Sunday 31 October 2010




Course work: I started Stage One of Project Two by again reviewing the work to date. Stage Two of Project Two was initiated by deciding to work on 45.7 x 61 cm paper. I decided to rearrange the folds in my still-life drapery and to change to a horizontal format with somewhat altered lighting. Work on Stage Three commenced when I mixed and applied the first coat of a color approximating the average background color.



Reading and theoretical studies:



Continuing the theoretical work on P. 93 of the text, I did a small colored pencil sketch (p. 47 in sketchbook) of Albert Bierstadt’s Sunset. Bierstadt (and the others in the Hudson River School) typically used heightened color and strong contrasts to create the effect that they desired.

Victoria Finlay Color

Ballantine Books, New York, 2002

Pp. 108-134



E.H. Gombrich, The Story of Art

Phaidon Press Limited, Oxford 1978

Pp. 167-201



Sketchbook work: One of the cats, heavily asleep.

Weekly reflections on learning experience: My work this week has been compromised by several days of dangerously unstable weather, and by the myriad of things one must do to prepare for an extended trip (everything from moving hay to patching leaks in the tack shed). I finally completed Project One to my reasonable satisfaction. Sketchbook work has been fair. Reading has not been quite as good as last week, but fell within acceptable limits.



Time today: Two hours 13 minutes (18h27m)

Saturday 30 October 2010




Reading and theoretical studies:



Norbert Wolf Salvador Dali

Parragon, New York, 2008

Pp. 154-187



Sketchbook work: A sketch of an old clay lamp, said to be authentic, though I have my doubts.

Time today: 39 minutes

Friday 29 October 2010




Course work: Made a few more color adjustments. Spent more time backing off and looking for adjustments to make than I did painting. At this point, I think it is time to move on; I may have overdone these two stages. It would be very helpful to the student if OCA included in the text some examples for guidance.

Reading and theoretical studies:



Victoria Finlay Color

Ballantine Books, New York, 2002

Pp. 77-107



Sketchbook work: A view down my gravel driveway.

Time today: One hour nine minutes (15h35m)

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