AGAVE - AN OIL WIP

While I wait for my large oil commission to dry so that I can go back in with detailing, I am working on other pieces. This is one which I had done a while back in acrylic, but was not happy with. So, I am trying it with oil paints this time. This is not a good photo of the piece,but I figure that when it is completed, I'll get a much better shot then. For now, the basic layer is done, and now I have to wait for THIS painting to dry! I do love how beautifully oil paint blends and creates those lost edges I want.


Back to my white flower, which is acrylic and dries almost faster than I can lay down the paint - an advantage or curse of living in a dry climate. (I haven't decided which it is yet!)

Agave Plant

AGAVE PLANT

9" x 12" original oil painting

I had such a fun time painting this one... thin glaze after thin glaze until the colors glowed "just right"! This painting used a very limited palette - which worked well for me. One tip I have which I did in this painting... I laid down all the highlight areas in the first stages of this painting with Zinc White. Then, when I was ready for the final highlights, I used Titanium White, which is a much brighter white. That way, I could really pick up the brilliance of the sunlight on the agave leaves which I could not have done as effectively with the Zinc White.

I am satisfied with this, my 3rd oil painting. I believe I am learning how to handle oil paint much better (only had to wear one surgical glove for the last couple of passes on the canvas, and no paint on my clothing!) and blending is coming much more easily. So on to the next oil painting - and see if I still feel like I am improving or not... I'll break out the frustration-o-meter to let you know what the reading is during the process. :-)

This painting is for sale. Contact me if you are interested in purchasing it: jogiesbrecht@gmail.com

Agave Plant - in oil

I have added layers of beautiful blues and greens to this painting, but it is slow going as I start to understand how oil paint behaves... I am happy to report that there was much more on the canvas this time than on me! So there is some improvement in my technique of application!!!

One thing that is a bit difficult to get used to is that I cannot hurry the drying process with oil paints. In watercolor and acrylic painting, if you are in a hurry, you can simply use a blowdryer to speed up the drying process. With oil paint, it dries through oxidation, so there is nothing you can do but wait. If you go too far in one sitting, then you end up just pushing around muddy paint, and that's not what I want at all! So, I must learn to become patient. Hmmm..... seems that is a common theme throughout my life. Maybe oil is just the medium I should be working with!

Agave Plant 2

I cannot believe how insanely busy I have been the last couple of months! But by the end of this week, I believe things will come back to a "normal" schedule in my life. The problem is that the important things which have kept me very busy with are not painting projects, so I haven't gotten too far with my latest 2 paintings (this is the second of the 2 I started). But I have promised myself that by my post on Thursday, there will be progress made!

I decided to do this plant in watercolor as well as in oil. It is a very interesting process to be working on both of them at the same time, and to experience the differences -in the way they look, in their textures, colors and so on. I like each one for different reasons. Each has a different feel, but the light still appears to bounce around and illuminate the Agave plant's leaves. This 11" x 15" watercolor painting at its beginning stages -just like the oil painting in my last post. It has only the first wash laid down on the paper (140 lb. Arches).

Saturday I went to "my" art store and picked up the last 6 canvasses of my October order. Six big beautiful 30" x 30" canvasses. I now have more than enough canvas to work through my ideas for this year, starting the last week of January, for sure... I think! :-)

Have a great week.

Agave Plant

One of my 2010 goals is to learn how to paint with oils. I did 3 paintings toward the end of 2009 with oils, just to get a feel for the way the paint behaves compared to watercolor and acrylic, and now I am going to seriously pursue knowing how to paint with oils. I love the buttery-ness of the paint, and the way it goes on the canvas, but I don't like how messy it can be. I will need to learn how to get more on the canvas and less on me!

This is the undercoat for a painting of an agave plant. My good friend, Donna B., sent me a most beautiful photo of this plant, and I have been itching to paint it ever since. I love the perspective that this picture shows - looking straight down into the center of the plant. I also love how the sunlight bounces around from leaf to leaf (are they called leaves, stalks, ???) and how the color changes because of the reflected light and the shadows. I am looking forward to continuing on this painting.