Posts made in November, 2008

"Favorite Things," an oil painting by Lesley Spanos. © 2008, all rights reserved.

“Favorite Things”
Oil painting on hardboard panel, 11 x 14″

A few of artist Karen Jurick’s favorite things. This was painted from her photo on her weekly artist’s challenge, Different Strokes From Different Folks. Go to the blog to see the reference photo we were given to use, and the many interpretations submitted by artists.

Somewhere I have a similar painting I did ten years ago, of some of my favorite things at the time: A white ceramic Buddah given to me by a friend in college, a glass and black metal votive holder with lighted candle, a carved brass vase from India via Pier One, and some tiny yellow mums (not my favorite) to bridge the composition. I could have easily used hydrangeas instead – I always have dried hydrangeas, cat mint, and statice hanging in the kitchen. My hydrangeas are a light lime green.

There were too many things demanding my attention this week, so I really struggled with this painting, spreading it out over three short sessions due to lack of time. I never really got into the “zone.” There are still things that bother me about it, but I’ve tortured it enough. Sometimes you’ve just gotta clean those brushes and move on to the next thing!

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Oil painting on gessoed Arches paper, 6 x 6″
Copyright Lesley Spanos 2008, all rights reserved.

I don’t think she’s really from Tennessee. I just like the name. This is another one from Karin Jurick‘s “Different Strokes From Different Folks” weekly challenge. We were given a really cool reference photo to work from – very Hopper-ish -  but it was upside down! Karin asked us to do at least 95% of the work with the photo and painting inverted.

Working upside down isn’t unusual for me. I work flat and rest my hand on the canvas while I paint, so spinning it in any direction to find a dry spot is second nature. The real challenge here was painting heels. I struggled with those shoes upside down and right-side up. In fact my entire 5% of right-side up time was wasted on those darn shoes. I really seem to have a mental block against them. Maybe it’s my hatred of wearing heels manifesting itself through my art.

Just for kicks, the second photo shows this painting in the early stages. Often I paint on a red ground, but a dark black/blue/red color seemed the way to go with this one. I was able to leave much of it exposed in the window and coat. This in-progress shot also shows my lack of pre-painting preparation. I don’t like to draw much in advance. I think of painting more like sculpture – I’m coaxing the form out of nothing.

After I finished the painting, I looked at the reference image on the computer and noticed there were some interesting reflections in the window that didn’t show in my printout. A man and a car. Darn! I hope someone else does something with them.

Here’s how it looked as I worked on it upside down.

Do you like Edward Hopper as much as I do? Writer Kevin Grandfield has created a really cool blog about his work: Hunting Nighthawks: On the Road with Edward Hopper.

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Oil on canvas panel, 5 x 7″

In last week’s painting of the US Capital building, I struggled with the cars, and never could get them right. So I decided I needed to do some visual research on cars. I look at cars every day, but I don’t see them. I only glance long enough to avoid a collision. So I took the dog for a long walk on a busy street and studied cars in motion. I noticed how the lower half of most cars reflected the street or nearby vehicles, the horizontal surfaces reflected the sky, and highlights were usually small, intense dots rather than streaks. I didn’t have time to fix the cars in last week’s painting, but I put my new-found knowledge to work in today’s painting. I actually LIKE that little silver car. I accomplished something new here, and that makes me happy.

This painting is from Week #10 of Karin Jurick‘s “Different Strokes…” challenge. Go see the other other interpretations!

“ Acrylic on Multimedia ArtBoard, 8.5 x 15"

I feel like I’ve waited for this day longer, and with more anticipation, than I waited for Christmas as a kid. Finally, it’s Election Day in the US, and a new era is here! I’ve never felt this kind of electricity before at election time. From what I’ve heard standing in line at Obama rallies, there’s going to be partying in the streets tonight because “this is bigger than winning the Superbowl!” We’ll be celebrating more quietly at home, watching election results on TV with a bottle of champagne.

Karin Jurick provided us with a fitting challenge this week on “Different Strokes From Different Folks.” The reference photo lent itself to many interpretations. I’m on a bit of an Obama painting kick, so my first thought was to build a composite using him in the foreground. But, I decided it would be more of a challenge to paint how I feel without including him. So I made it my goal to paint one feeling: Fresh. I wanted to illustrate a fresh, clean new beginning for our government. I used a fairly high key palette and “pretty” colors. The clouds are receding, and the world is bathed in morning light. The Capitol dome is soaring toward the heavens, enduring and… oh, crap, just a little crooked. I just can’t seem to get buildings straight no matter what I do.