Gumballs.

It's been a while since I posted any new painting photos, because I have been so busy painting.
After making it through the holidays, trying to paint every chance I got, I have made significant progress on my 6' commission.  I have finally reached the point of  showing my clients a photo of the painting, and they are pleased with the results so far...now into the home stretch!

While letting paint dry, and trying to make some final decisions on the commission, I have painted a background (first layer of paint) on one of my other paintings.  (I must say, I could paint this model forever, and never get tired of her!)  This painting is one of my favorites of her, and I have added one of Charles Bell's paintings; "Gumball Section A" to the background.

Charles Bell is another Photorealist, and his work is not only amazing, but captures an entire era with the subjects he paints.  I have painted gumball machines myself, and even have a collection of them.   ( This painting is not completely finished yet either, but is closer....)

Andrew Wyeth (reposted)

 "Chistina's World"

"Dream"
(I originally posted this in November 2009, but when the images diasappeared, I had to find, and repost them, and I was reminded what a great man Andrew Wyeth was!  I felt the need to repost...)

Andrew Wyeth died almost a year ago (January 16, 2009) at the age of 91. I was never so much a fan of his work, as I was an admirer of his work, until I recently finished reading a biography on his life and art: Andrew Wyeth A Secret Life, by Richard Meryman. It is such a wonderful book, that I hated to finish it! Not only does the book give one a better understanding of Andrew himself, but also of his father, NC Wyeth, and his son Jamie Wyeth (both artists). The book delved into their interesting, and complicated relationships with one another. The story of NC's death was heartbreaking, but the perspective on death from Andrew (learned from his father) was fascinating! They seemed to view death as they did life....and that is possibly what makes Andrew's work so interesting to me. In a time when modern art was thriving, Andrew managed to stay true to himself and his work. He painted what he knew, and never questioned it. (He had watched his father "sell out", just to keep his family happy in the style to which they were accustomed.) I had always wondered how the Helga paintings came about, and I thought there may have been a hidden agenda, until I read about them. The story makes total sense, and I personally feel they are some of his best work, although maybe since I am currently painting nudes, they resonate with me. (We even get to see how the lives of his models sometimes turn tragic.) The era Andre Wyeth grew up in is certainly an age gone by, and I found it fascinating to share that time, while reading the book. His paintings definitely have a quiet solitude to them that I find immensely pleasing, that also records a time not so far in our past. Check out some of the Andrew Wyeth portraits on YouTube, and definitely read the book! If you like, or are curious about the Wyeth family, it will be well worth it.

Photos on blog seem to have disappeared???

While I was reviewing my blog, I noticed that many of the painting images have disappeared, and have big exclamation marks on them.....is everyone seeing this?  I have been trying to repost them, but there are so many....

Commission continues.....

I just finished painting the shoes on my six foot figure!  That means the whole body has it's first layer of paint, and, so far, the paint is drying fairly fast.  (I decided not to use the quick dry paint, because I am not sure how I like it...it seems kind of "plastic" to me when it dries, and I am a fan of the way oil paint looks when it is dry....which I think is extremely important when painting a Thiebaud cake.)
My next decision is how to handle the shadows in the background.....after I paint the background, then I will repaint the entire figure, and see what I think.....

                                                                                            

And since I always like to post a photo of a painting, here is "Cakes!", with Wayne Thiebaud's painting "Cakes" in the background.

One and 1/2 Cakes!

I have been working on my painting commission that "incorporates" my client's Wayne Thiebaud painting; "One and 1/2 Cakes".  The Thiebaud painting is amazing, and today I am starting to paint the cakes!  The idea of the commission came from my client, and it is a "shift" from what I usually do, but in a very creative way.  When presented with the idea, I was totally taken with it, and the pieces have fallen into place nicely.  I don't think I will post any photos of the actual painting until it is further along, or possibly when it is finished, but here is a photo of the original Wayne Thiebaud painting.....oh I look forward to the day when I actually own a Wayne Thiebaud of my own...

Happy Holidays!!

As the holidays are upon us, I thought I would write a quick note before I go to Phoenix to celebrate Christmas with my daughter and her husband, and my two grandsons. (The photo above is of me and my family, around 1960.)
Last week I did indeed get my 6' canvas, which is beautifully stretched, and started to draw in the painting.  While I have painted this large before, it has been horizontal, or if a figure, I haven't ever painted down to the feet. 
There are a few challenges, since the model is taller than me, (and I'm painting her...close to life size) such as......I can't paint her head...eye to eye.  So I have stacked some boxes, and am standing on them to paint.  So far, it is working pretty well.  One day I will have an easel that lowers into the floor, as Mel Ramos does!

3d out of 2d...

I should have started my commission by now, but the canvas stretchers put me off another week, due to warped stretcher bars....should be this Thursday...

So meanwhile I have started another painting.  I just love when a painting begins, and how the 2 dimensional canvas starts to give way to a 3 dimensional image!

Day 3...

So yesterday I decided to paint over the dry layer of paint with original Winsor Newton Titanium White, (mixed with the other colors) and the blending is much better...if you compare the closeup view to the previous close up view. I am totally loving this face!  I don't know if it is the model, or the way I am painting, but it seems very "comic book" to me.
Now I will let this dry, and I hate to even think that when I paint in the background, the skin will be way too light.....and I will have to paint it again.  I have to remind myself that this was an experiment to test the quick dry titanium white.
I have a few "famous paintings" in mind for the background, but I am open to suggestions if anyone has any brilliant ideas...something to go with her "melancholy" look.

Day Two...new white paint.

After painting yesterday, I am finding that the new titanium white (quick dry) is a little harder to blend, and it looks a little "plastic" to me...more like acrylic.  While I have no problem with acrylic paintings, I am already missing my smooth, blendable titanium white.  Having said that, the painting is totally dry, and I am loving that! 
What I think I will do today is repaint the face and body, and maybe mix the two whites, or paint the top layer of paint in the old titanium white....still not sure.  If I had a background planned (I am still deciding), this would be the perfect time to paint that in, and then repaint the whole painting with regular titanium white.  What can I say....another work in progress.

Commission and New White Paint!

I have recently "secured" a very large commission (30" x 72") that I am anxious to start painting!  First I ordered my canvas, and when it was being delivered the wind caught it, and damaged the very edge.  The young man who was carrying it felt terrible, but what can you do?  I should get the new one this Thursday, and then can begin.

Anyway, one of my biggest concerns over this project is the dry time.  If you read this blog, you will see that I paint the first layer of paint and then let it dry and add another, (sometimes the final layer), then I let that dry, and then varnish (retouch varnish at this point). 

I know I live in one of the dryest parts of the country; New Mexico, but I have been waiting for one of my latest paintings to dry now for almost 2 months.  I do use liquin, but am not in love with the shininess, or the paint consistency when it is added.  I have also tried flake white, but don't like the consistency, and chalkiness of it.  I have even tried setting a heater in my drying room, but since I turn it off at night, I am worried about the hot/cold change in temperature, and how that might affect the paint.

Well, the other day, while I was at the art store, I asked about some drying methods, and the guy showed me a line of Winsor Newton Paints (which is what I generally use anyway) that drys fast.  It is called Winsor & Newton Griffin Alkyd (fast drying oil colour). The titanium white is where my biggest problem lies, so I bought a giant tube of it to check it out.

Last night I was painting skin color, taking my time, as usual....using large batches of color as I go, which I then blend.  After about 2 hours I started to notice the paint was getting a little tacky, so I hurried to blend it, wondering if it was drying too fast......this morning, much to my shock and surprise...it is dry!

So now that I know I have to work a little faster, I am very excited about this new paint!  My dry time is what slows me down, and is one of the reasons I have so many unfinished paintings laying around.  I may even be able to actually finish one piece from start to finish, without starting a new painting.  Hmmm, I wonder if I can adjust???

New painting, new model!

I have finally completed my painting of my new model. As usual, I paint the first layer of paint, let it dry, and then when I get around to it, (because I have new paintings started) I paint the second layer of paint, and try to finish the painting.  The leaves in the background seemed to take forever to paint....I am really in love with her face and hair, and like I said earlier, she reminds me of a J. W. Waterhouse model...maybe it is the long red hair, I don't know, but I already have two other paintings of her in progress.

Creativity!

After my last post, I continue to create without the restraints, or constraints of painting for some one else, and I can say that I feel like a weight has been lifted. I even sold a painting out of the blue, with another possible sale pending. I now have an abundance of new ideas, many beautiful models to work with, and even new devices which are making my life easier!

I am now painting from my monitor, as I mentioned previously, and I also received an ipad2 as a gift from my husband.  (I must say, once you get used to enlarging images with a tap of your fingers, a pc seems a little confining...lol)  As the world gets "smaller", the access to art (and everything else) around the world is mind boggling!  In a good way of course.

I thought I would post another painting in progression, because, once again, it is not yet finished...I feel that with this painting I have crossed some imaginary line, and my work is getting better.  This is my newest model.  She is not only a natural model, but she has an "Eastern European" look to me, that also reminds me of a model from the late 1800's or the early 1900's.  Like a JW Waterhouse or Alphonse Mucha model....

Painting progression continues...

After a week of working on my newest painting, I am ready to post it.  I have only filled in the figure with the first layer of paint, so I will add the background, and then repaint the figure, taking into account how the background will totally change the color of the skin.  As I have mentioned before, I sometimes think I should start differently, but it is my habit to paint this way, so I continue to do it.  I like a few layers of paint over the entire surface anyway, so eventually it gets finished.

This drying time allows me to plan the background.  Sometimes I begin a painting with the whole idea in my head, but this one I still haven't decided what to put in the background...besides the bed, and maybe a few pillows. I will continue to post my progress, but am currently working on another painting.

Day 5

I haven't posted any photos since day two, and like usual, what started out great, has run into a few problems....I am changing a few things from the reference photo, and I really don't want to put pictures on my blog that I am not crazy about. 
I think I have worked out the problems, but probably won't post any more photos until I am happy with my revisions....and who knows how long that will take....

Day 2

Yesterday I continued to "block in" the hair, and started to paint the neck and shoulders.  The hair always needs many layers, especially because the burnt umber is so "thin",and it dries fast.  I never like the look at this point, but at least it is filled in, and gives an idea of what the hair will look like in the finished painting.

Day One: another painting in progress...

Do I dare post another painting in progress?  I am so excited by, not only my new model, but my new way of painting, that I thought I would take a chance and show my newest painting in progress.
I have been trying to figure out how to see more detail in my photographs, whether that meant getting a new lens, a new camera or I even considered working from an ipad....After checking out lenses, I realized that I could change some of my camera settings, and that would give me more detail.  Then I checked out my neighbor's ipad, and decided it was too small for what I needed. I was talking about the problem to my son, Shane, and he suggested I get a tv monitor that I could hook up to my computer and paint directly from that.  What a good idea!
So I went out and bought a new tv monitor that is 27",(because for now that seems quite big enough.)  My husband hooked it all up for me, and so far it has been amazing!  Now I don't have to have my photos printed to paint from, and I can control the color, etc. myself, directly from the computer!  I can zoom in close to see the detail, and I think I have solved some of my problems....Yay!!
My other good news is that I have two new beautiful models!  This painting is of Ayla, and I have so many good photographs of her, it was hard to decide which one to paint first.

This first post is of painting: Day One. 

Poets and Artists Magazine

The new issue of Poets and Artists Magazine came out a few days ago, and my work is included in it.  It is their Summer Extravaganza, and it doesn't disappoint!  There are many great artists in the magazine, and I am proud to be included with them. Here is the link; http://issuu.com/didimenendez/docs/pa26?viewMode=magazine&mode=embed

Birthday!

Tomorrow is my birthday, again, and I thought I would post my painting "Cakes".  This painting is at my gallery in San Francisco; Modernism.  The background is once again a Wayne Thiebaud painting.  I love his paintings and his paint quality, especially his cakes and pies as subjects!  It is always a joy to attempt to replicate one of his beautiful paintings!
It has been 2 years since I started this blog, and while I find I don't post that often, it is often cathartic to write what I am thinking in my day to day as an artist. 

Newest painting!

Once again I always try to hold things offline right after I finish them, especially before a show, but since I don't have a show date yet, I thought I should post something new.  The painting in the background is by another of my favorite artists; Robert Cottingham, called "Rising Star".  I have named my painting "Rising Stars" because my model Laura is young and beautiful, and also a rising star.  I love the way the star is placed behind her, and I love adding text to a painting.

NYC and PA

I just got back from a trip to NYC and PA, and it was a wonderful trip!  In NY I saw most of the tourist spots I wanted to see, and went to the MOMA and many galleries in Chelsea.  I saw a lot of wonderful art! PA is a beautiful part of the country, very green and "woodsy".  Very different from the west. We went to my brother's daughter's wedding in Williamsport, PA, and it couldn't have been more perfect!
I have decided that every family should have a wedding every five years or so, because there is nothing better than seeing little children, young adults, and older adults all dancing on the dance floor to the music of Rihanna, JLo, and Britney Spears, with a little Bruce Springsteen and Journey thrown in towards the end.