Painting Class in my Studio

These are a few photos posted of my painting class that I am holding in my studio. This is the first of a series that I will be teaching.

Portrait of Charles

Saddling Up

Watching the Herd

Cutting Calves

Tina & John

Dean Bootman Portrait

Here I started laying in color on top of the under painting. At this stage I'm just laying in general color values keeping it simple and big masses and will adjust them as I go.

Underpainting, dean Bootman portrait

This is the second stage of the portrait. This is the underpainting done using Burnt Sienna, Ultramarine Blue and a little of Titanium White. It is done on the finest of Belgian Portrait Linens using an oil ground. Next I will apply the color.

Painting Helen

Tina & John

Portrait of Dean, College of Pharmacy at the University of Arizona

Portrait of Helen

Unfinished Portrait

This is a photo of the portrait of Helen in progress. It is near completion but still needs some work. I periodically like to place it in a frame at this stage to get an overall view of the work.

Unfinished Portrait

This is a close up photo of the portrait of Helen, a six year old girl from NYC. It is not finished yet but I like to set a portrait that is near completion in a frame to help me with composition and values. It makes it easier to see where it needs to go lighter and darker. It also helps me to see shapes and masses important in the composition. I then take it out of the frame to work on it and repeat that several times until the portrait is complete. I made a trip to NY for the first pose. After I returned to my studio in Tucson I thought it would be nice to include her favorite doll. On my second trip to NY I had Helen hold the doll and I painted most of it in right in their apartment from life.

TPAPS Desert Museum Show

Although I love painting portraits in the studio, I get a sense of freedom and communing with nature when I am out of doors painting. To me the elements of nature play an important part in the development of the painting and the freshness and spontaneity that the work takes on. I love the sounds of birds and other animals, the wind rustling through trees, the movement of light and shadows as the clouds pass by or on a cloudless day just the changing shadows and color as the sun moves across the sky. Sometimes there is a lighting effect, ie..shadow, highlight etc. that appears that wasn't there earlier and I feel it adds to the composition or interest of the painting.

Desert Museum Show Painting # 1

These next three paintings are in the TPAPS (Tucson Plein Air Painters Society) members exhibition at the Desert Museum. The show is in the Ironwood Gallery at the Desert Museum in Tucson and will run from April 5, 2008 to May 18, 2008. A percentage of the proceeds from sales will go to help support the Desert Museum. A number for more information at the Desert Museum is 520 883- 3024 or you can contact Russ at rrecchion@aol.com.

Desert Museum Show Painting #2

TPAPS Desert Museum Show Painting # 3

Desert Museum Paint Out

Our group TPAPS, Tucson Plein Air Painters Society had a quick draw and members exhibition at the Desert Museum. Everyone had the morning to paint then at 1 pm, the wet paintings were put in frames and hung in the gallery for an opening reception. I did two paintings that morning and have three other paintings in the show.

Lagoon at Waikoloa, Hawaii

Painting in Hawaii

I just returned from a week in Hawaii with my family. I love painting the ocean and the spectacular colors that come from the sea. I especially love the color in the water surrounding the Hawaiian Islands. When I'm painting the ocean I'm constantly studying the action of waves and the color effects of sunlight on water. It's fascinating to me to see the changes that take place and the challenge is to capture a moment.

Painting Saguaro National Park

This painting was done when my nephew Dan Perkins and I went out painting together during his visit at Christmas. We managed to get two paintings done during his visit. Here we were driving to go into the Saguaro National Park and before we got to the entrance we saw this magnificent view and parked the car on the side of the road and began to paint.

Portrait of Crane Day

The Southwest Landscape/Saguaros

The saguaro is such a unique and interesting cactus. I love the challenge they present to the painter. The color, proportions, and individual character of the Saguaro present the artist with many decisions as to how to best represent them in a painting. The shadows of the larger ones with their many arms are always changing with the moving sun, creating intense greens or deep purple silhouettes against the bright blue skies of Arizona.

Native American Portrait

This is a portrait done from life of a Native American who posed in my studio on several occasions. He dressed in full regalia and I completed this in a few sessions. Here it is in a beginning stage and the finished work.

Charcoal Portrait

This is a portrait of my son Charles. It is a preliminary charcoal study to a painting I am doing of him.

Bucks County Paintings/ New Hope, PA

The paintings above are from the Bucks County area and New Hope. I have spent much of the time during my years at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts in Philadelphia painting in beautiful Bucks County. I love the New Hope School, Daniel Garber, Edward Redfield, John Follinsbee, George Sotter, Lathrop, and many others. Many of my paintings were done at the same Quarries that Garber painted in New Jersey. The two quarry paintings above were painted from Bowmans Hill looking over the river valley towards Lambertville NJ. I've painted another one of the same view in the winter which sold at Rago's Auction (of Antiques Roadshow ) last year for $4200. including buyers premium. The water scenes are of the Delaware River painted at Washingtons Crossing and the backyard of my friend Dorothy's house in New Hope. I continue to travel to Bucks County, to see my friends and to paint the inspiring landscape of the area that feels so much like home to me.