Grand Canyon - Finished

Managed to get a finishing session with this. Took down the rocks on the right with a little grey so that they didn't attract attention away from the focal area. Then I added one or two bits of detail and I think I'm going to call it finished, time to move on to something new.

Grand Canyon Update

Got a couple of hours at this and hopefully made some progress. The first job was to alter the main mesa to take away the impression that it shared an edge with the one behind. Thanks to Bill Cramer for spotting that. I did some work on the relative values and changed some of the shadow work. There are one or two things to sort before it's finished, the main one being to take down a little the bluff on the right of the picture. After that a handful of small details should complete it.

Grand Canyon - Oil on canvas board 20" x 16"

Grand Canyon WIP

I've begun working on this 20" x 16" oil from one of the images that I made on our recent trip. It's a difficult piece because of its complexity and having spent a couple of sessions on it I'm having to leave it for two days because of other commitments so I've posted it as a work in progress, hoping that someone might give me a push in the next direction.

At last I'm getting a little closer to creating a reasonable range of values, indeed that was where I began this piece, blocking in the shadows. The blocking in process is so important in establishing the foundation for an adequate painting and I am thankful to the example of a number of colleagues on Wet Canvas for the input of their expertise. For anyone interested the web sites of Michael McGuire and Larry Seiler have helpful posts showing their works in progress. They make great learning pieces.

Over to you, how can I improve this?

Grand Canyon - Oil on canvas board 20" x 16

Mittens at Daybreak

A view known to us all from years of watching Westerns. On our stay in Monument Valley it was impossible not to be drawn back here time after time.

Mittens at Daybreak - Oil on canvas board 12" x 10"

Red Rock Crossing

Well, here we are again, back from a two month round the world trip and chomping at the bit to get back into the painting rhythm. I had little opportunity to paint whilst away but returned with lots of sketches and photographs for source material. If you are interested in the itinerary for the trip I wrote a blog on the road and you can find it at www.carneysontour.blogspot.com . In there I mention a couple of painting related tales, like the day I was painting in the Cathedral Square and people started to put money down next to my palette, must have looked particularly in need of TLC that day.

This is the first effort since returning, a quick oil sketch of one the many beautiful places we visited.

Red Rock Crossing - Oil on canvas board 12" x 10"

Winter Hiatus

Little to report on the painting front, Christmas has a momentum all of its own in the Carney family. But that is not the main reason for the lack of brush action. We are taking a significant break and spending some weeks travelling in the Far East, Australia, New Zealand and the States.

The planning for this trip has consumed most of my spare time in recent weeks but now the trip is almost upon us, I'm facing the dilemma as to what to pack in terms of painting gear. Weight restrictions on airlines are the background to selecting anything for packing. This has lead to me coming to the almost inevitable conclusion that the oil kit must remain at home. Tripods and palette boards are just too heavy for a long trip along with adequate paint and supports. I could probably have got away with it if the trip was about a week or so but this journey is just too long to skimp on other essentials. And so the painting equipment that is packed is the trusty watercolour box and a couple of blocks of my favourite paper, Saunders Waterford. Hopefully, there will be some pieces that are worth posting as we travel and it is my intention to try doing that.

So till there is something to post I'm on weather watch in the hope that our plans are not disrupted by the current cold snap.

Gallery Visit

Applying paint has been low on the list of priorities this last few weeks for one reason or another. Last weekend I had the opportunity to get away for a couple of days, good boys get pass outs! I'd been keen to see the Turner and the Masters exhibition that is currently at Tate Britain.

The basic premise on which the exhibition is based is that Turner was an artist who publicly engaged with artists of the past as well as contemporaries in producing his work on his journey to the unique works that result from his innovative approach and desire to explore the very nature of Art.

Suffice it to say that the experience of seeing Turner's work hung next to that of his influences and competetive contemporaries is fascinating and the best I can do is to urge anyone who can to get there before the exhibition closes at the end of January. For those who can't the catalogue is a worthwhile buy from the Tate web site. The text is well researched and insightful, I won't try to emulate it here but advise that it is well worth your time and money to investigate this exhibition and its curation.

It was interesting to visit Tate Modern after a first viewing of the Turner exhibition. Here the main exhibit is called Pop Life and explores the relationship between art and art as a business. The theme was inspired by a Warhol quote, 'Good business is the best art'. Artists as brands underpins the selection of exhibitors, Warhol, Hirst, Emin, Lucas, Koons, Murakami are some of the people represented. Work varies from obvious commercialism to some challenging pieces that question taste and morality.

After that visit it was fascinating to return to the Turner exhibition and soak in his work along with the Poussin, Claude, Van Ruisdael, Rembrandt, Girtin, Wilkie and others.

The pictures I have posted are a very limited glimpse of the contents of the exhibition.

My reason for choosing the first one is twofold. Firstly, the building is one of my favourite places on earth and secondly it demonstrates the exquisite draughtsmanship of Turner early in his career.

Durham Cathedral - J. M. W. Turner

The next is one of the most influential pieces that Turner used for the purposes of learning, emulation and as a yardstick for his own work. The lessons from Claude's work prompted the exploration of atmosphere that was to become a Turner hallmark. (Apologies for quality of image).

Seaport - Claude Lorrain

The remaining images exemplify Turner's growing command of the atmospheric effects and vagaries of weather and it is easy to see the continuing influence of Claude as well as the work of the great Dutch painters of the sea, Van Ruisdael, Cuyp and Van de Velde.

Abingdon - J. M. W. Turner

Squall - J. M. W. Turner

Dutch Boats in a Gale - J. M. W. Turner

Sun rising through Vapour - J. M. W. Turner

Regulus - J. M. W. Turner

My final selection is the painting that is used in the Tate publicity material and is one that never fails to transfix me when I stand before it. It grabbed me for a good hour on this trip. The progression that took Turner from being a precise draughtsman to the visionary that could represent the elements in such a rendering is one of constant fascination. It does my soul good to have the chance of wallowing in such visual delights.

Time to get out the paints.

Snow Storm, Harbour Mouth - J. M. W. Turner