A New Year, a new painting

No greater excitement than in starting a new painting.  Every mark full of the potential for a brilliant outcome.  Here is to striving to maintaining the carefree attitude of a painting's beginning throughout!

“Soon it got dusk, a grapy dusk, a purple dusk over tangerine groves and long melon fields; the sun the color of pressed grapes, slashed with burgandy red, the fields the color of love and Spanish mysteries.” 

-Jack Kerouac, On the Road

The never ending painting:

I thought I would never finish this work this past year.  After leaving it for a couple of months, I returned to it today to finish it.  Is a painting ever finished?  Some would argue "No."  Perhaps ones day in the coming months I will add or change a few things that I thought should be different while photographing it this afternoon, however for today I will proclaim that it is done.  There are several posts on this blog in the months of June, July and August that feature this works progress.

The thing is complete when you can let it be.

- Gita Bellin

Morning Battles - painting completed...

I teach color theory. I have decided to paint all color principles I ask my students to paint. I believe in the color principles defined by Johannes Itten. I am a convert to my belief. I thought his color principles were dated and old fashioned. After teaching color theory, I started seeing the principles defined by Itten everywhere, every day in movies, advertisements, clothing, etc. I realized his ideas about color are alive and well. This is a still life of my daughter's toys. In the work, I am interested in painting a subject I can approach in a straight forward manner. I am at my best as a painter when I have a direct perceptual reference. Morning Battles takes on Itten's Contrast of Hue. I thought that color contrast would be the best for my idea. Conflict is a form of abrupt communication and hard transitions. Light/dark contrasting colors exemplifies dual, conflicting feelings of joy & exasperation I experience in the early mornings while trying feed and dress a toddler.

In the final stretch...

...and hoping to be done with this painting today.  Below are photos from my progress yesterday.

Every artist dips his brush in his own soul, and paints his own nature into his pictures.

- Henry Ward Beecher

Paint, paint, paint

I paint each day as to finish the painting, and I am always disappointed when it is not.  Made some strides to day in color and structure.  I believe I will finish this work this week.

I dream of painting and then I paint my dream.

- Vincent Van Gogh

A day spent advancing the art.

Title of in progress painting:  Morning Battles, acrylic on canvas.

Painting is easy when you don't know how, but very difficult when you do.

- Edgar Degas

A morning and afternoon well spent...

...beginning a new painting!

The greatest temptation and danger is to rely on previous solutions and thus paint the same picture for the rest of your life.  - Charles Movalli

It can't look like you've worked hard and long, even if you have. A painting should be done quickly with both your intellect and your nerves. When they give out, stop. 

- Charles Movalli

9/13 - 9/15/2013, Part II

Continuing to work out that long term painting from the summer.  Lots of textures in the surface and color relationships to resolve.  To further that goal, spent time working out ideas with marker on vellum paper. Progress is posted below.

detail of weekend vellum drawing

marker drawing on vellum

detail of long term painting

detail of long term painting

detail of long term painting

We get used to a certain kind of color of form or format, and it's acceptable. And to puncture that is sticking your neck out a bit. And then pretty soon, that's very acceptable.

- Lee Krasner