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Colour!

August 25, 2011, 10:28AM

Looks like I forgot a take a photo of the in progress of the color stage.... oops.

ANYWAYS.... here's what I did last night!

Back to Painting!

-Mat

Figures!!

August 24, 2011, 9:48AM

Started an oil study of myself looking skeptically at a cup of coffee. Breaking out of the grind of abstraction and landscapes for a little practice before tackling a few portrait commissions and a wedding present.

Back to Painting!!

-Mat

The past few days

August 20, 2011, 7:40Am

Sorry for not posting the past few days. I'm helping a friend get married and I've just been frantically trying together everything done. I haven't even had time to twitter!! But tomorrow I should be able to start making regular updates again. 

Back to Wedding!

-Mat

Almost done....

August 18, 2011, 2:01PM

I took the tape off the get a better sense of composition. I need to teak a few things, but shouldn't take more than a hour or so. Then I'm tweaking an old painting of Cambell's Soup ala Worhol and then I'll be finishing up the commissioned landscape tonight so it has plenty of time to dry before installing on Sunday. Lots of work, but terribly fun.


Back to Painting!

-Mat

PAINTING!!!

August 17, 2011, 3:30PM
here's the stopping point when I left today. I'll be coming back to finish in a few hours.
Back to Painting!!! (After the party)
-Mat

And Now, For Something Completely Different.

August 17, 2011, 5:17AM.

I was asked to be in an MCAD art event where I was asked to put up some "pre-Art Sale" stuff for sale. So in good MCAD fashion, I'm quickly whipping out a landscape painting based on one of the unused concepts for the previous landscape commissioned painting in the span of two days. The painting I'm SUPPOSED to be working on is due to be completed this weekend. (Wait other "FFFFFFUUU..." posts over the next few days. :)

But I supposed the old saying rings true: "an Artist with bare walls in his studio is either very successful or very lazy,"

And as anyone reading this knows, I'm not a lazy person.

Back to Painting!

-Mat

New toy!


August 15, 2011, 3:38PM

One of my studio neighbors was giving away a very nice shelving unit that had an angled top. I'm not sure what it was originally intended for (computer cart, maybe?) but it makes for a Wonderful palette stand; the angle reduces glare and is more ergonomic than a table. Now I don't have a reason to take a break, as my arm will no longer get tired of holding the palette. 

Back to Painting!

-Mat

Tiny brushes, Ting Decisions, Big Impact

August 15, 2011, 9:15AM

Just a quick update. The weekend was a little more filled with excitement than I anticipated, and there was that deep need for sleep that I wasn't expecting. Then there was the last-minute call for a logo design for a company and finding out that I need to have a few paintings finished for an upcoming MCAD event.

By Thursday.

THIS Thursday.

I'm also aparently searching for a wedding photographer for a wedding this Saturday adding a bit to my freak-out stress level, but nothing a pot of coffee can't solve.

In any case, I only managed to get to do another 14 or so hours of work on the painting. But they were some good hours. I managed to almost completely plot out the final colors for the clouds, and I resolved a bit more of the left side. As soon as the clouds are done, I can finish the foreground, tweak it a bit, and call it done! Can't wait, this painting is turning out amazingly well!

Back to Painting!

-Mat

Painting resumes on the landscape!





August 13, 2011, 4:45AM

A quick update. Just making tiny decisions and using some phenomenological tricks I've picked up.

Back to Painting!

-Mat

Taking a break.... kinda.

August 11, 2011, 5:55AM

I need to wait for the first layer to firm up enough to paint the next layer. The pseudofed for my head cold kinda screwed up my whole sleeping thing, so I decided to finish a few plantings paintings for an art event in a couple of weeks.

Once I *finally* take a nap, I'll touch up a few areas, pull off the tape and call it a wrap. By then I'll be able to start another layer on the landscape painting.

Back to Painting!

-Mat







Addendum: August 12, 2:44AM
So I was only able to take a 2 hour nap before I woke up with more energy than I knew what to do with. I skipped my last psudofed in hopes of getting some "normal" sleep. That was a 9pm, and seeing how its currently a quarter to three, I highly doubt that will occur.
What have I been up to? you might ask... I honestly don't know. I know I downloaded a nightstand app on my iPad and played around with the clock function until 1pm. I don't know how I lost seven hours playing with a clock, but this pseudofed is scary stuff. Thankfully I think I only need another day of it in order to keep from drowning in my own ooziness. I'll tackle the landscape painting once I return from another nap. Living off of only 2 hours of sleep since Tuesday is kinda creepy. And the worst part is: I haven't had any coffee today.
Yup. Pseudofed is scary!
-Mat

First Layer done!!!


August 10, 2011,  9:58AM

A nice result after a productive night fueled by pseudofen for a crazy head cold. No coffee needed.

This is what I call the "dead layer" in the sense that while everything is in place on the painting, it still looks a little dead. The next layer will build upon these warm tones with cooler tones that will give a real sense of depth to the painting.

Back to Painting!!

-Mat


Holy saturation, Batman!!!

August 9, 2011

So, no. The painting is not neon. By yes, it is very green right now. A mixture of sap, and Indian yellow allows for a nice undercolor before addng on lighter tones to make those clouds look big and fluffy. Today should be very productive.
Back to Painting!
-Mat



Addendum: August 9, 2011
So... it actually looks about right on my computer screen as opposed to my DataPhone.
weird....

Darks

I just finished with painting the darkest darks with a combination of Prussian blue, raw umber and greenish umber. These colors will fall back into the painting and give a sense of depth as I lay the lighter colors over it. After it dries, I'll start going over it with cobalt blues, yellow ochres and venitian reds to give it a desaturated color layer before I start putting in the cooler tones of sap green, cadmium yellow and Indian yellow.
Back to Painting!!
-Mat

Under drawing

Using a red pastel pencil for contrast against the green underpainting, the drawing is laid down.

Oil and water.......

Minor mayhem.  Accidentally mixed yellow acrylic with green oil for the undertone.  Needless to say, it was a mess. Luckily I had water mixable oil paint (crazy, no?) So I added that and the oil molecules where bridged to the water molecules allowing everything to work out just fine.

Painting is also a little about chemistry too!

Back to painting!

-Mat

New Painting!

August 4, 2011

The following post looks has a small formatting problem and as a result looks "weird". I think its mainly due to the large number of photos uploaded in a single go. But at least they are up.... finally.

Single and double photo posts of the progress to follow!

Back to Painting!

-Mat

The stretcher pieces are all built.


Once the entire stretcher is built, the edges
are sharp, which poses a problem when
it comes to stretching the canvas, as the
sharp edges will cause it to rip.
sanded smooth.

begin the stretching!

the canvas is stretched tight as a drum. The tools do not
sag on the canvas at all!
The border color is mixed to match the color sample.
the border is masked off.



the border color is hand smeared into the crevices of the
tape to ensure there is no bleed through.
The border tape is painted over and entire canvas is
ready to have a wash of color applied once its dry.

Back in action!

August 1, 2011

So what does a refrigerator, air conditioner and a dishwasher have in common?
If you hurt your back lifting the first into a car, lifting the following two probably won't help any. In fact, it very well might make it worse. Long story short, I'm going to be watching Netflix for the next two days playing the wonderful game of "Does It Still Hurt?"

Back to Painting!!! recovering


-Mat