Thursday 28 October 2010




Course work: Commenced making the additional color corrections required in Stage Three of Project One. It seems likely that I encroached on Stage Three while working on Stage Two. Much of today’s effort was on the surprisingly elusive colors of the pear. I also found a few more minor errors in construction, though I left these uncorrected.





Reading and theoretical studies:



Norbert Wolf Salvador Dali

Parragon, New York, 2008

Pp. 96-153



Sketchbook work: Two sketches of the seedpods of a trumpet vine.

Time today: One hour 46 minutes

Wednesday 27 October 2010




Course work: A quick, smaller version of Stage Two of Project One, on 23 x30 cm paper, imagining a blue background instead of a green one, including much less detail, and making some changes in the original colors. To me, this seems more like a color study than does the larger piece…but, who knows? Getting the colors of the pear correct proved a problem in both studies, and some further work is indicated. The larger study has more depth than the smaller, for two reasons: in the larger study I suggested the horizontal surface with lighter paint, and I developed the folds and shadows more fully. After looking at both studies, I am convinced that my original green drapery color is satisfactory, although I may rearrange the folds before progressing to Project Two. I think that it is now time to proceed to Stage Three of Project One.

Reading and theoretical studies:



Victoria Finlay Color

Ballantine Books, New York, 2002

Pp. 39-77



Sketchbook work: A funnel cloud which appeared to the southeast. This frightening phenomenon was sketched from memory, as the cloud was quickly obscured by torrential rain that reduced visibility to less than 150 meters.

Time today: One hour 32 minutes

Tuesday 26 October 2010





Course work: Put a few more small areas of paint on the color study for Stage Two of Project One. I don’t think that I should take this much further and still consider it a color study. I think that I made an error by making it about the same size as the planned actual painting. I am beginning to wonder if I made a bad color choice for my drapery.

Reading and theoretical studies:



E. H. Gombrich Art and Illusion (11th Printing)

Princeton University Press, Princeton, New Jersey, USA, 1969

Pp. 146-202



Sketchbook work: On a day of very disturbed weather, with cumulus, cumulonimbus, altocumulus, stratus, altostratus, and cirrus clouds simultaneously visible, I did four quick half-page sky sketches, in two drawing most of the cloud-forms in, and in two erasing most out. None of the four is highly satisfactory, but they do give the impression of the extremely unstable weather.

Time today: 1 hour 9minutes

Monday 25 October 2010





Reading and theoretical studies:



Victoria Finlay Color

Ballantine Books, New York, 2002

Pp. 1-39



Time today: 36 minutes

Sunday 24 October 2010




Course work: Further work on Stage Two of Project One, adding some small patches of color.



Reading and theoretical studies: Started collecting images for the theoretical studies project at the bottom of page 93 in the text. Here again, the criteria seem fairly subjective, but I shall try to be as objective as I can. The first small color study will illustrate how color can be used as a significant element in the composition without playing a part in realistic description; this is based on Ivor Hitchens’ Red Centre. Colored pencil was used for most of the study, with one small dab of white acrylic.

The Red Centre” of the title appears to be a saturated slightly warm red, surrounded by other colors that are primarily either tints or are partially neutralized. With the patch of bright red, the picture is arresting; without the red centre, it is uninteresting.





Sketchbook work: A sketch of my somewhat battered travel hat, brought out and brushed off in preparation for our upcoming trip.

Weekly reflections on learning experience: I am glad to be away from painting squares, despite the knowledge I gained by so doing. Work on the color pattern is both more interesting and more confusing, as I have little idea of just when to call this stage complete; it is, I suppose, intended as preliminary work for the next project, but where is the end point? If it is just to try out the major colors used, then I am already finished (and have been since Thursday). I think I’ll spend another day or two at it, still working on applying color in ever-smaller patches without any real effort at creating a detailed outline.



Time today: Two hours 18 minutes

Saturday 23 October 2010




Course work: Stage two of Project One continues, with a few more minor contour corrections, and the beginning of application of a few intermediate colors and tones.



Reading and theoretical studies:



Norbert Wolf Salvador Dali

Parragon, New York, 2008

Pp. 8-93





E.H. Gombrich, The Story of Art

Phaidon Press Limited, Oxford 1978

Pp. 155-166



Sketchbook work: A sketch of the skull of a female white-tailed deer, in my pocket sketchbook.

Time today: 2 hours 16 minutes (7 hours 2 minutes)

Friday 22 October 2010







Course work: Continuing work on Project One: A Color Study, Stage Two, I corrected a few erroneous shapes, and overpainted some colors that were a bit thin, still using a large brush and not being very precise in my paint application, and limiting the work generally to three tones.

Reading and theoretical studies:



E. H. Gombrich Art and Illusion (11th Printing)

Princeton University Press, Princeton, New Jersey, USA, 1969

Pp. 116-145



Sketchbook work: A few hasty charcoal sketches as the horses grazed near the house. I’ve never done one of these that I liked, but I keep trying.

Time today: 1 hour 14 minutes