Uncle Bud's Art Colony

Sunday, July 31, 2016

This lighthouse picture is a combination of several ideas. Love the sky, Like the trees, I need to work on the rocks, but the water hangs in there. The house and Lighthouse I like but I see so much more I could do to it.

How many times have you painted a scene and thought if I could just change this or that. Yet the more you try the worse it gets? ( I have) Do what I do set the painting aside, get away from it. Then at a much later date come back to it then do small changes, clean up an area and see if it holds together with the whole composition.

Someone once said,"A painting is never done you just stop." I truly believe that. Some painters believe the piece takes on a life of it's own and then it's done. Regardless of your idea when it's a finished painting we can take time to work on making our painting better by asking someone to give you honest an critique.

This was a big change for me at the time I did this and it was fun. I have had several folks say they liked it but I see things that need touched up and changed maybe the next one will be better.

But really Lighthouses just make me crazy to find a paint brush!

Lighthouse crazy!

10:08 AM

Kathy

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This is a real place, some of you may know it is the lighthouse at Point Betsie in Michigan near Alberta and Frankfort.
Lighthouses draw artist like flies we can't see one with out taking a picture or drawing it!

I love this place. A sandy beach, Lake Michigan, and the scrub trees in the background.
People come here to relax and let their troubles go.

I have painted this dozens of times and will draw or paint it again.

Please enjoy it and if you're in northern Michigan on the west side near Sleeping Bear Dunes ask someone how to find Point Betsie.

And by the way Thanks for looking at my blog! Love ya!

Keep your brushes wet.

Point Betsie Lighthouse

11:57 AM

Kathy

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[VIDEO] Quick Draw by Uncle Bud

1:35 PM

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A Rembrandt Tulip and a bunch of roses, both of these paintings are and open expression of feelings. I was trying to create a mood or "impression". The use of non traditional colors for the tulip and the background plus the white highlights evoke a feeling of large focus on the flower making the viewer push away or into the picture as they interpret the meaning of the painting.

The rose painting is more of a standard or traditional style with large yellow and red roses.The smaller daisies and surrounding leaves and white flowers bring the composition together filling the canvas with flowers everywhere!

I really like flowers and as I look back I can see in the old masters like Monet and Van Gogh and thousands of others trying to catch a piece of mother nature.

Picasso said it took him years to learn to paint like an old master, but a lifetime to learn to paint like a child.

Okay kids let's get out our paint a catch a flower.

Flowers and more Flowers oh my!

11:02 AM

Kathy

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These two pictures of geraniums need sealed because they are on art board. I try to clear coat most of my acrylic paintings. One they are easier to clean and keep dust off of and two it brings out the background and some other detail.

Art supply stores like Hobby Lobby and many others carry "varnish clear coat" but there is matte finish and gloss finish and every thing in between. I feel you need to pick the style you want your final picture to look like.

Also there is several types of paint-able finishes, Liquidtex makes dozens of varnish, clearcoats, and imposto. (check out Dick Blick art supply)

I like to keep it simple that way I have in stock something that works for me and I know its properties. So I use the Matte and or Varnish gloss coat depending how I want you to view the painting.

These two paintings have a similar style. Daisies in the spring with a yellow green background and the red geraniums with white highlights for an accent.

I wanted the feel of early spring at different times of the day. Notice the daisy is the first thing you see and was the last thing I did. Then after they were good and dry I varnished them with gloss to bring out the look of spring.

We'll see ya later I got to go varnish a picture or two.

Varnish or clear coat?

9:38 AM

Kathy

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The founder of Toastmasters International said, " We learn best in moments of fun."

These little studies were fun. The long piece was a cut off of a larger picture and I just dashed off a quick sea / beach scene. The far right was from a place in Michigan we always went on vacation when I was a kid. The lonely tree beside it is just to get the feel of reflection in water.

The top picture of the second set is a study for Irises using a very slapdash effect. Lots of splatter and wet on wet in color and using complementary colors. The bottom picture is a "impression" of sunflowers in a mason jar. I tried to mix realism with a more painterly look. (sorry about the flipped pix)
As with all mediums (computer included) I would say it's Practice, Study, and have Fun!

Well our challenge for today is have fun!

Practice, Study, and have Fun in Watercolors

9:42 AM

Kathy

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If you don't know by now Vincent Van Gogh is my personal artist hero. In 1888 he had painted 7 sunflower paintings, Five of which still are with us, one was lost in WWII in Japan, and another just gone with a private collector or who knows what.

I have over many years now painted sunflowers from a giant one in the bathroom to little watercolor studies yet I still feel I haven't touched the "soul " of the flower like Van Gogh did all those years ago.

I love to grow them in my flowerbeds they tower over all the other flowers and the head follows the sun across the sky.
Yesterday I went out and did a quick sketch of two of these giants just to get back into the swing of what they feel like.

Well like pop says keep at it and you'll get sooner than later.