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Showing posts with label angel trumpet flowers. Show all posts
Showing posts with label angel trumpet flowers. Show all posts

Gamblin Oil Paints

We just got back from visiting friends in Portland, Oregon.  When I found out we were going up there, I contacted Gamblin Oil Paints and asked if I could tour their factory and they graciously said yes.  I've always liked their paints and mediums and they have one of the best, most informative websites I've seen so I was really excited to be able to see their facility.

When I got there, I was surprised by how small it is considering that they have an international presence with their product.  Every step of the process is checked and their quality control is wonderful.  I am now a complete Gamblin convert and plan to only buy their oils when I need (want) new colors.

Not only are they really focused on keeping their quality high and consistent, they are also careful about the health of their employees and the environment.  They use an air filtration system to capture the pigment dust while the colors are being mixed, which could be harmful if inhaled.  Once a year, they make Torrit Grey paint using everything collected in the filtration system.  The grey varies from year to year because the colors and amount of dust from each color made each year can vary.  Torrit grey is released around the end of April and is only available while supplies last.  It is given as a gift when another tube of Gamblin oil paint is purchased.

Artists can enter their annual Torrit Grey competition in which they use only Torrit Grey, white and black in their painting.  This year the deadline has been extended until Oct. 1st.  You can visit the Gamblin website to get the details and see examples of past work.   If you can't find Torrit Grey in your area, I just got some at Art Supply Warehouse which is located in Westminster, CA but they sell on-line also.  I don't know how much they have left but I was really surprised that they still had any because it's usually gone from stores pretty quickly.  If you contact them, be sure to mention the Torrit grey because some of their employees (the first on I talked to) don't know about Torrit grey and if they look on the Gamblin color chart they won't see it.  This company is different than the Art Supply Warehouse with the website aswexpress.com (one of my favorite places to buy supplies) They ran out of the Torrit Grey a while ago.

I'm hoping to try a painting or two to submit.  It will be a really good exercise in value control.

This is a painting I did awhile ago but I never posted it to the blog.  It's one of my first oil paintings and I painted it in a traditional manner glazing many layers.  The color is much richer in person.  I just love these dramatic, huge flowers.  They have a long blooming season and are really flashy in a garden.

Garden Angels
Image size 24" x 18"
Gallery wrapped canvas painted on sides.  No frame needed
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Silk Angels

Back to silk painting.  Angel trumpet flowers (Brugmansia) are among my favorites.  They look almost alien in their size and shape.  I videotaped this painting as I worked on it.  I'm going to try to post the video below.

 I just posted it to youtube and it's a bit blurry.  It wasn't before I downloaded it but the file was probably too large and maybe it was posted as a smaller file and that made it blurry.  Who knows?  I certainly don't.  I think it's amazing that I've gotten it this far.  You wouldn't believe how many hours it's taken me to figure it out to this point.  I am very technologically challenged.  Thank goodness our son was home from college this weekend or the video would still be in the camera - not compatible with Mac.  Matt's my computer genius.  I know it would be nice to have music but sorry, not this time.  I'm tired of working on this and my head is spinning enough already.  It can only get easier from here, right?

I hope you can see this enough to get an idea of the process.  If you are interested in seeing me demonstrate silk painting in person, I will be the speaker at the Tustin Art League's monthly meeting next Wednesday, November 10th at 7:00.  If you will be joining us, could you send me an e-mail so we will have an idea of how many people are coming?  We are a very small art league and have limited space.  My e-mail is nancygoldman@cox.net  The meeting is located at 300 South C St., Tustin, CA.

Here is the video (I hope):



Silk Angels
Image Size 12" x 20"
Silk dyes on silk
Stretched but unframed
$225.00
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Picture Perfect


This is a painting that I did about 4 months ago to enter into a juried contest. At the time, I was getting ready to go out of town and was rushing - never a good way to get a successful painting. My original idea was to show how we focus on flowers when looking at a plant. I wanted the three flowers to be three snapshots that brought your eyes to the beauty of the flowers. My plan was to have the background very faded and the snapshots much brighter to show how we really don't usually pay attention to the other parts of the plant. (Of course we, as artists, probably do notice the whole plant.)

I thought it was a good idea but it didn't come across as I wanted for two main reasons. First, choosing yellow flowers was a mistake because yellow has such a light value intensity even at it's brightest so by also having the background light, my flowers didn't really pop. I did make the blue more intense in the snapshot area too but it wasn't enough. Secondly, there was too much background that was faded looking and the whole painting was too washed out. I've cropped out about 3 inches from the bottom because there was still too much background. It may be too bottom heavy now. I only cropped it in the photo so I can change my mind on that part.

I wasn't sure how to fix it without losing my original idea. I looked at it for months with no idea. Finally, I decided to darken the background but use muted, more drab colors to bring the attention to the snapshots. The finished painting is actually a bit brighter than this photo shows it to be. Below is the original painting before I "fixed" it. I'm still not sure it really gets my idea across as strongly as I would like but I do think the value contrasts are better in the above painting. I would love to hear your comments or ideas to make it better. I may do a series using this idea. I think that would be fun. By the way, no, the painting didn't get juried into the show. I didn't think it would and in fact I would have been embarrassed if it had. I only entered it because I plan to enter as many contests as I can as a way to push myself and didn't have any other paintings I wanted to enter.

If you like this original painting better - too bad. It's forever altered. Although if you do feel that way I would like to know.
Picture Perfect
Image Size 22" x 15"
Watercolor
Unframed
$325.00

March 2nd post script: I took a new picture of the re-done painting that shows the color better and I "uncropped" the bottom so if you are looking at this post for the first time, don't be confused. The bottom painting is cropped, the top painting isn't.
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Brugmansia


I'm doing a series of small paintings for a art show I'm involved in this April.

Brugmansia
Image size 4" x 6"
Watercolor
Unframed, double matted
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Yellow Angels


This was an interesting painting to attack. I had fun with the border details and working the organic shapes in with the geometric shapes. I used a different brand of paper than I usually do so I had to fight with it throughout the whole painting. It was like learning to paint again.

Yellow Angels
30" x 22"
Watercolor
Unframed
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Picket Fence Morning Glories


This is a painting that I started a while ago and decided to finish this week. It always feels good to get back to flowers.

Picket Fence Morning Glories
11" x 15"
Watercolor
Framed
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