Lottie's

The morning was hazy and gray, or was it just me. I don't know what happened but I seemed to have greatly exaggerate the atmosphere of the morning. Maybe I need a break from Chicago? So I'm off to the Big Apple and the wonderful sounds of the Jersey Shore. Be back in a couple of weeks with hopefully a large handful of ocean-scapes.

8"x10" Oil on Linen

"Riverwalk"

Karen Phipps and I arrived at Cedarburg just in time to get our canvases stamped before they closed for the morning. We immediately headed to the Cover Bridge Park to find a beautiful shady place to paint. I think we both prefer cityscapes but the heat and humidity was near 100 degrees so we decided to wait until later to paint their main street. Once I got here I knew I had to tackle my nemesis, thick greens. The bit of blue on the muddy river was reflected from the sky and gave me a mental relief from the heat. This is mostly palette knife as the canvas is larger than what I have been painting. The larger canvas gave me elbow room to use a palette knife.

11x14 oil

"Private Retreat" (Quilt Farm & Museum, Cedarburg, WI)

This painting didn't make it into the Cedarburg Plein Air Exhibition because I wasn't satisfied with it at the time. I painted it the last morning. The sun was playing hid n seek which means I had to depend on my poor memory skills to created the beautiful dappled light. The strong patterns of light and shadow is what initially drew me. I also enjoyed the challenge of the abstractness of the leaves.

14"x11" Oil on Linen

"Suspended Animation" (Floral Expressions, Cedarburg, WI)

The Cedarburg Plein Air Competition and Exhibition was great. Karen and I had an excellent time painting their beautiful town and countryside. Next year we plan on staying two nights so that we can make more paintings. As it was, we each painted four and scraped away one. My big problem was painting in +100 degree temperatures and humidity. This painting happens to be my favorite because I love painting at night. The atmospher is just right for me. Few people are around, the town is at rest, the temperatures have dropped (a bit) and the lighting from neon and street lights creates wonderful glows. That's why I call this "Suspended Animation." The artificial lights make what is illuminiated pulse. Now if I could just carve out the time to hit Chicago at night I'd be a really happy camper.

14"x11" Oil on Linen (for sale at Cedarburg, WI)

"Peony Buds" 14"x11" Oil

Karen Phipps and I are participating in the Cedarburg Plein Air Competition and Exhibition. Wish us luck that we don't melt in the heat.

I tried to paint fast to catch these in bud form. I really liked the way the white peonies glowed against the dark background and wanted to recreated this in paint.

"3 Oaks" 8x6 oil on linen mounted

The past few days I was invited to participate with a group of nationally recognized artists called the "Fernwood Ten." It's a by invitation only plein air event ending in a gala reception. The proceeds from the sales of the art, which we created at Fernwood Botanical Gardens and surrounding area, help found this non-profit organization. If you're near Niles, Michigan, stopping at this botanical garden is so worth your while. Although we had high winds, thunder storms, --typical dreaded weather for plein air artists, we all were able to create paintings which we were happy with and pleased our audience. Unfortunately I wasn't able to photograph my paintings which all sold at the silent auction but hopefully one of my fellow artists will have and then I'll post them on my blog later this week.

In addition to this plein air event, the Fernwood Ten has sixty paintings on show (& sale) at the Clark Gallery until August. Once the show was hung and I saw all the art work, I was so impressed. My fellow Fernwood Ten artists are truely great artists exhibiting inspiringly compelling paintings.

This painting posted today was dash out quickly before the gala reception last Friday night. I was most interested in the high wires in relation to the low buildings. I hope to paint this again and do it better justice. It's a bit stiff and blocky but I did it this way as notes to myself.

"Mickey's" 8"x6" Oil on Linen

I love this austere-looking corner pub for several artistic reason but also because it contrasts with the "fellowship" which happens within its walls.

This morning I had the company of two other Plein Air Painters of Chicago, Ellie and Karen Phipps (check their blogs for their take on this location). We had to paint very quickly as the lit side soon move into the shadow side of the building.

Although the bright morning sun made the shadows in general cooler, the red brick was relatively warmish with a purplish cast. The shadows on the sidewalk and road were much cooler than the shadow-side of the building.

Normally I don't sketch first rather I start with large masses of color and value. But for this piece I did "draw" with paint to create and redesign (just a bit) the angles of the roof tops to enhance my design. I really liked how the buildings pop against the sky.

I used two differnt sizes palette knives and my largest round bristle brush. No medium, just lots of lovely oil paint.

We still plan on getting some night painting done so please stop by again soon for those postings.

I'm off to paint with the "Fernwood Ten" in Niles Michigan. If you click on my events listings you'll see their beautiful website. In addition to a paint-out, the Clark Gallery will be showing six of my landscapes through the summer. Preceeds from these sales assist in operation costs of the Fernwood Botanical Gardens and Forest Preserve.

Student Art Works From Spring 2009

The following paintings are not mine rather the oil paintings of my students. I am so pleased with their results that I just had to post them. All paintings were done from life, not photos. We created still life set-ups in the LaGrange Art League studio. Some students haven't painted in years and decided to tap back into their creative-side, others have studied with me repeatedly. I think the results from this class were particularly stunning. I hope they all continue to explore oil painting because their discoveries and successes are simply wonderful, don't you agree


Terry
Oil
11x14












Nina
Oil
11x14













Michael
oil
11x14











Mary
Oil
9x12











Nina
Oil
11x14












Maxine
Oil
11x14













Maxine
Oil
18x24












Mary
Oil
12x9

River Side Findings

Last night I was again at my new favorite spot to paint, along the river's edge. The river has finally receeded to reveal the rocks and the ground dry enough for me to walk. It was a nice surprise to see these wild flowers blooming in more than a foot of water. Just you in case you can't tell, the blops are suppose to be rocks. I think these rocks were placed here to prevent the riverbanks from washing away.
It was dusk when I started so I painted quickly with a palette knife and hoped my first strokes were accurate because there wasn't time for correcting.
6"x8" Oil on Linen

Cabaret Pub

Early Saturday morning Karen and I painted in the peace and quiet of the day. I enjoyed the challenge of the quickly changing shadows and light on this blocky building. But I'm wondering if, since being a neighborhood bar, if we should return on a busy night and capture the buzz of a Saturday evening??? I'm thinking yes.

8"x6" Oil on Linen ($145. framed)

"Scalawag Onion" (sold)

I love shopping at neighborhood farmers markets because they often have veggies that I normally don't see in my local grocery. Although green onions are very common these were so wild, fresh, and colors intense that I thought they'd make a nice study. The roots were long and had a life of their own which inspired the title of the painting. This is mostly a palette knife painting although I did use a brush in areas were I needed to tame down the rougher palette knife strokes. 6"x12" oil on linen

"Purple Splash"

The model was doing quick poses all morning. She ran out of the standard poses which was really great because then she got playful and her poses looked natural to her body. I wish it was longer and I had used heavier paint but if it was a long pose I'd would have lost the simplicity. Still wish I'd used heavier paint in some areas to add more of a pow.

12"x6" oil on linen ($145.)

"Jazz Note"

After spending days working in a more thoughtful manner I seem to really need to do something more expressive and free. I'm glad to have a variety of excellent models with original flair.

20"x10" Oil on Linen (NFS)

"Corner Pub"

Plein air painting this morning was really great because Karen Phipps and I tackled the same corner = excellent discussion on many painting issues such as; is the light warm, are the shadows cool, what temperature is that colored wall, composition etc. And on top of all that, I'm still painting on this smaller size but trying to convey a big feeling. In otherwords, though it's only 8"x6," if painted well, it should command attention from quite a distance.

Amusing and interesting trivia regarding this pub at http://www.chibarproject.com/Memoriam/Rich%27s/Rich%27s.htm

8"x6" ($99./$145. framed)

0il on linen mounted on archival museum board

On the Shore

In the evenings I've been playing with small format figure paintings which I recently called my "blop paintings." I'm really having fun in my own little bubble. They seem to work best if I'm working directly from life but that's not always possible so I've started taking a gesture from another painting and using it all on it's own, also working from my horrible little scribbles and photos.

A new collector of mine recently framed four to hang as a grouping. It gave me a boost to see them hanging and revitalizing that space in her home.

This is 6"x8." Which is the largest I think my "blop" paintings should be.

"Along the River's Edge" (sold)

After a couple of days of hard rain I was surprised to find trees with spring blooms. I wish I could do them justice. The spring colors and textures are a fun challenge.

"Redd"

Yesterday was raining too hard to paint outside so I finished a piece I started a while ago. This painting is part of a plein air piece and much larger. My aim was to create the pleasure I have on a solitary walk among all the beautiful colors.

36"x24" Oil

"Swan Pond"

This area is normally a grassy park but because of all the rain the river has flooded this area. I've been told it's a natural protection which Frederick Olmsted, the developer of my town, incorporated into his design.

So here is another study on reflections. It's so easy for me to get lost in all the complexity of so many colors and shapes but a problem I am enjoying learning to solve.

6x8 Oil on Linen ($99. w/frame)

Private Interior

I've been making a lot of horrid messes this past week both in my studio and outside with my plein air efforts. These are the only two pieces I feel are "blog-worthy." But I'm not going to stress about it and after I finish my mega mug of java I'm hitting the streets to try try again.

Here's my/Churchill quote of the day, "out of extreme complexity emerges extreme simpicity."

One of my former roomates use to wisely say, "keep it simple stupid." The stupid part may sound harsh but she directed at herself. But with my many different subject matters; still life, plein air, figures, portraits, I do think it's important to simplify the shapes.

Session 3 "Kate" Oil on Linen 16"x12"
For the past three Thursday mornings I've been taking http://www.marcioleszkiewicz.com/ portrait and costume workshop. Marci is an amazing artist and very talented instructor. Each moring I learned so many new things that I always left excited and ready for another workshop. Check out her website. Her paintings will amazing you.
So what I've posted today is the head study I did over three sessions. As usual for me, I could have used several more hours to finish. I think with time and more practise I'll get there. I used everything in my art bag, extra large rounds mostly, some sables and two palette knifes and lots and lots of oil paint. To bad money doesn't grow on trees.

Session 2

Session 1

I'm sitting down and she's up on a podium. I chose this angle because it's challenging to get that upward look. Even in this early stage I could see lots of greens in her blondish hair.

plein air musings plus

The following are some pieces I did outside of my studio. I'm still working on the theme of painting- that -which -normally -doesn't -get -a- second -thought but, I find particularly beautiful.

"Blu Where There Shouldn't Be"
6"x8" Oil










On this morning the weather went from sunny and warm to dark and rainy to sunny and, well you get the picture. It really wasn't the best idea to pick reflections on those conditions. Again I struggle with getting too expressive and loosing the bit of form which gives the viewer a clue as to the fact that it is reflections in water and not purely an abstraction painting.







"River North" (Unfinished)
The sun was out, it was warm for the first time in weeks and weeks so instead of finishing the piece I was distracted by the day.

okay so this isn't a plein air piece but she is "musing" about something.

12"x9" head study in oil w/ a limited palette

plein air paintings

"Still Waters" Oil 6"x8" ($145.)


I made these paintings over the last couple of days and decided to post them together. The theme is paint-what-normally-doesn't-get-a- second-glance.

The river flooded but has started to recede leaving pools of water in the woods. It has opened a whole new world of painting possibilities. I hope to paint more before it all dries up.




"Reflections of Blu Skies" Oil 6"x8" (sold)

I never knew how much a blue sky could change the colors of muddy water.
















"Morning Glow" Oil 8"x6" ($145.)

Tried to capture the sun light as it just starts to touch some of the buildings in the morning. Normally I focus on the watertower which is shown to the right but cropped off. The smaller surrounding buildings have much charm themselves so I hope to paint them from different angles.

can you guess what it is???

Yesterday I finally got to paint this area that I pass by daily but haven't found the time to stop and paint. My primary concern was to create a simple simple composition/design with my subject matter. But now I'm wondering if the simplicity made it too abstract. If so, I probably should consider painting in a more highly realistic manner and minimalize my loosy-goosy style. So, can you tell what it is I painted???

6"x8" oil on linen mounted on 6 ply archival museum board

I love quick sketch in oils. This is one of my favorite models. She's long and lean with a pixie-like personality.

12"x6" oil on linen NFS

"On the Dance Floor"

I painted this from a small "blop" painting and added more of the floor because I wanted to show the dramatic sun-spot from the large window. I'm a bit concerned that I elongated her body a bit too much. What do you think?

11"x14" oil on linen

head study in oil

Definitely my favorite and biggest challenge are these portrait studies. There is so much information to try to capture and also the decisions on what not to paint. I want to get accuracy but keep it "painterly." I took the photos about every two hours to keep track of my progression.

14"x11"

oil on portrait linen

blop,blop, blop

This is a tiny piece and done quickly before the teen bounced off to do whatever these kids do. My hope was to get the size and placement in that bit of light from a side window, as accurately as possible. I'd like to do more of these "blop" pieces and then see if I can successfully make them larger in my studio. I call them blop pieces because that's what I feel like I'm doing, just blop in the values in the right place the first time cause there's no second chance.

6"x4" oil on linen

head study-"DaLawn"

I feel very fortunate to be a part of the Palette and Chisel Art Academy and Gallery. They have over 60 hours of open studio/live models. This young man can sit hours, literally, without a break. Finally we artists were just too hungry and needed a rest.
9"x12" Oil on Linen

"Spring Fling" group exhibition

The City Art Gallery in Greenville, North Carolina(http://www.cityartgreenville.com/) has been representing my figure paintings for the past few years. This year several of my lastest works will be included in their group show. This is a sample of some of my paintings to be exhibited. The show opens April 2, 2009.

The first and third paintings were first oil sketched, on location, on tiny canvases, 6"x8" -8"x10" and then later repainted on larger canvases in my studio.

"Night Shimmers" oil 30"x24"

"Swwwish" oil 24"x12"

"Buddies oil 12"x12"

(The gentleman holding the bag wasn't happy that I painted him. But in the oil sketch he looks like a blob)

These paintings are also shown on my website, www.hong-sammons.com

sold

For those of you who are in or near Chicago, The Palette and Chisel Fine Art Academy Gallery (1012 N. Dearborn (312)642.4149), will host it's annual fund raiser called "Under $300." this Saturday, March 28, 2009. Most members donate art and/or proceeds from the sale to benefit one of America's oldest non-profit art organizations. I hope you can stop by and see (and buy) hundreds of beautiful paintings. I will be submitting six oil paintings. Two which have been on my blog and shown once again here.