"If Life Gives You Lemons"

This painting was started as a demonstration piece for my still life class but I liked the concept so I thought I would try to finish with my students the following week. Well this week I set up the still life again but discovered I was too busy helping students to really work on the piece (and they didn't need to see how I finish something). I did a little here and there, mostly working on the transparant bag and picking out areas where I wanted more color in the lemons. I didn't work on the background or tabletop. I'd like to recreate a similar set-up in my studio and paint it to what I feel is a more resolved finish.

Why one photo is warmer and one cooler is a mystery to me. I shoot both outside with overcast natural light. The cooler photo is a picture of the final oil study.

"Fall Chill"

I think I'm getting too old to be painting in cool weather and winter is just around the corner. But I love fall colors and once again was painting along the river edge.

10"x8"

Oil On Linen

($165.)

"Cold Day" (sold)

It was freezing painting along the river today. This painting is more a reflection of my reaction to the day than what I was looking at. See Karen Phipps' blog for her interpretation on this same scene.

9"x12" Oil

"grapes"

Another grape study created with a palette knife.

20"x16"

Oil on Linen

"Yellow Door"

Returned to this same section in Old Town to try to capture the quiet and intimate feeling this entrance gives me. It's become a battle. I will certainly be returning there again before fall ends. 7"x5" Oil on Linen ($99.)

unfinished

"If life gives you lemons,..." well you know the rest of the saying. This is another demonstration piece which I painted for my students. Hopefully I'll be able to finish it another time.

12"x16"

oil on linen

light study

This isn't a piece done quickly or under a hour. I really took my time over the last two days with trying to paint not the objects but rather the air which surrounds the objects. I had initially intended to finish this and include the table. But I have decided to leave it and move on to another another painting.

11"x14"

Oil on Linen

I've been doing a lot of quick sketches, in oil, using various models. I'm trying to get a believable gesture as if I caught life as it is happening. These studies have been helpful painting figures in my plein air street scenes.

12"x6" Oil on Linen

"Autumn Haze"

Today I painted under gray skies which seemed to compress the value range, eliminated dramatic highlights but, created mysterious shadows.

9"x12"

Oil on Linen

($200.)

"Yellow Doorway"

I thought this side-entrance was very inviting. I had to try to capture its appeal.

14"x11"

Oil on Linen

"Soft Breeze"

Like yesterdays piece, this is also looking down the river but facing into a hazy sun/sky.

6"x8"

Oil

($99.)

"Autumn Bursts"

The falls colors are so pretty along the river. It's hard to decide which to focus on, the colorful trees themselves or their reflections. This is a palette knife painting.
10"x8"
Oil on Linen
www.hong-sammons.com

"Moonless" (POEfest Exhibition)

The Plein Air Painters of Chicago were asked to exhibit paintings for the October POEfest. The theme is anything that gets your skin crawling. We gathered last night and painted after the sunset. It was really fun. I stood under a gas lite street light so I wasn't painting totally in the dark but some were painting in near darkness. I thought all the pieces were successfully creepy.

8"x6"

Oil

($99.)

"Feeling Nantucket"

I was walking my dog near my home when I noticed this house. It struck me that it would look great sea-side and so the title. This piece gave me lots and lots of problems because I wanted to make it painterly vs. architecturally. Then there was the added problem of dappled light.

12"x12"

oil

"Still Life"

Although this painting has several objects it is really about painting luminous light.

16"x12"

Oil on Linen

($480. +$5. s/h)

"Last Rays of Summer"

I've been reading Karen Phipps' blog regarding her week studying with Camille Przewodek. Camille's creating process is very different from mine but what I respond to is how she stressed finding the big simple shapes and using what's important to you as a vehicle to express light.
Today went from sunny to gloomy but I clung to the feeling of an Indian summer day. From where I stood I could have painting several different pieces along this same theme. I wanted to saturate my painting with autumn sun/glow. I played my colors and values off the front flowers. I've attached a photo of the scene which I took just before leaving this site to paint another piece a few yards away. Originally I intended to paint the background trees and shrubs but now I think I'll just leave it as is.
10"x8"
Oil On Linen
($190.)

"Fall Bounty"

This wasn't painted today but it is an alla prima oil painting made with a palette knife. A painting friend set up the still life and chose artifical lighting. It was fun and challenging to paint something arranged and lit out of my comfort-zone.

8"x10"

Oil on Linen

($190.)

"Rush Street"

Quick study painted with early morning light & gray skies. I was interested in catching the interior lights and the street lights before they turned off for the day time.

10"x8"

Oil

(190.)

head study stage 1 & 2

This is a head study painted in about two plus hours in a workshop conducted by an amazing young artist, Marci Oleszkiewicz. The image with the clip is after about 45 minutes during which time I was just trying to get the correct value relationships while thinking about the anatomy. The remaining time was spent trying to flesh out the head but continued to check my drawing so that I wouldn't distort the face. I need a lot more time to bring this piece to a "finish" so here sits another unfinished head study. But I so loved working on this. What a challenge.

14"x11" Oil on Linen

"Turquois Hoops"

one last time,...
Worked more on this figure piece but know it still has so many more wonderful little things to bring out but I think I've exhausted my ability to do so. When I started, I was primarily concerned with getting the drawing correct and establishing the big shapes. I'd like to continue this kind of study from life.
20"x10"
Oil on Linen