Wings Over Winecountry, Colleen's place (1 Viewer)

[colleenc]

Thanks. Trying out my iPhone to post. Wish me luck

 

[colleenc]

thanks Rahul,

Added some decent gulls to this one, one of the seascapes where I was messing with a low horizon line to give deeper space, try to have gulls support but not take over the scene.

having internet connection problems so will have to try later

 

[Woody]

I hadn't realised that I'd not commented on these latest, it's so difficult to remember with so much going on.

The top seascape is magic, full of atmosphere once more. I'm usually of the 'it's a gull of some sort' camp too, I'm OK with the commoner adults (I think) but my head starts to spin with juveniles! I like your gull of some sort, it's in such lovely light who cares what type it is!

Mike

 

[colleenc]

finally some gulls in the seascape that work...I want them in but don't want them to take over....this means tiny, right now about 1/2 inch and painting direct with a couple of strokes and left alone....still it needed lots of sketching to get to know the jizz to make it work, seems so strange

long view #41 with gulls.... one of a trio where I was experimenting with the horizon line, up high, mid, and low leaving all the rest the same to see the effect of the line on the "space" of the painting...going to try a flock next then some flying over the water

having trouble uploading so here is a link


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[mark richards]

cracking stuff!! love the light in last one, with gull....mark

 

[solitaryVSong]

All look good Colleen. As I've said many times this subject seems made for you. And it's nice to see the gulls sneaking in.

 

[JTMB]

Nice to see and hear about your working with gouache. I have done only a very few (and small) pieces with gouache, but for the reasons you mention, it is on my list to get more serious about. After I master oil painting, ha! No, definitely sooner than that.

 

[colleenc]

I put the best gouache so far up on the Flash thread, as for the seascapes, I've a long way to go, right now its just about getting some basic pieces straight. Like when you are learning to drive, you have to know the basic skills first before you can put them all together, how to shift, steer, start , stop, turn etc, and tho you may do them one at a time putting it all seamlessly together takes some practice. I've done studies now for almost 2 years....and not one big painting yet, but think I'm getting close.

I have 50 left of the last 100 challenge of long views left, after that I will try my first real painting

here is the gouache, from a Western gull I think. This is on the gouache surface I'm trying to develop of a mix gesso, paint and medium all acrylic...am trying out several different colors until I find one I like. Works very well in the field as the gesso lets you scrub out back to the clean surface if you don't like part of what you did.

 

[phil baber]

All, as ever, is simply wonderful. You are such a talent Colleen. And the detail of practical aspects is so helpful to all. A pure joy that proliferates back into the World...As always, a VERY big fan of yours! Keep up the joy!:t:

 

[colleenc]

thank you Phil, you are too kind

another use of gouache I found is that you can oil paint over it as I saw in one of my art books on William Trost Richards, 1833-1905 who's seascapes I'm studying

these were done from life, then at home I sharpened it with some oil touches...

don't have it quite right yet, but they are coming along...I think I should try a full on painting where they are bigger, these are bout 2" done direct in paint

oil over gouache on gessoed paper. 5x8

 

[solitaryVSong]

another use of gouache I found is that you can oil paint over it as I saw in one of my art books on William Trost Richards, 1833-1905 who's seascapes I'm studying

Born in Philadelphia was Mr. Trost Richards. I knew his name rang a bell. A quick look on wikipedia showed that he was different than most of the Hudson River School in preferring accurate detail over romanticism. Makes me think I should take a good look at him.

The new paintings have I think a nice sense of animation to them, like you're getting a good sense of the pose.

 

[Lykos]

I love the colors of the seascape....

 

[colleenc]

Born in Philadelphia was Mr. Trost Richards. I knew his name rang a bell. A quick look on wikipedia showed that he was different than most of the Hudson River School in preferring accurate detail over romanticism. Makes me think I should take a good look at him.

The new paintings have I think a nice sense of animation to them, like you're getting a good sense of the pose.

thanks the animation is what I'm after right now, as in the seascapes they are too small for details, or ID

William Trost Richards is a quite amazing if little known artist, his best work to me is the small studies he did ( large works are great too) what he gets as a grand view in such small space is quite beyond belief. All done in front of the place for the most part. Here are a couple, the one on blue paper is amazing... this is just how it looks at Salmon Creek, and look what he's done with blue paper and a bit of white gouache this work is 6x13 inches. Believe me this is not as easy as he makes it work, to get the movement of the waves right and still keep the perspective. He has a device of a gull flying low over the wet sand and it's reflection, that I intend to steal, quite nice adds movement and does not distract. It's in a lot of his paintings, and something I might have missed had I not seen him do it first. It shows how he paid attention to all that is happening out there.

Most of all his sense of light, blows me away. Lands End, the second one 6x5 inches 17x13 cent. look for the sheep close and farther, and then birds all these give huge scale to this, and the point of view is so hard to get right. then look how he creates such light in the sky :eek!:He did countless studies of rocks that are near photographic, so it comes out well when he does the cliffside views, he must have loved rocks. He spent a lot of time sketching in the British Isles which accounts for the sky mastery IMO the sky has never been better painted than in the British watercolors by a long string of artists there. Richards is a match for any of them, and quite adept in many medias
seascape is 6x13 (17x34 cm)inches about the same size

 

[colleenc]

going to focus on some details now

imm california gull ( pretty sure) they have such beautiuful eyes, and are more slender than the others.

gouache 5x8

 

[colleenc]

More gull studies, and a little plein air view, all done outside...getting gouache to do more what I ask...and falling really in love with it outside.


and finally distilled the gull"marks" in to just what I want to have, 3 or 4 touches with a small brush and they are in, these even have some of the late light glow, they are just a bit under 1/2 inch in size on this 5x8 study.

 

[colleenc]

Some kind of gull:-O second year I think.... waiting for Id from that forum, my guess is California, but this age has blue not pink legs...so don't know...

I tried a new technique of doing some underpainting with a very thin coat of liquin and color for this, that nice orangy color

this is my first study in oils, still don't have that gull beak quite right, it's the dangest thing the tip is better but where it comes into the skull is still off...

 

[Andrew H]

The 'Plein air' and the last gull are spot on for me........

 

[resparza]

The 'Plein air' and the last gull are spot on for me........

Ditto :t:

 

[timwootton]

Excellent body of work here - your landscapes have real atmosphere and sense of place; just the ticket! These gulls show a great deal of insight and, contrary to your own assessment, the last one looks anatomically right as well as being a beautifully painted study. I love the muted colors you're using in the topermost studies; those purpley-greys are very nice indeed.

 

[solitaryVSong]

The 'Plein air' and the last gull are spot on for me........

Particularly like the last gull Colleen.