Link!

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

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

Commissioned portrait, charcoal

"Cousins #2", commissioned portrait for another recipient

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"

"Ethan", pastel, 15"x12"

"November Oak", oils, 22"x16"

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

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"

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"

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"

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"

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"

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"

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"

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"

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"

new portrait commission: Taylor

My all new web site!

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

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

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

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

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"

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.