I Swam Upstream for This? 6x6"

This is the latest in my "Sushi Monday" series.

For purchase information, please click on Ann Feldman Sushi.

A Slice of Paradise, 6x6" (Sold)

What can I say?  It's sleeting outside, and I needed to paint a little corner of paradise.  Have you heard of the challenge site The Virtual Paintout? Every month, a new location on Google Earth is chosen, and artists  can look around virtually and find locations to paint!  This one is from Elba Island, off of Tuscany.  And it was a breath of fresh air for me!

White on White, 8x10" (Sold)

WHITE ON WHITE

Recently, I've become very interested in the subject of painting white.  I just completed painting a portrait of three sisters in white dresses, and while I was in the process of painting it, I visited every master painting I could find in Chicago and Boston to see how the Greats handled this very complex subject.

Here are a few things that I found:

     1. Simplify.  Keep white objects and fabrics as simple as possible.  First, find the lit areas and the shadow areas.  Find an average color in the right value and cover the areas boldly.  Step back and decide where the color can be tweaked a bit, and indicate a few details without stepping outside your values.

Cecilia Beaux

     2. Look for color in both the lit and shadow areas for vibrancy.  I've never seen anyone able to show warmth and sunlight on white fabric like Sorolla, but his whites are far from white!  Pink, blue, and yellow dance all around, without a single stroke of pure white to be found.  And yet, those fabrics are white!

Joaquin Sorolla

     3. Balance warmth and coolness in the shadows.  Sargent's shadows make me want to weep, they are so beautiful.  When I saw his portraits in person, I could see that each shadow has both a warm and cool tone in each one, giving them life and interest.

John Singer Sargent

The most important lesson that I learned on this journey is that in order to paint white, the artist has to slow way down and observe the subject closely.  In fact, white has taught me to become patient, and to let the subject dictate the right path to follow in painting it.  Many rules and preconceived notions about painting have to be put to the side, and silent study is put in their place.  Sometimes, all this patience and study reward us with a new level of achievement, and we can say that it was all worth it.    

Buzzing By, 6x6"

How many times have you lined up the perfect camera shot, only to have someone zoom into it at the last possible second?  That's what happened here-- but I was happier with the stealth cyclist in the shot!  I painted this one with a palette knife to keep it spontaneous and lively.  Just enough information to tell the story and then get out fast!

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Nichole on her Birthday 12x16"

Harvard Yard, 6x6"

I captured this brief peaceful moment in my sketchbook when I was visiting daughter Emily in Boston.  I transferred it to a board and did an oil sketch of the scene, trying to keep it very spontaneous and impressionistic.  The scattered colorful chairs were a visual treat!

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Peppers & Potatoes, 6x6"

Did you know that the "Color of the Year" is Tangerine Tango?  Well, neither did I!  This week's painting challenge on the Daily Paintworks site is to use this super bright warm red as the basis for a painting.  I used it undiluted in the red pepper, then mixed it into most of the other colors in the painting.  Then, I fried up an omelet and ate my setup!

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Amy, 8x10"

I painted this very small portrait of Amy last night in Open Studio at Mainstreet. I've noticed that there has been some discussion on the web lately about the three color zones of the face, and it occurred to me that this painting might help to illustrate the concept. (Fine Arts Views)

The theory of the three zones is that the top third of the face will have a yellow orientation, the middle will be in the red zone, and the lowest third will be blue. If we think about the head as an egg shape in the light, then it stands to reason that the area closest to the light will be warmest, and therefore have a warm (perhaps yellowish) orientation. The middle of the face is fleshier and has more blood flowing under the surface, giving a reddish or pinkish color. Then, as the face turns away from the light in the lowest portion, the temperature often turns cooler, where you will find blue or greenish hues.

If you look at Amy above, you can see that her forehead and the top of her cheekbones have a warm yellowish hue, her cheeks are pinkish, and then her jaw area has cool blues and greens in the skin tone. This theory is very helpful when you are trying to vary the skin tones in a portrait, because it serves as a guide. Of course, rules are made to be broken, and only careful observation of the model will tell you what color to put where. But I hope this was a bit helpful!

Breakfast T, 6x6" (Sold)

This little painting is a study in "controlled chaos"!  Many students ask me how to loosen up their painting style and become more impressionistic in their approach.  In this case, I used large flat brushes and lots of thick paint to lay in the color after I drew in the major shapes.  Then, I went back in with a slightly smaller flat brush to put the structure of the pot and its contents back in.  I tried very hard not to touch the color areas that were working, so that the freshness of the paint wouldn't be ruined.

One other thing that I kept in mind throughout the painting process was to use straight lines whenever possible.  Look at the top of the teapot.  Even though the lid is circular, I painted it in consecutive straight lines.  It reads as round, but the straight lines give it a spontaneous quality that I like.

"Timeless", 22x24"

Happy New Year!

A few months ago, I read an article in "Art News" magazine on Beauty and the Brain. In this article, the author cited studies on what types of visual stimuli affect the brain's "beauty" receptors. The scientists found that art that is ambiguous will engage the viewer's brain longer, and the scene will then be considered more engaging, and therefore more beautiful than a piece of art where there is no mystery.

I'm encouraging my students to add a bit of mystery to their paintings, to see if they enjoy bringing the viewer in to solve some puzzles on their own. The portrait that I painted above has the model's head turned a bit away from the viewer, so it isn't obvious what her emotion is. Perhaps this is more intriguing than a full-on portrait with a big smile.

I would also like to introduce you to a blog that I've been enjoying very much lately, named COMPOSE by Dianne Mize. Dianne tackles difficult questions about the theory of art every week, and I look forward to receiving her insights very much. This week's posting is a question that I posed to her a few weeks ago about what makes a piece of art masterful. I think you'll really enjoy reading what she has to say on this, and many other subjects!

Dear Suzy, 14x11" (Sold)

This beautiful woodland creature befriended my neighbors, Pat and Rosemarie, and became a constant visitor and diner at their home.  Wild animals are a source of great fascination in our neighborhood, since we bump up next to a forest.  Our book club chats are frequently centered around who saw whom, where and when, and how everyone out there is faring.  Do we sound just a bit eccentric?  We wouldn't have it any other way!

A Place I Remember, 16x8" (Sold)

This painting was such fun to create.  Starting with paint and lots of turpenoid, I let the paint run all over the canvas.  On top of this, I used a palette knife to lay in the major shapes, and finished off with a brush to soften some edges. What I like best about this technique is that abstract forms are created, allowing us to use our imaginations to fill in the blanks.  

Mexican Woman, 9x12"

This week I've been thinking a lot about the artists that I admire.  Today, I decided to try to paint a woman in the style of Jeffrey Watts.  Bold, simple strokes with loads of paint are what sets him apart from many portrait painters.  I had to stop myself from going back in and putting in more detail many times-- it goes against my nature, but I'll put my brushes down now and let it be.

To bid on this painting, click on Ann Feldman Mexican Woman.

Tarts for Thiebaud, 10x8"

Tarts for Thiebaud, Ann Feldman

I can never just walk by a painting by Wayne Thiebaud.  I find myself stopping and staring at his paintings of pastries, all lined up like a row of soldiers, and I ask myself, what is it about this painting that I find so intriguing?  The pastries are displayed like icons, and they are imposing without being threatening.  They are tilted toward us invitingly.  The shapes and shadows are painted simply, but with extremely complex color shifts.  Thiebaud is pop art, contemporary art, impressionism, and realism all rolled into one.  He can't be defined, and perhaps that's why I find him so mesmerizing.

To bid on this painting, please click on Ann Feldman Tarts for Thiebaud.

Wayne Thiebaud, Four Cupcakes, 1971

Das Kaffeehaus, 6x6"

This is a little cafe street scene in Germany, painted mostly with a palette knife to keep the figures very loose and open to the viewer's interpretation.  I haven't been to Germany, but I can imagine that this place creates quite a clatter!

To purchase this painting, please send me an email.

Toastie, 6x6" (Sold)

This week's challenge for Daily Paintworks is to paint your toaster.  Easier said than done.  Every time I'd get my setup together, someone would sneak up to my studio and steal it to toast something downstairs!  I hadn't realized 'til now that this appliance was so vital to our daily living around here.  I'll never take you for granted again, Toastie!

To bid on this painting, please click on Ann Feldman Toastie.

Richard the Second

Richard came in to sit for us again last week, and I developed his portrait a bit further.  I'm glad that I took the time to put more thought and detail into his face.  In the first sitting, I covered large areas of his face with broad brushstrokes of color.  The second week, I went into these areas and broke them up with shorter strokes of new color.  I think it gave him more dimension and a more lifelike appearance.

The Good Dog, 8x8" (Sold)

I saw this modern-day cowboy out fixing fences in Colorado a while back.  What really impressed me (besides his fancy red horse with wheels) was his really good dog perched on the back of his bumpy vehicle.  He was more than ready to jump down and give some cows a little instruction!

To bid on this painting, click on Ann Feldman The Good Dog.

It Must Be Monday, 6x6"

Nearly every Monday is Sushi day at the Feldman house!

To bid on this painting, please click on Ann Feldman It Must Be Monday.

Self Portrait

Hello Friends: Yes, I know that this portrait doesn't look a whole lot like me-- I'm serious and I've got my mouth closed (!), but as you can see, it's what I would call "experimental".  I can do this with a self portrait, because I know that the client won't mind. I used a loaded palette knife to apply the paint, so the likeness got away from me a bit. But I'm happy with the push that I gave myself in a new direction, so I won't sweat the details.

And Now For A Teachable Moment:  Several of my portrait students have asked that I jot down some of my teachable thoughts on my blog, and I have a couple of them today. In class, I stress the importance of finding the light and shadowed areas on the head, face, and neck and sticking to those areas throughout the painting process. In this portrait, after I found the light and shadow areas, I was free to apply any color I wanted, as long as I stayed true to my original "map". Notice the huge green area on the shoulder. Since it's in the right value, it reads right. This allows me to push my colors into completely new and unexpected areas. Having a plan is actually very freeing!

And now a thought on using the palette knife. Applying paint with a palette knife is a lot like riding a wild horse with really loose reins-- you're not really in control and unexpected things happen at every turn! I maintain just a bit of control by having very large mixtures of paint on my palette in light, middle, and dark values, and I "average" the color in each puddle to what I see in the large areas of my portrait. As long as my values are kept separate, I can add colors and apply them liberally without as much fear as I normally would have. Let's look at that shoulder area again. I started with a very light mixture of paint for the skin in the light, then added light green and light blue to my mixture with the knife. These colors didn't blend entirely on the palette, so tiny streaks show up in the painting. I love this effect. Every time I reloaded my knife, I picked up a bit more color from somewhere on my palette and put it into my mix. This keeps the area alive and gives a feeling of movement.

So stick to your plan, and push your color! You might find new experimental horizons of your own!

Nesting Time Again, 8x10" (Sold)

If this painting looks familiar, I painted one very similar a few months ago, and was asked to paint it again!  I rearranged the order and tilted them the opposite way, but I still found it pretty difficult to paint another painting so closely related to one I had done before.  This one took about twice the time the first one did, and I think it's because I lost the freedom I had with the first one-- I had to match all the decisions I had made before, and it was a completely different process.  I enjoyed it nonetheless, because I'm intrigued with shiny objects and bright colors (I guess it's the magpie in me).

Sunday Morning, Cambridge 8x8"

It's hard to beat Cambridge Massachusetts on a Sunday morning in the fall.  The architecture, the boutiques, the Harvard bells tolling in the distance.  Emily and I were lucky to catch what was probably the last great autumn weekend of the year!

To bid on this painting, click on Ann Feldman Sunday Morning, Cambridge.

Portrait of Inna, 10x14"

Inna is a student at Mainstreet who came in to model for us the other day.  After laying in a thin wash of paint with my brush, I took my palette knife to it to punch up the difference in my values and to lend the painting more of an impressionistic feel.  For the background, I brushed on a bright orange color and followed it up with mixtures of white, blue, and green applied with my palette knife.  This technique of layering complementary colors over a bright background allows the color to "sit behind" the model, which is always desirable!

Head of the Charles Regatta, 8x8" (Sold)

Here is another small painting of the Regatta in Boston this last weekend.

If you would like to bid on this painting, click on Ann Feldman Head of the Charles Regatta.

Regatta on the Charles, 8x8" (Sold)

This past weekend I visited my daughter Emily in Cambridge, and it just so happened that the Head of the Charles Regatta took place at the same time.  What a carnival!  Streets in Boston were closed to make room for the hordes of race watchers, food stalls, and rides.  The weather was perfect-- crisp and sunny.  It was the perfect New England spectacle!

A Sunny Day, 6x6"

This tiny portrait of a little girl in the sunlight was my entry into this week's Daily Paintworks Challenge.  I tried to keep this one very loose and impressionistic.  I often find this type of portrait more intriguing than a very detailed one.

Aspens in the Snow, 8x10" (Sold)

This past weekend was Parents' Weekend at both boys' schools in Colorado, so I left a few days early to paint in the Oil Painters of America's Paint Out in Woodland Park, near Pikes Peak.  The Aspens were in full color, and I was in heaven.  This being my first "away" paint out, I wasn't very well prepared!  I sat on my suitcase and balanced my painting on my knees while the wind whipped all around me.  The landscape moved me so much that I lost myself in my painting and didn't realize that I came pretty close to hypothermia one blustery morning...

Next time, I'll be ready!  Fingerless gloves are a must-- as is my easel.  I can't wait to go again!

To bid on this painting, click on Ann Feldman Aspens in the Snow.

Lovely (To Be) Back, 6x6" (Sold)

This is my entry for the Daily Paintworks composition challenge.

Sun Over Mt Sopris, 8x8" (Sold)

This is the last of my Mt Sopris "miniseries".  The area is so beautiful, I couldn't paint just one!

This painting will be up for auction at the Colorado Rocky Mountain School fundraiser on October 15.

John and Anne's Truck, 8x8" (Sold)

The founders of the Colorado Rocky Mountain School drove a truck from Vermont in 1953 to settle and set up their school near Carbondale.  The truck still sits in a place of honor on the campus!

This painting will be up for auction at the CRMS fundraiser on October 15.