Five Lemons on Blue Plate

 

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I know I can't attempt to paint anything unless I've already painted it in my head. I don't hope to figure it out along the way. To get inspired I look at art online and in books. I choose my subjects and imagine their layout, go shopping (for the lemons), set up the still life, do an actual sketch to get the dimensions right and then draw it onto my surface. The colors have already been picked and I know how I want to paint it and how it will look.

The interesting and fun challenge, is it same or different from what I imagined? 

Pink Glass Mug, Green Glass Saucer and Orange

 

I find drawing helps me decide what to paint next. If I can imagine the drawing as a painting, then I'll move ahead with it. If I can see it in color, then I'm excited to get started.

Green and Blue Glass Objects Process

I thought it would be fun to show you my process.

 Set up

Pencil drawing

Small test painting

Sketching it onto a 20 x 16 in. canvas

                                                                     Green mixes

Blue mixes

Finished painting

Green and Blue Glass Objects

I stretched this canvas on a 20 x 16 in. frame and applied five coats of gesso. The surface was very smooth and a pleasure to paint on. The paint just glided on! This painting's focus was on the color not the detail of these transparent glasses. I'm not a methodical painter rather more impromptu, but the pandemic has given me a new view of time, so I didn't rush and I'm pleased with the outcome.

Most Viewed 2020

 

These are some of my most viewed images from 2020.

Thank you for a wonderful year and best wishes for a Happy New Year.

Green Vaseline Glass on Teal Plate with Lemon

 

Here I am again painting this interesting green vaseline glass. When the light is just right the glass fluoresces. 

The National Bottle Museum in Ballston Spa, NY has a huge collection of bottles including green vaseline glass. I purchased mine at a flea market. I'm told the glass is considered to be harmless and only negligibly radioactive!

A  previous post Green Vaseline Glass on Blue Plate has some information on this glass.

Clear Glass Bowl on Blue and Yellow Papers

 I'm pleased with this painting even though it looks simple and it took me a while to figure it out. I had to get the shape of this fluted bowl right and its shadow to work. I wanted the viewers' eye to go to the bowl, then to its shadow and then finally the bowl's distortion of the background. I'm excited about painting glass and it's definitely going to be one of my next year's challenges. 

Honey Jar and Lemons

This painting is all about color, light values, color temperatures and a sense of transparency. What is better than a honey jar to create a warm golden glow and cool yellow lemons and gray background for contrast. Once you think about all the component parts to creating a painting, it's as much an intellectual process as an art.

 

Getting back into the swing of things

 I've had a difficult time thinking about participating in art shows during this pandemic and political season. My current strategy is to carefully select what I listen to on the news and read in the paper. It helps that life is on track to normalcy.  I'll practice mindful meditation, that is, choose what I think about, live in the moment, paint and relax. 

Yellow Pepper on Pink Plate

 Painting glass is as much a looking, thinking and planning process as it is a painting process. It's fun, but it makes you question what you're doing from the very beginning. I had a firm vision of how I wanted it to look and once I set up my still life I knew it could sustain my interest. There is a lot to look at in this little painting. I hope it gives you some ideas on how to paint glass and encouragement to try it out for yourself.

Clear Beer Glass and Yellow Pitcher

 

It's clear glass month at the ASL remote class. Clear glass is made up of lost edges, reflections and refractions. These can be seen clearly on a white background. Refractions are the objects behind the glass which show the shape of the glass. Reflection is what is shown on the glass from a nearby object. The challenging part is color changes that are very subtle. They aren't necessarily value or saturation, but small temperature changes. 

Clear Glass Plate and Orange

This painting is my copy of Karen O'Neil's demonstration. I began  thinking about clear glass watching this painting take shape. Painting glass is abstract and difficult because there isn't much to see. It's not about painting the glass, but what's around and behind it.

69th Stockade Villagers' Outdoor Art Show 2020

 The Stockade Art Show this year was different. It wasn't advertised, but it turned out to be a beautiful day and well attended. Everyone who displayed and those who visited wore masks and socially distanced.  People were  happy just to be out. I was especially happy since I sold eight small paintings. I guess those people who came had intentions of buying art and many purchased work for the winter holidays. Thanks to all for a successful day!

My 100th drawing on Pinterest

 This is my 100th drawing I've posted on Pinterest. I started in February 2018 with a sketchy drawing of my neighbor's dog Dipper. What have I gotten out of this personal challenge: more confidence, much nicer drawing pencils and papers, and I hope, improved mark-making skills.

"The reality an artist has to express resides, as I now begin to understand, not in the superficial appearance of the subject but at a depth at which appearances matter little."

Marcel Proust

Nectarines on White Oval Plate

I continue to use the idea of cool light and warm shadows in my paintings. My studio window faces east and the morning light is getting  stronger. Maybe it's the sun coming in at a direct angle. So I decided, it's better to paint in the afternoon or by indoor lighting. I painted this over several days. The plate of nectarines was painted with natural light, and the rest was done with artificial light. 

Red Pepper II

 

Painting in east morning daylight. 

I love the warm and cool colors I get paintings in natural light.

This is the best of several images and most like my painting.

69th Stockade Villagers' Outdoor Art Show 2020

It will soon be that time of year again for the Stockade Villager's Outdoor Art Show. 

My favorite art show of the year.

It will be a little different this year, like everything else, COVID - 19 rules.

There'll be lots of wonderful art and friendly people.

If you get the chance,  stop by and say hello.

August Daylight Paintings II

These objects were painted in different lighting conditions through my east window. One in indirect natural light and the other in full daylight for my ASL class.

                        Red Pepper on White Plate
                                  Indirect afternoon light
                                    8 x 8 in. oil on paper

 Plum on Blue Paper

 10 - 11:30 AM

Full sun

5 x 5 in. oil on paper

Paintings by Daylight August Light

   Three oranges on orange paper in daylight at different times of day

  

8:30 - 10 AM                                                         12 - 1:30 PM

Rainy morning                                                       Indirect sun

                            

2:30 - 3:30

Indirect sun

White Cup on White Paper

This white cup on white paper was painted in indirect sunlight. One of several paintings of a white cup painted at different times of day and in different lighting conditions for my ASL class.

White Cup on Blue Paper

When you see a subject and it immediately speaks to you, you know you have to paint it. That's what happened to me with this set up. There was no second guessing, no dragging my feet or doubting my skill or concept. I got caught up in the color and couldn't resist losing myself in it.

Summer Sales Event

Starting today until the end of the summer I am holding an (up to) 50% sale on my 

"Summer Sales Event"

Daily Paintworks Gallery

Prices range from $45 to $125.

There are 19 paintings to choose from! Sizes range from 6 x 6 in. up to 10 x 8 in.

All paintings are framed, unless otherwise noted.

Shipping charges are extra

Just click on this link My Daily Paintworks Gallery -Summer Sale Event and if interested in purchasing a painting, you'll be directed to PayPal where you can pay by PayPal or credit card. 

Your painting will be carefully wrapped and shipped by Priority Mail.

Corgi Commission

A surprise birthday gift

Painting by Daylight

 

These are just four of several small daily paintings I completed this month during an online course of painting in both morning direct and afternoon diffused daylight through the Arts Students League with Karen O'Neil.  I'm generally a studio painter and I use an artificial spotlight on my objects. I'm surprised of how much more beautiful the colors are when using daylight, the real thing!

Tomato, Yellow Pitcher and Rubber Plant

When in the midst of coronavirus, I want to paint, but I also have a need for distraction. I paint or draw almost every day completing one object at a time whether the painting has multiple objects like this one or more simpler still lifes. It's a great way to spend my time engrossed in the process of painting. This is my way of staying positive and engaged.

MacQueen's Quinterly

Avocado Gondolas (September 2012)
I’m excited to be the featured artist and have five of my paintings appear along side interesting literary works in the online journal MacQueen’s Quinterly. 

Here's the link: MacQueen's Quinterly

Rubber Plant and Lime on White Plate

I hope to make a donation to the Regional Food Bank of Northeastern New York and their Food Bank's Response to COVID-19, with 100 percent of proceeds from this painting going to the organization. 
To view their responses to this pandemic, click The Regional Food Bank of Northeastern New York

If interested, you can purchase this painting on sale at Daily Paintworks for $200.

Thank you for your consideration.

Three Yellow Onions

I've never painted yellow onions before and at first I thought it intimidating. However, I did what I know works, I don't think about it. I just put on some music and concentrate on figuring out the colors and their placements. 

My Painting Process

I try to sketch every day or every other day. Here are a few of my recent ones. Some, not all, of my sketches become paintings. My painting process begins by setting up a still life and I make a sketch on paper. Next, I draw it onto a canvas usually scaling up to size and begin painting the following day. This process works for me because it gives me time to think and focus solely on painting: the mixing of colors and their application. The final step is to come back to it the next day and make any small corrections. If I'm happy with the painting, I take an image with my iPhone and post it on my sites. Here is a list of my sites Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, Daily Paintworks, robinrosenthalart.com

Blue Vase, Lemons and Pink Bowl

My focus with this painting was to make the colors flat and saturated and to have fun with my brushwork. I've achieved my goal, but what surprised me was that the colors are cool and the edges are hard. All that is going on in the world may be showing up in my painting. I'm going to have to put a sign on my studio door that reads, 

No Coronavirus allow!

Orange and Lemon on Yellow Plate

I make big decisions in my paintings not when I'm sitting in front of them, but when lying in bed problem solving. The problem is, sometimes I struggle when I paint. I get stuck when I start a new and different subject or use a new medium. Luckily, I remember when I get stuck to go back to basics, for me that's colorful fruits and dishes.

Here's an example:

I felt my paintings were getting tight so I packed up all my #2 brushes and put them away. I used #8's and #10's and at the very end, touched up a couple of little things with a #4. I made an effort to put my paints down in one stroke.