Chasing Monet

Haystack Rock
12"x12", oils on canvas

 I was looking for some new ideas for landscapes and also wanting to do some work with water, I decided to do some of the Oregon coast. I happened on a news article on Monet's water lilies and procured a used copy of "Monet Water Lilies - the Complete Series" by Rey and Rouart. I drooled over it for two days straight, trying to absorb the meticulous looseness, the freedom of not-necessarily-realistic colors, and the magic of the water's surface, the reflections and ripples. He was one of the first painters I studied and he's always been an inspiration to me.

Getting this book means I can stare at the lilies as much as I have time for—it's unlikely I'll ever make it to France! Sometimes parts of a painting look clean and spare, with just a few colors, or very similar pastels that relax the eyes and and the mind. Other times, in dark areas, it looks almost brutal, heavily overloaded strokes of colors that don't seem to make sense, but still convey deep mysterious darkness, lifting up the lighter areas and maximizing their impact. I feel like he's using color as a structural material, and I get the impression that he didn't have any qualms at all about using whatever colors he wanted to, whether his eyes could actually "see" them in the subject or not.

I wanted to paint Haystack Rock in as impressionistic a style as I could manage; by that I mean I wanted it to be loosely done, with vibrant, engaging color and simplicity of shapes, using texture and light to evoke a sense of presence. It seemed to me that his approach on the lilies was to lay in the water first with unstructured strokes, mixing many hues of blues, greens, lavenders, and then more-or-less draw in the flowers and lily pads with dry-brushwork, layering strokes until he got the depth and mix of colors he wanted. He doesn't bother with small details, letting one stroke suffice wherever possible, implying rather than stating, which in his hands conveys not just the water and plants, but a three-dimensional space and the feeling of looking at the subject as if you were standing next to him.

Another modern who impresses me in the same way is Sargent; his economy of strokes really amazes me, and it's a skill I really aspire to. I've heard over and over that suggesting the subject and surroundings engages the mind of the viewer more than explicit detail does, and enhances their sensation of the painting; I believe that is the the way vision works--you can take in a whole scene or you can focus in on one thing at a time.

Now that this one's finished, I'm starting another Haystack Rock, so I can explore other color palettes and more water formations, hoping to get closer to that magic that Monet was such a master of.

Lessons from a risky subject

 

The King

Finally put the last touches and a coat of retouching varnish on Smokey's portrait. I was really happy to finish and get ready for something different. The practice I got painting the fur was invaluable, also working out the colors for the fabric, and getting the "old paint" look in the background.

I've started work on a new small seascape and I can tell that I learned a lot on The King in handling the paint and understanding how I want the painting to look when I'm done. This reinforces my belief that the only way to get good at anything is to do it, as much as you can, as often as you can, and to explore every aspect of it that interests you. I've read plenty of books and watched videos, and I've learned many things from them, but until I pick up a brush and try something, it doesn't—it can't—make any difference in my work.

Sometimes a difference in the type of brush, or how you're holding it, or the consistency of the paint, or if you're using a medium or not, can make a huge difference in your results. The risks you're willing to take, trying a new approach or a subject you have no experience with, can open up new opportunities you'd never thought of.

But whatever you do, keep painting!

WOW!!--Lavender oil as a medium!!

The King (detail)

While I was working on my last finished painting I happened on some web articles about how some old Dutch Masters had used "Spike Lavender Oil" as a medium, and not really being all that happy with the 50/50 stand and walnut oil mix I was trying—it dried more quickly than walnut but usually took 2 days on thin-to-normal paint—I ordered some spike lavender oil and used it a little as I finished that one up. Then I started an 18x36" portrait of our Lynx Point Siamese cat Smokey (I wanted to figure out if I can actually paint fur, and practice my 'fine lines') and have been using the lavender oil exclusively. Wow!--the only pigment that does NOT dry overnight is white—all the other colors are dry to the touch and ready to paint over the next day! With that change, I found I've returned to my long-time habit of working in layers, building up color and implied texture in layers, fine-tuning the blend I want and making use of the translucency of most colors. The photo shows the closest-to-finished area of the painting so far.

The oil dries flat and matte, and is as clear as any other oil medium I've used but has a very faint tint, so it might start showing if  you end up with a thick pile on the canvas, but so far I haven't noticed. It's quite thin as oils go, so it's great for thin glazes or washes. I keep the large bottle next to my palette and use the long dropper that came with it—eazy peazy. Although I'm a fan of lavender in general, I DO recommend very good ventilation, and/or a fan behind you blowing it away from you. I use a fan and an air filter to minimize it, but it is one of the safest essential oils you can find and it's non-toxic and non-flammable, which take it to the top of my list! But if you don't care for the smell of lavender, wait till someone figures out how to deodorize it—without ruining it for painting in the process.

I can rub dry paint off with a paper towel some, so I'm thinking I may finish up the top layers with stand oil—or another mix. But it's fantastic for the way I approach painting—giving myself plenty of freedom to rework areas till they look like I want them to--without a bunch of uneven or unwanted build-up.

As for my fur renderings, it's not quite what I want, I'll probably keep experimenting with it, but it does look enough like fur to not be freaking me out. The fine line technique I wrote about last time is promising for fur. There are so many different tints and shades in his coat that layering is the only way I can think of to reproduce them. I'm not quite half-done, and it'll probably take me another month to complete it. I'll be back with more photos then!