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paul@baldassinifineart.com
“Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic” — Arthur C. Clark
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Here is the overpainting in-progress of a Farmall C. Total of 37 hours to date.
The time spent capturing vibrant light effect of the underpainting executed in Quinacridone Magenta has definitely paid off. As I noted in a previous Blog posting, matching overpainting values to this underpainting has ensured the dynamic of the light in this composition. With only half of the overpainting completed there is already a sense of bright early morning June light casting long shadows. I find the early morning and late afternoon light to be the most compelling light for creating dynamic compositions. The low angle of the sun creates great cast shadows and seems to magnify colors of the contrasting light and darks of the composition.
Lately I have been departing from the color information presented in my photographic reference image. Many years experience as a professional graphic artist specializing in digital image editing have served me well. I know how to manipulate the color, tone, and contrast of a photographic image to effectively overcome the common (and very tired) complaints of the undesirability and untrustworthiness of relying on photographic images to create paintings. A point of view I totally disagree with, btw.
So, although I am confident in the veracity of my reference images and the overall hues are, for the most part, the same as in my reference images, I am experimenting and inventing (for myself) a new way of presenting those color relationships. One example is a somewhat more prismatic handling of the paint, exaggerating colors and edge effects to describe the forms in the light, and in the shadows. Another example is that I am finding it more interesting visually to describe forms with hue shifts rather than break the values within the form. That means manipulating so called “cool” and “warm” colors to turn forms within value masses without breaking them up. And, I am having a lot of fun with it all — making most of it up as I go and seeing each new painting dramatically improving.
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paul@baldassinifineart.com
“Progress in art does not consist of extending one’s limitations but in knowing them better” — Georges Braque
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Here is the completed underpainting in Quinacridone Magenta (Sennelier). Total of 7 hours to date.
Even though this is only an underpainting there is already a strong sense of light in this work. It comes in from top front and left of the composition and casts a shadow across the foreground plane. The top of the front tires, grill and seat receive the most light and direct the eye into the composition. These are the lightest lights in the painting and the effect is magnified by placing and surrounding them in the darker background elements, which also happen to be the some of the darkest darks. The various angles and planes of the mechanics with their light and shadow effects keep the composition visually interesting allowing the eye movement and rest. Matching overpainting values to the underpainting will ensure the dynamic of the light in this composition.
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paul@baldassinifineart.com
“Isn’t it enough to see that a garden is beautiful without having to believe that there are fairies at the bottom of it too?” — Douglas Adams
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Underpainting using Quinacridone Magenta (Sennelier) in-progress. 3 hours to date.
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Please contact me via email:
paul@baldassinifineart.com
“To live a creative life, we must lose our fear of being wrong.” — Joseph Chilton Pearce
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I have been quite busy with paying commercial work for the past 5 weeks or so, and have finally found some time to prepare new panels and start a new painting. It's an old Farmall C that belongs to a neighbor at the end of my street. Several of his old tractors have ended up in previous works, but this is the first painting of one of his Farmall tractors. I particularly like the double front wheel and the rather wide spaced rear wheels.
There was no need to composite two or more images along with an invented background to create this composition. I managed to get everything I wanted and needed in just a single reference shot, which rarely happens. The usual digital editing in the way of contrast and tonal adjustments and color tweaking, and I was off and running.
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Please contact me via email:
paul@baldassinifineart.com
“Art that does not attempt the impossible is not performing its function.” — W.B. Yeats
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Here is the completed painting, a total of 62 hours, the most time I’ve spent on a painting in this series so far. But it’s definitely a keeper and I’m looking forward to seeing it framed.
The foreground grasses began as a glaze coat mixed from a base mixture of Indigo (Williamsburg), Chinese Orange (Sennelier), a bit of Viridian (Williamsburg) and a bit of Warm Grey (Sennelier). With a lot of jelly medium added (Old Masters Maroger, Flemish Formula) to a pile of mixed color, I brushed this on using a Monarch Flat No. 8, and switched to smaller brush around the tires.
While that coat was setting and starting to get a bit tacky I mixed up lots of small piles of warm and cool greens in various values as necessary to match the value plan of the underpainting. All of the colors were grayed down with Warm Grey and/or Raw Sienna. To create the illusion of lots of field grasses, I added some detail grasses here and there with progressively smaller Filbert brushes. The whole thing came together pretty quickly in less than 3 hours. Its the most fun part of the painting as I can stay pretty loose compared to all of the steadiness required on the tractor mechanics. The next morning I examined the painting with a fresh eye and a fresh cup of coffee in hand. After a bit of fiddling and diddling, I knew it was done. After a few days of drying I signed it and immediately went on to prepare panels for the next two paintings.
btw: I am now a Member of the Lyme Art Association after having two paintings accepted recently into their “Deck the Walls” holiday show. The two paintings are titled The Hay Tedder and Study in Red & Gray.
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Please contact me via email:
paul@baldassinifineart.com
“He who does not understand your silence will probably not understand your words.” — Elbert Hubbard
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Here’s a shot of the painting in-progress to date with tires and wheels completed and only the foreground field and grasses left to paint. I’ve spent 59 hours on this new work.
The tire mixtures began as a puddle of “black” mixed from Indigo, Perylene Crimson and Burnt Sienna Dark. Makes a nice rich black and is easily modulated warm or cool with the addition of more or less of one of those colors. Sometimes I add Ultramarine Blue Deep or a touch of Raw Sienna but I never really know when or why, and just try it and see if it works with the overall harmony of convincing outdoor light of the painting. This black is lightened by adding Warm Gray and warmed or cooled as necessary by the addition of either Ultramarine Blue Deep or Indigo.
The wheels are painted with a mixture of Fanchon (Napthol Red) and Perylene Crimson. I grab from this starter pile and add, as necessary, in smaller piles Cadmium Yellow Deep, Warm Grey and Chinese Orange. For highlights I might mix up some Quinacridone Magenta, a touch of Ultramarine Blue Deep and white.
Somehow it all comes together and when I am convinced that it looks like tires and wheels in harmony with the overall lighting scheme of the composition, I stop and call it a day. After a day or two of drying and with a fresh eye, I go in and glaze and scumble as necessary to add additional highlights, deepen shadows or whatever to enhance the illusion of realism.
See you soon.
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Please contact me via email:
paul@baldassinifineart.com
“The secret to creativity is knowing how to hide your sources.” — Albert Einstein
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Above is the overpainting in-progress of a new work entitled Yellow MMZ. Actually I’ve completed quite a bit more on the overpainting than this in-progress image shows but I was one of those households in CT that got whacked by the freak October storm that left us without power for almost 5 days. It was the week from hell and I hope I never have to go through anything like that again.
So far, I’ve spent 52 hours on this new work.
See you soon.
P.
