Another Great PYHAS Lesson

I am beginning to pick and choose the lessons on PYHAS otherwise I am totally becoming overwhelmed. One of my painting goals is portraiture. Really loved this lesson and the process so much different from the way I use my oils. What I really loved with this demo was the calm soothing voice of Dominique Medici .  It really helped to keep my stress away.  This exercise was done with the Zorn palette. Black, my chromatic black of raw umber and ultramarine blue, yellow ochre, white, and cadmium red,  I dove straight in so my mixes aren't what I would like so I will go back to do a color study of the paints for my next portrait. Dominique builds the portrait in 4 majors stages each timed to about 20minutes. All done alla prima, wet on wet!  First, the proportions of the shapes and angles with thin black paint, next blocking in the darks. third blocking in the colors, and last, what she calls the edges, which include highlights and darks, soft and hard edges, textures and additional drawing with paint. When the buzzer buzzes... done! Now, how cool is that. You now know when you are finished. Dominique says that 1.5 to 2.5 hours is great for this practice. The demo was filled with lots of encouraging words. The key is to build your skills slowly. 

I think I got some of his essence. This is one process that I will practice again for sure.

Thinking of Times Gone By

Oils on Gessoed Cardboard

14 x 14.5 "

stage 3 & 4

Stage 1

Stage 2

Not complete I see

Reference

Now I see that I got his tilt wrong. Can't seem to shut up that inner critique!

Practice Practice and More Practice

Doing portraits are difficult mainly because of the likeness factor. Practice is the key! This is the second portrait for Week 12 of PYHAS 2019 taught by  Marina Teding van Berkhout. Its a portrait of my Mom I think from the early 1940s.
It's the second try on this pose, the first was in oil pastels which I didn't like. This was done with oils and cold wax in many layers and textures. There is some likeness.

Longing 

11.5 x 16.5 "

Oils and Cold Wax

Cut Canvas

 The Process

Layer 1

Prussian Blue + Permanent Mauve

Layer 2

Primary Blue + Yellow Green(mix)

Layer 3

Venetian Red + Cadmium Yellow Deep + Raw Sienna

Transferred drawing

(was altered during the painting process)

Painting was done using the colors of layer 3 varying the mixes with white, buff titanium, and raw umber. Lots of painting and scraping in the process!

That's My Last Duchess

I can't remember my English teacher's name. Hoping that it would somehow find its way through all the wiring in my brain. She was very influential and it was through her that I really started reading. Sadly up till then, it was mainly just fairytales!

I was exposed to the classics and poetry. Robert Browning one of my favorites and of course Elizabeth Barrett.

That’s my last Duchess painted on the wall, 

Looking as if she were alive. I call 

That piece a wonder, now; Fra Pandolf’s hands 

Worked busily a day, and there she stands. Robert Browning

Week 12 Figures with Oils and Cold Wax with Marina Teding van Berkhout! What a marvelous lesson. 

Four layers of oils and cold wax.  Use of various scratch tools and stencils! Took her a while to emerge, scraped her face twice. This medium is very forgiving. 

My Last Duchess

12 x 17 "

Cut Canvas

Oils Cold Wax Palette Knife Catalyst Knife

click to enlarge

Hoot Hoot Hoot

Look who peeked out on one of my small-works using acrylics and neocolor I crayons. My soul mate hooty the Owl! Love using up small pieces of cut canvas, and leftover paints!

I've Come a Calling

8.5 x 9 "

Cut Canvas Acrylics and Crayons

Just a Touch of This or That

8.75 x 9.25 "

Cut Canvas Acrylics and Crayons

Available Here

The sound of Falling Water

8.75 x 8.75 "

Cut Canvas Acrylics and Crayons

Available Here

A Rush of Red Cascade

8.75 x 9 "

Cut Canvas Acrylics and Crayons

Available Here

Small and Bright

Week 8 on PYHAS was all about landscapes. A lesson with Sherry Woodward.  A lesson in acrylics, layering, color-mixing, and abstraction. PHYAS2019 has my mind in a whirl! Sometimes I don't remember what I posted and where I learned what. It's a rollercoaster ride! But FUN! So here are a few that were put aside. One I did post you can find here.

I did deviate from the lesson and tweaked with my favorite neocolor I wax crayons!

All Paths Lead to the Monastery

8.5 x 9 " 

Acrylics on cut canvas with Caran d'Ache wax crayons

Available At Artfinder

In the Dark the City Lights Glow

8.5 x 9 " 

Acrylics on cut canvas with Caran d'Ache wax crayons

Available at Artfinder

Let's Go Downtown

8.5 x 9 " 

Acrylics on cut canvas with Caran d'Ache wax crayons

Available at Artfinder

Finished my Man

Have finally finished my "man" portrait. Week nine with Muriel Stegers at PYHAS 2019. It sat at my table for a while waiting for the final part, facing the fear and going a bit abstract. I had some leftover acrylic paint from the portrait study I had started and took a wide 3" brush and just did whish wash over sections. Hey had to start somewhere! Then I added more scribbles and marks with my  Neocolor I crayons. Now that wasn't so hard!

This is one lesson I will do again! Maybe try with a reference!

Let's Go Out for a Beer!

11.6 x 16.5

Acrylic Paper 300 gm

Acrylics

WIP Here

Going Crazy with Color Mixing

I sometimes get obsessive with color mixing. The main reason being that I am not a good colorist so I have always loved learning about how to make good color palettes and choices. So I really had a ball with this weeks lesson on PYHAS by Sabra Awlad Issa. Wow, what packed lesson, color mixing, foreshortened portrait, values. This was a real challenge! She is an excellent and modest teacher. A real treat! 

The lesson was in acrylics but I was too stressed with the color mixing and worrying about them drying so tried doing some crayon work which also had its problems so I dived into my oils. What a difference that made. The portrait is not done but I am happy with the progress.

WIP

13.75 x 19.5 "

Oils on gessoed paper

WIP

13.75 x 19.5 "

Oils on gessoed paper

Values

First layer in acrylics ugh

Second Layer with oil/wax crayons

Now, how many colors can you mix with just the primaries? We all have heard that we can mix an infinite amount, but we all tend to buy lots of colors. My usual palette starts off with two of each of the primaries plus chromatic black, a mix from ultramarine blue and raw umber, and white. But in Sabra's lesson, she used cadmium red, ultramarine blue, and cadmium yellow to mix a whole range of what she calls "dirty colors". I just love muted/muddy colors and I almost always add a speck of medium gray to my colors. Her basic color is a mix of all three to get a dirty brown. Then she mixes each primary with a bit of that brown and continues to mix these "mixes" together etc. With the addition of white and the range gets more infinite. Of course, the ratios matter as well. So when you feel in need of some occupational therapy any red/blue/yellow and go to town.... what fun. I did mention that I am an obsessive color mixer!

Three different browns depending on the ratios

Oils

I suggest less blue!

The basic Mixes

This Brown seems to make greenish hue with the yellow

Bottom right mixed red +yellow + brown to get a dirty orange.+ added more yellow

to get a lighter orange and to each added white

Yummy

My acrylic Mixes

Yellow Mixes

Middle row mixed yellow with medium gray

bottom  medium gray with yellow

Made a value chart with my chromatic black

red red+brown added white Blue blue+brown added white

Bottom red + gray + white Blue + gray + white

Mixing the mixes 

Bottom right used Indian Yellow with the Brown + White

Red Mix + Indian Yellow mix + white

Have Fun!

Two Little Boys and Hope For the Future

My weekly trip to Jerusalem has changed this year and I now travel to Neve Shalom where my daughter has moved into their new home. Uri,10, just got this very complicated board game of Dragons & Dungeons which is not for my head, invited his friend Walid from across the street to play with him. Just two young kids playing on the floor together. No big deal! Well, I think it's a BIG deal because Walid is Arabic and Uri is Jewish! One small step for more understanding and a better future!

My daughter's home is just below that Dome in the image from the site., facing the Trappist Monastery!

I certainly have been lacking at blogging of late.  PYHAS has kept me busy weekly. Some I have posted my Instagram account.

Last week we had fun with abstract landscapes and scratching tools and the use of alcohol! Didn't succeed with the alcohol. Will try again.

The Silence is Broken with the Sounds of Bells

8.5 x 9 " 

Acrylics on cut canvas with Caran d'Ache wax crayons

Can be purchased at Artfinder

Superstitions

We all have superstitions, use them, even though we know logically that they don't do anything good or bad. It's all in the mind.  Knock on wood, pst pst pst, hamsa hamsa, see a pin pick it up and many more.

This was the concept for this months workshop challenge. It wasn't until I started PYHAS 2019, week 2 that I got some idea of what I was going to do.  Week 2 with Yvonne Morell and I had my inspiration! Loved the process and then more ideas came.

What Will Be Will Be

16.5 x 23 "

Acrylics on cut canvas

Who Can Resist my Sweet Cat

11.5 x 16.5 "

Acrylic on Paper

Collage

Selene Will be Watching Over You

12 x 15 "

Acrylic on Cut Canvas

 I Don't Give a Hoot Hoot Hoot

12 x 15 "

Acrylic on Cut Canvas

Black cats, owls, and eclipses all have superstitions attached to them. I love black cats, the owl is my soul animal, and I have no fear of eclipses or red moons! But I still pick up any pins that I come across!  Hamsa Hamsa!