Seeds of Inspiration

"The Point"
Oil on Linen
(c) Lesley Powell 2015

I wrote recently about destroying a number of old paintings. One group of paintings that I would never consider destroying are my small plein air paintings. I must keep these, whether they are "successful" ones, or remain unresolved. They are the fruits of my working outdoors, interacting directly with the subject, and "seeing" with all of my senses. Some of them are pictured in this post. No photograph could inform me, no snapshot could inspire me, as these paintings do.

"My Covenant"
Oil on Linen, 14 x 7
(c) Lesley Powell 2015

I often work from these paintings to create larger works back home in my studio. I am not alone in this approach. Charles Movelli has written in his essay "In Praise of the Painterly Painter" that so-called "painterly painters" prefer to work directly from their subject, or from sketches done on the spot. They call these pictures their "brains". Interestingly Morvelli notes that painters rarely sell these pictures. In that regard, he quotes the great English landscape painter John Constable, who said "I don't mind parting with the corn, but not with the field in which it was raised!"

I'm hoping to cultivate these fields even more this year...

Pantone's Color of the Year 2016

Well, it's not exactly breaking news, since we are three weeks into the New Year. Nonetheless, it's time to take note of Pantone's "Color of the Year" for 2016. This year's choice is "ROSE QUARTZ".  I should note that this year, Pantone actually named two colors. The other is a baby blue, called "Serenity". As some pundits have said, 

Shedding Some Light on the Subject

"White Roses, Glass Bowl"
13 x 15, Oil on Linen
(c) Lesley Powell 2016
SOLD

Faithful readers know that I have recently been painting roses. I typically do a great deal of still life painting in the winter, when it is too cold to paint outdoors on location. But the roses were an entirely new challenge. And every type of rose presented its own difficulties. White roses have color shifts so subtle that you need heightened "seeing skills" and ruthless paint mixing to get them right. Yellow roses---well, let's just say that dark yellows have always been one of the hardest colors for me to see and mix correctly. And don't even get me started on the pinks!

"Yellow Roses"
12 x 16, Oil on Board
(c) Lesley Powell 2016
Available

Adding to the challenge was the fact that the light seemed to change dramatically over the course of a painting session. I am used to shifting light when painting outdoors, but it is

Level with Me

When painting, it's important to establish a strong horizon line. Something that anchors your painting, and keeps the viewer from feeling off balance. This means that you need to have your canvas perfectly level, so you can judge your lines accordingly. 

I have developed a pretty good knack for this, and I can often calibrate my canvas just by eyeballing it. But sometimes extra help is needed. Interestingly, the most difficult place for me to keep my canvas level is inside my studio. The studio is in an old factory building, and the wood floors are very uneven. I might move my easel slightly, and find that suddenly the canvas is all askew. To the rescue--my trusty level! And a few handy shims to make adjustments.

Some easels and tripods come with built-in levels. Or you can purchase a small, lightweight, inexpensive one at the hardware store. I am hereby officially adding the level to my "Tools of the Trade" series--you can check out some other favorites by clicking on these links: my drawer-turned-palette; my still life stage; my camera; and my mirror. The toolkit is getting full...

Everything's Coming up Roses...

"Heirloom Roses"
16 x 20, Oil on Canvas
(c) Lesley Powell 2016
Available

As you may have noticed, I very rarely paint flowers. And yet I have started the New Year with a whole series of roses. I don't know how it happened--it took me by surprise! I experienced the thrill of discovery, painting something for the first time.

"Three Stems"
8 x 8, Oil on Board
(c) Lesley Powell 2016
SOLD

Henri Matisse said that "There is nothing more difficult for a truly creative painter than to paint a rose, because before he can do so,