an Exercise in Expression

Dad

2009-10-26T12:30:00.000-07:00

Here is a portrait I painted of my dad. I gave it to my mom a few days ago and she asked me to post it. Here it is mom! Dean

old and new

2009-10-14T12:22:00.000-07:00

Here are three paintings I recently worked on. The first is a painting I did last night with the brush-ka-teers of cotton. I really liked the simplicity of style I tried. I was very pleased with the iron and leaving the lighter orange around the edges of it. I learned about a "wash" too. The next painting is of Tryon palace garden gate. I re-did the flowers and their background to help them stand out more. I also re-did the old pump pic with just a lighter green backing to help the pump have a bit more prominence. Thanks for looking and as always, feel free to comment. Dean

Snow Barn

2009-10-07T12:09:00.000-07:00

This a painting from a picture I took during the snow storm last year. It is a 16x20. That is a big piece for me! Up close I speckled snow flakes on it. I painted it on a tuesday night paint out with the "brush-ka-teers" ! Their work is beautiful and I will post pics later. I have been doing more paintings I have just been remiss on posting. Will try to keep up with it now. As always, feel free to comment. Dean

Last Catch

2009-10-07T12:05:00.000-07:00

Here is a picture I painted with Mitchell Morton. He had a photograph in which we painted from. Personally, I really like this picture. The subject and the colors go well together.

2009-10-07T11:59:00.000-07:00

Here are a few new pictures I have done . The first is right out of my head with a pic to look at. I felt like I was doing a paint by number. The second is a street in downtown Trenton, NC. I had a bunch of fun with color and trying different things . SOLD this one today!

Melons for everyone!

2009-08-20T14:08:00.000-07:00

Here are a few melons we painted last tuesday. We had a blast! The first one is Bernie's, then Steven, Mitchell then mine. I could not seem to get the color of the exterior right so I changed it! Anyway, I also zoomed in really close so I would not have as much to paint too! Once again it was great fun for the "brush-ka-teers"! As always, feel free to comment, Dean

compliments exercise

2009-08-10T05:26:00.000-07:00

Thought I would have some fun with this one. I painted everything in its complimentary color. So all the red was really green, orange blue. I took liberty and just painted the tree trunk blue because I wanted to. As always feel free to comment, Dean

Watermelons galore!

2009-08-04T08:30:00.000-07:00

We were overwhelmed with watermelons last night! Last night was the gathering of the "4 brush-ka-teers"! We painted watermelons. I really thought they would be extremely difficult but they were not as hard as I anticipated. It was all we could do to keep from eating the still life! Ha! But it did go home with Bernie so who knows its fate as of today. The first picture is the still life itself. The next is Mitchell's, then Stephen's, Bernie's and lastly mine. We all had a great time and and loads of fellowship and learning. As always feel free to comment. Dean

Another small one

2009-08-02T17:44:00.000-07:00

This is another 4"x8" painting. Any suggestions are welcome, Dean

SOLD

Getting there

2009-08-01T08:38:00.000-07:00

Here are a couple of pictures I did that are getting closer to a style I would like to be able to paint better. If that made sense ??? Anyway, I like impressionism or maybe minimalism (if that is even a style). I would like to be able to insert something into a picture with minimal amount of strokes. Well. here they are anyway. They are 4"x8" so double click to enlarge the images. Thanks for looking, Dean

New pics

2009-07-18T14:24:00.001-07:00

Here are 2 new pics I painted this weekend. These are my 1 hours. I am trying to paint faster and are trying to do a pic in an hour. So far so good. It is a lot of fun to push at it. thanks for looking. Dean

old barn

2009-07-16T17:47:00.000-07:00

Tonight I painted an old barn. I had never tried one in acrylics. I am learning how to get a focal point and building in layers. This is a 6x8 and I did it in an hour. I am trying to push myself by limiting time so I keep the painting loose and fun. Feel free to comment, Dean

festival

2009-07-13T14:07:00.000-07:00

Here is a pic I painted of two blues men that were playing in trenton at the heritage festival this weekend. I had painted something else while I was there but it was a wash. I painted this sunday at home from a pic I took. As always, feel free to comment, Dean

SOLD!

redo

2009-07-09T16:56:00.000-07:00

Had a redo! I heard from various people that the lighthouse was not "reading" correctly. I took the painting to Bernie to get some ideas. He said it was too "cut and paste" and needed some dimension. We talked about adding shading and I agreed so here it is. Thanks for bearing with me in my mistakes and giving me constructive help. Thanks for looking, Dean

Taking my time

2009-07-08T17:55:00.000-07:00

Here is a picture I painted. I used a picture of rocks for a reference. I thought that was all it would be but I was wrong. The next day I added trees on the rocks with birds. The day after that I added the rock with the lighthouse. I let it sit for a day and then added a color sunset along with the color in the water and on the rocks. As for the final product this is as far as I am going. This is 24x24".

Thanks for looking, Dean

Acrylics again!

2009-07-03T13:20:00.000-07:00

I sat down for an hour this afternoon and tried acrylics again. This one is only 6x8... inches! I do not know when I will try a big one again! Ha! Thanks for looking. Dean

Sold!

back at it

2009-07-02T07:54:00.000-07:00

I took another swipe at the big painting. I worked the head and board better. Now I am officially done with this. I will be making a frame for it this weekend if I get time. Should be fun, Thanks for looking, Dean

SOLD!

BIG!

2009-06-28T18:32:00.000-07:00

Well I went plein aire painting this morning at 7am. It was quite interesting for two reasons. The first was that I painted acrylics for the first time outside. I really had to keep the water on the canvas. That leads to the second interesting topic, the canvas. The canvas was a 4 foot by 4 foot piece of plywood! Yes I said foot!!!!! It is huge! The biggest painting I have ever done! It was definitely a new experience. Thanks for looking, Dean

Daisy

2009-06-22T17:23:00.000-07:00

I was asked the other day to paint a picture of my horse for someone's child. I thought it would be fun so I did. Here is the picture I took then what I painted. I am enjoying NOT painting everything I see. I am going to work on simplifying. I am sure it will be fun. Thanks for looking and as always, feel free to comment. Dean

something new

2009-06-07T10:35:00.000-07:00

last night I watched artist videos on Jerry art-o-rama site. I then got out a 16x20 canvas and tried to make a pic. I watched how Wilson Bickford did skies. Then I did one. Then watched how he did clouds. Did some. Then grass..... Then a tree. The road an the person are me so Wilson is off the hook. I learned some interesting techniques. I will definitely work on the clouds/grass and trees. They were easy and usable in my plein aire outings with "OOPS". Thanks for looking, Dean

Talk about fun!

2009-06-03T11:19:00.000-07:00

Last night was the tuesday night "brush-ka-teers" outing. We had a blast! Well we all did but Bernie. He was the model for our painting. We all did his portrait. I do not know how he sat still so long! I am not looking forward to my turn. Ugh! By then I will rig a TV! Anyway... the pictures are as follows: Bernie, Bernie with pics, Stephen's, Mitchell's and then mine. I was just thankful mine looked like a person! It was my first try with a model and my second portrait ever. I did one earlier in the week from a picture off the computer. Thanks for looking, Dean

Tuesday is paint night!

2009-05-20T08:41:00.000-07:00

The "brush-ka-teers" strike again. We painted a still life of bread and wine. Lots of fun for all. We all struggled with the color on the bread. It was pretty funny. The final results were pleasing to all. As for me, I was pleasantly surprised that I did as well as I did. For a while I thought I was going to be discouraged. All in all I was pleased. I did this in oil. I was excited about how I attacked it with more confidence. Since I have been painting with acrylics I found I can paint over mistakes. When I painted last night I was very brave in "wiping away". Very liberating. The first picture is all of ours by the still life, then Mitchells, Bernie's, Stephen's, then mine. Thanks for looking and please feel free to comment. Dean

Hatteras

2009-05-15T07:04:00.000-07:00

Last night I tried another one of North Carolina's lighthouses. The Hatteras. It is a 6x12. The spirals are more challenging and the brick base was fun. I am enjoying the acrylics for fast and easy but I miss the oils too. I am going to oil paint this weekend if I get the chance. Thanks for looking, Dean

SOLD! This went with the Ocracoke. All to the same person. I am going to try all the lighthouses and see how they sell. It is a great way to support my habit! Ha!

2 more

2009-05-11T09:40:00.000-07:00

I tried again this weekend. Had a woman who saw the first Bodie lighthouse wanted one for herself so I painted another. We'll see if she buys it or not. I also painted the Ocracoke island lighthouse last night. It is just big and white. Ha! It was a exercise in shading and was also my first attempt at trees with acrylics too. Thanks for looking, Dean

SOLD the Ocracoke the other day too!. Well not the actual Ocracoke, just the painting! Now I can buy another tube of paint! Yahoo!!!

Bodie lighthouse

2009-05-08T08:43:00.000-07:00

I painted this last night. It was an acrylic. I was inspired by my aunt Pat to paint this. She is the one to suggest it. I have to say it was a lot of fun. As always, feel free to comment. Dean

SOLD!!!!

Somebody wanted to buy it as soon as they saw it... I needed paint. What a match! Ha!

tuesday painting

2009-05-06T06:05:00.000-07:00

I went to Stephens last night and painted with Bernie Mitchell and Stephen. As always we had a great time. Here are the pics everyone did. The first is mine, then Mitchell's, Bernie's, and Stephen's. It is quite the pleasure to painted with such a talented group. I did acrylics so that was different. THanks for looking and as always, feel free to comment. Dean

Transitions

2009-05-04T17:20:00.000-07:00

Here is a picture someone painting at the croatan. I did it in oil. The picture of the mailbox is the first picture I ever tried in acrylics. It was very different. I then broke out the paints and tried a still life of salt and pepper shakers and napkins. I really enjoyed painting so "loose". Thanks for looking and as always, feel free to comment. Dean

weekend work

2009-04-21T15:57:00.000-07:00

Sunday I went out with the OOPS group to Croatan National forest. There was plenty to choose from but I, like others settled on a marsh scene. I am trying to learn how to paint grass and so I tried two shots at marsh. My first try was a 6x8 river and marsh. I then tried a 9x12 of another scene and added a tree. When I got home I put an egret in the pic. It looks more like a duck though. Ha! On monday I painted again. This was a picture I took of Mitchell Morton painting. I Like the simplicity of the marshes in this one. Let me know what you think. Thanks for looking, Dean

SOLD the marsh scene.. not really because I couldn't take her money, but she would have bought it! (or so she said!)

last 2 weeks

2009-04-09T16:49:00.000-07:00

The first pic is one I did of a picture Megan took in Az. It is cowboys branding calves. I then saw a video Bernie loaned me and tried to give it a bit of a "tune up". I was pleased with the outcome. The picture of the fiddle is a picture I painted on the tuesday night paint out. I was very pleased with the depth that this one has. Thanks for looking. Dean

Tuesday Night get together.

2009-03-25T06:47:00.000-07:00

Here are the paintings we did last night in my barn. Every other tuesday 4 of us get together and paint a still life. We alternate whose home it will be at and last night was my turn to host. The first picture is the still life itself. The next is Stephen's acrylic portrayal. As always, it is a beaut! The next is one Mitchell did. He was painting on a totally red canvas. I really liked it. It is very detailed which is different from how he usually paints at our get togethers. Bernie's was the most aggressive. He did a 16x20 of the still life. His, on the other hand, was "looser" for him. Mine is the last one. As you can tell I was on the side and decided to put the lamp in the pic. It was not part of the set up still life. It was just there for lighting purposes. As always, feel free to comment. Dean

4 more

2009-03-22T17:51:00.000-07:00

The fat wine bottle is the first one I did. I thought it looked more like a fifth of Jack Daniels! ha! The next day I tried again and it came out a lot better. This was closer to what the bottle looked like. The picture with the house is a 16x20. It was a plein aire pic that I painted in the rain and cold under a gazebo in Richlands, NC. The guy is to be Bernie Rosage. The last image is a painting I did today. It is a cactus at sunset. Please feel free to comment, Dean

a couple nights with the brushes

2009-03-14T18:19:00.000-07:00

Thursday I tried painting my wife's china. I know the perspective is off but it was fun to try to get a multi image still life on my own. I am pleased with the simplicity of it. I had some time this afternoon and decided to paint my mandolin. It was on its side and I painted it landscape but I kept turning it vertical to check it. When I finished, I liked it much better vertical. As always, feel free to comment. Dean

Tuesday at Stephens'

2009-03-11T08:18:00.000-07:00

Well we had our tuesday night painting gathering of the 4 "Brush-kateers". Last night it was at Stephen's house. It is amazing how much energy you have to paint when you drink his coffee in the evening! Ha! I did not get home till midnight and I left first! We painted a still life of porcelain objects and eggs on a reddish background. As always, I had a blast. Feel free to comment, Dean

1936 Kalamazoo

2009-03-05T19:27:00.000-08:00

Here is a painting of my dad's old guitar. It was interesting to insinuate the strings and pegs. I really enjoyed blending the orange and burnt umber on the front of the guitar. Once again I tried a compliment color for the background. I used a blue violet mix to compliment the orange. thanks for looking. Feel free to comment. Dean

soup in a bowl

2009-03-02T04:26:00.000-08:00

The reason this is titled "soup in a bowl" is because at the council for the arts in Jacksonville, NC we have that event each year. Mr Ben Watford contributes "bowls" which he has made and patrons of the arts purchase. There is then a lunch in which you can use your bowl for soup. This is the bowl I had purchased. I tried using the color wheel and paying more attention to compliments. The background I chose was, to the best of my ability, the compliment of the color of the bowl. It was an interesting design to paint. Thanks for looking and as always, feel free to comment. Dean

tea kettle

2009-02-25T19:20:00.001-08:00

Tonight I tried a tea kettle and part of the stove. It was hard to figure out how to do reflections. This will take practice. Thanks for looking. Dean

The challenge!

2009-02-25T06:44:00.000-08:00

WOW! Was this a challenge! We met last night at Mitchell's to paint. There were 4 of us. Mitchell was a bit ambitious in his choice for a still life. The cup with the grapes was a frosted glass, the daffodils were held in a brass vase and the glass did not have wine and was quite clear. I had messed up right from the beginning. I had painted the whole canvas red before I sketched anything. So I was just from that moment on just putting paint on top of red paint. I did learn a bunch though and had a great time painting with friends. Thanks for looking, Dean

two new paintings

2009-02-12T18:12:00.000-08:00

Here are two new paintings I did. The ambulance was done last sunday. We, the OOPS (onslow outdoor painters society) artists went to Odum's salvage yard and painted. It was overwhelming with all the possible things to paint. The other painting I did tonight. In case you could not tell, that is a horse. It is not as light in person. I had taken the picture at the stables where Megan (my daughter) is working at in Tennessee. I want to paint this on a large canvas but I thought I would try first on small one. I realized that I need to get more blues in the trees to give the perception of more distance. I will be trying this again. Thanks for looking.

Plein aire

2009-02-02T18:02:00.000-08:00

Was in Tennessee this weekend with Patti dropping Megan off at a new ranch to work. We stopped in Sylva, NC to viisit Kurt on the way back. Had about 1.5 hours to spare and had taken the paints along. Saw this church and decided to paint it. The shadows were actually all in the opposite way but I thought it would look better this way. Feel free to comment, Dean

two new items

2009-01-28T17:47:00.000-08:00

Here are 2 new paintings I did in the last week. The toothpaste is being posted to remind myself that this IS HARD!!!!! I could not get anything going with that painting. I then went to Bernie's last night to paint with him and Mitchell Morton. We painted a pear. Here is mine. Thanks for looking, Dean

I tried snow

2009-01-20T17:07:00.001-08:00

We have snow! I can't believe it. About 3 inches! We are housebound. I am surprised the electricity is still on! Businesses have closed! Call the national guard!!!!!!! Ok, enough of this. Anyway I tried to paint snow. It is very hard. I may not have learned about painting snow but I did get a good workout on depth. Here it is. Any help would be appreciated, Thanks for looking, Dean

The "Fishin" Frady's!

2009-01-15T17:43:00.000-08:00

Here is painting of a photo I took this year when the Frady's came down to do some fishin! I tried at least 4 times to do faces and could not get the hang of it. I will be trying more people in the near future and I am sure I will eventually get the idea. This painting took about 3 hours and is 16x20. Thanks for looking, Dean

Brownie

2009-01-14T18:41:00.000-08:00

This is a picture of a old brownie box camera. I started another painting but got all messed up so I wiped the canvas clean and ended with the odd red. I then looked on my shelf and saw the old camera and tried to paint it with a palette knife. I know it is "different" but it was fun. Thanks for looking, Dean

"Retired"

2009-01-13T16:53:00.000-08:00

Here is a painting I did last night called "Retired". The Marine Corps cover's band is broken and the colors are tattered, both have been "retired". I painted the canvas totally in red to start then blocked in the other colors. The painting is one of the biggest I have ever done. It is 18x24. Thanks for looking, Dean

Where are your rewards?

2009-01-08T18:20:00.000-08:00

Here is a painting I did tonight entitled "where are your rewards?". I was going to do all the medals I had earned but that would be challenging for my limited artistic abilities! (not that I have a lot). Anyway, a bunch of you may know the green and white Navy Commendation medal, but can anyone tell me what the other one is for. I know it is not a popular one but it is one I am very proud of. Let me know if you figure it out. One of the things I found unique about painting this was trying to paint black.... it is not always black and things still have shadows and reflections. Someday I will be able to paint it. Right now I am just pleased to notice it is there. Thanks for looking, Dean

2nd slingshot

2009-01-08T15:56:00.000-08:00

I know, I know. I just painted one but I decided to paint another. I enjoy doing still life and I find wood very hard to get to look real. It is a work in progress. This sling shot is a prototype of the "widowmaker" designed and built by Tom Nelson @ Bunny Buster. He is the same person who made the slingshot in the last post I did. Check out his site if you want, Dean

My new slingshot

2009-01-06T06:18:00.000-08:00

Times have changed as we all know and so have slingshots. Here is a painting of one I recently bought from Tom Nelson in New York. He has a small business called "BUNNY BUSTERS" where he designs and builds custom slingshots and send them to clients all over the country and out of country. They are great for small game hunting and loads of fun just plinkin at targets (which is what I do). All in all it was a fun paint.

Coke bottle

2008-12-16T09:43:00.000-08:00

I painted a bottle of coke last night. I tried keeping hold of the brush at the very end thus making for looser strokes. The overall shape needs work but I was pleased with trying various shades of black. Thanks for looking, Dean

Strikes again!

2008-12-08T16:29:00.000-08:00

The urge struck again to paint upside down! I saw this dog sitting in a convertible the other day with goggles on. It was so cute. I got the camera out and took a picture. I know there is a lot of glare on these but you get the gist. Anyway, I graphed it out like I learned in the Mike Rooney video I saw on Jerrys artarama and turned it upside down and started painting. I really did not have high hopes for this given it was a majority shades of gray. I just stuck with it. I did not see it right side up until I signed it (upside down). When I sign I am done. No more painting so this one had no finishing touches when righted. I am very pleased with the outcome and really like the subject matter. Thanks for looking and always feel free to comment.

upside down

2008-12-07T06:50:00.000-08:00

I was on jerry's artorama's (?) website and was watching a Mike Rooney video. He showed how to graph a photo and then painted it upside down. Notice the lines in the photo? He said it helped to loosen him up and to get where you only paint the shapes you see and not the picture. It keeps you from painting what you think you see and only the shapes. Well I thought I would give it a try. So Itook this photo and sectioned it off. I then turned it upsie down and painted the shapes I saw. I did not try and get real color specific, I just tried to stay in values (still don't have the hang of it). All in all it was awesome! I really enjoyed it and am definitely going to do it a lot more. The way I will remember I painted it upside down was I signed while it was upside down! Ha! Thanks for looking .... as always, feel free to comment. Dean

People?

2008-12-04T19:25:00.000-08:00

Well I tried. I was shooting pics for a gymnastics center and took a few pics. I tried to paint one and here is what I came up with. I am learning a ton each time I get to paint. I really enjoyed painting people by just trying to paint lights and shadows. I am going to try painting more people more often. ..... as always.... feel free to comment. Dean

Anniversary Picture

2008-11-23T14:22:00.000-08:00

November marks my one year anniversary of painting. I want to thank Bernie Rosage for giving me an oil paint set and "bugging" me to go with him. I never wanted to do this to begin with. Since that day in November 2007 I caught the bug. The first picture I painted was in Swansboro, NC at a small waterside park. It is displayed on the right side of my blog marked "1st painting". Well I thought I would try to do something interesting. I went back to the same place today and painted the same scene as I see it now. I am hoping to do this every year it is available. I have to admit, it is STILL hard to paint! I cannot seem to get the perspective right. Maybe next year I will do better. As always.... feel free to comment. Dean

The last week

2008-11-23T14:12:00.000-08:00

Here are few images I did in the last week or so. I have been trying to get the water scenes but the water color seems to elude me. The "cabana's" were both done during our OOPS paint out in November. The one with only one cabana is a 6x9 and the other is a 9x12. It was chilly there to say the least but I hang out with some diehard painters in that group! The "beach" scene was done when I was with some friends on North Topsail at the inlet. They were fishing and I was painting. I have since gotten my salt water fishing license so I can slay some fish too! Feel free to comment. Dean

The last week

2008-11-02T10:37:00.000-08:00

Last Sunday I went out and painted at surf city's soundside park with the Onslow Outdoor Painters Society (OOPS). The weather was beautiful and the painting was fun. I tried a pic of the flag and a small water scene. Today I went to the local park and tried to paint the park scene. I had a lot of young "helpers" come up to see what I was doing. I had a great time. Here they are. Thanks for looking.

A desert exercise

2008-09-28T19:43:00.000-07:00

This is a pic I tried in effort to use large blocks of color. I am really enjoying the sky colors. I like the brightness and vividness of the magentas, oranges, yellows and blues. I guess while Megan is in Arizona I am on a little desert kick. Thanks for looking, Dean

Follow the Cow

2008-09-25T17:53:00.000-07:00

Here is a picture inspired by my daughter. Long story short she lost her hat while pushing cows on a ranch in Arizona. When she went to find it she prayed and asked God where it was. God told her to just follow the cow. She did and it led her to her hat. It reminded me to open my ears and listen to God. When I pray He may just tell me to "follow the cow".

4 recent paintings

2008-07-18T13:14:00.000-07:00

Here are a few more recent paintings I have done. I am finding that I have learned a lot when dealing with soft edges and getting a sense of depth in the pictures. The first one is an australian sheep dog herding one of our ponies. The next is a still life I painted with Bernie of an old camera. Third was my own doing. I did that the next night od an salt shaker. It was fun to try to paint glass again. Last but certainly not least is a tree at the end of our driveway. I did that one in 45 minutes. I think that was a personal record for me. Ha! I am looking forward to our paint out this sunday at hammocks beach state park. I am looking to really get something worth looking at at that one! Come join us!!!???? Dean

2008-06-30T18:08:00.000-07:00

Well I got back at it again last night and broke out the paints. There are a few others I did but you're not missing much. I used brushes instead of a palette knife on this one. I feel I got a good sense of depth and better drawing. Let me know what you think. THanks for looking. Dean

Getting the idea

2008-06-12T16:45:00.000-07:00

I think it is starting to come together a bit. I have a bunch of barn pics so that why you you are seeing so many. Don't worry, we will eventually get to something else. In the first barn pic I was getting a better handle on perspective. I see where the mistake are and that is probably the first step! The second pic looks really good in person and I am very pleased with it. It is a pic of the mill in trenton. There is a building and that stuff is water! Ha! I was getting the hang of the palette knife in that one. Those were #16 & #17! On my way!!!! Dean

Three more

2008-06-09T17:16:00.000-07:00

Here are three more pics I did this week. I am running behind a bit on my quest for 100. These are blurry because I shot them without a flash in a poorly lit room. The first picture I painted in the car on the way to west virginia. That's right, IN THE CAR! Ha! Now that was interesting! It is a road with some rocks, trees, an mountains in the background. The second was done at the hotel. just a green barn. Both of those were done with just a palette knife. The third pic was a plein aire outing at miracle meadows. I did it with a palette knife and then brought in three brushes to try to "tune" it a bit. I am eager to continue blocking in colors and and seeing improvement in the plein aire outings. Thanks for looking, Dean

and the count is 11!

2008-06-02T18:47:00.000-07:00

Well I have continued to paint. This stuff has a lot of ups and downs! Ha! I am starting to see the blocked in colors but I am having trouble with the palette knife. The first pic I had a problem with the perspective but since I am going for a hundred in 90 days I figure there is a chance I will be working on that again sometime soon. On the second picture I enjoyed doing the trees. In person they actually looked good. The 3rd pic is our local piggly wiggly. I had trouble with the sharp lines and darks. I tried putting a light pole in the pic to add something. There were cars in the pic but I didn't feel that ambitious. The predominantly gray pic was the mill in town. It was the first try at cylindrical shapes. It does look better in person. The last picture is a rusty barn. I am basically going for shapes at this time. I am very eager to get a hand on color and how to get the one I want. I am realizing with the proper color mixture this blocking in exercise I have been going through will get better and better. Thanks for looking and remember to double click on the image for a better view. Feel free to comment.

#6 The barn in the field

2008-05-27T19:21:00.000-07:00

Here is a picture of a barn in the field. I gave it a shot for about 45 minutes tonight blocking in the major colors. I am really looking forward to seeing where this all leads to on the road to 100 in 3 months. 94 to go! Ha! I am hoping to get better at this pallet knife thing. Don't worry, I will only blog once or twice a week. Remember to double if you want to see it better.

My painting weekend

2008-05-26T16:40:00.000-07:00

yellow house

pelletier house

the flag and water front

civil war tent by the road

red barn

My painting weekend started at 9am saturday with a workshop with artist Mike Rooney hosted by the onslow county council of the arts. I have to say I was very frustrated at the end of it. Mike was trying to get us to paint in shapes and tonal value. It was an exercise to get us to loosen up. The part that bugged me was I was trying to get more tight and he was teaching loose! Ha! Anyway he made a challenge to try 100 paintings in 3 - 6 months (he started at 3 and then lengthened it). He wanted us to squint down and just paint the shapes we see in the tonal value and color. Then paint the shapes we see in the shapes. The "yellow house" was what I painted that afternoon. Well, I did not bite for the challenge that day.

The next day was an OOPS paint out at the Pelletier House in downtown Jacksonville. I tried to apply what I had learned the day before and came up with the "Pelletier House" in about 45 minutes. It is a 6x8. I then tried to paint the side of the house with the waterfront. The flag was my center of interest. This was a 9x 12 and I worked on it for probably 3 hours! Ugh! At this point I was very frustrated and decided I had time to try one more and I was only going to use a pallet knife. I then did the tent by the side of the road. Now that was fun. Just slapping the paints on in the shapes I saw. It was a full day of sunshine, fellowship and painting.

Then came monday and I had to go to Raleigh for photography training. After I got home it was time to catch up on chores. Once that was done I grabbed the pallet knife again and did the "red barn". It took about 30 minutes and was very relaxing. I am really looking forward to the upcoming journey to 100. Yes, I am taking him up on the challenge. Bear with me as I go. I am sure I will be doing a lot of it with the pallet knife. As always, feel free to comment and remember to double click to enlarge the image. Dean

I Copied!

2008-05-19T18:27:00.000-07:00

I tried something different this time. I copied a painting of Bernie's. I recently bought "impressionistic highway" from Bernie and was in need of something to paint. I originally thought I would do a still life but I could not find anything I wanted to paint. I then saw his painting in my office and tried to copy it. The first image is his and the second is mine. Thanks for looking.

Painting from photographs

2008-05-16T14:34:00.000-07:00

What you are looking at are two paintings done from photographs. The "mill pond" was done with Bernie at one of our tuesday night paint outs. He has a program he uses from time to time that shows the picture in stages. First stage was all the darkest parts. The next stage just added in a lighter dark and so on and so forth. Lastly was color. This is to train your eye to see shapes instead of looking at the picture as a whole. It was extremely difficult for me because I did not know what we were doing. I moaned and complained the whole time until the end. I then got the idea and I know if I get to use the program again it will be much better.

The "red barn" is just a photo I took and wanted to paint. I enjoyed trying to shade the colors and add shadows. I tried to get a sense of depth, which I feel I got close to, but I could not figure out how to mix the paint to get the color I wanted for the background trees. I have a bunch of things I want to learn about oil painting and I am starting to remember things I have been shown by other artists while I am painting. I gave myself two weeks to figure this painting stuff out but I think it might take a bit longer. Ha!

Thanks for looking.

Bugler

2008-05-08T18:56:00.000-07:00

I took a picture of a bugler at the civil war re enactment and decided to try and paint him tonight. This was meant to be as impressionistic as it is. I just wanted to get the gist, not the detail. If you want, let me know what you think. Remember double click to enlarge the picture.

Toe shoes

2008-05-07T18:10:00.000-07:00

As you can see I tried painting these again. It was a tuesday night painting exercise taken on by Bernie and I. I find the challenge in trying to get the fabric to look soft and worn. It is different trying to get a sheen for highlights instead of a direct shine/highlight. I am thoroughly enjoying still lifes and am getting a bit of a collection. I am eventually going to follow in Bernie's footsteps and put the better ones on ebay. If they sell I can buy more paint!!!! To see a larger version double click on the image. Thanks for looking and feel free to comment.

three more

2008-05-04T16:52:00.000-07:00

This weekend was pretty busy. I couldn't get to the OOPS paint out during the day so I decided I would try a night scene. I learned loads!!!! The first and foremost thing I learned is whenever painting at night make sure you have light on your painting and easel or you will not know what you are doing! I was in the latter group. I still like the picture and enjoyed the time talking to the re-enactors (sp?). I then got up at 6am on sunday to go and try to paint them in the daylight before they left but it was raining and I said forget it. Around 10 the sun was shining so I went to the new "Deppe Park" and painted. They have a walking trail so I tried to paint that. I painted the toe shoes to try a soft texture. Bernie and I will be painting them again on tuesday. Should be fun. Thanks for looking and feel free to comment.

Plein aire day

2008-04-30T17:58:00.000-07:00

Today was a great day of plein aire painting. I had the fun of painting with a friend who was visting from Ohio! Some of you may know Leslie Taylor. She is a muralist and painter. We had a great time. I found it amazing once again at how two people can look at the same scene and paint so differently. I love her work. It is very fresh and exciting. Hers is the one with the awesome detail. I cannot wait to get that good!!! Thanks for looking.

Guitar/Lamp/Barn

2008-04-20T16:52:00.000-07:00

Here are three paintings I did this week. The guitar is a 1936 Kalamazoo that was my dads. I did this as a still life project to paint. I saw afterward that I did not get he angles just right but I will try again soon. The lamp was a plein aire paint in downtown Swansboro, NC with Bernie. I ran into a lot of problems with this one. I was looking up at the light and painting like I was looking directly at it. Not my finest hour but I did learn quite a bit about perspective on that paint out. The barn I painted today as another plein aire. This is in my backyard so it was an easy paint out and I feel it is my best so far. Let me know what you think. Thanks for looking.

socket wrench and civil war canteen

2008-04-16T16:04:00.000-07:00

Here are two pics I did this week. The socket wrench was on my own and the civil war canteen I painted last night @ Bernie's. I am learning to keep at the picture till it is done. Sometimes during a painting session I think the picture will not turn out but I am usually pleased with the outcome. I am learning a lot about applying what I have been learning in still life painting to plein aire. I just saw the correlation today so the next plein aire you see should be better than what I have been doing. Please feel free to leave comments if you want and check out the link to Bernie's art.

NYC 911 and Beirut Memorial

2008-04-13T18:36:00.000-07:00

For those of you who don't know there is a 911 and Beirut memorial in Jacksonville NC. The 911 memorial is a beam from the trade towers that was donated in memory to the victims of 911 and the fallen Marines of the Iraq war. The Beirut Memorial has been built in honor of the 241 Marines and sailors that died at the Beirut embassy bombing on Oct 23, 1983 at the hands of a suicide bomber. It is a large wall with the names of all 241 Marines and sailors that died that day. I painted both. As you can see I was near the 911 memorial with the Beirut Memorial in the background. It was a challenging topic but I am pleased with the outcome. My favorite part was the "street" light. I took a lot of artistic license and left out about a dozen trees and two flag poles. Please feel free to comment.

Green Apple

2008-04-09T11:56:00.000-07:00

As you can tell by the title I am letting you know what it is. ha! I figure this way no one says I enjoyed the round pear! Anyway.... After I finished the horses I still wanted to paint so I grabbed an apple and gave a shot at it. I tried to work with some complimentary colors to give it some pop. I can see a bit how they work together. I put some on the shadow side of the apple and in the background. I was surprised at how fast I did this one. It only took an hour. I am eager to get at the easel again. The colors look more vibrant in real life.

The End

2008-04-08T17:25:00.000-07:00

I called it quits. I know there is more to do but at my level and experience this is about all I can do. I know they do not have hands but that's okay. I am pleased with the outcome anyway. I do not have any big canvas ideas at the time but I am going to work on small still lifes and plein aire paintings. I hope you enjoyed seeing this in stages.

Painting Glass

2008-04-03T13:09:00.000-07:00

This was a detour off the horses for a night. I went to paint with Bernie Rosage and he was going to show me how to paint glass. Two weeks prior when we got together we used acrylics and prepared a background for this venture. We basically used gray and white. After it dried we toned it with an oil wash over it. We tried to simulate the look of a photographers backdrop. I like this technique. What I found interesting about painting the glass was we used a flake white. I always thought that white was white. Guess I was wrong. Then we just painted the ice cubes in different intensities of the white. The lemon slice was an effort all in itself. I never got what I was looking at but was satisfied with the results. By the time we had finished the ice was melted and the glass was sweating! I don't think I could paint that. It only took us an hour and a half. I usually don't get home till 11:30pm on our paint outs. All in all I enjoyed it very much. As soon as I learn how to do links I am going to link Bernie's blog so you can see what this stuff is supposed to look like! ( I think I figured it out!!!) Thanks for looking and as always feel free to comment.

Shading started

2008-03-31T20:05:00.000-07:00

As you can see I started some shading. I put in the crop and some halters in. I added some stirrups and worked a bit on horses muscles. There is a lot more work ahead but it is quite enjoyable to work on a bit at a time. Let me know what you think. Thanks for looking.

Still at it!

2008-03-29T13:30:00.000-07:00

Today I added goggles and a few faces. Remember I am just blocking in color. I am going to start with the saddles soon and then shading. As for detail on faces I am going to wait till closer to the end. I have a bit of a problem with the legs on the jockeys but I am sure they will work out. When the details start filling in I hope the outcome will be what I am looking for. We'll see. Feel free to comment, it shows me someone is reading this! Ha!

WIP #5

2008-03-26T18:58:00.000-07:00

Tonite I tried to block in some more color. I did some body color on the horses, pants on jockeys and started on the boots. I am trying to take it slow and just get things placed. I will be starting some shading in the next two sittings. I have high hopes for this painting. I am eager to see how it turns out.

WIP #4

2008-03-23T15:37:00.000-07:00

Well today I started blocking in color. I am really getting an idea of what it is like to paint on big canvases. This one happens to be 18x24. I have a lot of work in front of me with shading and more coloring. This quite a bit of fun. I usually sit down and paint in 45 minute blocks. These jockeys are so colorful and I am still debating whether they will have faces or not! Ha! Thanks for looking and feel free to comment. Click on the photo to enlarge.

WIP #3

2008-03-21T19:40:00.000-07:00

I got a bit aggressive tonight. I got home around 9pm and had to paint just a little. I attacked the background (which are trees in the pic) and wanted to keep a sense of movement I have a feeling that this is going to be a very impressionistic journey. I also put the helmet colors in. I hope this is going to be vibrant and eye catching.

WIP #2

2008-03-21T19:37:00.000-07:00

Today I toned the background and the ground itself in a burnt sienna. I thought that was all I was going to get at but it wasn't as you will see!

Work in Progress Part 1

2008-03-21T19:31:00.000-07:00

Here we go on a work in progress. I was thumbing through the reader digest the other day and saw a picture of race horses and said I have to try to paint it in my own way. I am going to submit pictures to the blog after each day. I did a couple things today but they will be talked about in the next post. Here is day one. What I did here was a basic sketch of what I am going to paint. I think it took about an hour.

Exercise in white

2008-03-17T17:35:00.000-07:00

This was an attempt at something that seemed relatively simple but was challenging. I really enjoyed this. It was so much harder than it looks. I am still finding it difficult to choose background colors and get the order of operations correct. I need to know when to do what first. I am also finding that white is not white. There are so many shadows and reflections that you normally do not consider. I am looking forward to trying to paint glass. Keep watching!

Urban Art Day

2008-03-17T17:08:00.000-07:00

The Plein aire artist of OOPS (Onslow Outdoor Painters Society) converged on downtown Jacksonville at the train depot sunday for a great day of painting. It was my first try at buildings and perspective. I still do not have the hang of it as evidenced by the street angle. I was too far into it and refuse to fix paintings at this stage in my art. It leaves more room for improvement this way! Ha! I did have to wait a day to put the name on the sign. The green was very wet. I am including the picture of what I was painting also. This was very challenging to do in one sitting. There is still so much shading that could be done but it was overcast and the shadows were hard to see. Please feel free to comment. Thanks!

The Coffee Cup

2008-03-10T17:39:00.001-07:00

Well It is what it is named! Ha! I worked on this three separate times. After the first sitting of about one hour. The other times were 30 minute bursts. It is amazing how if you walk away, when you come back you see the piece differently. I know there are more things I could work on with this piece but there comes a time when you just have to quit. I am showing the various steps in the process. I am still having problems picking background colors and shadows. They are much harder than they look. Please feel free to leave comments. I have found I could not upload all the images so I am only going to upload the last one.

Tea pot

2008-03-08T18:41:00.000-08:00

This was by far the hardest painting I tried. It was very challenging and rewarding at the same time. There were a lot of ridges and odd shapes. It took two sittings to complete it. I know I have a lot of room for improvement after this sitting. I just had to put this down. I wasn't getting anywhere. It was humbling to say the least. It did build confidence though. I am eager to attempt another project later this weekend. The new brushes and equipment my wife bought me are really working out well. It is amazing how much LESS paint you use when using artist grade oil paints. Thanks for looking.

At it again!

2008-03-05T04:49:00.000-08:00

It was a windy night. Two lone painters gathered at a home nestled in the deep woods of Jacksonville North Carolina. Each on a quest to bring life to an all white canvas. One succeeded very well, the other..... Oh well, I will show it to you anyway! This was by far the most difficult of all the subjects I have tackled so far. That's right, it is harder than fruit! I never really got the color I was seeing and the spoon that was in it was too ambitious for me. I enjoyed trying to get it to take form. It was interesting how many times Bernie and I wiped our canvases and started over. The most challenging part of this was the lighting in the room. If we turned on a light so we could see what we were doing it threw off the light on the subject so we had a directional light pointing up and that kept causing our shadows to fall on our palettes. Now you can understand why getting color was so difficult. This was also painted with new brushes my wife got me along with my own easel she bought too! BTW she also got me real paints that go on like butter instead of tar! I really did have fun though and am looking forward to getting better. Please feel free to leave comments.

On My Own

2008-02-27T15:34:00.000-08:00

Well I tried to paint on my own and the first time it was a flop. I talked with Bernie and got him to outline the steps we took to paint a still life. I then went home and tried to paint taking the steps he showed. This what I came up with. I was pleased with the shadows and the overall look of it. I still need to work on my colors and blending. I am going to try the same apple set up a few more times and see if it gets any better. Once I get the technique down I will move on to other subjects. I am hoping to have two things to show in the upcoming art show. Please feel free to leave comments.

The Pear

2008-02-20T06:20:00.000-08:00

This was my second attempt at still life with artist Bernie Rosage. I learned about color and shadows. One thing I noticed is that when I made mistakes I could go over them in another color and "fix" them. I especially enjoyed the strong shadows on the pear and table. I was particularly impressed with how there is a variety of color in shadows. The technique we used was fun. The short, paint filled brush strokes were different but not distracting. The pear was supposed to be with the same stokes but I could not blend the shadows on the pear well with those strokes so I opted out and reverted to simple strokes. All in all I am pleased with the outcome. I know I really need to learn how colors act together. I know I could not replicate the color on my own but I will get there. Feel free to leave comments. Thanks for looking.

2008-02-10T20:20:00.000-08:00

THe "OOPS" artists strike again. This time we visited the Faulkner estate and enjoyed their hospitality and scenic views. I attempted the dock with the marsh- like background. My major concentration was on perspective. I am pleased with the outcome but still have plenty of room to grow. I found it difficult to mix colors. I need to learn how to use colors that work in harmony with each other. I feel my greens across the water are too green. I also am learning a lot about shadows and attention to detail. Speaking of detail I am not sure how to handle repetitive things such as the boards in the dock. Oh well I will learn in time. It was very windy today and I actually came away with bugs stuck to the painting. I was going to leave them in for authenticity but opted to remove them. All in all it was once again a great time for fun and fellowship around the canvas. Feel free to comment. Constructive criticism is welcome.

on my own

2008-02-02T17:11:00.000-08:00

Well I tried. I attempted to take the information I gathered from my first still life but without Bernie's guidance I got confused. For those of you interested that is supposed to be a fruit bowl with an apple beside it. I had a difficult time with just about everything... shadows, perspective, background, even coloring. Oh well. It still was a lot of fun. I am going to continue to try this and hopefully I will get better with time.

my first real still life

2008-02-01T07:40:00.000-08:00

January ended perfectly sitting at an easel getting some painting instructions from Bernie Rosage. He took the time to show me how to do a still life. I must say I never thought I would enjoy doing a still life. I had thought they would be quite boring. I was wrong. I found it very exciting to see the image take shape on the canvas. It was a whole new way of painting for me. Not that I know anything about painting but I never "sketched" a painting out first. I had always just dumped paint on the canvas. I thought it was great how we did tonal values then added color ending in highlights. It was very exciting to learn some actual technique. I will definitely be doing more of these. Thanks for looking.

Frigid Paint-out!

2008-01-20T16:45:00.000-08:00

We painted today in 37 degree weather. It was cold! My 11th painting taught me a lot about shadows and shading. I also tried a horse ( by the barn). I was very blessed with the fellowship of the other painters and their input to help me develop an eye to what I am actually seeing, not what I think I see. I am enjoying this very much and am looking forward to great growth in my painting endeavors. Let me know what you think.

painting 8-10

2008-01-08T15:57:00.000-08:00

Thought I would start explaining here. Number 8 is a picture of a sand trail at North Topsail Beach North Carolina. It was my first try in putting buildings in the background. I am learning about perspective and minimizing the amount of paint on the canvas. In painting #9, "the Dolphin Dip" It was my first try at putting people in a picture. This was painted from a picture I took on the first of January at the Dolphin Dip at Surf City North Carolina. Painting #10 was painted at a local family's pond. I learned a lot from that outing. I tried to get the dried up pond water to look better but had some troubles. I am practicing highlighting water and other things. The trees did not take the shape I wanted but given the limitations on time I like the lack of detail. What happened was I was trying to "copy" another painter (Bernie Rosage) painting so I could learn. I got into it an had to quit. I was getting lost. I then tried to salvage the painting and do what I wanted. What I learned is to be yourself from the start and enjoy what you do. Bernie's painting are excellent and I really enjoy his style but we are two different people and we will never paint identically! ISN"T GOD GOOD!!!!

the New Year

2008-01-08T15:08:00.000-08:00

This year I am making some changes. I no longer am going to try to use this blog as a photography forum but one for my new pursuit, oil painting. I will be learning how to navigate the blog as time goes on so please bear with me if things are not posted correctly. I want this to be a place where people can come and chart my progress in painting. I will be posting pics as well as explanations as to what you are viewing. I am finding that important given that some of my impressionistic paintings take clarification! Ha! I hope you enjoy them as much as I did painting them.

lesson #2

2007-10-19T12:06:00.000-07:00

Last night I tried again at the brush. I think I need to watch that guy on tv. He seems to be able to do it in a few minutes and it looks good. I am confused..... This is harder than it looks. I am beginning to think it may take 2 or possibly 3 more canvases before I got this perfected! Ha! Anyway.. I learned two good things: (1) Have the light source eminate from the same direction on all your elements (duh!). (2) Just because you let the painting sit overnight does not mean it is dry. (can you guess what happened there?). Allin all I enjoyed it very much. I am going to try again with simpler subject matter. When I get one that I would not be completely embarassed to show, I will post it. Like I said earlier..it may take two or three more canvases though! Thanks for reading and I hope to see you "In the Studio".

1st try @ paint

2007-10-17T19:18:00.000-07:00

Today I tried my hand at painting. Ugh! I was given paints by Bernie Rosage, a transformed photographer to painter friend. Oh why do they stray??? Ha! Anyway, I think the best thing I got paint on was my hands. The canvas is very sad. As for now I will stick to photography.

Sport & Pony Portraits

2007-10-16T18:44:00.000-07:00

As some of you know we also run a business called "Sport & Pony Portraits". We take "Buddy", our house broke pony, to eastern Carolina daycares and preschools. We provide a great alternative to your standard "sit and smile" school pictures. I hope you enjoy a few of the pictures I posted.

In the Studio

2007-10-16T17:26:00.000-07:00

Welcome to Remington Photo's "In the Studio". I am starting this blog as a way to showcase some of the work we are providing and to get ideas from you as to what you think. Given time, I am trusting we will have some great studio work for you to enjoy and can show some of your fresh ideas. I am very new to blogging (this is my first posting) so please bear with me as I learn to navigate and make this more interesting. Thanks for reading!! Now to see if I can figure out how to post a picture!