Amy Mann's painting a day

Link!

2010-12-23T11:12:00.000-08:00

Silly me! I forgot to put the link to "A Drawing a Day"! You can subscribe to receive it in email, as well. http://amymanndrawingaday.blogspot.com/

A Drawing a Day

2010-12-23T11:06:00.000-08:00

To all my subscribers of "A Painting a Day" (which hasn't been an accurate description for a long time), I am launching a new blog of a new project for 2011, "A Drawing a Day". I'll try to do a drawing every day of the year, and I'll post them on here. I invite and encourage others to do the same! The drawings can be any medium, any size, any subject, any length of time, careful or casual, detailed or simple. If you have time, do a long study. If you don't, dash off a quick scribble. But date every one, and by the end of the year we should have a unique record of the last 12 months. I'm excited, and can't wait to start on January first!

Papi

2010-12-18T17:00:00.001-08:00

Commissioned portrait, charcoal

"Cousins #2", commissioned portrait for another recipient

2010-12-16T19:54:00.000-08:00

My client wanted two of the same portrait - gifts for different people. I thought it would be interesting to see them both on here. Of course they're not exactly alike. I don't know why the second one looks more beige - they are on the same kind of paper, in color more like the first one..

"Cousins" (commissioned portrait), charcoal, 15"x22"

2010-11-20T16:02:00.000-08:00

"Ethan", pastel, 15"x12"

2010-11-15T20:35:00.000-08:00

"November Oak", oils, 22"x16"

2010-11-13T14:45:00.000-08:00

I went back to the oak tree this morning, because the weather was exactly like yesterday. I figured it would be much better than trying to work on it in my studio, because the photographs just didn't show what I saw and felt out there. I include this photo of my painting on the easel, because the colors are much truer than the one below, which I took indoors.

I really didn't do all that much to it. Just adjusted colors here and there, added more density to the far background trees, and worked on the foreground. Don't know if it's improved or not.

"Oak tree, November morning", oil on canvas, 22"x16", unfinished

2010-11-12T18:58:00.000-08:00

Here's the spot I decided to paint today. It's right in my neighborhood - a short path through a bit of woods. I've walked through it many times, and have been thinking of painting there for while. It was a perfect fall morning, and I didn't have to be at work until 3 pm, so I grabbed my chance.

Here's the painting on the easel, in progress. It was interesting - I went through all the stages of painting today - excitement, anxiety, sublime happiness, struggle, confusion, despair, acceptance of a sucky painting, and suddenly, it came together and wasn't so bad. Altogether a very satisfying morning!

Another shot of the painting on the easel, showing more of the panorama I was looking at. Sun and shadows are creeping across my canvas.

Here's the painting at the end of the morning. I will go back into it and mess with it some in the studio, after it ages a bit.

"Warrenton Alley", oils, 12"x12"

2010-10-07T19:59:00.001-07:00

I went back into this one, to put light back into the shadow. I think I also got a better color photo, although maybe a little dark.

"Warrenton Pole Shadows," oils, 24"x24"

2010-10-05T10:06:00.000-07:00

Final fixes? I saw that when I repainted the shadow in the alley, I deadened the light. So I attempted to bring the light back. I also adjusted the color in the light areas of the alley, and the door and window shadows on the red building in the back. Finished?

"Warrenton Pole Shadows," oils, 24"x24"

2010-10-02T17:11:00.001-07:00

I didn't go out painting today, although it was beautiful out. I decided to do the fixes on this painting instead. I cleaned it up and brightened some colors. Hope to go back soon and start another.

"Warrenton Alley", oils, 12"x12"

2010-09-29T13:52:00.001-07:00

As promised, I fiddled with it a bit. I think this is it. Slight shadow from the easel at the top, sorry.

"Warrenton Alley", oils, 12"x12"

2010-09-26T11:16:00.001-07:00

Another painting of the white building, this time from about 15 feet to the left, with a view down the alley. This was still on the easel, and I'm intending to go back into it and make a few adjustments.

Warrenton Building, oils, 24"x24"

2010-09-15T14:02:00.000-07:00

Wow! Today was the first time I have painted outdoors in, I think, about two years! And I worked pretty big for plein air - 24"x24". It couldn't have possibly been a more beautiful day. I'm going to let this painting percolate for awhile before I decide if it needs some adjustments.

Here is a photo I took today at the site. If anything, I think my painting needs a brighter sky/more contrast, but we'll see .

This is the photo I took at this site a few years ago, and have been wanting to go back and paint it ever since. I think this was taken in the spring - it's interesting to see the difference in the shadows. By the way, the reason the angle I painted from today is different from this photo is that I wanted to stand in the shade. If I had painted in the spot from which I took this photo, I would have been in full sun, and it was just a bit too warm for me there. I didn't bring my umbrella today.

Self Portrait, oils, 14"x12"

2010-07-17T18:56:00.000-07:00

I spent about 4 hours on this one, and really had a hard time. At one point, I was ready to wipe the whole thing out. But I kept going, and managed to correct some really big problems. I painted this in my bathroom, because the light was good.

Self-Portrait, oils, 12"x12"

2010-07-12T18:52:00.001-07:00

This is the first painted self-portrait I've done in many years. I sat in front of the mirror for two hours, and this is what I got. (Smiling, no less!) It has some problems, but I tried not to overwork it. One shot is all, alla prima, that's the deal.

Portrait commission: "Ginger"

2010-07-12T07:15:00.001-07:00

new portrait commission: Taylor

2010-07-06T13:23:00.000-07:00

My all new web site!

2010-06-22T20:02:00.000-07:00

I have just updated my web site, and it's all new. Please visit amymann.com. Your comments are welcome. Please let me know if you find any problems with the site. I am also going to change my blogs, since I'll be using my web site more. I'll still have a copying blog, but I will probably delete my Adventures in Painting and my Portrait blogs. This Painting a Day blog will still exist, but I will probably change its name to "New Work". Stay tuned. (If you like to follow my museum copies, you should probably subscribe to that blog, Copying at the National Gallery.)

Wapping, Day 2

2010-06-18T17:11:00.000-07:00

This is as far as I got today, Day 2 of copying Whistler's "Wapping". It's quite a complicated painting!

New National Gallery copy begun

2010-06-11T19:46:00.000-07:00

I've posted a new post on my copying blog - check it out!
http://amyilenemann.blogspot.com/2010/06/wapping-by-james-mcneill-whistler-day-1.html

museum copy, final

2010-05-29T09:08:00.001-07:00

This is the final on "The Biglin Brothers Racing" by Thomas Eakins. It was fun to copy. My next copy will be by Whistler. Stay tuned. (See my copying blog at http://amyilenemann.blogspot.com/ for details, and subscribe to that blog for updates.

museum copy

2010-05-22T18:04:00.000-07:00

I've been working on copying "The Biglin Brothers Racing" by Thomas Eakins. I chose it because I like figures, I went to school in Philadelphia, and I like painting water. I was shocked to see how dirty the painting seems to be. I'm painting mine as if it was clean. It's a challenge to see the colors.

"Daffodils", oil on canvas, 22"x18"

2010-03-25T19:39:00.000-07:00

I'll bet you were wondering when I was going to pick up a paintbrush again! I just needed to not paint for awhile. I've been knitting instead. But now I feel like painting again, so I have made a start. The daffodils made me do it. I consider this a sucky painting, necessary after so long a hiatus. Now that I've gotten the sucky painting out of my system, I can move on to better things.

"Chocolate Doughnut", oil pastel, 5"x7"

2009-10-13T17:49:00.000-07:00

"Seashell 2", oil pastel, 5"x5"

2009-10-12T18:12:00.000-07:00

"Seashell 1", oil pastel, 5"x5"

2009-10-11T19:43:00.000-07:00

"Cow Creamer", oil pastel, 5"x7"

2009-10-11T19:41:00.001-07:00

"Yellow, Orange, Red", oil pastel, 5"x7"

2009-10-03T15:26:00.000-07:00

I couldn't get the colors to photograph correctly...

"Amber Rooster", oil pastel, 5 1/2"x3 1/2"

2009-10-03T11:13:00.000-07:00

"Blue Rooster", oil pastel, 5 1/2"x3 1/2"

2009-09-30T13:10:00.000-07:00

I'm working in oil pastels right now, to have some quick, small pieces for a show in October.

"Orange Pepper", oil pastel, 5"x7"

2009-09-28T10:34:00.001-07:00

Bazille copy, final

2009-05-08T15:44:00.000-07:00

Click here to see the final painting.

Day 3 of Bazille copy

2009-04-24T14:42:00.000-07:00

click here to see today's progress.

Day 2 of Bazille copy

2009-04-19T18:22:00.000-07:00

Here's a link to my copying blog to see my progress on the Bazille copy. http://amyilenemann.blogspot.com/

New copy begun!

2009-04-10T17:35:00.000-07:00

http://amyilenemann.blogspot.com/

Today I copied at the National Gallery. Click on the above link to see my first day's progress.

"Studio Window" (final) oil on linen, 48"x36"

2009-02-16T12:38:00.001-08:00

I went back over the window frame to darken it, and also darkened in value the two plants and pots on the left. Also softened the shadow on the grass across the street. I think it works better now.

"Studio Window" oil on linen, 48"x36"

2009-02-08T15:02:00.001-08:00

I may tweak it a bit more, but I think it's done.

"Studio Window" (in progress) oil on linen, 48"x36"

2009-02-06T17:02:00.000-08:00

Wow, my last post (and last painting) was dated January first! Well, I have been working on a large painting, so I thought I'd put a picture of it in progress. I can only work on it when the sun is shining, and the snow is melted. I'm going to try to finish it in the next few days (weather permitting) and will post the completed image then.

"Yellow Crane on Red", oil on canvas board, 6"x8"

2009-01-01T16:57:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year!

It has been a VERY LONG TIME since I have done any painting! I guess I underestimated how returning to work, even part-time, would mess me up. I have been spoiled. But it's a new year, and I am determined to get back to painting. So even if I get a full-time job, I hope I can paint, and post, more often in the coming year.

This painting is awkward and muddy, but it's a (re)start. I was surprised to see that yellow+red=green (in the shadows on the yellow paper, but not too obvious in this photo.)

"Plant Portrait- African Violet", oil on canvas, 12"x12"

2008-10-15T12:51:00.001-07:00

"Plant Portrait - Golden Barrel Cactus", oil on canvas, 10"x8"

2008-10-11T13:14:00.000-07:00

just for fun...

"Power Line Portrait, Braddock and Poplar Tree", oil on canvas, 12"x12"

2008-09-27T13:28:00.000-07:00

Well, I just had to paint this, since I've been staring at the power lines around here during all my walks. I couldn't get up the courage to sit out on this corner and paint, however, so I was forced to work mainly from my mind and some photographs. Very unsatisfying, I must say. I will paint some more of these, maybe even on site if I get braver.

"Rearing Crane", oil on board, 6"x8"

2008-09-23T13:37:00.000-07:00

Finally got back to the easel today. It seems when I get away from painting, it is REALLY hard to start again. So I started with another little crane, which is enough of a struggle anyway.

"White Orchid", oil on canvas, 30"x15"

2008-09-11T18:04:00.000-07:00

A companion piece for the pink orchid. Very different colors, though.

"Pink Orchid", oil on canvas, 30"x15"

2008-09-07T20:13:00.001-07:00

A real change of pace here... I wanted to work larger, and I wanted to work on fabric and flowers. I expanded my limited palette of colors for this one. I ended up using Manganese violet, magenta, pyreline red, and ultramarine violet. Getting this range of violets, pinks, and purples would not have been possible using my usual limited palette.

"Red Crane on Red", oil on canvas board, 6"x8"

2008-09-04T16:25:00.001-07:00

I'm baaaack...

Away

2008-08-27T07:59:00.000-07:00

Don't be alarmed... I'm not painting this week because we're moving my son up to college. I should be back posting by early next week.

"Blue Origami Crane", oil on canvas board, 6"x8"

2008-08-23T15:26:00.000-07:00

I tried using a knife to paint this, but I had more success with brushes. Not much success with the camera, though. The color in this photograph is too yellow, but it was the best I got. The cranes are contagious... my 13-year-old son is madly making them now. He'll probably reach 1,000 and achieve world peace. (That's part of the legend of the origami crane.)

"White Origami Crane", oil on canvas board, 6"x8"

2008-08-22T13:21:00.001-07:00

I've gotten obsessed with making these origami cranes. First I looked up the directions on the Internet, but I didn't have the right kind of paper, so it was really impossible, because my paper was too thick to do all these tight little folds. So I went out and bought origami paper. I have a range of colors, so I'm sure I'll fold, and paint, some more cranes!

"Red Finger Hot Pepper" oil on canvas board, 6"x8"

2008-08-21T20:38:00.000-07:00

SOLD
I like to go to the big Korean grocery store near me to see what interesting produce they have today.

"Green", oil on canvas, 18"x24"

2008-08-20T20:13:00.001-07:00

I ended up pulling some tube greens out of my drawer for the bottle. I just was unable to mix that bright, intense green. I think I mainly used Phtalo emerald, which I don't even remember buying. Also cadmium green, which I used a little in the limes.

"Green" process - day 1

2008-08-19T20:01:00.001-07:00

Day 1 of "Green": I got the still life set up and looked at it through my viewfinder. I always use this process, but today I felt tired and it was hard to get the image drawn on my canvas while holding the viewfinder and squinting through it, so I...

...tried something I have never done, and framed the setup, using straightedges taped to the front of the table, and a string across to demarcate the top of the composition. This felt strange to do, but freed me up from holding the little viewfinder and squinting through it.

Day 1 of the painting. After finally getting my composition sketched onto the canvas, I concentrated on mixing as many greens as I could. The glass bottle is a very bright, unnatural green, the limes are a beautiful range from yellow-green to blue-green, the backdrop cloth is a pale minty green, and the whites are picking up reflected and refracted greens. I do not use any tube greens at all, so I have to mix everything. I am using all my yellows (W&N cad yellow pale, Gamblin cad yellow medium, and Gamblin Hansa yellow light) and all my blues (Gamblin ultramarine, manganese blue hue, and phtalo) in different combinations, plus white. I was all I could do today to just cover the whole canvas. I find myself quickly confusing the greens, dirtying brushes, and getting lazy. Time to stop and continue tomorrow. I hope to keep much of the gestural and painterly feel, but clean up and punch up the color, and work on the edges. I may not actually work on it too much longer.

"Bag of Walnuts", oil on canvas panel, 6"x8"

2008-08-17T14:33:00.001-07:00

"Hairpins", oils on canvas panel, 6"x8"

2008-08-17T14:30:00.000-07:00

I think this old plastic container of hairpins belonged to my grandmother. I've had it for years, and have been wanting to paint it, but I'm not too happy with how this turned out. It was very hard to get the ellipses of the container correct, and it looks lopsided. I did it, though, and so you get to see it!

"Seashell #1", oil on canvas board, 6"x8"

2008-08-15T17:27:00.000-07:00

No, I haven't stopped painting, just a very busy week. Back to the small size.

"Blue", oil on canvas, 18"x24"

2008-08-08T20:02:00.001-07:00

It's been a busy week, but I finally got to paint today. I did this in a kind of a rush, and I think it shows. But I like what happened in the bottle's shadow in the foreground. That's more like how I'd like to paint. The color of the background cloth did not come out right in the photo.

"Red (Peppers and Beets)", oil on canvas, 18"x24"

2008-08-05T16:24:00.001-07:00

I suddenly realized today that these larger canvases, 18"x24", are EXACTLY the same proportions as the 6"x8"! So I decided to treat the composition the same as the little ones - only bigger. The little painting-a-day size felt like it could be done larger, anyway. Tomorrow it's on to Blue.

"Yellow", oil on canvas, 18"x24"

2008-08-03T14:59:00.000-07:00

This painting actually took two days. I was tired of painting tiny and decided to make a jump in size. It actually felt too big, but I was committed. This is a painting of all yellow things. The objects are larger than life size. Next I will do "Red", then "Blue", then "Green", all 18"x24". Then maybe I'll be ready to go back to a little painting-a-day.

"Local Eggs", oil on canvas board, 6"x8"

2008-07-30T18:40:00.000-07:00

A couple of days away from the easel, but I was able to paint tonight. These colorful chicken and duck eggs are from my nearby Whole Foods grocery store.
Sold

"Serranos", oil on canvas board, 6"x8"

2008-07-27T16:14:00.000-07:00

"Milk Glass/Glass of Milk", oil on canvas board, 6"x8"

2008-07-26T18:55:00.000-07:00

This was a lot harder than I thought it would be...

"Bottles No. 3", oil on canvas board, 6"x8"

2008-07-24T21:04:00.001-07:00

"Bottles No. 2", oil on canvas board, 8"x6"

2008-07-23T19:58:00.001-07:00

"Bottles", oil on canvas board, 6"x8"

2008-07-22T18:27:00.001-07:00

"Bavarian Cream", oil on canvas board, 6"x8"

2008-07-21T16:27:00.000-07:00

"Box of Cherries", oil on canvas board, 6"x8"

2008-07-20T16:17:00.001-07:00

"Habaneros", oil on canvas board, 6"x8"

2008-07-20T12:44:00.000-07:00

"Glass Roosters", oil on canvas board, 6"x8'

2008-07-18T19:25:00.001-07:00

"Black Plums", oil on canvas board, 6"x8"

2008-07-18T12:43:00.001-07:00

"Restaurant Shakers", oil on canvas board, 6"x8"

2008-07-16T14:38:00.001-07:00

Sold

"Dots", oil on canvas board, 6"x8"

2008-07-14T20:04:00.000-07:00

Sold

"Sour Balls", oil on canvas board, 6"x8"

2008-07-13T15:42:00.000-07:00

Sold

"From the Olive Bar", oil on canvas board, 6"x8"

2008-07-12T18:21:00.000-07:00

"Red Pepper on Blue Plate", oil on canvas board, 6"x8"

2008-07-11T19:45:00.000-07:00

"Sugar Bowl", oil on canvas board, 6"x8"

2008-07-10T19:02:00.000-07:00

"Blue Mr. Peanut Cup" oil on canvas board, 8"x6"

2008-07-09T17:00:00.000-07:00

"Cow Creamer", oil on canvas panel, 6"x8"

2008-07-07T16:25:00.000-07:00

Sold

"Poblano Pepper", oil on canvas panel, 6"x8"

2008-07-06T15:56:00.000-07:00

This is the first of my "painting a day" paintings. There are so many daily painters out there, I thought one more couldn't hurt. I've been having "painter's block", so I thought committing to doing a painting a day would unstick me. This is the first, they are bound to improve from here.