Snack Time - A Study using Computer Graphics

I did a drawing last week of a man in a hat standing and hunching over a pedestal. I thought the pose is interesting and can be a basis for a painting.
I tried a few compositions using Artrage in my computer. Struggled quite a bit as usual. Finally settled down to these. Still don't know which version I like better. I learned a few things. For this kind of painting, the detail modeling is not as important as the gesture. The design element takes over. I just wish when I paint on canvas, I can be a little painterly as Edward Hopper. I will respond to what's on the canvas.

Boom Town on the Lake

The booming construction in our city is incredible. At one time, I counted 14 cranes near downtown Bellevue. I started this one way back. But, somehow I have not been able to come up with a good composition. I kept playing with it. I use my leftover oil paint on my palette to play with color and to build up the texture using palette knife. I also put enamel paint on it. It tends to drip which can be used judicially.

This is the final product. Construction and destruction are two sides of the same coin.

Enamel Paint - Lady in Black

Got some medium gloss enamel paint from Benjamin Moor including a blue. I painted this one still based on the drawing I made. I clothed her in black and added necklace. The brush strokes and colors are more confident and clear. I scratched some marks to reveal the underpaint. They are only visible if you enlarge the image by hitting it. I am happier with this one than the previous one.

Enamel Paint

Continue experimenting with enamel paint I got from Home Depot. I got only 3 colors: red, yellow, black, plus white. The limited palette is good for experimenting. The reason I do this is that I have a very large "experienced" (meaning used) canvas that I picked up from a discarded pile at Gage Academy of Art. I thought about doing something with it. Commercial paint came to my mind. Discarded canvas + cheap commercial paint appeal to me philosophically. So, I bought a few small cans of enamel paint to experiment on my own "experienced" canvases.
I continue to paint "Rothko painting" using an used canvas with built up texture on it. Trying to get to Rothko's religious experience. I also painted a woman's portrait based on a studio drawing I did.
Enamel paint dries fast. I have to paint like acrylic paint, fast and using layering. The draw back of the paint is the gloss. Only the white color is flat. So, I have not much control of the reflection when I don't want them. I may try to find other oil-based paint to see whether I can gain some control of this.

Tribute to Mark Rothko

In order to achieve a deeper understanding of what Mark Rothko wanted to achieve, I made this painting. It is done on a small (18x22) canvas using commercial enamel paint. I learned a lot from doing it. For example, I initially left more space around edges. Found that it does not feel the force Rothko had in his paintings. I feel more satisfied with the composition after I reduce the edges. I painted darker fringe in the lower part of the painting around yellow and reddish parts. That made the lower part more "resolved". But I decided to leave the upper part somewhat "unresolved". I think it creates more tension with this contrast in "resolveness". I found the enamel paint is quite good for layering. I will try a few more paintings with this type of paint and see what happens.

Modernist Painting

To get some stimulation, I am taking a course on modernist painting taught by the local artist, Charles Emerson. Each week, he assigns us to paint a painting using the aesthetics and painting method of a specific master. The first one above is after de Kooning. I learn to play with the paint, mixing them on canvas, texture them, utilize "accidents", and use bold brush strokes and marks. The second one is after Francis Bacon. I cannot paint his excruciatingly painful picture. Instead, I made this "Dick Chaney smile" using his technique. But I also use Mark Rothko like background. It is pretty wicked looking. I can not imagine who will hang a Francis Bacon in his/her home. Art and decoration are definitely different. Francis Bacon said (I am para-phrasing) in his BBC interview that abstract art can not be more than miracle and decorative, and it does not include human emotion so essential to all great art. His art certainly has plenty of that.

Utah Trip (1) - Arches National Park

After a 4 hour drive, we checked in at our Moab motel, and were eager to explore the area. The highlight of the day was hiking to the Delicate Arch. The hike is only 1.5 miles each way with an elevation gain of slightly less than 500 feet. We timed it so that we would see the beautiful arch under the light of the setting sun. We stayed near the arch for 40 minutes or so, just to soak in the evening glow and ambient. The last picture is interesting. There are these moggles with strange but beautiful green. They look fabulous in contrast with the red stones. We were told that they have something to do with the uranium deposits below. The first atom bomb used the uranium produced here in Moab.