Little Glamour Lake

Little Glamour Lake
11"x14" Watercolor
http://zanbarrage.com/littleglamourlake.htm

I am finally happy with this painting. For a while I felt it was too flat, but this weekend we visited and we worked together to make it a better painting :)

I consider many of the paintings in my studio unfinished. I always reserve the right to tweak them or simply euthanize them if I no longer like them. This one is done and I like it. It is sitting in an archival sleeve waiting to go home.

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Top 10 Habits to Improve Your Painting

( I was talking to an artist friend who was asking my advice on how to improve his painting. These habits came up so I decided to share them with other artists here. Each of these habits could be a post on it’s own I guess, but for now, here is the list with some explanation).

1. Spend time in your studio thinking and planning.
   Your studio should be a familiar place and a comfortable place to be in. You should not go there just to paint. You should be there to think and experiment and plan. Make it a home or a refuge and it will reward you
   
2. Sketch two to three times a day.
   You are not going to be a great painter before you can draw well, and the best way to get there is to practice. Sketching is your best medicine. Trust me on this. Sketch every moment you can.
    
3. Doodle abstract compositions
   Abstract compositions are pure gold. You should have a sketch book dedicated to those only. These are the keys to success and the seeds you use for all future paintings.
   
4. Study your colors well. Understand everything about them.
   It is not enough to have read about colors. As a matter of fact skip all the books. Get the colors out of the tubes and start mixing and spreading. You will soon realize that this is the only way to get intimate with your colors and understand how they are going to perform when you place them on the canvas or paper.
   
5. Do chromatic quick paintings at least once a week
   Just leave your colours behind and try to focus on value once a week.
   
6. Do your color scales at least once a year
   Color charts are a must to understand your colors well. This is different than (4). Here you are mixing to specific hue and value. In (4) you are free riffing.
   
7. Paint something anything but paint every day.
   Even if it is just a few strokes that don't amount to much. It is like sports. You have to keep the muscles working all the time.
   
8. Switch mediums often.
   You will quickly find out that you get a fresh feel for your medium when you change it. Don’t be a slave to your chosen medium. You are an artist not a one medium zealot. Changing mediums frees you. Trust me on this and try it.
   
9. Don't be afraid to use material.
   They won’t last forever and you can buy more. Use them up!
   
10. Use a big mirror placed a few feet behind your easel to look at your work in progress in reverse. You will be able to quickly catch your mistakes

Reset Button

I used to draw much more than I have done lately. I used to carry a sketch-book and draw every chance I had. For the past few years, as I have focused more and more on landscape painting, I let that great habit slip.
Time to hit the reset button. I have decided to focus on drawing the figure and the head for a few weeks. I know I am not good at it – that is really the point! I want to get better at it and I know of only one way to do that. Study, practice and observe intensely.

So while I do not, you may not be seeing a lot of paintings posted on my blog, webpage or Facebook page, but I hope you will agree that for an artist to grow, it is vital to stretch and force discipline and study. I hope I know my art will be better for it.
 
In my younger days, I was in a band. I deeply love music but I never had classical training in it. As I grew, I fell in love with Jazz and Classical music and my skills couldn’t take me there. I was ok with rock and band music, but my lack of training limited my growth. I still love music, but I rarely play anymore. The fundamentals of art are in me, but I need to make sure I don’t fall in the same trap. I am determined to build a solid foundation even as I continue to produce good art. I think it will get better for it, and I can expand my horizon instead of limiting myself to what I know and am comfortable with. So bare with me!!

The Visit, oil on panel 8”x10”

This one started off as a plein air painting, but it needed some work in the studio. The theme developed on location as more and more people seemed to arrive at the house ahead. A party? maybe. But it certainly was fun to paint it.
I needed to get back to the studio to check my angles and my perspective and also to think through the additional design issues that seem to be missing or inadequate in many outdoor works.
I still wonder what was going on at the house!

The Visit, oil on panel 8”x10”

Creek Bed, Late Afternoon, oil on canvas panel

Another look at the creek bed. This one is a little later in the day and the light is more colorful than the one before. It also is from a slightly different angle.

Again here I was focused on the trees and their branches. I wanted to show the jumble of branches across the scene. They are amazing to see and try to decipher in a painting. I might have gotten carried away with them, but I don’t think so. What do you think?

Creek Bed Late Afternoon, oil on canvas panel 5”x7”

Creek Bed In Winter, oil on canvas panel 5”x7”

Creek Bed In Winter, Oil on canvas panel, 5"x7"
http://zanbarrage.com/creekbedinwinter.htm

This creek bed is close to our home. It is dry most of the time except for rainy parts of winter and spring.

I wanted the energy of the branches to be the focus of this little work. There was a lot of brush in the creek bed of course, but I wanted to reduce the elements to what I needed. The houses are also higher than they are in real life. The hill is not that steep, but again I wanted to accentuate the “V” effect for design purposes.

Offerings, Chinese New Year

This is a small oil still life of tangerines in a green take-out box. I call it offerings because it is almost Chinese New Year and I love the energy that this time of year has in China Town and among the Chinese community.

Offerings, Oil on canvas panel 4”x6”