights to all the greenery and develop the flowers.

Perhaps the biggest development is how that front flower "tilted it's face" in these final marks. It's never too late to change things, and that was an important one. I thought it looked too rigid facing forward, so I used information from flowers behind it to change things up. I like the final gesture of that front sunflower so much better! It feels much more natural to me. :)

Personal GrandBaby Update: I am still in heaven with my daughter's family and their new baby girl, and so grateful for these days of bonding. Her name is Laurel Anne (she'll go by the double name), after me and her other grandma, whose middle name is Anne. What a great honor for us!

Urban Pinwheel - Radiant Group Show

Urban Pinwheel, 18 x 18, oil on canvas, L. Daniel © 2017

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I love that sunflowers come in many varieties. They are cultivated as a farm crop but they also make wild appearances along country roads and city highways. These untamed beauties were especially captivating to me, as they shimmered in juxtaposition to the hard lines of the cityscape in the distance. That contrast greatly enhanced the brilliance of the delicate flowers. 

One painting technique I used to depict "radiance" with these sunflowers, was to use an undertone in the brilliant areas. I did my block-in as usual, but before building up the values and color, I added passages of Indian Yellow where I wanted the color to pop later. Indian Yellow is transparent and can easily be used like a stain (if applied thinly and wiped out it's unobtrusive to subsequent layers.) I then continued to work from dark to light, as usual. That intense undertone not only saved the place of the brilliant areas, it helped to cast a radiant glow. (For purchase inquiries, please contact Kevin Ivester, kevin@davisgalleryaustin.com.)

Initial Sketch...

Block in with splash of Indian Yellow to mark the brilliant areas. 

Baby Watch Update: Our sweet baby granddaughter was born early Monday morning (on her due date), healthy and happy! What a great blessing and honor it is to be here, and to see this dear new life as she meets her family and the world for the first time! Her big brother is pretty taken with his new baby sister! Such JOY!!!!!

Field of Orbs - Radiant Group Show

Field of Orbs

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Radiant - A Group Show

Davis Gallery, Austin, TX

July 15 - August 19, 2017

Reception July 15, 7-9 pm

This weekend, Radiant opens at the Davis Gallery in Austin, TX. A description from the show curator says it best... "This group show is focused on radial compositions, luminescent surfaces, and all things Radiant. The goal of the exhibition is to invite our audience to explore the importance of form, composition, and tone, by studying how each piece fits into the show's parameters. Each artist created new work specifically for this exhibition, or carefully chosen work from the past, which uniquely recognizes the Radiant concept."

As I considered this challenge, sunflowers seemed like one of nature's perfect examples of radiating forms and luminosity. They became my personal focus (and obsession!) as I prepared for the show. I am pleased to have 4 pieces on display, and will post the others in the coming days and weeks. Please stop by the gallery to see the work if you are in town! For purchase inquiries, contact Kevin Ivester, kevin@davisgalleryaustin.com.

On a personal note, I will not be at the show reception, as I am off to Italy for the birth of my 3rd grandchild! Hard duty, I know! Grandma duty is the best! More on that as well! ;)

Sunflower Fields Aglow

Sunflower Fields Aglow, 6 x 8, oil on panel, L. Daniel © 2017

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Sunflowers are such happy flowers, don't you think? I just finished a series of larger sunflower pieces for an upcoming group exhibit, and this backlit field of the giant stalks was a little study I did in preparation. I love their brilliant color and saucer-like forms. Painting them brought me great joy! (I kinda became obsessed!) 

Please stay tuned for the larger pieces and more information on that group show when it opens in July!

Wild Sunflowers

Wild Sunflowers, 16 x 8, oil on panel, L. Daniel © 2016

These Sunflowers are abundant in Texas at this time of year. They seem to thrive on the heat and searing light, and pop up spontaneously in the wild. I love them BECAUSE of their resilience, and also for their wispy and whimsical beauty.

Painters, please join me at my Austin workshops this fall...

Still Life: Color and Form - September 16-17, 2016, 9am-4pm.

En Plein Air: Shape and Movement - November 4-5, 2016, 9am-4pm. 

Registration begins at The Contemporary Austin School of Art on August 9 for Members (by phone 512-323-6380) and August 11 for Public (by phone and online). For catalog and more info: Click HERE.

Sunflower Morning - Twenty-nine of 30 in 30

Sunflower Morning, 8 x 6, oil on panel, L. Daniel © 2015

#29 in 30 Day Challenge

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Sunflowers - I think they are the happiest flower of all, and they had to make an appearance in my 30 days of painting. Speaking of which... Wow... One more day! 

Please join me for these upcoming Workshops:

March 26-29, 2015 | Plein Air | Click here to register: Austin, Texas

April 30-May 2, 2015 | Plein Air | Click here to register: St. Simons Island, GA

Amethyst Sparkle

Amethyst Sparkle, L. Daniel, 8 x 8

Whenever I teach a still life class I get the urge to paint beautiful lit up objects myself. This week I got a chance because my daughter was home. She had to work so I set up some small still lifes to paint in between our numerous chats throughout the day. Such fun. :) This purple blown-glass vase belonged to my husband's grandmother, Noonie, and I just love its chunky simplicity. (There is also a blue one that may make its way to my studio at some point!)

Sunflowers In Water - Color

Sunflowers In Water, L. Daniel, 16 x 12

I painted these examples for my still life class which met again today, where we continue to focus on water, glass and light. (I am sure you recognize the sunflowers from yesterday's value study - those flowers were just so paintable!!)

All my set-ups for class included glass vessels again, but this time each had something in the water. Though it seems a simple addition, it did complicate things! :) We started with the small "mosaic" study first; observing spots of color throughout the subject (and resisting the urge to connect and refine). The idea behind this warm-up is to identify shapes and placement and to loosen up before tackling a larger canvas.

Sunflower in Water Mosaic Study, L. Daniel, 6 x 4

Sunflowers In Water Value Study

Sunflowers in Water Value Study, L. Daniel, 10 x 8

Observation for today: white in the background is darker and more muted than yellow in the foreground with a spotlight on it. It's mind-bending because the brain "knows" that yellow is darker than white, but the eye sees something different (if you let it.) Color is deceiving.

Over-riding what the brain "knows" is a huge challenge: it requires seeing shapes (not nameable things) and simple bits of dark and light (instead of color). Then it requires a little nerve and a lot of trust to put the bits down where you see them. What is amazing though, is that if you constantly compare each value against the others and adjust them accordingly, the shapes begin to look like something.