With the first round of Nightscapes nearing completion, I've begun working on a new series of studies. These ones are more abstract and less architectural than the first round. It's tough to know if they actual look like anything or if they just color blobs. They look like something to me, but of course I know what they are. I'd love to hear your thoughts!
Filtering by Category: New Work
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Stages of a Portrait
I've been working on this portrait of my friend Ariyele for quite some time. I intitally started it back in May 2009. I worked from life, I think we had two sittings of about an hour or two each, and was very pleased with how the portrait was progressing. After the second sitting, I continued to work on it from a photograph. The portrait became very severe - as you can see below in the image on the far right - and I put it away in mild disgust for over a year.
Earlier this month I took the painting out of storage, sanded it down a bit, and began working back into it. Using thick layers of opaque painting mixed with subtle glazes of color I was able to soften the hard edges and bring life back into the painting despite the fact that I was still only working from a photograph.
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Paintings Series: Oakland Nightscapes
Now that summer is over and a certain normalcy has returned to my life, I've been able to get back into the studio and start the full-scale Oakland nightscapes in earnest. These paintings are based on photos that I took in the spring that I turned into studies (you can see both the photos and the studies in an earlier post here http://www.larahoke.com/larasblog/2010/6/5/reference-photos-to-formal-studies.html).
The goals is to create and ethereal space - something that feels not quite safe but is at the same time very familiar. To produce that effect I am developing the paintings slowly over time by applying lightly tinted semi-transparent layers of glaze. I use the classic 1/3, 1/3, 1/3 recipe to make my glazing medium - linseed oil, damar varnish, and turp. I am also working to loosen the brush stroke and am introducing line in the form of charcoal and graphite.
Work in Progress Update - Kim
Just wanted to share the latest update to my painting of Kim. I decided to change the time of day from night to dusk and use the window to give a greater sense of depth. I have more work to do on her hands, the outdoors, and the plants on the windowsill but otherwise I feel confident that the end is in sight!
Video From East Bay Open Studios 2010
Here's a clip from this past weekend's Open Studios taken by Stan Goldberg, self pro-claimed Senior Dad. I come in around the 2:50 mark. The other artist included in the interview is Laura Malone.
You can also watch the video by following this link http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t3R7Kiuh5aE
Reference Photos to Formal Studies
Below are three photographs juxtaposed with painting studies. My primary interest in comparing the two images was correcting spatial and color discrepancies. However, viewing them as a set, what I find most fascinating and valuable is the difference between perception and reality.
Oakland Corner at Night
This painting is based a photo of our neighborhood corner store from the opposite direction of the previous painting (Laundromat Night Hawks).
Instead of diving head first into a large canvas, I decided to work on a preliminary painting to get the feel of the composition and color. This painting is small, probably around 12 x 18 and done in about two hours. I plan to work just a bit more into it and then will consider making a go of it on a bigger canvas.
What I am pleased about is how when I work quickly on a small format my paintings have a softer, dream-like quality. There is also an energy there that too often I lose when working on my larger paintings.
Laundry Night Hawks: A Work in Progress
To the left is the original photograph that I took of our laundromat and cornerstore. To the right are overlays of my first efforts at the painting overlayed with at different opacities on the original photo.
One man's trash....
While on a run I discovered a beautiful branch in someone's trash. I believe it is Japanese cherry. It's significantly heavier than the pine I've been using. I'm looking forward to seeing how different it is to work with hardwood. I think the cuts will be more difficult but cleaner which means a lot less sanding and a lot less clean-up.
The flock is growing...
The love of carving continues. I've added an owl, quail, and squirrel to my team of woodland creatures and Ben got in on the action and carved a trout. I ran into some problems with the squirrel - too many tiny details. I made several mistakes and he just kept getting smaller and smaller.
Stamp Carving and More Coasters
Last night I carved a second stamp for my silhouette coaster project. It's a simple bust of a buck but I'm pleased with how it turned out. I'm still getting the hang of the carving tools which are not as forgiving as I would like. Below is a photo of the new stamp, the impression it makes, the back of my bear stamp, and the tools I used.
As a side note, the coaster in this picture is unfinished, please forgive the inconsistent application of stain...
Update from the Studio, February 2010 Edition
Coasters in Various States of ProgressA few weeks ago I was trolling Design Sponge and came across this DIY project that used cedar slices to create customized silhouettes, and I thought hey, those would make great coasters.... but where do I get the wood? Meanwhile, my month-old Christmas tree sat sagging in the corner and voila! - a project was born!
Using slices of the pine tree, a stamp carving kit, and various types of stain and polyurethane, I'm working on creating an army of coasters.
Army of CoastersThe first image to the left is a close up of one coaster pretty far along in the process. The second photo is of the gathering army.
Ben
The next three images are paintings in progress. The first two paintings were begun months ago but never taken much further than the inititial color blocking, so I'm re-working them, trying to bringing in more colors and depth.
The last image is Kim. I've addd a few more transparent layers of color but what it really needs is a few days of serious work because all of the transparent layers have caused it to lose some of it's structural believability.
Looking at these paintings makes me realize two things - 1. I need to work on a big painting in which the subject is not front row and center and 2. My next portrait cannot be of a person looking to their right.
Ariyele
Kim
Laundromat Nighthawks
Some reference photos I took tonight of the intersection near our apartment. I'm preparing to begin a painting of the laundromat. I really like the juxtaposition of the darkness, the traffic lights, and the interior flourescents. These images remind me of Hopper's Nighthawks.
Work in Progress: Kim
I cleaned up the studio yesterday and spent most of the afternoon and evening painting. The images below are of Kim. The left-most image is the painting as I left it in June. The middle image is a photo of my studio today and a portion of the painting. The right-most image is the painting as I left it tonight. It may not seem like that much progress has been made, but I've shifted and repainted two of the planters, begun to paint the plants, and started to think about her hands...
Work in Progress: Livingroom Christmas Tree
Documenting the East Bay Regional Parks
While working at the Oakland Museum of California I encountered the work of Bob Walker, an environmentalist who's work in preserving the natural beauty of California eventually lead him to become the offical photographer of the East Bay Regional Park District. He passed away in 1992, but the size and scope of the EBRPD is a testament to his photography and activism.
Ben and I are trying to visit a regional (or state) park each weekend. I'm documenting our hikes through photography and will be uploading new photographs on a weekly basis.
Bob Walker called the afternoon hour at which he took some of his best photos the Magic Hour. This particular time of day allowed Walker to take advantage of the shadows and contrasting light created by the sunset. Below is a set of my photographs taken at the Magic Hour.
Work in Progress Update
Here is the first follow-up to my post from September 10.
I tried to do a sepia wash, but the ink I used turned out more pink than I desired. I used pieces of sand paper to remove the stain, scratching deepest into the areas intended to be the ligthest.. I then experimented with thin washes of white acrylic pant to emphasize the highlights. I then went back in with pen and ink to bring back some of the line detail.
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And for reference, here is what it looked like a few weeks ago. Should I have stopped when I was ahead (a head?)? I'd love to hear your thoughts.
Mexico, continued...
I brought a number of gessoed drawing boards on my trip and had visions of grandeur for what I was going to produce. I blame my non-productivity on Maya the Dog and Philippa Gregory.
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Mexico
Ben and I just returned from a week on the Mexican Riviera. A short flight, but a world away.
We had a series of adventures up and down the coast, including surfing lessons in the tiny beach town of Sayulita, cracking fresh lobster using a tin plate and a plastic table in Yelapa - a beach accessible only by boat - and placing bets on whether some pairs were father/daughter duos or romantically entwined...
Here is a sampler of photos from our time in Mexico. I've included more in the Photography section of this site. Enjoy!
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