Last Paintings of 2012, "HAPPY NEW YEAR"

 

"Life by the Sea", 20x16 oil on linen

 

 

"The Pink Sash", 18x20 oil on linen

 

As 2012 comes to a close, I found myself scrambling to finish a couple of paintings that I started a short while ago, and for one reason or another had to put them aside.  I was determined to complete these during the Holiday break.  I haven't spent a whole lot of time on either painting.  They were both done quickly over a period of time.  I have had time to ponder possible changes and adjustments......but, I am reasonably happy with finish on the two narrative paintings above.

 

 

 "Contemplation", 18x24, oil on linen

 



"Contemplation" was painted one day about a week ago.  I haven't gone back and tweaked it yet.  A couple of small adjustments, and I will be finished with this one.

 

Vizcaya Series Sketch, 12x16 oil on linen

 

This is my last effort for this year, and is technically a sketch for another large painting.  This is another painting from the Miami Vizcaya series.  I have a few more ideas related to this trip.

 

Until next year, Happy New Year everyone.......and we'll do more of this in 2013.







"Red Pillows" Three step demo!

Step 1

Step 2

Step 3, Final "Red Pillows" 9x12 oil on linen panel

I meant to take more shots of this as it progressed, but it went so quickly that I ended up with only three steps. Again, this might end up being the study for a larger painting.  My plan for this coming year is to paint some larger formats.  I am excited about the possibilities.   

"Waiting at Vizcaya" A conceptual, compositional study.

"Waiting at Vizcaya" 10x7 oil on linen panel

This is a very small sketch (10x7) of what is hopefully going to translate into a large 40x30 composition.  I recently visited Miami on a Portrait Society of America Academy event.  We had the opportunity to do the workshop on the grounds of Vizcaya Museum and Gardens, a wonderful fifty acre piece of property that is the former villa and estate of businessman James Deering.  Sargent painted a watercolor portrait of Deering.

The minute I saw this particular location at Vizcaya, downstairs circling the court yard, I saw a painting in my head.  Lately, I have doing a lot of these small studies.  This is a rough quick little sketch, but it sort of captures the feeling that I'm going for with this.  I will have to get my model in when I do the large version.  It wasn't necessary on this little one....details are minimal, and I'm still not completely sure of the attitude of the figure....sort of half way made up, but will be something along these lines.  I will post the large final painting when I complete it.  Hopefully after the Holidays I can start.  Thanks for listening to my Cajun ramblings.

Detail #1

Detail #2

Compositional,gesture studies for possible Larger figure paintings."

"Untitled" composition study, 9x6 oil on panel

This is a small compositional study of a planned larger painting.  I usually don't do preliminary studies.  I like to just jump in most of the time, but sketches can spare me much grief later.  It is easy to spend a hour to solve a few problems.....but, it is sometimes heartbreaking to spend an afternoon on a piece and have to wipe out the effort due to poor planning.  The operative word here for me is, I do not approach it same way every time.  This addresses my personal need to keep it from becoming a formula process.  I also painted this on a surface that I haven't painted on in years....a smooth gesso coated piece of hard board or Masonite.

"Detail"

"Untitled 2" compositional, gesture study, 16x12

 "Detail"

In this detail, it is easy to see the paint application, and  how economical I attempted to do this little gesture sketch.  I like this type of spontaneous work.....especially in small paintings.  It is a goal of mine to do as much of this in the larger compositions as I can successfully do.  Somehow the little studies do not seem so precious, and if they fail....it is no big deal.  Again, the failures in larger work with more time invested somehow do become a bigger deal.  Keeping it in perspective, no one will be injured if my painting fails.

Thanks for listening to my Cajun ramblings.

"Season's Greetings"

"First Snow", 9x12 oil on linen

 

"Merry Christmas and Happy New Year"

 

Wishing all of our family and friends a very Happy, and Healthy Holiday Season.  This little Christmas card painting is of our old home in Ct.  We have great memories of the years spent in that old Federal Colonial farm house raising our kids and working hard at establishing an art career.  This time of year brings a longing for the climate associated with this Holiday Season. Everyone have a great, safe one.

 

                                                                                                    Hodge and Marilyn   





"Two new finished paintings"

"Tools of the Trade", 12x16 oil on linen panel.

 

This painting is a result of this past summer's trip to Maine....specifically Tenants Harbor Maine.

When I walked up to this pile of buoys, I saw this as a still life type painting.  I had every intention of doing a location sketch of this, but somehow all of the other beautiful spots to paint took up most of my time.  I always come away from these trips with a wealth of reference.  I could probably do enough paintings to fill two shows just from this past summer.  Obviously I won't do all those paintings.  Something else always moves to the front of the importance line.

 

"Moving the Big Boys", 18x24 oil on linen

 

I had time to set this aside and let it rest.  I made a few adjustments...very few, and now I am reasonably happy with the overall feeling of this painting.  As I mentioned in a previous post, this is the second painting of this subject.  I initially added some things to the foreground and subsequently removed them.  Generally what one should do is leave out things, rather than add....less is more.  Leaving out, in this case, was definitely the better solution.

 

Thanks for listening to my Cajun Ramblings!