Creative Realism

LUCID LAVENDER

2011-08-12T11:24:00.000-07:00

This is an oil painting of a very beautiful sort of orchid. It is 16" x 20" painted in oil on linen. I used my glazing method for this, for which I first paint a finished, detailed grisaille underpainting, following it with many, very thin glazes of colored paint. I call it "Lucid Lavender".

This painting just received a "People's Choice" Award at the Arizona State Fair 2011

LIVING DESERT

2011-06-28T09:52:00.000-07:00

This is a 16" x 20" oil on canvas painting that I used as a demonstration subject for the oil painting class that I teach at a local recreation center. In my class, I furnish each student with photos of the same subject, and I work from the same photo, as I demonstrate for them, as each of them work on their own painting.

I call this one "Living Desert".

September Song

2011-06-13T22:57:00.000-07:00

I was inspired to do this painting when I saw these lilies in the first stage of wilting, and so I chose to call it, "September Song". This is 11" x 14", oil on canvas.

GENERAL STORE

2011-06-13T22:53:00.000-07:00

I created this oil painting on hardboard, and it is 16" x 20".

My Review of Lefranc & Bourgeois Extra-Fine Oil Color Mediums

2011-06-09T10:32:00.001-07:00

Originally submitted at Jerry's Artarama Art Supplies

Lefranc & Bourgeois Essence d'Aspic

One of my most important products

By Bill from Glendale, AZ on 6/9/2011

Pros: Glides Smoothly

Describe Yourself: Artist

Primary use: Personal

Was this a gift?: No

I use LeFranc & Bourgeois Oil Of Spike (Essence d'Aspic) as the solvent ingredient in my oil painting medium. Combined with Linseed and Walnut Oils, and Venice Turpentine, it creates one of the most useful glazing mediums I've ever used. The Oil Of Spike is slower drying, and it imparts a slippery consistency to the medium, as well as being a bit more aggressive a solvent than even Turpentine. I have enjoyed using this product for years, and I definitely wish to see it be continued to be offered at your very reasonable price.

Using Oil Of Spike Lavender as medium ingredient

Tags: Made with Product

(legalese)

GOLDEN GIRL

2011-04-08T16:10:00.000-07:00

This is one of my recent paintings. This is an iris which I have titled, "Golden Girl". It is oil on canvas, painted with my glazing technique, which involves a gray underpainting with many color glazes applied over it. With this painting, I received an "Artist of the Year" at our local art club, the Peoria Fine Arts Association.

HOSTA LILY

2011-04-04T08:20:00.000-07:00

The title of this painting is "Hosta Lily". It is a 16" x 16" gallery-wrap canvas. This painting received the "Chairman's Award" at the Peoria Celebration of Artists art competition in March, 2011.

Steps in Creating "Fleeting Beauty"

2011-01-03T20:41:00.002-08:00

The first step of my process is to paint a detailed grisaille (gray) underpainting, over which I then apply layer upon layer of very thin, color glazes of oil paint.

The process of glazing is a simple one, once learned, and it offers the painter the opportunity to deal with one of the three dimensions of color--value-- independently of the other two dimensions, hue and chroma. Doing this allows me to work upon different aspects of a painting as separate units of concentration, and it becomes a very predictable, and enjoyable method of painting.

Fleeting Beauty

2010-12-26T13:34:00.000-08:00

My cholla cactus in my front yard treats us to some of the most beautiful, waxy-appearing blooms early in the spring. The blooms usually only last for a day or two, and then quickly disappear. I painted a couple of the blooms, and this is the result of my effort.

"Fleeting Beauty"...16" x 20" oil on linen.

This painting just received a "First Place In Oils" award at the Glendale Art Competition, 2011.

Heralds Of Spring

2010-12-26T13:29:00.000-08:00

This is a painting of some daffodils, that I am calling, "Heralds Of Spring", since daffodils are usually the first flowers to appear after a long winter.

"Heralds Of Spring"...16" x 20" oil on canvas...SOLD

Homeland Security

2010-12-19T18:27:00.000-08:00

This is a painting of my back gate, with its unlocked padlock, its rickety hasp, and peeling paint. An ineffective, "watch lizard" tops this painting off for a piece that I titled, "Homeland Security", a visual dope slap at Napolitano, our present czar of Homeland Security. Since she has ceased to acknowledge the true threat of terrorism by re-labeling it "man-made disasters" I thought a bit of sarcasm was in order.

This is a 16" x 20" oil on linen, for which I received a "First Place In Oils", and a "Best Of Show" at the Arizona State Fair this year. It recently received an Award of Excellence at the Peoria Fine Arts Association Spring Show, held at the Arizona Art Alliance Gallery, in Scottsdale, AZ.

Misty Rose

2010-08-13T19:34:00.001-07:00

"Misty Rose" is an oil painting that I created on linen canvas. Linen has the reputation of having a bit more longevity than cotton canvas. I made use of Old Holland's Manganese Blue Deep for the sky portion of the background. It is claimed to be a multiple-pigment color, but I've never given that much consideration, as long as the color is what I want.

This painting received the "Merchant's Award" at an art show held at the Peoria School District Main Office, 2010. It also received an "Honorable Mention" at the Peoria Celebration Of Artists" competition in March 2011.

Peaceful Morning

2010-08-13T19:25:00.000-07:00

This is another painting that I used as a demonstration for my students taking the oil painting class that I teach. This is 16" x 20," oil on canvas. I use a very limited palette for these demonstration pieces. This is to keep the purchase of oil paint very affordable for my students. I use Grumbacher Pretested Oils and place the following colors on my palette:

Ivory Black

French Ultramarine Blue

Thalo Blue

Burnt Umber

Cadmium Red Medium

Cadmium Yellow Light

Martin F. Weber's Permalba White

Chanty

2010-08-02T19:16:00.000-07:00

This is a painting that I did on commission. The subject is a Shar Pei' show dog, who is now deceased. I painted this in oil paint, on a 16" x 20" linen canvas. SOLD

Country Life

2010-05-22T18:52:00.000-07:00

This is a painting that is the result of my demonstration to my oil painting class. I teach a 6-week class, one evening a week. Each class period is 2 1/2 hours long. I enjoy doing that very much. All the students paint from the same reference photo, including me, and I use mine for demonstration. I am titling this painting "Country Life". It is 16" x 20" oil on canvas.

This painting received an Award Of Merit at the Art Show that was held at the Peoria School District Office.

Pick Up, and Hug Your Kid

2010-02-24T08:18:00.000-08:00

This is something that only a grandpa would think of, I believe--or possibly another artist. Certainly, it takes an older person who is less involved with the daily work force to entertain such a thought as that of mine, which follows.

We babysit our two youngest granddaughters for my son and his wife about three days each week. When my daughter-in-law's van rolls into the driveway, I am almost always the first out of the door to greet my grandchildren. One little girl is now four, and the other about a year and a half. The little 4-year-old raises her arms to have me pick her up, and I pick her up while her mom unloads the car, (and the other little girl), and I hug her, while she snuggles her head on my shoulder. She is not a "morning person," and she usually likes to cuddle, pretending that morning is not really happening, I suppose.

The thought I had, today, while holding her was that kids grow up, and much too soon, of course. But, somewhere between her age right now, and, let's say 18 years old, there must be a specific moment in both our lives at which she is too heavy and big, and I'm too old to lift her up, any more.

I got to thinking how profoundly sad that really is. I realize that at some moment in both our lives, I am going to cease picking her up any more. The day before, I may have picked her up, but perhaps today I won't. That one day of picking her up and giving her a big hug when I did, may come to an abrupt end, without either of us having ever realized it. And, THAT is the really sad part.

It will have been the very last time that I picked her up, never to do so again, and that fleeting moment will be lost in the history of our lives, never to have been appropriately celebrated, or even acknowledged by either of us.

Personally, at 72 years of age, I plan to pick up, and hold my granddaughters as often as I possibly can, while they are both small and light enough for me to do it. I want there to never be a time when I won't do that, although I know for sure that time will eventually arrive.

And, when that saddest of sad times arrives, and passes.....neither of us will have noticed. Well, perhaps I will have; I'll be the one with a tear running down my cheek.

Pick up, and hug your kids/grandkids. You'll never get another opportunity.

Bill

MY PHILOSOPHY OF COLOR

2009-12-20T15:54:00.000-08:00

I changed my font at thecutestblogontheblock.com

While the application of color may be limitless, the understanding of the behavior of color is quite logical, rational, and relatively easy to comprehend. Color behaves in a predictable, consistent manner, bounded by the laws of physics rather than by mysticism, intuition, or supernatural phenomena. The visible colors of the white-light spectrum have definite bounds, which can be located, measured, quantified, identified, and controlled, at the will of the knowledgeable artist.

Of all the aspects of creating two-dimensional art, color is one of the most dependable. Even though we, as artists, are forced to work with the limited capabilities of pigments, the simple and understandable laws of the colors of light prevail, and they are not violated because of our use of pigments--pigments which are a bit limited in their capabilities. After all, the colors that emanate from those art pigments, are, in fact, still colors of light, in reality, and those laws of color behavior are not violated, nor do they somehow change or bend in their inflexibility, just because the medium selected (pigment) cannot totally serve the behavior of spectral color.

Here is an interesting question:

Can we, as artists, produce or re-create every hue in the visible rainbow, or spectrum?

Yes, ........and one that isn't ! !

You can e-mail me for the answer, regarding what that color is, or put it in "comments".

Desert Island Light

2009-11-25T19:52:00.000-08:00

This painting is the result of a demonstration that I presented to my oil painting class. It is a 16" x 20" painted on canvas, and I call it, "Desert Island Light".

Rose Emerging

2009-11-25T19:46:00.000-08:00

I had a lot of fun painting this one. "Rose Emerging" is 16" x 20". It is painted on linen. SOLD

Some of My Tools

2009-10-04T22:00:00.001-07:00

It is often interesting to others to see the tools used by artists for achieving the paintings that are so interesting to them. I work with two palettes (only one at a time, of course), which I hand-hold. I am a lefty, so I hold the palette in my right hand when I paint. Each of these is a thin, mahogany, plywood palette--one in a larger, rectangle shape, and one in a smaller, kidney-shape, most often associated with the "normal" palette shape for most artists.

These are each polished like fine furniture, and all without having applied any sort of a formal, "finish". The sheen and patina on these palettes has evolved through nothing more complicated than the simple squeezing out of paint onto the palettes, and then using them for mixing. When finished, I just scrape off the remaining paint with a putty knife, and then, using no solvent, simply buff the residual paint film off, with a paper towel.

After a few dozen cleanings after the end of each painting session, the sheen of the naturally-created patina begins to appear.

Lady Of The Lake

2009-10-04T21:55:00.000-07:00

I really enjoy painting flowers, but to place one upon a nice landscape, as well, is even more fun.

This painting of an iris is just that, and is one of those that I had a great deal of fun painting.

"Lady Of The Lake"...16" x 20" oil on canvas

I just recently had this painting juried into, and sold at the Glendale Art Competition.

SOLD

Dahlia

2009-08-09T19:56:00.001-07:00

This is one of my most recent paintings. It is a 16" x 20" oil on canvas, entitled, "Dahlia". SOLD

Yosemite Wonderland

2009-07-27T19:51:00.000-07:00

As one of my demonstra-tion pieces for my oil painting class, I chose this subject. My students and I all work on the same subject, and it makes for a very good teaching and learning concept.

This is a 16" x 20" oil on canvas, that I've titled,

"Yosemite Wonderland".

This piece just recently received an "Honorable Mention" at a local art show

Crane Island

2009-04-17T23:19:00.000-07:00

As part of my teaching, I do a demo for my students, creating an oil painting. I used to teach at a local art supply store, and this is one of the paintings that I completed for my students, as they painted along with me.

I call this one, "Crane Island," and it is an 11" x 14" oil on canvas.

Available.

Irish Spring

2009-04-17T23:11:00.000-07:00

I teach a class in Oil Painting at a local recreation center. As part of my 6-week teaching session, I do a painting right along with my students, as a demonstration. We each work from the same reference photo, and that makes for rather good teaching of specific elements of the technique. Each student is able to compare his or her own work to that of others, to the reference photo, and to my painting.

The nice part of this teaching method is that when it is completed, I have created another painting.

This is the result of one of those "Paint Along With Bill" sessions. I'm calling it, "Irish Spring".

It is a 16" x 20" oil on canvas.

Elegance

2009-04-17T22:53:00.000-07:00

This is a nice still life that I'm calling, "Elegance." I like the old masters effect of still life objects rather emerging from the inky darkness. It is 16" in height, and 20" in width.

"Elegance"...Oil On Canvas...Available. This painting received a 4th Place In Oils at the Arizona State Fair, 2010

Tiger Lady

2009-03-01T20:39:00.000-08:00

I created this painting, titled, "Tiger Lady,"on a 12" x 12" gallery wrap canvas. This painting just received an "Award Of Excellence" at a local, Peoria Fine Arts Association show.

FOR SALE

Cathedral Rock

2009-03-01T20:25:00.000-08:00

This is Cathedral Rock, a formation near the town of Sedona, Arizona. I have painted several of this subject, but this is my favorite. "Cathedral Rock" 16" x 20" oil on canvas. FOR SALE

Color Behavior (Theory)

2009-02-25T09:51:00.000-08:00

The behavior of color is often quite misunderstood, even by artists. They often try to categorize the behavior of colors into two (or more) separate "theories" or ways of behaving, when, in fact, color truly behaves much as gravity does, in that it follows a logical and understandable set of "rules" in its behavior--and, that there is only one set of "rules" by which color behaves, rather than two or three. Also, those rules remain the same, when moving from one art medium to another. One does not have to "re-learn color theory" when moving from oils to watercolors, for example.

An interested artist can make very good use of a sound knowledge of color behavior in his/her everyday mixing and using of colors. This can speed up the mixing process by reducing the amount of guesswork.

One of the first things to understand is that it is because of the inability of our eye to detect the separate, different color wavelengths in a color mixture when viewing it, that allow us to see the many colors that we witness in our everyday lives. Unlike the human ear, that has the ability to detect the different wavelengths of sound, in a harmony, the eye cannot make this distinction, and, instead, when viewing a mixture of wavelengths of color, actually sees another, often totally different color. The other thing to keep in mind is that there are only three colors of light in this entire universe--Red, Green, and Blue.

Understanding color behavior is no more complicated than being capable of memorizing a 10-digit telephone number, and being able to subtract either "1" or "2" from a total of "3".

The basis of all color behavior is the white light spectrum. Although there appears as though there are dozens of actual "hues" in the spectrum (or "rainbow"), for all practical purposes, all those wavelengths of light colors that comprise white light can be combined into three primary colors of light--Red, Green, and Blue. Those are the only colors that are required to produce all the colors we see in real life.

At the top of this post is a color display that exhibits that which I am describing. With a 10- or 20-power loupe, or magnifier, closely examine the white area surrounding each of the primary colors of light--Red, Green, and Blue. You will notice that Red, Green, and Blue are represented equally. When you examine each of the primary colors of light, you will notice that while one will be illuminated, the other two will be black. Black represents the absence, or absorption of light, and in this case, the absorption of the other two colors of the white light spectrum.

When you examine each of the three primary colors of PIGMENT, Cyan, Magenta, and Yellow, you will notice that each one actually reflects TWO of the Red, Green, Blue colors of the white light spectrum. These are the primary colors of pigment, and absolutely NO other colors around the color wheel exhibit that particular characteristic. That is why the primary colors are unique, and also why they cannot be created by mixing any other pigments together. It is best not to take too seriously those who claim that there are no primary colors, or that one can select any color one chooses as a "primary" color. You will quickly learn that is not a valid belief.

Cyan reflects both Green and Blue light, while it absorbs the Red third. You can see that with your loupe, as you examine the Cyan patch.

Magenta reflects both Red and Blue light, while it absorbs the Green third. Again, examine the Magenta patch to see that. See the black stripe? That represents the absorption of Green.

Yellow is the most interesting of the three primary colors of pigment. It reflects both Red and Green light, while absorbing the Blue third. You will see no actual "Yellow" in the color, at all.

It has been estimated that only approximately 7 % of the color, Yellow, that we see in everyday subjects, is truly "spectral Yellow," but is, instead, equal reflectances of both Red and Green light. The color, Yellow, is always represented by equal reflectances of Red and Green light, whether it comes from a banana, a yellow Corvette, a daisy, or a patch of yellow on your computer monitor. There is no diffence, whatsoever. It is pure, scientific logic.

When we mix Cyan (which absorbs the Red third of the white light spectrum) with Yellow (which absorbs the Blue third of the white light spectrum), we produce by the simple logic that the only color left visible is the Green portion of the white light spectrum. Green is a secondary color, created by the mixture of Cyan and Yellow.

When we mix Magenta (which absorbs the Green third) with Cyan (which absorbs the Red third), we create the secondary color, Blue. Why? Because in that mixed combination the only color left to be seen is Blue. Blue is the secondary color created by the mixture of Cyan and Magenta.

When we mix Yellow (which absorbs the Blue third) with Magenta (which absorbs the Green third), we produce the secondary color, Red.

Complementary colors are those that are directly across from each other on a true color wheel, and when mixed, produce neutral. Now, see if you can use that mathematical logic to prove to yourself that complementary colors mix to create Black, or neutral. I'll give you a start: When you mix Yellow (which subtracts the Blue third) with Blue (which subtracts both the Red and Green thirds), the results are NO COLORS OF LIGHT..nothing, zero. And, the absence of all light is, indeed, what color?__________.

Now, use the same logic to determine why Cyan and Red are complements, and Magenta and Green behave as complements.

Isn't that simple? Why don't more art instructors teach this simple logic, instead of recommending all those trial-and-error mixing charts?

Bill

Rainbow_Bridge

2009-02-25T09:23:00.000-08:00

This is my version of the well-known rock formation that is on the Utah/Arizona border, and

can be accessed by a boat trip on Lake Powell. I created this painting from a composite

photo of those that I had taken of the area, when I was there. The actual water did not

appear as clear, or as deep as it does in this painting, but I simply took some

artistic license with it, to make it more appealing.

"Rainbow Bridge"

SOLD

Amaryllis By Morning

2009-02-24T22:06:00.000-08:00

I took a snapshot of an Amaryllis in our backyard flower patch, and thought I'd paint it. That idea worked very well, because I sold the painting right after I painted it. I titled it, "Amaryllis By Morning. It is a 16" x 20" oil on canvas.

SOLD

My Glazing Technique

2009-02-24T14:17:00.000-08:00

I use a glazing technique to create the works of art that are represented here. While some may feel that it is a complicated, time-consuming method, wrapped in mystical, mysterious methods, I have found that such is not the case, at all. Above are several step-by-step work-ups, exhibiting the stages through which nearly every one of my pieces progresses, on its way to a finished work of art. You will notice that the early stages of my process are located at the top of this group of work-up photos. The orangey-brown appearance in the first two stages is the Sienna-colored imprimatura (oil paint layer) showing through.

Life Is Just

2009-02-24T13:12:00.000-08:00

You've heard the phrase, "Life is just a bowl of cherries?" Well, that is what was running through my mind, as I painted this piece.

SOLD

Shades Of Royalty

2009-02-24T12:49:00.000-08:00

This is a beautiful, 16" x 20," oil on canvas, that I've titled, "Shades Of Royalty". It was recently on display at the Celebration Of Artists in Peoria, AZ, where it received a "Second Place In Oils."

SOLD

Stargazer

2009-02-24T12:22:00.001-08:00

This is a Stargazer Lily. One of my favorite oil paintings.

"Stargazer"....16" x 20" oil on canvas

SOLD

Brannigan

2009-02-24T12:07:00.000-08:00

I really enjoy painting animals. I painted this by commission, and it is a 16" x 20" oil on canvas, of an Irish Wolfhound, named Brannigan. He is a very mild-tempered dog, although he is the size of a small horse.

SOLD

Fresh Picked

2009-02-24T11:54:00.000-08:00

"Fresh Picked," is the title of this painting. It is a 16" x 20" oil on canvas.

FOR SALE

Morning Mist

2009-02-24T08:41:00.000-08:00

This painting creates a feeling of the morning mist that permeates the air in the piney forest. I've titled this painting, "Morning Mist." It is an 18" x 24" oil on canvas.

FOR SALE

Hearts Afire

2009-02-23T23:05:00.000-08:00

This is a nice oil of a flower that is quite prevalent in the midwest, called a "Bleeding Heart." This is a 16" x 20" oil that I've titled, "Hearts Afire".

FOR SALE

Pretty In Pink

2009-02-23T22:28:00.000-08:00

I sold this painting at the Glendale Art Competition, in 2009.

It is titled, "Pretty In Pink," and is 16" x 20" oil on canvas.

SOLD

Deep Purple

2009-02-23T22:21:00.000-08:00

One of my favorite subjects is flowers, and I always enjoy painting them. This is an example of one of my most recent flower paintings. It is an Iris, and is titled, "Deep Purple." It is 16" x 20," and is oil on canvas.

FOR SALE