'Tis the season to paint cherry blossoms! They'll be gone in a few days, so now is the time -- chilly weather or not. To make the pinkish-white blossoms pop, I chose a tree with dark foliage behind it.
I started this late afternoon, and my hands got cold before I could finish. I had hoped to add a tourist or two for scale, and maybe some more foreground detail. But I'm still pretty happy with this little painting.
Geoff Watson, "Cherry tree in April," oil on canvas panel, 8" x 10," 2018.
The artist Mitch Albala writes that colorful garden scenes are among the more difficult to paint plein air, and I think he's got a point. We think all the pretty colors will be easy to paint, but it's often hard to construct a compelling composition, or to depict values correctly. I had some of those difficulties today.
Also, ordinarily I love having the occasional onlooker, especially when things are going well. But today I had swarms of tourists, many of whom ask the same question: "Are you painting?" (I'm always polite when asked this question; I smile and say "yes.") Still and all, I had a great time, and the painting came out reasonably well. I wish the blossoms would stay longer than a week; I need more time to practice painting them!
Geoff Watson, "Cherry blossoms," oil on panel, 11" x 14," 2018.
It’s brisk here, but our cherry trees are starting to bloom all the same. I spent about 90 minutes painting this tree before my hands got too cold to continue. I need to find better painting gloves! This picture would have benefited from another hour’s work. Not a bad start, though.
Geoff Watson, “Flowering cherry tree,” oil on canvas, 16” x 20,” 2018.
I love trying to sketch portraits of moving subjects -- or, as James Gurney puts it, portraits "in the wild." Some people fidget endlessly, and I find it difficult to get their likeness. But some people stay reasonably still, which is a wonderful thing! I did this one a couple weeks ago, in about 15 minutes, but I forgot to post it.
Geoff Watson, "Sketch of a woman," graphite on paper, about 5" x 7," 2018.
My family and I took a 4-day trip to Disney World in Florida, complete with a side trip to see the Harry Potter theme park at Universal Studios. Great fun! Also exhausting! I didn't have much time to draw, but I did do a couple of sketches on my iPad. I forgot my Apple pencil, so I had to draw with my finger. Here's a view of the hotel pool from above:
Geoff Watson, "Swimming pool sketch," iPad, 2018.
And here's a sketch of a coffee maker in the hotel room.
Geoff Watson, "Sketch of a coffee maker," iPad, 2018.
It was cold here today, but I saw this car-truck parked outside my local pharmacy, and I just had to paint it. I knew the clock was ticking because my hands were cold, and the skies were threatening a cold rain. So I made myself paint loosely. I'm glad I did: I got some of the painterly look I was going for.
Unfortunately, it did start to rain after about an hour, and by then my hands were really freezing -- even though I had them in thin plastic gloves. Even if I could've toughed it out, the truck driver suddenly appeared and fired up the engine. I rushed over to show him my painting. He seemed kind of unimpressed. "Aquarella?", he asked in Spanish. (Watercolor?) Nope -- oil, heh.
Anyway, it all ended abruptly -- I didn't even get to put in any tail lights -- but I like what I got on the canvas.
Geoff Watson, "Car Truck," oil on canvas pad, about 16" x 20," 2018.
Mallina is a lovely model with olive skin, and I really wanted to emphasize her skin tone -- and her cheerful expression. I also wanted to experiment with composition, so I moved her to the right of the picture. (Usually I have the model gazing across empty space.) I struggled with the shape of her shoulders; I probably should have blurred them more than I did here. Also, the likeness is close but not quite there. I needed another couple hours of tweaking to get it right. Still and all, I'm pretty happy with this picture. It captures her good cheer.
When I first started painting, I had little interest in doing portraits. Now I love to do them! If you're interested in sitting for a portrait, please let me know. I'll supply munchies, television, music, or anything else to keep you entertained while I paint you. :)
Geoff Watson, "Mallina looking left," oil on panel, 11" x 14," 2018.
I painted this portrait of Harry in less than two hours today. He was wearing an elaborate Victorian costume, but given the time constraints, I merely suggested some colorful clothing, as I was most interested in his penetrating eyes and ruddy cheeks. I was closing in on a likeness when the bell sounded. I think it turned out pretty well!
Geoff Watson, "Victorian Harry," oil on panel, 11" x 14," 2018.
I’ve always wanted to paint the various auto repair shops on Butler Road in Bethesda, and today I had my first go at it. I should have chosen a different time of day, as I was painting contre jour — into the sun. Also, I realized that I was more interested in the stacked cars on the left; next time I’ll make those the focus. So, not my best effort, but an interesting first study.
Geoff Watson, “Study of an auto shop,” oil on panel, 11” x 14,” 2018.
I usually pick bony protuberances as my landmarks when I'm drawing a portrait or figure. So the chin, or a clavicle, or a knee. Bones stay relatively still. Today, though, I struggled to get this drawing right, so the artist leading my life group suggested I try using the nose and left eyelash instead. That did help, even with the eyelash fluttering, but I ran out of time to fix the rest of the features. Fortunately, it's a two-week pose, so we'll see what next Saturday brings.
Geoff Watson, "A start," in progress, oil on panel, 11" x 14," 2017.
These are three five-minute sketches from life class. I made myself put them all on one page, which meant I had to vary the size of each. A good exercise, and some interesting results.
Geoff Watson, "Figure sketches," graphite on paper, about 12" x 16," 2018.
It was chilly today, but it was so sunny that I just had to sneak outside for an hour to paint. I'm glad I did! I did this painting on a canvas pad, so it was intended as a practice painting, but I like how it turned out.
Geoff Watson, "House behind trees," oil on canvas, 9" x 12," 2018.
Shoshana sat for my life group again today, but I couldn’t get the same seat, so I started a new picture. I wish I’d had fifteen more minutes to model the eyes! But I’m still happy with it.
Geoff Watson, "Shoshana looking left," oil on panel, 12" x 16," 2018.
I drew this little sketch on my iPad today.
Geoff Watson, “Girl in Hat,” iPad sketch, 2018.
This was the first week of a two-week pose. Sometimes I think I paint better if I have only one session! I got a good start, but I need to improve the drawing, soften her features, and clean up the chin so she doesn't appear to have a beard! Plus I need more vibrant colors. Still lots to do!
Geoff Watson, "Shoshana, in progress," oil on panel, 11" x 14," 2018.
It was unseasonably warm today, so I rushed outside and painted this telescoping house. I spent about 90 minutes on it. Fun!
Geoff Watson, “Telescoping house,” oil on canvas panel, 9” x 12,” 2018.
I'd never painted Kuniko before, and wow, what a great model! She stayed as still as a statue. I had about two and a half hours, and I spent the majority of the time using very large brushes. I deliberately tried to avoid blending, so you see swatches of paint, which is a style I've been experimenting in my recent portraits. The color scheme is a little quirky, but I think the picture is pretty lively. The likeness is quite good.
It's always a good sign when the model asks to take photos of your painting, as she did. I hope I can paint Kuniko again! (I also hope I'm spelling her name correctly!)
Geoff Watson, "Kuniko," oil on panel, 11" x 14," 2018.
This birdbath resides in our front yard, but I've never seen a bird in it. Do birds actually bathe?
I had only an hour, so I just sketched the bath and simplified the background. It was 70 degrees and sunny -- a beautiful February day!
Geoff Watson, "Birdbath," oil on canvas pad, 9" x 12," 2018.
My daughter and I made some emoji in the snow today. These designs raise several profound questions. (1) Is this "art from life"? (2) Does not this artwork reflect an ambivalent attitude toward the snowflake? (3) Most importantly, what surface is this on?
Well, at least we can answer question (3):
I had fun painting this portrait of Harry. I had limited time -- less than two hours -- but sometimes I work better when I paint with urgency. He was actually wearing an 18th-century formal outfit, but I just chose to suggest the rather large collar of his shirt. For the most part, he looks like a 21st-century man.
I was closing in on a likeness when time was called. With a little more time, I'd have added more detail to his eyes and eyebrows, which are quite distinctive, but even so I was happy to imply those things and declare victory.
Geoff Watson, "Harry," oil on panel, 11" x 14," 2018.