Video: Blue Skyscape, oil on canvas, 36 x 60 inches

Blue Skyscape, oil on canvas, 36 x 60 inches  $7500 framed
Exhibiting: Madelyn Jordan Fine Art, Scarsdale, NY

In this video Ken describes what makes this predominately blue sunset a success without the usual setting sun effects and offers a strategy to keep this large painting compelling in all directions.  2 minutes

New Work: Light Effects reworked. Oil on canvas, 48 x 36 inches

Version II / Light Effects, oil on canvas 48 x 36 inches  $5800 unframed
Sorelle Gallery, New Canaan, CT

Version I / Light Effects, oil on canvas 48 x 36 inches  from 2017

February 2018:
Reworking a painting by using a a couple of strategies to create improvements.
Here I took a perfectly good oil and reworked it to create a more subtle and elegant effect.

Video:  Ken describes how he transformed an existing oil into a better one by reducing the number of elements in the painting.  4 minutes
Written in August 2017:
I began this oil (Version I) as a demo for the workshop that Casey Klahn and I put on in 2017. The dark trees in the upper left are just as they were painted in that day. For the demonstration, I wanted to offer the example of a very direct and strong start.

The background was also laid in with strong colors but as the painting progressed over the last few months, what remained was the strong lighting at the top as the the strong colors in the background were toned down, causing them to recede.

All of these moves were done to improve the painting rather than create a more realistic scene. This is what makes painting enjoyable for me - trying to get more out of the artwork with a variety of strategies.

During the last painting session today the lighter areas began to take the lead. I made the sky brighter and insured that the glow travelled down into the background. Once more light and shadow variations were added to the grasses below, the entire painting fell into place. After a lot of patient trials, this forest came to life with color, atmosphere and in a somewhat abstract way.

I really like those original dark trees with their high contrast and the motion they give to this work.

Forward to Feb 2018:
After seeing the painting in the studio for a time, I decided that I wanted the oil to have more simplicity and a softer light. Trees were eliminated and the light is more subtle throughout the painting. Some of the colors were grayed down a bit and it actually enhanced the effect of the glow. It was a surprising outcome but it was just the effect I was looking for. Greys are very important at times!

As the painting progressed, a path began to form. It is nice to have it there, pointing the way to more good things to come.

The original dark trees in the upper left remain from that good start at the workshop that day and after removing unnecessary trees, the composition is simplified and has more sophistication.


More information about my Workshops

New Work: Jeweled Forest, oil on panel, 18 x 24 inches

Jeweled Forest   oil on panel, 18 x 24 inches  $1575

This is a small work for me and I enjoyed the process. Since I'm typically working in the 4-6 ft range, it is amazing how rapidly things happen in a two foot world!

There was an older oil under this panel that had been sitting around in the studio for about a year. Now that 2018 had begun it felt like a good time to have another go at that image. 

My first thought was to improve the existing oil but as soon as the first brushstroke was applied, I realized that I didn't want to just tweak what was there. Now I had an opportunity to do something much bolder and that's were the orange background came in. 

I'm typically working with 1/2" width brushes and they cover canvases quickly, even at 5 or 6 feet.  In this case, it was like having making an acre of orange forest in minutes with the painting asking, "OK, did that, now what?" 

I was great fun to 'locate' the green trees rather than representing them in detail. The bright greens held their own against the orange background nicely. The yellow foreground in the bottom right is all that remains of the original painting and I used that area as a bright inspiration for everything that followed. 

There are always a lot of options for sky besides blue and that was my plan. First I put down a bit of blue and purposely left remnants of the original oil in the sky. My intention was to bring in another color over the blue creating something different. Hmmmmm, those remnants are nice with those random bits of yellow mingling with the blue... an unexpected surprise that made a common blue sky a lot more interesting. OK then, add another, brighter blue to the mix and create a glowing sky - push the blue.

From there I added more dark, contrasting areas in the trees and it was done.

...now to figure out those other 4-6 foot canvases waiting for their solutions.

New Work: Lake Shadows, oil on canvas, 30 x 30 inches

Lake Shadows, oil on canvas, 30 x 30 inches  $4400 framed

I have returned to this image of a reservoir. It's a strip landscape and in this case, one with a lot of complexity. The painting is much about bands of color everywhere and a lot of manipulation was done to get them all to work together.

As the painting developed, my desire was to set up an interesting color combinations. In the process of doing so, I began to push the colors further to create light effects and vibrancy. This oil went through a number of changes with each one taking the oil further compositionally and chromatically. The finished work is alive with shimmering colors.

Initially, I had set out to do a more somber scene with a very limited color selection, but when the yellows and blues kicked in, they were too exciting to tone down and spoil the fun. That somber version will have to wait for another day.

Grateful Notices: Hidden Sunset, oil on canvas, 60 x 60 inches

Hidden Sunset, oil on canvas, 60 x 60 inches  Private collection, Arizona

I had just delivered this oil to Saks Galleries, Denver when I got a phone call from a friend. She and her husband were interested in this oil and asked me to meet then at the gallery so they could see it in person.

Being an artist is very fulfilling at times. Successfully creating a work of art that is challenging and then meeting the people that feel compelled to bring it into their homes is pure gratitude.

My sincere thanks to the collectors and to everyone at the gallery that graciously made it all possible.

Read more about the making of this oil from my previous blog post.

Exhibit Opening: Saks Galleries, Denver. Sat. December 9, 2017

Please join me and other gallery artists for this festive Winterfest opening

Saturday, December 9, 10am - 2 pm

Saks Galleries, Cherry Creek, Denver

There will be refreshments, carolers, and an ornament decorating station. This will be great fun and I'm looking forward to seeing you!

HIDDEN SUNSET

Oil on canvas, 60 x 60   sold

More about the oil on this blog

EDGE OF THE FOREST

Oil on canvas, 36 X 36   $5100 framed

More about the oil on this blog

Video: British artist Steven Wiltshire draws the N.Y. skyline from memory.

NY Times video by Benjamin Norman, Nathan Griffiths and Kaitlyn Mullin
This is a 360 video, so you can use a mouse to move around the video, With a smart phone or tablet, move your device to see the video in all directions.
View it here

After a 45 minute helicopter ride, Steven begins a drawing commissioned by the Empire State Building for their observation deck upgrade project.

His sister says that Michael was mute until he was 5 years old, a special needs child. His school discovered his amazing ability to draw very detailed scenes from memory.


It took him just five days to complete this very large work. Clearly, he has a rare gift and amazing focus.

Thank you Michael, for showing us what is possible. You are my hero.

Michael offers, "Do the best you can and never stop regardless."