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| Fleming St in Bloom oil on canvas ©Maggie Ruley 2015 |
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| Almost Home, oil on paper, 6 x 8" day 28, 30 day challenge SOLD ©Maggie Ruley 2013 |
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| 15 Palms, 6 x 8" oil on paper day 24, 30 day challenge SOLD ©Maggie Ruley 2013 |
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| Sunset and Palms, oil on paper, 6 x 8" day 14, 30 day challenge $40 ©2013 Maggie Ruley I am half way through the challenge and today I had to play catch up in order to have 7 paintings this week. Tomorrow some time in the afternoon I will have the drawing for the painting give away so leave a comment if you have time. |
This lovely bunch of coconuts was painted a couple of weeks ago and has been at the printers have its picture made, so giclee prints are available of this image. I call this style "contemporary realism". It is a studio painting from a photo I took of a palm tree in my neighborhood. The punched up color and the graphic black edges in some areas were deliberate choices to create some visual excitement. The one thing I don't want you to be when you look at my work is bored!
The compostion of this painting breaks a lot of "rules". The inverted triangle shape created by the palms is almost smack dab in the middle of the canvas and the right palm is leaning and drawing the viewers eye out of the picture frame. I decided to emphasize the uneasy-ness of the palms by painting them in strong hot colors that are the opposite of the very plain and calm background. I find the tension between the foreground and the background visually compelling. Let's hope the gallery visitors think the same.
A couple of weeks ago I was experimenting with some Golden products I had received in one of their educational workshops given at the Key West Art Center. I coated the canvas with light molding paste so that there was a texture on the canvas. When that was dry I started my grid based composition in the turquoise and red color scheme I seem to favor these days. I worked the background until I thought it was almost finished. Then I used a stencil to add a thick layer of molding paste in a palm shape. Then that had to dry overnight. Then I started to paint the palms and finish the background work. There are four of these in all and they make a nice grouping. I did a larger one but I forgot to texture the background and it isn't as interesting. I also think painting the edging strips works really well on these pieces.
I haven't been very happy with my paintings lately so I keep experimenting with different ideas and techniques to keep myself interested. Yesterday I attached small tree branches from the sea grape tree in my yard to my paint brushes. This in not my idea. This idea comes from California painter Robert Burridge. The canvas surface is flat (rather than verticle on an easel) on a low table. The extra long handled brushes make it hard for the painter to have total controll over the paint strokes. This technique keeps the work loose and impressionistic. Notice the canvas isn't stretched. I have just clipped it to a large board. And the canvas isn't primed. For some reason I really like the look and feel of painting on on unprimed canvas. Because I am using acrylic paintings this isn't a problem. Oil paint has to go on primed canvas or the solvents used will eat into the canvas fibers.
Here is the painting a little further along. The red under painting is slowly getting covered. I won't cover it all. A little red peeking through adds excitement. I am not sure how this painting will end up, but using new techniques is very exciting. By the way this painting is large, 24"x36"
