Spinning In The Wind - Completed

Not the very best photo, but I have completed my latest painting in my Body Language series.  "Spinning In The Wind" is done in oils.  Although the figure is spinning, it is a sort-of a controlled spin in the way that dancers do.  I want to represent that: yes, even when we feel out of control, there may be some aspects of our lives that we can hang on to.  Is the figure freeing themselves from the pole or hanging on?  Are the threads that are unraveling around their head creating a halo or a cage?  I wanted movement, but still a feel of quiet.  The contrasts represent the pull of many things in our lives, sometimes in different directions.  Are we stopping the spin?  Or making things spin faster?

Umbrella On The Beach - Class Project

Umbrella On The Beach – Acrylics

Project by Artist Jackie Stacharowski  ©2016

Supply List:  8x10” canvas, acrylic paints:  permanent yellow, permanent red, permanent blue, ultramarine blue, burnt sienna, white.  Flat brushes ½”, ¼” and a small round brush.  Water container, paper towels, ruler, chalk, blue painter’s tape, paper plate for palette.

This composition is done in a vertical or portrait orientation.  Measure 4” up from the bottom and use the blue tape under the mark to preserve the horizon line.

                       

Using permanent blue and white, paint in the sky area having it darker at the top and gradually get lighter towards the horizon.

Remove the tape.  Mix permanent blue and yellow to make a greenish blue for the ocean.  Paint in a triangular area being careful to not get water color into the sky area.  If you do, it can be touched up but do your best.  The water is lighter towards the horizon and gets a deeper color towards the beach.  The line right where the water touches the sky is darker. 

Mix burnt sienna and white to get a sandy color and paint in the beach area.  Paint the edges of the canvas with the appropriate color all around the sides.  This will give a nice finished looked to the painting.  Touch up the horizon area if it needs it.

Take a break!  Let the canvas dry for about 10-15 minutes.

Mix some white with some clean water and scrub in some clouds along the horizon.  

Scrub in some waves in the water parallel to the beach.  Use a ruler and paint in the pole for the umbrella.

Add interest to the sand by mixing a watery yellow and burnt sienna and glaze them over the sand area.  Use the yellow in the sunny area and the burnt sienna in the area that is shaded by the umbrella.

Use the chalk to sketch in the shape of the umbrella.  I used 4 sections, you can put more or less in if you’d like.  You can paint each section whatever colors you’d like.  It will take several coats to cover the sky area and get good coverage.  Mix white into the colors for the first few coats.  Then if you want a deeper color use the paint out of the tube.  Once the solid color is in, paint a lighter side to each section to the left and the right edge paint it a slightly darker shade of that color.

Add a few birds in the sky.  Sign it.  You’re done!

                         

Small Paintings

The Seacoast Artists Gallery, which is where I have my paintings displayed, raises money for art scholarships for local students by selling small 5x7" paintings.  I donate on a regular basis.  The past couple that I have done are:  "Crab", "Are You Okay?" and "You're Sweet".  Crab was done in acrylics, the other 2 in oils.  The pears and apples I gave them a dialogue with their stems.

These small paintings not only go to a very good cause, they give me a chance to practice my casual realism style.

Crab - acrylics

Are You Okay?  -  oils

You're Sweet  - oils

Progress On Paintings

I have been working diligently on my two latest paintings.  Still not completed but much further along.

Prisoner of Past Mistakes

Spinning In the Wind

2016 Paintings - In Progress

OK, I am the first to admit I am not good at keeping up with my blogs.  But its a new year and my resolution is back into the spotlight so I am getting off to a good start for this year.

I have 3 paintings in progress right now.  Hope to get 2 of them completed in time to enter them into the WACG Juried Show.  Entries are due early to mid February.  So I have some time.  I know what I want to do, now it just getting the paint on the canvas.  All of them are in my Body Language series.

Prisoner of Past Mistakes

Sketch 

Current State of Almost Done-ness

As you can see I still need to paint the ribbons that hold my person captive.  I added one across the face, I feels that adds to the prison feel.  The ribbons on the left are there to show the viewer that the ribbons are just that and not iron bars, ribbons that may easily be broken or removed.  There is glare on the right side of the photo, the background is essentially dark blue with a few lighter streaks, but the same across the canvas.  The person and background I believe are done.  I will vary the colors of the ribbons but keep them in the yellow family - I think.

Spinning in the Wind

Sketch

In Progress

How do you feel when your life seems to be spinning out of control?  In reality you're in the same spot, but that is not how you feel.  I made the painting smaller than I had originally planned, its now large enough but not too large.  I made it feel as if it is outside in a simple landscape to enhance the concept of wind.  I added a couple panels to the whirly-wig.  I laid it out in acrylics but am finishing up with oils.  Only the two panels near the figure are done and the background.  I will adjust the coloration of some of the other panels as I go over them.  The figure will be more realistic in shape but I need the front panels to dry before I can work on them.  Much work to do.

Looking Up

Sketch

I have the canvas with the drawing sketched onto it, but that is the extent of the physical painting.  The work I have done in addition to the concept and the sketch, has been to decide on the color scheme and to get the feeling that you get if you are laying flat on the floor (or where ever) and am looking up at people looking down at you.  This is the view point of an infant, an invalid, or anyone that feels helpless and off-balanced.  Just getting started.  I need to finish the other two first.

That is my to-do list as far as my paintings go.  Class demo's, newsletters, illustrations, goofing off... they are on the list too.  Keeping up with my blog is way down the list, but I will try to do better this year - really!

2016 Winter/Spring Class Schedule

The Open Studio at the Base Rec Center here in Myrtle Beach will resume this Thursday January 7th.  It will run - probably until the end of June on Thursdays from 9 am until noon.

We will miss a few weeks.  I will be traveling in February to Costa Rica so there will be no class on the 11th and 18th of February.  There will probably not be a class on the Thursday before Easter - March 24th, I will probably have company in town.  Not sure of the last week of May but its too soon to say for sure.

Come join us!  Every works on their own project at their own pace.  Beginners thru experienced artists are welcome.  Oils, acrylics, w/c, color pencils, pastels are all welcomed. I do a small demo about half way through the session.

Family Secrets -finished painting

I completed the painting in oils.  I am very happy with the result.

New Body Language Painting - Family Secrets

The sketch

First layout

I just started a new canvas.  It is part of my body language series that explores interpersonal relationships.  This image explores the secrets that every family has.  Some large, some small, but all ignored if possible.  The secrets try to get notice.

As always with me, the layout on the canvas does not exactly match the sketch.  I wanted to use a canvas that was twice as wide as it is tall.  This one is 24 x 48".  

I block it in using acrylics.  They dry quickly and let me make modifications easily.  I think I like how it is laid out.  So I will switch to oils when I continue.

Abstract To Expressionism - SAG presentation

I was the guest presenter at the May meeting of the Seacoast Artist Guild.

My talk explored my creative process for my Body Language series and the path that took me to that series of painting.  It was an interesting, and mostly difficult, process of trying to articulate the way my brain works when creating these paintings.

This is a link to the pdf version of the slides I had in my Power Point presentation.

SAG May 3, 2015

Seacoast Artist Gallery Hanging on May 1, 2015

The Gallery changes the displays twice a year on May 1st and November 1st.  We had a re-opening and 2nd Anniversary this week.  Here is a quick photo of my display.  The front display has a theme every month.  For May the theme is 'Food & Drink' and I did a tasty lobster as my contribution.

I am displaying a selection of my Body Language series.

'Get Cracking'  16 x 20"  Acrylics

Get Cracking

"Get Cracking"  Acrylics

My latest painting.  The Seacoast Artists Gallery at Market Common in Myrtle Beach changes out its window display each month.  Each month there is a theme and the theme for May is 'Food & Drink'.  My tasty lobster here will be part of that display.

It is 16" x 20"  done in acrylics.

I have had the reference photo for this for a number of years.  I kept toying around with it in my head and with this theme, it was the perfect time to finally put brush to canvas.  I am very please with how it turned out.  Makes we want to head out to a seafood restaurant :)

Painting - February 2015

Here are my latest paintings.  I completed them (just) in time to enter them in the local spring shows.

For the Waccamaw Arts & Crafts Guild Juried show I entered:

Looking Back - 40"h x 30"w  Oils

Wave Of Celebration  -  22"h x 28"w Oils

For the Seacoast Artists Guild Spring Show I entered:

All My Eggs  8"h x 10"w  Oils

Embracing The Warmth  18"h x 24"w  Oils

All of these are part of my "Body Language" series.  The sizes of the canvases are important too, the basket is small and intimate and the mountain is tall.

The SAG show is at the Seacoast Artists Gallery at Market Common in Myrtle Beach from April 3 - April 16 2015

The WACG show is at the Art Museum of Myrtle Beach on Ocean Blvd from April 30th to May 31st 2015  I must be juried into the show and judging has not been done yet.  

I am very happy with how these all turned out.

Class Demo from 9/25/14

This is a demo of a landscape painted from the inspiration of a photo of a marshy area here in South Carolina,  Kurt was nice enough to snap the photo since my i-phone was stuck at the time.

The steps so far:

1 - I began with the sky, making it more intense than the photo.  I like to use more intense colors in my paintings to add pizzazz to them.  The sky is a darker value at the top and becomes a lighter value at the horizon to add visual depth to the painting.

2 - I added the tree line.  Distant trees are less detailed than those 'closer' to the viewer.  A gradual V-shape pulls the viewer's eyes to the focal point where the water leaves the marsh area to the left.

3 -  The sandy soil under the grasses was blocked in.

4 - The water was painted in, lighter in value near the horizon, becoming a deeper value towards the bottom of the canvas.  The variations in the water add interest.  The water is smoothed out to remove brush strokes to give the mirrored appearance of still water.

to be continued at class on Thursday.  9-noon  Base Rec Center

Class Project May 16, 2013

 

Class Project  May 16, 2013

 

 

In class this week I painted the above canvas in oils.  Notice how the sprig of flowers begins on the left side of the painting and casually drapes over to the right side.  The leaves at the bottom and on the right side balance out the composition.  They are not as intense as the focus object of the flowers, but give weight to the right side to create balance.

 

I worked wet-in-wet which allowed me to get the nicely blended colors in the flowers.  The richness of the oil paints and long working time gave me the ability to achieve this look.

 

The Open Studio will continue until the end of June.  Come join me if you'd like. 

Thursday mornings from 9 am until noon. 

Base Rec Center near Market Commons,  Myrtle Beach SC

Parade of Joy - Stage 1

 

Parade of Joy - Stage 1

 

I transferred my sketch onto an older canvas so the background colors were there.  I decided that I did like the blue, green and pinkish areas, so I made them more intense.  I also added more color into the figures.  Then I tried adding more movement into the figures.  I am still working on the composition.  I will play around with it some more before I decide which direction I will continue in.

 

Class - Open Studio

My current schedule for teaching is my Open Studio at the Base Rec Center at Market Commons at the south end of Myrtle Beach.  It is held on Thursdays from 9 am until noon.  It is open to all levels of skills and all mediums.  I coach each student on their own projects at their own pace.  I do not require students to sign up for a particular set of classes, just come when you can. 

For beginners I can spend more time going over basics to get you off to a proper start. 

For intermediate level artists I can teach you techniques to improve your paintings and get you to the next level.

For advanced artists I can help you critique your work and find new solutions for a fresh take on your paintings.

Bring your own supplies and come enjoy painting in the company of fellow artists.

Parade of Joy - Sketch

I have come up with a sketch that I like for a new painting in my Body Language series.  I like the movement that I captured.  The figures are dancing with joy in a sort-of  semblance of a parade. 

I will transfer the sketch to an old canvas.  I like to reuse canvases that I began a painting on - then abandoned for some reason.  I seldom use a pristine canvas, if I need to use a new one I will smear left over paint onto a white canvas to tone it down before using it. 

As I progress I will post more photos.

To be continued...

Class Demo - The Egret, Part 1

 

The Egret - Part 1

 

 

The class demonstration painting begins with a lesson on placement of a single figure on the canvas.  Notice that most of the bird is to the right side of the center line.  He is facing left, with enough space so it appears that he can easily walk forward.  This is an important compositional feature - whether it is a person, a bird, a car or a train - any object that can move, have more space 'in front of it' than behind it so it will feel comfortable to the viewer.  Its a psychological thing, but real.

 

Also notice how the bird is place on the canvas up and down.  There is a little space, but not too much.  A single object should fill up most of the space on the canvas.



 

The other feature to notice is the darker value background at the top and lighter water area at the bottom of the canvas.  This will allow the best contrast between the light bird against the dark and the dark legs against the light water.  This will make a more interesting painting then if I did the opposite.  Contrast is an important part of composition - use it to your advantage.  Use your artistic license to make sure your center of interest, in this example the bird, will stand out better against the darker background.  Even if that is not what you see.

 

This step was to lay out the composition and block in the background.  I used several dark colors to keep the background interesting.  It got smeared in the car on the way home, but no big deal, this is just the first layer of the painting, the scapes will be painted over.

 

To be continued....

Class Demo - The Marsh

 

The Marsh

 

Now that my Open Studio has resumed, I have also resumed doing a demonstration painting.  This one is a scene of the marsh in the early light.

 

The first step was to paint the sky.  I used a lavender blue fading to a pale yellow to capture the silky light of the dawn.  I also used a richer Indian yellow in the water; although stronger the sky color it still reads reflected light which is what I was after.  In demos I sometimes exaggerate the colors to illustrate how to use one's artistic license to capture mood as well as the actual scene.

 

The distant trees have bushes in front of them.  I painted them a brighter green since the morning haze was giving them a glow that I wanted to capture.

 

I made the grassy areas in the foreground much redder than in real life, again to grab the sunlight and to bring them forward into the picture plane.

 

The tree has amber tones which reflects the nature of the light of that morning.  A few birds in the sky add life to a painting.  There is also a gator in the grasses that adds the true nature of the marsh and mixes well with the quiet calm of the morning.

 

This painting is a good example of using artistic license to exaggerate the colors of nature to capture the mood of the scene.  Don't be afraid to push your colors.



Wrap Up The Year

Yes, it is only the 1st of December, but I am in a mood to start tying up loose ends.

I have not posted anything on this blog recently - my life has taken a turn.  Since the beginning of July I have been in Florida helping my Aunt.  She is my Dad's little sister and my godmother and a good friend all of my life.  She lost her husband of over 51 years and has some heath issues of her own.  I have been staying with her, helping with all of the paperwork, doctors visits etc.  My energy is spent with all of that.  Things have stabilized enough that I feel that I can start putting some effort into my own work.

I have been sketching.  Exploring ideas for a book to write.  Planning to finally getting around to updating my website. 

I need to get photos and create a post showing my latest 4 painting that I did in the Spring.  They each can stand alone, be two diptych or what I like most is that they can hang 4 in a rectangle and create one large quad-tych.  Each is 3' x 2' and when hung like that the image is 6' x 4'.  I created it to be hung as part of a show called Big Art which was displayed at the Richardson Gallery at the Horry Georgetown Tech College at the Conway campus.  I really like how it turned out (and how easy it was to transport this way)

I hope the Holidays are wonderful for everyone.  My resolution for the New Year is to get back to posting on a regular basis.  I might just be able to keep that one :)