Monhegan Coast

Monhegan Coast

Original oil painting 16x20"

by Susan Roux

Hurricane Irene passed, tourist are leaving and school is beginning. As summer winds down and fall approaches, it triggers a change in routine. With regards to art, for me it means a different mindset. I kind of lollygag along during the summer months. It's not to say that I don't work hard, rather nothing seems to matter. There aren't any pressing deadlines to meet and it becomes more a time of play or experimenting. I do whatever I want. Paint what I want. Nothing is created with a specific destination in mind and I'm free to take as long on a painting as I choose.

It's a lot like a day at the beach. You know, sit around all day. Take a stroll, pick up a few rocks or shells. Drag your toes in the sand. Watch the waves roll in time after time trying desperately to remember the range of beautiful colors in it's endless dance to a frothy break.

But vacation's over and it's time to buckle down and get serious again.

Do you morph like this in autumn too? I've already begun changing. Papers are rising on my desk. Printed sheets of tasks I want to do, things I want to look into. I've already searched out a bunch of galleries I'd like to approach and a serious pace to prepare packets will soon follow. This is also the time of year I begin seriously painting new work for next year's gallery season.

I spent time taking lots of photos this summer and hope that I have ample references to carry me to next year. Between what I paint on my own time and all my classes, it takes a large amount of good photos. Which leads me to the painting posted, Monhegan Coast.

This is a painting I did with one class. We pulled out our palette knives. Yes I said palette knives! I never do that. To mix paint, yes. But never to apply paint to canvas. So in it I jumped, all the while trying to direct my students without knowing what I was doing. I thought it was the perfect tool for the rugged coast that covered most of our scene.

It turned out to be very freeing. Jags of paint left tiny shadows which created additional cracks in the rocks. Some students who get caught up in too much detail found themselves playing in paint. It was a great exercise for everyone. I suspect I'll be picking up the palette knife to lay down paint again soon.

The ocean was interesting to do. It has a very different appearance when looking at it from high above as oppose to being at the beach. Students wanted to make breaking waves as they know them from the shore. But the shapes flatten out and all that is left is change in values and color.

This was a fun painting to do. I took lots of coast photos on Monhegan. It's hard not to. So perhaps another rugged coast painting will show up before I know it. I remember the day class arrived and saw this scene. No one thought they could paint it. I'm happy to report that they all amazed themselves. I had some real beginner students in it too and they left with something they were very proud of. Great job class!

So now that summer's ending... what kind of changes does that mean for you?

Experimental mode

Toby and Leslie

Work in progress 20x16"

by Susan Roux

In the words of Celeste Bergin, "Can't wait to see what comes from your new tools."

The answer is: Experimenting! Lots and lots of experimenting.

Family has been kind enough to be my guinea pigs. Many have posed for the camera, knowing they could be my next subject to paint or massacre. Really, its a toss up at this point. If I succeed, they get a portrait. If I don't, nobody gets hurt. Nearly everyone's been willing to participate. Thanks for that.

The double portrait. Little did I know, this held a whole new bunch of challenges. I'm so new at this I thought it would be like doing two portraits on one canvas. No. Not exactly...

Proportions.

Those nasty proportions. They need to coincide for both portraits. You can't just enlarge one head, thinking, oh his chin is a bit lower. Lower his chin and suddenly she needs adjusting too! Yikes.

I had to put more detail than I wanted to on the initial block-in, just to make sure their proportions matched. I find it very hard to tell if my heads are close to correct without adding some resemblance of features. Though my lesson was not to focus on features, rather on planes of the head.

Yesterday I worked on Toby. I captured a likeness, so for that I'm happy. One of my major challenges is with photos of strong light. The face is washed out making various planes void of any color or value change. The other big challenge is again related to the camera. I have great trouble posting what's really on my canvas. If you squint at this image, it'll look closer to what I actually have. The transitions are better than shown. (If you close your eyes completely, it'll look even better!)

Aside from the camera problems, I hope to bring in more exciting color as I continue to paint faces. Yes, it looks like Toby. He's dark where he should be dark and light where he should be. But as for looking exciting and vibrant, a major failure!

I want the focal point to be the point where the faces connect. I think I'll need to lighten the background to the left of Toby's face. Right now, the eye bounces back and forth between the contrast at his ear and the contrast at his eye.

Suffice it to say, this piece is still evolving. I will work on it for awhile and then move to another. That's the beauty of being in experimental mode. No need to work it to death. Do what you can and then move on, trying to improve yourself as you go.

There was another time in my art life that I didn't paint for anyone but myself. Not for galleries, not to make sales, just for me. It made a huge jump in improving my work. That was about a decade ago. It feels good to find myself in this frame of mind again. Though it's very hard work, I feel it will harvest great results.

Don't be afraid to allow yourself some growing time. It can be difficult turning off the commitments or reasons to paint from your brain. But if you can, letting go of everything and experimenting will reward you in many ways.

Thrown

From the Clover

Original oil Painting 20x16"

by Susan Roux

Ok. I admit it. Taking a workshop can totally throw you, no matter how wonderful a workshop it was. Admitting you have things to learn and be willing to change your approach takes great commitment. Don Hatfield opened my eyes to things I've never noticed before. It is impossible to return to where I was prior to this enlightenment. One must move forward.

From the Clover was started before I took the workshop.

Some of the things I learned, or perhaps was reminded of, was focusing on lights and darks. Though I think it has always been my focus, there were elements that I missed. Elements like the necessity of grays. I pondered this for some time before daring to approach this painting.

How do I go about it now? That was the real question.

This composition was not the best to apply my new found knowledge. A sharper contrast between lights and darks would have been better. Nonetheless, I attempted to put it into action. I added grays. I focused on the light. I tried to keep my colors accurate.

When you attempt something new, there's so much to focus on. We all know that thinking while painting hampers the natural emotional flow we strive to achieve. I know in time I'll be able to do these things without thinking and what is within me will pour out easily again. For now, my work is cut out. I can see a direction to follow. It makes sense and its stimulating. This will be a time of experimenting and learning.

I'm really hoping to see significant improvement in my work from this experience. That may be too much to expect, but I expect it anyway...

Time will tell.

(note: I couldn't adjust the colors accurately on this photo. It gave me lots of trouble. I've photographed it 10 times in different light to get it right. Still, it isn't... There's a lot to be said for viewing the original art.)

Evolving layers

work in progress

by Susan Roux

Playing with layers. Oh I"m definitely having fun!

I returned to this little girl recently and am glad I photographed her before beginning. I was surprised at the change that took place. You know how I love surprises, so seeing her evolve with such color change popped me with wonder and excitement.

I've been staring at this canvas hanging on my studio wall for better than a month now. She was dry a long time ago and I could have returned to her much sooner. All this time she's been the bright "hot spot" in the studio. So many fiery colors...

She seemed to be sitting in a blazing sea. Lucky for her I put the fire out!

I kind of miss the orange in the studio, but I think the painting is evolving in a good direction. All that dripped color was not for nothing, however.

As you can see, those lovely brilliant shades are still visible. I remember now why I started so hot with this painting. The girls skin was very tan and I knew orange shades would eventually be added when I paint her. This way her surroundings will harmonize with her body.

This experiment with my children at the beach series has been very interesting. All the original dripped color is transparent. All the light colors added later are not. By leaving the underpainting exposed, not only is it creating color spots, its also adding shimmer to the water. Every spot of transparent versus non-transparent creates an unusual form of contrast. This contrast flickers, causing movement with changing light or as you merely walk by.

I think my favorite part though is all the color surprises it leaves behind. I teach that water is just broken color. I decided to push this to the greatest limit I could imagine, trusting it was correct. It is.

My paintings are quickly coming to the point where painting the girls is absolutely necessary. That brings closure to these little sweethearts. Afterwards, they'll be nearly complete. Its funny how you become more attached to a painting that has taken a long time to complete than to one that burst on the canvas quickly. Such patients is needed for the slow ones. It can be very frustrating stopping because colors want to get muddy or waiting for them to dry to be able to return.

I hope your keeping time to experiment. Its in experimenting that we discover and learn. Don't be afraid of color. It never bites. It just sings back to you. Play with it like my children at the beach are all playing. Just for fun!

Magic tricks

I'm finally back into my "Children at the Beach".

This one has very interesting dry patches striping the reflections. Its been a bit challenging to capture while keeping everything as colorful as I'd like. I'm trying so hard to stay away from having solid-colored bands in the dry parts. I spend as much time squinting at it as I do painting it...

I think its advancing nicely since posting it in Dabble color earlier this month. I like the yellows warming up the reflections.

One of the things I'm enjoying about this series is how in all of them, there is a dimension going down, while at the same time, another is coming forward. Keeping the reflections dropping deep and the ground or water coming towards the viewer as a surface is challenging. Down and forward simultaneously. Its an interesting effect.

The more I develop these dripped-color canvases, the more this effect becomes prominent. I'm really enjoying watching it occur. Its like watching a little magic trick...

Oh color! Lovely color! The things we can do with you. The things you can do for us...

It doesn't always work out as we planned, but don't we have fun trying anyway? What are you having fun doing with color these days? Where is it taking you? Don't get caught in a rut. Shake it up with something unpredictable. The experimenting and exploration is such fun. I love surprises arising on my canvas. Do something different and watch what it does. Watch the colors do magic tricks for you too.

Its in experimenting that we find discovery.

I'm still looking for a title for this painting. I was really hoping you'd help me. Still to this day, the only thing that comes to mind is Little Bulldozer. It just doesn't seem to fit a petite girl in a pink ruffled bathing suit! Your suggestions are greatly appreciated, so please send them along.

Then go have fun experimenting with color!

Posted work in progress by Susan Roux