"Periwinkle Blues"

It's been a few weeks since I've updated my post because I've been in three different group shows in three different states. The intensity of preparing and participating in them has been a great learning experience, very very fun, and I'm happy to report a success on several levels. I've never been comfortable meeting and greeting people at openings but after these shows I feel quite at ease. Now I hope to get caught up on life and back to painting some of our fall colors before the first snow.
"Periwinkle Blues" is a series I started right in my garden. I realized something was eating my blue mystery flowers. So over a few early mornings, I sat with a warm mug of coffee and painted what I think are heather and ???. What attracted me to these scenes was the haziness of the dawn light.
12"x12" and 14"x11" (framed $340. each)

St. Louis Show

I'm in the middle of trying to pack my compact car with +30 paintings. I've come to the realization that I just can't take some of my favorites because they're TO BIG!!! I love to paint large and use a huge bakers spatula because I feel like I've physically stepped into the creating process. This series of 11"x14" will be the bulk of my newest for this St. Louis show and with luck I'll be able to tuck some 40"x30" along.

Recipe for plein air painting

A great recipe for plein air painting; hot sunny weather & legs dangling near a cool waterfall. (forgot to snap a photo of my paintings)
"Sand Dunes" (5x7, oil) was painted right at noon with the sun directly overhead. With such a bright light the value and temperature were greatly compressed to one end of the gray scale.

Old Town cathedral

Karen Phipps and I teased we should call the paintings we did this day "Stinky" because we had to stand next to full trash cans and in the alley (the alley was Karen's idea) with "watch out for rats" signs. Needless to say we did lots of mouth breathing and fast painting. We gave ourselves one hour to paint this church because we knew the light would change fast and limiting our time helps us get down to the business of what's necessary.
I thought mine was going to be about the steeple but the painting quickly told me it was about the geometry. I really don't like to think about perspective and all it's rules. Gives me a pain between the brows. Normally I don't care if the perspective isn't perfect. But for this piece I wanted the geometry and perspective to highlight the expressiveness of the design.
(8"x6" oil $149.)

"Off the Path"

One of my students asked me if I ever worked from my imagination and I said "no." Never say never because that is exactly what I started doing after that particular conversation last spring. Thank you Afshin. "Off the Path" is a painting I created in my studio although my muse are numerous memories of living and revisiting the northwoods area. Also I have a couple of little 4x6 oil sketches created over the past eight years so it's not 100% invention. But working this way is a leap for me since I've always preferred painting on location and not re-working the painting later in the studio.
"Off the Path" is a 36"x24" palette knife painting. I was really thinking about Leffel's definition of background and spent a lot of time developing my "background" prior to hitting the lights.
This painting will be shown at the Marion Street Gallery, Oak Park, Il.
($2250.+$12s/h)

"Jazz Note"

"Jazz Note" will be among several of my paintings shown at City Art Gallery Greenville in North Carolina. The salon style summer show opens Thursday evening, 6/10/2010. (www.cityartgreenville.com)

"Jazz Note" is an on-going series of night life oil paintings started a few years back. I like playing with the different mood artificial lighting brings to a scene compared to natural light. It is 20"x10" oil on stretched linen.

studying background

Leffel's workshop was divided between figure studies and still life studies. During the 1 1/2 days we had with still lifes I focused on "background." David defines "background" as everything not in the light. This definition simplified things for me and helped me focus on creating a solid support for the "light."

12"x16" oil on Claussen #13ddp linen. Still life studies never to be finished because I got what I wanted from these studies - a better understanding of brush strokes and background.

etc. again

So I'm really enjoying my little pochade box. Besides being so handy that it can easily fit into any small bag/purse since it's only 5"x7", it gets me out of the studio faster and allows me to paint more inconspicuously while jotting quick color and value notes in oil. The second photo shows the pochade strapped to my leg instead of hand-held. I came home from work and saw the beautiful shadow crossing my neighbors side door and had to try to catch it.

I'm still obsessed with poppies and thought I'd post a few more of my efforts. The close-up is 8"x8." The last painting, but not the last in my poppy series, is my attempt at inventing a flowing and slightly rolling meadow punctuated with mostly poppies. It's 24"x24," love that square format. If you go to my Etsy site you'll see a few more example of my poppy paintings that I favor. (http://www.susanhongsammons.etsy.com/)

"Poppies"

8"x8" oil "Poppies"

I've been working on small plein air oil sketches with the idea that maybe I could then takes those sketches and turn them into something in my studio. This is a studio piece, small again but actually inspired from some sketches of bluebells.

Pochade Box

This week it's finally been warm enough that while plein air painting I have not had to wear long johns, feet and hand warms, wool sweaters, and several other layers but, I still need gloves and a heavy coat. Still with the sun shining sometimes, I was motivated to bring out my little poached box made by fellow plein air painter and part-time carpenter, Denny. This sweet little paint box has a strap on the bottom where I can slip my palm into or, if sitting, strap around my leg. So I tried to escape and do quick little 5"x7" studies and try to catch the spring landscape. Here is a sample of a few I did. Karen and I noticed that even on a sunny day the sky is hazy, not bright blue like we had in Arizona. Is that because in Arizona we were painting in high altitudes??? (Denny also makes wet panel carriers. This one is for my 5x7 panels)

"Etc."

I'm calling today's post "etc" because I thought I'd highlight a few of the things I've been working on these past two weeks. It's still the same as always although I've added card-making to my evening routine. Making cards by cutting the shapes from fabric is ridiculously labor intensive but I find the whole process calming. Either that or it's the red wine I'm sipping while clipping.

This first imagine is from a workshop I'm taking from Romel de la Torrez. I love his very laid back teaching style. We often don't even know when he's arrived. The biggest difference, for me, in his approach is his insistence on large canvas and painting fast. This is 20"x16" which is the smallest he recommends I work. Normally I would bring a 11"x14" so this feels huge. He casually threw out that I should have it all massed in within 20-25 minutes - gulp. But I grabbed the challenge as well as my largest brushes (not palette knives). The 2.5 hours flew and I was happy that I accomplished as much as I did.

Canson's Pastel Paper

22"x30"

vine charcoal and powder

cast study-2.5 hours

This drawing was done with a more "painterly" attitude. I first rubbed in a layer of vine charcoal powder, massed in my darks, and then pulled out lighter values with toilet paper, #4 bristle brush, and lastly for my lightest lights a kneaded eraser.

7"x5" card

"Wishes"

message inside

Wishing you all the great things in life

Happy Birthday!!!

or

"remembering"

Thanks for helping me remember what's important...

And today it's you

Happy Mother's Day

to purchase cards and see more examples - http://www.susanhongsammons.etsy.com/

"Red & Green"

Does it take anyone else almost forever to set up a still life? So how many ways can one rearrange radishes? This little arrangement took me most of a morning to create and then I had to run out and buy more radishes because the leaves wilted. As you can see I'm having fun playing around with what is a different aesthetics for me; using a lot of white clothes and cropping.

This 8"x8" was painted in oils with a palette knife. $149.

"Everyone Needs Roots"

I've been experiment with non-traditional Susan compositions. This is the first one I felt happy with so much so I'm willing to blog it. Normally, I don't crop in my still lifes. This whole idea of cropping is really a "shake-up" for my world of paint - I know I'm pathetic. And!,... look at all that negative space. I'm still using my favorite painting tool = palette knife and I'm loving this 8"x8" format.

(available at http://www.susanhongsammons.etsy.com/ for $145.)

Kari (2.5 hr head study)

Last night I joined a figure class at the Palette and Chisel. Romel de la Torre is the instructor. If you're not familiar with his beautiful paintings go to http://www.romeldelatorre.com/. You will not be sorry you spent a few more minutes on your computer. I like Romel's very laid back approach to teaching. He wanders around and gives everyone a few comments but mostly he just watches our results and doesn't rush us. Most of the people have studied with him before but I'm a new-comer to his group.

I did not think I could even get a block-in finished in +2 hours. Just goes to show what can happen when I focus. But I did fail to nail my block-in more concretely/with conviction. I think had I done so I could have ended with a less "spotty" look and perhaps some decent brush strokes. My brush strokes suck, pardon my language. So I can't wait to get to open studio and work on a more confident block-in and BRUSH STROKES!!!!!!!!

just in case you haven't notice my blatant flashing banners, I started an Etsy store (Etsy is an on-line site selling handmade items only) I recently posted some 5"x7" cards inspired by my love of making quilts. I cut fabric, not paint, to create each shape. I'm also showing some smaller paintings. If you've time and need some cards, please consider mine - Thank you http://www.susanhongsammons.etsy.com/

head study - Jessie

So great to get back to the Palette and Chisel and work with a model. Saturday there isn't a lunch break, which I prefer, so we can paint from 9-1:30 on one pose. Of course I was late (because I went with Karen and worked from 7-9 on a cold corner painting a street scene) but I still got to work on; simplify to big shapes, value, and then the time was up.

My first painting of cactus.

I never finished this painting because I kept having to scrape away my starts. My values were too dark. I was surprised at how much lighter on the gray sky I need to work. I think in the end I'm fairly happy with my value study.

Notice the blue skies. After painting in Sedona we headed to Scottsdale area, left our winter gear in the hotel and worked on painting light-filled paintings.

These foggy photos means still in Sedona. I was going to paint a vista view of this huge ridge of mountains way in the distance but the fog was rolling in too fast so I just sat munching trail mix, watching the show.

One last posting about our painting trip to Arizona. I quickly snapped this photo during a break from the rain. I love the rich warm colors. This is still Sedona. I took a zillion photos and this is probably the only one that sort of feels like being there. I'm disappointed in my photography skills. I just can't get inspired to paint from them. Oh well, guess I'll just have to sell a few more paintings so that I can go on another fact-finding trip. I would love to paint in/near the Grand Tetons. I've never been there other than in my dreams.

8"x8" "Sweet Bite" sold on www.susanhongsammons.etsy.com

I've been away from my home, my family (including 5 pets), the cold, and my computer because the opportunity to paint in Sedona came my way thanks to Karen. And thanks to painting year around in Chicago, we had the gear necessary to paint in Sedona winter. Each morning we woke to a snow storm which turned to a rain storm which turn to hail. Fortunately the temperatures were mild to us. I think we both derived an off-beat satisfaction of being able to paint in their crazy weather. At one point so much hail and sleet was coming down that they closed the roads but we still manage to paint. Once I figure out how to down-load my pictures from my new camera I'll show some of my plein air paintings of the red rocks as well as several of Karen painting in the storms. I think it was everything a plein air adventure should be.

So why am I showing this painting of a pepper. I'm showing it because I'm attempting to clean up my life style and eat in a healthy manner. Sedona host several excellent raw/vegan groceries and cafes. I use to tease that I was a morning vegan because by the end of the day I'd fall into bad habits, chips, licorice, etc. But now I've discovered green smoothies (which are really yummy and have taken my craving away for the crappy food groups) and juicing. So after shopping for produce I can't help but paint them. Their colors and textures are so inspiring. And after I've painted it,... I can eat it!!!!! (p.s did you know watercress is 84% protein)

"Linda"

Linda, a fellow artist friend, posed for us because the model did not show up. Thank you Linda. You gave up your paint time so that we would not have to and, you gave us a very interesting yet natural pose from all angles.

I love painting during open studio and seeing how each artist approaches the problem of painting a figure in their own way. The results are all varied. I started by trying to find the lightest value in the shadow under her chin and the darkest value in the lit part of her face. Those became my two mother piles. I wasn't concerned with the rest of the issues on my list such as edges, brush stroke, proportions, getting a likeness etc because I really want to accurately find the correct values. I think if the value is off it won't matter if I get the other things correct.

This is a 9"x12" oil on linen study

Value & Temperature Studies

Thought I'd post a few recent studies I've been working on inspired by taking a four evening workshop with Clayton Beck at the Palette and Chisel.

Clayton challenges us to pick just one issue to tackle instead of going through our mental list of many art elements which we might personally feel necessary for a good painting. Also, finishing is not important or even on "the list" which is great since the workshop meets for only 3 hours and includes his excellent mini demos as well as lots and lots of information.

For this portrait study of a man I chose to sit on his lit side. The values here were compressed to basically one value. So in order to describe form, I needed to focus on temperature changes but keep the values the same, or very close. Clayton recommended that I find the middle temperature and work out from there. I found this thought processes really exciting and so fun. So of course the hours flew by much to quickly.

This young gal gave me more trouble than the man. I should have just dealt with just value and the temperature issues would have developed naturally. From now on I'll know just to pick one issue to deal with when in open studio. This should have been a value study and not, value and temperature study.

Both head studies are slightly smaller than life size.

If you're visiting Chicago, take the time to stop by the Palette and Chisel Academy of Fine Arts and Galleries. It is one of our nations oldest, (if not the oldest) not for profit art organizations. Besides have over 60 hours a week of live model open studio time, which is free to members, it also has a main floor gallery, low cost studios, sculpture house and studios, and workshops all housed in a three story Italianate mansion purchased by members in 1921.

City Art Gallery, Greenville, North Carolina

"From Coast to Coast and in Between"
Opening January 15th.

As I said in my last post, I'm in a show which opens on Friday. So I'm continuing with a few more oil paintings from this exhibition. City Art Gallery will be highlighting over twelve of my paintings. I'll be showing with artists Tjasa Owen from San Francisco, Tim Kennedy of Indiana, and Sallie Benton from New York.
http://www.cityartgreenville.com/

"Shimmering Lights"
30"x24" oil on linen
$1900










"Suspended Animation"
24"x13" Oil $1200.

"Buddies"

12"x12" Oil $845.