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Showing posts with label works in progress. Show all posts
Showing posts with label works in progress. Show all posts
Friday, September 28, 2018
Newsletter: September 2018
Monday, April 4, 2016
In the Studio: April 4, 2016
Here are some of the oils in progress from today.
At the upper left is a 4x5 oil that may be complete. It seems to be in good shape, but I've perched it on the wall to keep a close eye on it. The idea is to keep it fresh and not work on it just to stay busy. So far my 'dialogue' with the work tells me there isn't anything left to do.
Just below that on the floor, left is a 3 x 5 oil that was painted over a previous oil that came to a dead end. I kept that canvas around for about 3 years and this week I finally painted over it with a new idea. The composition sprang from the finished 24 x 24 oil on the floor, right. The 3 x 5 looks very spontaneous - it was, and I'm inclined do a few small things and declare it worth art!
On the easel is a recent theme that sprang from a pastel demonstration for the Colorado Pastel Society recently. This 36 x 36 oil represents a good start and once it dries for a few days, I'll eagerly continue it.
On the easel back right is a 30 x 48 oil that has been in progress for about a month. I'm just adding a few things from time to time and enjoying the incremental progress. It's so easy to overwork something like this (I can be the expert at that) so I'm much aware of avoiding that trap.
Now that I think of it, the entire studio is a representation of a number of good starts and overworking is nowhere to be seen.
This is the beauty of having a large number of works in progress because I never feel pressured to finish that One. There is always another start to make or another canvas that calls out for attention.
I'll be back in the studio again today to create more puzzles and bring some of these oils to completion.
Monday, February 8, 2016
In the Studio: February 8, 2016
Here are three new oils in progress.
On the easel is a 36 x 36, floor left a 36 x 48 and above left a 48 x 60. They are all generating their full share of surprises and problems, but all and all, they are coming along nicely.
It is a great advantage to work on more than one canvas at a time. There are four others in progress not pictured here, including a 40 x 56" commission. All 7 of these canvases are still in play with each other, calling out for attention and wanting the improvements just added to at the other. It is quite the conversation and in the end, all the canvases find solutions in ways that would not have been possible without the chorus of suggestions from the other artworks in the studio at the time.
The March Making it Fine Art Workshop in Boulder, CO update:
The January Workshop sold out as well as the upcoming one in February, but the March Workshop in Boulder has 2 openings left. (updated Feb 9)
I hope to see you there!
Ken
Monday, January 18, 2016
Workshops: Boulder, CO March 19-20, 2016
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| Ken Elliott's Boulder Workshop attendees in Jacque Michelle's studio, Feb 2016 |
We just completed the Making it Fine Art Workshops in Boulder, CO for Jan and Feb. It was great fun, informative and Very Inspirational!
The March 19 - 20th Workshop in Boulder has one opening left. (updated 3-13-16)
Workshop page
Flyer and complete info
Sponsored by Jacque Michelle at her private Studio,
3060 5th St, Boulder, CO 80304
Open to artists at all skill levels and media
An indoor, two-day workshop Limited to 8 participants.
$390 per person payable to Ken Elliott or register online below.
A new 2 day workshop in my Castle Rock, CO studio (Denver metro) will be announced soon.
Next scheduled workshops:
Marshfield, Sept 9-11 and Falmouth, Sept 16-18
Making it Fine Art 3-Day Workshops with Ken Elliott
Sponsored by the North River Arts Society and the Falmouth Art Guild
Open to artists at all skill levels and media
An indoor, two-day workshop Limited to 8 participants.
$425. per person
Flyers with complete information and registration info:
Marshfield
Falmouth
I hope to see you there!
Ken
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| Ken Elliott's Boulder Workshop attendees in Jacque Michelle's studio, Jan 2016 |
From the Boulder Workshop attendees:
"Just a quick note to let you know how much I learned, enjoyed and benefited from your art workshop at Jacque Michele’s studio Jan. 16-17. It was a groundbreaking eye opener for me in so many respects. At the end of the two days I felt like you had given me the tools to truly free up my art work and go wild with color and strokes. A very liberating experience indeed. It was such a pleasure to meet you and study under you. Hope we will be seeing more of you in Boulder."
A.R.
A.R.
"I can't thank you enough for coming to Boulder! Thank you for your clear eye, your hard work, your
beautiful color and your careful feedback. I'm now a different Painter...maybe a different person? I loved the weekend. And I can't wait until we get to soak up your love for the work, for Wolf Kahn, for COLOR -- yet again (note that I'm greedy).
"You are an amazing addition to our lives."
M.
beautiful color and your careful feedback. I'm now a different Painter...maybe a different person? I loved the weekend. And I can't wait until we get to soak up your love for the work, for Wolf Kahn, for COLOR -- yet again (note that I'm greedy).
"You are an amazing addition to our lives."
M.
Tuesday, June 23, 2015
New Work: Forest Light oil on canvas, 40 x 30 inches
oil on canvas 40 X 30
Steamboat Springs Center for Visual Arts
Over the years I have attempted a lot of oils and not all of them ended up as finished works. This piece was begun about three years ago and put aside.
Had I made a better start at the time, this painting might have essentially finished itself By offering a clearer path to resolution. Instead, the canvas was a muddy muddle without clear areas of focus. It was unappealing and I didn't have any ready solutions to take it forward.
This oil was in a stack of orphan canvases that needed help. My plan was to add three things the canvas lacked: contrast, drama and clarity. Thanks and gratitude to my teacher Wolf Kahn for those insightful tools.
The painting was already dark enough so that when I added lighter areas, the oil was immediately more appealing and happily, the contrasts began to emerge. Immediately I had a better composition to work with and more options presented themselves.
Greens are not usually a focus of my works but since I was pushing off with this older image, I wanted to gamble with a variety of greens in a way I hadn't attempted before.
To increase the dramatic effect and depth, a number of colors were tried in the background: pink, orange, rose, blue, and purple. There wasn't a color system at work, I was contrasting the greens with an interesting array of color to see what would work best. As it turned out, I found a way to weave all the colors together creating the effect of a left to right motion. It was a nice counterpoint to the predominantly vertical composition.
The last touches were the blues in the upper right foliage and the few bright red leaves. Both moves added complexity and additional points of interest in a subtle way.
In the end, it took patience, a bit more artistic experience and clearly seeing what was needed to bring the painting to life.
I'm going back into the orphan stack to see what I can fix next.
Monday, June 8, 2015
In the Studio: June 8, 2015
There are a number of works in progress right now, 4 are shown here. It hasn't been dull lately with all these starts. I'm creating a lot of problems and enjoying the 'chess' game, searching for the solutions. At this point, the paintings are talking to me, telling me what they need.
It is very important for me to have a lot of works in progress at the same time. The advantages are many, but one of the most important is that it keeps a single painting from being too precious.
Everything is up for grabs here. Subtle or sweeping changes can be made - whatever makes for the best possible outcome. When I get to a dead end or stopping point, another painting in the studio is calling for attention.
Someone is arriving from out of town for private lessons today. It's always fun and a thrill to share ideas in the studio.
Monday, January 12, 2015
In the Studio: January 12, 2015
Here are a couple of new works going to my show at the new Arden's River Oaks Gallery in Houston. On the easel is a 5 x 7 foot variation (untitled at this point) of the 30 x 30 oil sketch to the right. I did that small sketch at a Making it Fine Art Workshop in Omaha, NE last year.
Upper left is a 4 x 5 foot oil that is also for the exhibit, Deep Red Forest. On the floor is an oil left and pastel right, both in progress.
I'm looking forward to seeing what happens next!
Thursday, December 4, 2014
In the Studio: December 4, 2014
The studio is becoming a busy and crowded space!
I am preparing for two shows in January, 2015.
Lower right is an art class demo from Omaha, Nebraska a few months back. It is a 36 x 36 oil, untouched from the initial session. It was a very nice start (part of the class lesson that day).
Upper right is a completed 40 x 40 oil that has been through many, many transformations and finally ending in success.
Center is another oil, 48 x 48, that went from 'good enough - finished' to something more dramatic and appealing. It is almost complete after going through a complete metamorphosis in a dramatic fashion. Before I cleaned off the painting palette for the day, I took those 15ish colors and quickly applied them in an overall fashion to the entire painting, changing palette, contrasts, composition and the trunk patterns. It developed into a new start over what was a finished oil and I'm very happy with the new result. Very little is left to do here.
Bottom left: a 36 x 48 oil after one session. It has great possibilities and I'm looking forward to following where it takes me next.
Upper left is a 48 x 72 oil that is taken from the small oil on the bottom right. These two oils are a perfect representation of where a great start can take you. All the information I need for that 7 foot oil is right there in the smaller demo.
The PACE Center in Parker, CO will have what is essentially a retrospective of my works in various mediums: oil, pastel, monotypes and collage. There will be a catalog of the exhibit as well. More information on that mid-January opening will follow.
I'm excited to announce that my Houston gallery of many years is expanding into a new space in a very prestigious part of the city, January of 2015. The new gallery name will be Arden's River Oaks and the grand opening date is yet to be announced. I'll have a number of new works including the 4 x 7 in progress here.
Enjoy the holiday season!
Ken
Monday, August 4, 2014
In the Studio August 4, 2014
There is a lot going on in the studio today.
The 30 x 40 oil, lower left is complete: Yellows with Reds Insisting
The 30 x 30 on the easel is also complete: Fall Begins
The 48 x 48 oil on the upper left is going through more changes. At one time it was all yellow trees, now telling what will happen next, but it keeps going through stages of getting better and more interesting along the way.
The 30 x 40 oil on the right easel is just about complete... it is there to be reviewed for the next few days.
I'll be starting in again on yellow and orange 4 x 5 foot oil on the floor, right. Can't wait!
Monday, May 5, 2014
In the Studio: May 4, 2014
Two 4' x 4' oils are newly underway here. The one on the upper left and center easel came from very good starts. The upper left is essentially complete and the center one will have additional changes before it is done.
The field scene in the lower left is just painting itself as it sat around the last few weeks. That means I'm glad I left it alone after the last session... it is a better oil than I thought three weeks ago and much closer to being a very interesting, finished work. You gotta love it when that happens.
Having a number of painting in progress is a distinct advantage. The paintings all feed each other and the pressure is off to finish ONE precious canvas at a time before moving to the next one. This is a freer environment with a lot of work in play.
The 36" x 36" canvas at the far right is NOT painting itself but solutions are starting to percolate....
Monday, April 14, 2014
In the Studio: Art Class April 14, 2014
I have a number of new things in the works this week.
The two square oils center and right are older starts from a couple of years back. The center one is 30 x 30 and on the right, 40 x 40 inches. They have been lurking in a pile of unfinished oils. I could also call this stack a graveyard for bad starts. There is no need to beat myself up, it was the best I could do at the time.
Good starts are very helpful and provide an efficient path to a completed work. On the other hand, part of a great start is to just be mindful of what makes a good painting. Wolf Kahn has a good template: clarity, drama and contrast.
Part of a good start also means taking chances. You may use unusual colors, higher contrast, stronger brushwork, etc. For me, the idea is to thrill myself in large and small ways.
On the left, oils in progress: top 36 x 48 and bottom 30 x 48 inches.
There are a number of challenges in play here... going for the thrill !
Thursday, March 27, 2014
In the Studio, Art Class: March 27, 2014
Upper left, a 40 x 72 commission that is almost complete. This is a variation on an earlier large work in oranges and yellows. This oils is all about reds, yellows and greens. The trick is to keep the colors flowing all over the canvas, working the front to back and using leaf shapes without making portraits of the trees. Just a bit more tuning and it is done.
Lower left is a the now completed skycape Huddle at the Ocean 30 x 30 inches, started during my art class in St. Simons, GA last month. More info on the blog link.
To the right of that is a very old oil pulled out to the stack of paintings gone bad. It was once a very nice oil, but I overworked it my a country mile. I learned not to work at night since the lighting is not as true and I'm just not as fresh, giving me the tendency to slog on rather than paint smart. I painted over the foreground with a somewhat transparent yellow, added the dark trunks on the left and now a new painting is emerging from the earlier start. It calls to me now and I'll go where the oil guides me.
Center on the easel is another start from a workshop done here in the Denver metro two years ago. It was also in the stack of coulda-shoulda made better starts at the time. After seeing it again last week, the start was pretty good after all. The bottom was just yellows and white canvas, so the aqua greens were added first. The white canvas coming through really shouts... hmmm. The trees were just a mass of upright trunks in very dark colors. I've added purple going to blue foliage to get something going, allowing a lot of the darks to come through. The entire oil is up for grabs - no spots are sacred, but it has the potential to remain a very strong and interesting landscape.
On the easel is the now completed oil Ed's view, Tomahawk Lake, 30 x 48 inches. It is one of those classic lake shapes. Not wanting to do the typical look, I did my best to make it an interesting painting to view. It helped a lot to make a good start with some unusual colors thrown in for complexity and interest. Watch this blog Monday, March 24th for a posting that shows this finished oil in progress.
I'm starting to love that challenging stack of 'bad' canvases to pick through!
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