Thursday, February 28, 2008

"North Florida Shadows"


"North Florida Shadows" - Oil - 11" x 14" - SOLD

"When I visit my daughter in Gainesville, Florida, I look forward to painting in the area. This is a site off Tower Road in a park and very near the palm tree I also painted. In December and late in the day, the warm light contrasted well with the long shadows beside this marshy area where waterfowl gathers.” --- SFG
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Wednesday, February 27, 2008

"Night Surf"



"Night Surf" - Oil - 24" x 24" - $700

"Inspired by the Early California Plein Air Painters, I found a photo study I had taken on the coast several years ago and set out to do a night scene. I started with a toned canvas. Drawing with a brush and cadmium red, I drew masses of rocks thinking 'dominant, sub-dominant, and subordinate.' The diagonals will help move the eye through the painting.





Next, I stared establishing the values of the masses (how dark or light). I began to describe the planes of the rocks, holding to the value range of each so they did not loose form.





Next darkest were the areas of the water closest to the viewer and I set the value for these a little lighter with a cooler color. It's moonlight, remember.





From these starting forms and values, I worked on the surface of the water, distinguishing where it laid flat and where the swells were. Last were the light waves and floating foam. (I lightened this image a bit so you could see the variations.)




After working and reworking the shadow side of the waves, finally happy with the shapes, and darkening the area behind the rolling wave, I glazed the tops with moonlit accents as shown in the finished work at the top of this post." --- SFG

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Tuesday, February 26, 2008

"Lupine Tap Dance"



EXHIBITION PAINTING
"Lupine Tap Dance" - Oil - 24" x 30" - $3600

"For those of you interested in my working process, here is a mini-demo. When I look for something to paint, I look for light against dark or dark against light. The subject matter is secondary. This grouping of trees and shrubs provided the excuse to make a composition. Having lupine there was the icing on the cake.

STEP 1:



I start with a drawing with my brush on toned canvas (sorry, but I didn't take a shot at this stage, but you can see some red lines on the edges of some of the areas). The direction of these lines and the sizes of the shapes become the framework for the composition. Next, I lay in masses, big areas of color, just concentrating on overall shape, value, hue, and temperature. I start with the darkest areas (usually trees in landscapes), then compare color to color as I go... green to green, yellow to yellow, purple to purple, etc. I reserve the lightest areas for the last to be covered at this stage, which, in landscapes, is often the sky. The ground is usually the next-lightest.

Step 2:



The largest amount of time is devoted to refining the color relationships, finalizing drawing, and attention to edges. Once those are to my liking, I proceed to details of calligraphy, accents, and highlights... that icing for the cake. The painting is complete when everything is in balance. The signature is usually the last element of that balance." -- SFG


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Artists' questions? Email me!

Friday, February 22, 2008

"Florida Evening Light"


"Florida Evening Light" - Oil - 10" x 8" - $90

"No, I'm not in Florida today. I started this on location when we visited our daughter last Christmas. It was a quick sketch in the rapidly changing light of late afternoon. I had to leave the wet panel at her house and she recently mailed it to me. Today, I put in the corrections and final touches. The tree was set against dense forest growth and the strong, low-angle light from the right created drama." --- SFG
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Wednesday, February 20, 2008

"Mother-To-Be"


"Mother-To-Be" - Oil - 11" x 14" - SOLD

"I paint from a model on a regular basis and, for this session, I had a pregnant model. Her relaxed pose and great lighting made a wonderful subject. I purposefully set her against a dark background and pillows to play up her pale skin." --- SFG
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Tuesday, February 19, 2008

"Before Twilight"


"Before Twilight" - Oil - 16" x 16" - SOLD

” I'm pleased with this simple painting because the shapes hold together and colors work very well. This farm is near Los Olivos in southern California. The light at the end of the day is remarkable.” SFG
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Friday, February 08, 2008

"North of Los Olivos"


"North of Los Olivos" - Oil - 12" x 16" - $260

"The rolling shapes of the foothills around Los Olivos, California, are empahsized by the numerous vineyards. This one was fairly new and had undeveloped fields and grassy borders. It was easy to work the shapes to lead the eye, eventurally, to the buildings against the sky." --- SFG
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Monday, February 04, 2008

"Across King's Creek Meadow"


"Across King's Creek Meadow" - Oil - 11" x 14" - SOLD
We've had a lot of snow this year and this scene is from Lassen National Park in northern California. I carefully design the shapes of the trees and simplify them. This always produces a stronger composition." --- SFG
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