A minor Key-Create depth,

This painting incorporates many techniques that you can put to work in your representational art.

SHADOWS. Base layer is cadmium red glaze that will show through subsequent glazes.
Shadows are glazes in many layers so that the viewer sees through them. Study the paints and you will discover opaque, transparent and translucent hues. Combine to create the effect your desire. I use a cool color-way. (Terre verte stays in the background.)

Note: the reflected white on the shadow side is created by lightly lifting off some of the upper glazes to reveal the glowing underpainting. (Vermeer mastered this effect).

LIGHT SIDE. My light side colors are opaque and much thicker. I use flake white (it is a gentle white) mostly and and paint very softly with soft bright brushes directly into the wet paint. (Barely "disturb" the white paint.) In the "live" oil the skin seems almost palpable.

EYES LIPS. These translucent areas involve building up multiple layers of transparent paint in a thick medium and literally softly painting into the medium. I like real copal (which is hard to find and expensive.) Eyes (as in real life) have depth that seem to make a connection with the viewer. This effect was noted by a recent newspaper art critique wrote, "White Linen reveals his subject's mug shot with her glorified soft flesh and piercing but still gentle eyes." Unfortunately this depth doesn't come through via photographs.

DEPTH. To enhance the 3D sense of the painting I often use a loaded palate knife here and there. I sometimes use Titanium White for highlights and opaque passages because it is brighter than lead white.

Comments and questions are welcomed.
CLICK on this (or any) of these paintings to enlarge

Milky light

Dreamy light to spend a bit of your life with.

Just a note.

4 months and the oil painting is finished.

Enjoy,

Painter

July 10 post continued

Well the painting continues. Please refer to the July 10,2010 post for earlier stages.

At this point the the underpainting is finished and the initial shadow glazes and build-up of opaque paint has started.
The figure is coming along with the face being developed the most. As the focal point, I want to make sure the face works before spending effort refining the background. Three views are posted for those of you interested in the details. Each image is clickable for a larger size.
Specific questions about any aspect of this work will be answered.

Beauty is truth. -Painter

Press Review of Pensacola Museum of Art

The Pensacola News Journal art reviewer, Michael Roberts had this to say about a current juried show.(Unedited)

"The show's best moments are definitely it's paintings. Thomas Groth, who's dedicated to pre-Raphaelites subject, presents two small portraits in oil. The strongest one, titled "White Linen" reveals his subject's mug shot with her glorified soft flesh and piercing but still gentle eyes. The frame crops out the top of her hat for a sense of balance."

What's on my easel?

Here are the initial stages of an oil painting that was begin July 2010.
A CONCEPT
Here is an idea I started playing with several years ago and then put away. It's about a high light coming through a window and a situation that yet is to be resolved.
THE CARTOON
The next stage is a full size cartoon that works out the piece. This stage done on tracing paper and works out details. For example the figure is in a setting and there are some difficult perspective issues that have to be worked out.
THE TRANSFER
The cartoon is transferred to a prepared canvas. (I use 2 coats of acrylic gesso and sand each coat). I transfer by rubbing charcoal over the back of the thin tracing paper and taping it into position on the canvas. I often use a larger canvas than the initial idea in case the painting goes where I hadn't planned. I then use a 5H pencil and a stylus and go over the figure etc on the cartoon. This roughly transfers the design to the canvas.
THE DRAWING ON CANVAS.
This is where I am at this point. I redraw very carefully the figure an other major elements. I use prismacolor with a very sharp points. This drawing is done to establish tones and lines (not color). I use prsimacolor because it doesn't bleed through the oil paint like graphite pencil does. (Never use graphite pencil as an underdrawing on an oil). I don't use charcoal because I like a tighter line than most charcoal provides.
After this drawing is done I'll fix it and move to an isolating varnish step--more on that in later posts.
IMPORTANT: click on images to enlarge.

Polka Dots

Oil on canvas.

Details of development will be provided in next post.
Click to enlarge.

Regards,

Painter

What's on my easel?

This is a continuation of the painting started in the previous post. (See images on this post).
Here shadow's depth and richness have been developed through glazes with transparent paints and various media.

Highlights and midtones are brought forward by opaque paints painted wet-into-wet and the glazed as needed.

Details are just being refined and at this point I am still not sure where this young lady in going.

Note that you may "click" to see enlargements.

You thoughts and questions are welcome.

Cheers,

Painter
All image are copywrited

A William-Adolphe Bouguereau & this painter

William-Adolphe Bouguereau (November 30, 1825 – August 19, 1905) is considered by many to be one of the the finest painters in history. I have spent much time studying his techniques and visiting "the real thing" as much as possible. This image was shot in Europe.

Pensacola Museum of Art

Here is a shot of one of my paintings in a museum setting. I always think art no matter how wonderful or dreadful takes on a different and less approachable feeling in an art museum.

One, two, three

Here are 3 levels in the development of a recent oil painting.
Level one: prisma-color on canvas.
Level two; oil on canvas underpainting.
Level three: finished oil with multiple layers of glazes and scumbles.

If you have specific questions, please ask and I'll be happy to discuss in depth.
Click on image to enlarge.

Cheers,
Painter

P.S. All images are copyrighted (all rights reserved) Prints are available (just ask).

Duet (in the looking glass)

Oil on Canvas

White Linen

The idea here is one of "values" with layers of glazes in the shadows contrasted against the impasto in the highlights. I used a full range of transparent, translucent and opaque paints applied from washes, scumbles to thick impasto via palate knife for the white linen. It is small about 8 inches by 12 inches on board, not canvas.

I almost always paint head sizes smaller than life because they are more elegant. Hope you enjoy the work. If you have any questions I'll be happy to answer them. If you haven't gone back into my archive, please take a minute to do so.

Cheers,

Painter

What's on my easel?

Here's a small oil painting on board in progress. It is a study in values with layers and layers of deep shadows and few accents (eg. lips). The lead white will gradually be toned down as the work progresses.
As usual the richness and depth of the art does not photograph well because it is not...a photograph.

I hope to post the finished piece within a few weeks.
Cheers,
      Painter

 

TAGS:

beauty. art. romance, Pre-Raphaelites, Waterhouse, sensual, portraits, oil painting, Vermeer, poetry, quiet,light, women, painting, simplcity, Henri, fine art, classic, Victorian, "I mean by a picture, a beautiful romantic dream of something that never was, never will be - in a better light than any light that ever shone - in a land that no-one can define or remember, only desire - and the forms divinely beautiful"
  Edward Coley Burne-Jones, geishea, mermaid, angels, daydreamers, Newlyn School, gentle