No Photos, ever???

I was tossing and turning this morning wondering where
this was all leading.  I thought about the statement I made
yesterday "No Photo's Ever!  It's been worrying me ever
since.  I can't remember all the of the places and things I've
seen over the years.  Photo's are the only memories I have.
I guess that's why I take so many of them, most are useless
or provide just a brief glimpse of what I was seeing and thinking.
For me they're mind reference and only for that purpose!

This is what I did wrong.  I tried to draw directly from a photo
and then paint loosely.  Yeah, that's right, I just said that.
This is what Loriann was talking about.  It's not wrong to
have photo's but it's wrong to use them as direct reference or
to copy.  Of course this is not true for everyone.  If exact
replication and detail is your style then yes, photo reference
is perfect if you can't have the subject in front of you.

I have to be careful of what I say, this is ME I'm talking about
here, not everyone else.

So, another day has dawned and it's time to put on the coffee
and see where it leads.  Wish me luck, I'll need it!

Have a wonderful day everyone!
From Sedona,
Doug

DO NOT USE PHOTO'S, EVER!!!

Well at least hardly ever for those that have success with photo's
I'm posting a photograph to prove our best friend and marvelous
painter ... Loriann Signori how true her statement is, was, will always be.

This is from someone that should know better ... ME!!!!

It was OK as a commercial illustrator when reference and speed
were key.  Now 7 years since I've retired I still get sucked into my
old habit ... PHOTOGRAPHS!!!!!!!!!

TODAY you will see the photograph that has caused this uproar.
The goal when I arrived in Sedona was loosen up and stop creating
mud.  Later I will show the unfinished attempt just prior to it's
burial.

Learn from this stupidity!

Starting Over ... Again!

Struggling start.  The brush feels odd as well as the paper.

Because of my shoulder I have to stand to paint.  This is

new to me in the studio.  More later hopefully when things

begin to roll.  In the mean time, from Sedona

 Thumbnail

 Tozigoot

Tozigoot 2

Doug

Sedona, Arizona ... January 26 - March 31

It's possible this trip may even spawn a painting or two.
Nice break after last year and total cabin fever.
Enjoy the rest of your winter.

Doug

p.s.  this was a freak snow fall from 4 years ago.  Still awesome!

Pouting Dreadlocks

Sleeping

This was 15 minutes.  I used the long axis of a piece of Conte Crayon
again moving my arm from the shoulder to keep a free expressive

drawing.

The Essence.

These drawings are from a life drawing drop in session this past week.
I enjoy longer poses but I truly enjoy the warm up gesture drawings.
Detail is not important.  It's a freeing exercise using a full arm swing
to capture the energy of the pose.  A quick look at where the weight
is and the curve of the models pose is what it's about for me.
Take a look and tell me what you think.

 Apologizes for the quality of the photos.

Proof!

Go to the previous post. That painting went back to the

studio and lost a great deal of it's freshness. The piece above

is the painting from the plein air site. For me it's proof

that I need to do more thinking, plan what I'm going to

do, allow enough time to either improve it or leave it alone.

In this case, leaving it alone would have been the prudent

thing to do.

International Sketch Crawl

Pastel City View (plein air)

Pond at Hawk Meadows (plein air)

A group of us got together Saturday to participate in

the 28th International Sketch Crawl. People all over

the world take part in small groups. It's fun to be around

other sketchers and view each others work. These are

the two pieces from my Saturday morning.

White Water

Well, anything goes. I had an inkling of this

before I started painting. I wish I could remember the

name of the artist it seems I've copied here. I think I like the

bright colors and bold brush strokes. Maybe I should

re-visit evolution and see if it feels like going further.

Au Sable

Waiting on

evolution so painted

this ... I lost track of the

diva ... or maybe there

never was a diva. Fickle

divas.

In Process ... Evolution

This seems to be

evolving with some

direction coming

into view.

From the Top

No preliminary drawing

for this one. Just brush work

from one color to another.

Some blend together leaving

some hard and some soft

edges. Again this is a process

with quick brush work.

River Entrance

I'm trying to work

quickly to avoid getting

hung up on tedious

details. Certain parts

could have been softer

but overall OK.

Before the Flood

Finally back in the studio after

7 months. Need to refresh and

search for a new direction.

It may take a while to get

back. Here is a rough beginning.

Maybe the little painting Trolls will come

out from under the bridge and post something

soon ... I hope.

Post Something?

Riders of the Purple Sage

Going through the flat files

again and found this piece that

was done near Tucson AZ.

I always wish I could remember

how certain things happened.

My problem is not painting enough

and then each time I start is like going

back to the beginning each time.

I like this piece even though it's mostly

two values. Needed some connected

highlights and a dark to pull it together.

Anyway, what do you think.

Sedona Revisited

Nothing new yet!

I did find this one in the flat file.

Umm, I need to do something with this!

Ding Dong the Sling is Gone!

Thanks for the title B!

Everything that was left ... is now right,

and I mean really right. Back to blogging

with both hands. Hopefully some paintings

soon. Thanks to all that sent well wishes

and words of support ... I needed every last

word and every last letter to get through

this mess.

Thanks again everyone!

SUNFLOWER!

I'm sure you are as tired of looking at

the sling as I am wearing it. So for a change 0f

pace here is another old piece. Flowers in

a bucket at the end of a photo shoot.

SLING!

HERE'S WHY NO ONE HAS SEEN OR HEARD FROM ME.

the gray thing on my shoulder is the webbing that

cold ice water is pumped through. no beer just a nice ice

chest. keeps the swelling down. the sling keeps my arm

very close to my side. if i don't then i,ll have to start over.

typing this is like sending a message in morris code. peck peck.

ROTATOR CUFF

Keep smiling everyone. I'll be back in @ 3 weeks

Fading into the mist.

If you come to a fork in the road...

This follows my previous post which was the beginning of

some grapevines and foliage. In the beginning it had already

turned to a more interpretive approach to the unknown at that

point. Now here it is at it's current stage. Finished? I don't know,

but definitely done for now.

Time out for medical leave. I'll be back in late February to determine

if I took the right fork in the road, so you've got plenty of time to

leave your honest opinions. In a few weeks I'll catch up with you and

see the footprints you've left behind. So for now ...Shaka

(means "hang loose" in Hawaii)

Watercolor in Progress

This is slightly larger than the last post.

It's progressing with more thought but still

with left and right hands. My goal is to emphasize

watercolors effects along with techniques.

The finished piece will come along in a couple of days.

Beginning

I'm not going to jumble this up

with my thoughts and reasons for things.

It may have something, maybe a future.

You tell me!

5 x 7 watercolor on cold press.

broad strokes were left handed and

a few details were done with the right.

Sorry this is such a funky reproduction.

The little bubble's are actually dark spots.

Unfortunately they were still shiny when I

copied it. Hence the crappy little bubbles

and poor quality.

Cropped!

A small portion of a large not so hot painting.

I'm posting this only to stay in touch.

A few days ago as I sprawled with a "what just

happened look" between two cars I new I wouldn't

be painting for a while except maybe left handed.

Tore up my bicep muscle and the right arm is

currently painful and useless. Could've been worse

as they say.

Anyway, didn't want you all to think I've just walked

away from the blog world. Nope, right here ...

and if I can get my wife to type for me, I'll be responding.

Until later friends.

Bummed out!

Hawk Meadows Revisited

9 x 12 plein air watercolor on cold press arches.

Plain and simple traditional approach. I'll always

revisit this style along the way. Searching for

new vitality, enthusiasm and passion.

Hawk Meadows

Things weren't happening in the studio today, so I escaped.

Drove down the road aways to Hawk Meadows, a local walking

and hiking park. There I can park and paint in the car.

I noticed something right away ... I was using a small palette

with small pans of color. The colors weren't as strong as

fresh paint in the studio palette. Kind of soft and

transparent. Hopefully I can take that back to the studio

and put it to work. I think I'm going to do plein air more

often. No time to think and let intuition take it's course.

The photo's are blurry because I didn't want to drag out the

tripod. Later maybe. Let me know what you think.

From Real to Fiction

Frustrated by the mud strewn larger painting, I chose to

crop out 5 tiny abstracts. You say, "well that's cheating"

and I say "first you have to have enough sense to decide to

crop. Then you have to choose where to crop. Of course this

takes up to 45 years of experience. If you believe all that then

I've got 5 little abstracts that I'll sell cheap. It was a fun conclusion

to a very sad painting.