Sara Streeter Alla Prima

Sara Streeter Alla Prima

9" X 12"

Oil on Paper

2 Hr. from Life

2014

Alla Prima Portrait

Alla Prima Portrait

9" X 12"

Oil on Paper

2 Hr. from Life

2015

Alla Prima Portrait 5-4-2015

Alla Prima Portrait 5-4-2015

11" X 14"

Oil on Canvas

2 Hr.

Catherine Seated (Alla Prima)

Catherine Seated (Alla Prima)

12" X 16"

Oil on Canvas

4 Hrs. from Life

2015

Alla Prima Painting 5-18-2015

Alla Prima Painting 5-18-2015

11" X 14"

Oil on Canvas

2 Hr.

Alla Prima Painting 5-14-2015

Alla Prima Painting 5-14-2015

9" X 12"

Oil on Paper

1 Hr.

Alla Prima Painting 5-12-2015

Alla Prima Painting 5-12-2015

9" X 12"

Oil on Paper

2 Hrs.

Herzog in Monochrome

Herzog in Monochrome

12" X 16"

Oil on Paper

2015

Another Werner Herzog study completed a couple of weeks ago. Herzog is a kind of enigmatic figure in the sense that many of his views and life choices are quite original. This makes him difficult to define in any kind of conventional way. On realizing this I decided that this work wasn't doing him complete justice. So ultimately this work is just a stepping stone to another attempt at representing him with convincing authenticity. 

Untitled #242

Untitled #242

9" X 12"

Oil on Paper

2014

I used some larger brushes in the hair for this 1.5 hour study. I always find it aesthetically attractive to use the largest possible brush to describe a form. There is a kind of simple beauty and elegance to a well placed and accurate brush stroke. 

To break down the complexities of nature into simple statements and patterns is an attraction across many endeavors. From simple mathematical equations that describe the nearly infinite variability found in the Universe, to the age old wisdom of the Golden Rule; simple truths hardly ever lose their luster. 

Untitled #311

Untitled #311

12" X 16"

Oil on Paper

2014

Another 2 hour study painted from life. I've really grown fond of working in a monochromatic form with these 2 hour poses. It saves a bit of time not having to spend a lot of the pose mixing as is the case when working with color. Also, you can cover so much ground with paint in such a short amount of time, and the length of the pose allows for some accuracy. So this approach is a nice mixture of both drawing and painting. 

Gwyneth Seated in Monochrome

Gwyneth Seated in Monochrome

9" X 12"

Oil on Paper

2015

I painted this the other morning from life out in 29 Palms in a little under two hours. It was another trek for me across the mass of Southern California to a place I've never been. The workshop was held at a place called 29 Palms Creative Center & Gallery and the host, other artists, and model were more than pleasant company to keep. The drive there was amazing too. So many wildflowers in the desert. The most I've seen in quite a few years. 

Danielle Seated

Danielle Seated

12" X 16"

Oil on Canvas

2014

This 3 Hr. life study was painted on an untoned canvas. Typically I enjoy working on a toned canvas while doing studies like this from life as they afford some forgiveness in terms of coverage. 

When working on such a stark surface you have to work a bit more diligently to make sure that the paint connects so that bright canvas gaps don't show up in-between strokes that have been laid down. To accommodate for this I usually load the brush full of paint while attempting to describe forms with as few strokes as possible. 

This approach to painting is called 'economy of means' by many, and more than a few of my favorite artists worked in this manner. There is kind of elegant simplicity to it when thing work out well.

Camille Seated

Camille Seated

12" X 16"

Oil on Canvas

2014

This is a four hour Alla Prima painting from life completed last year at Angels Gate. I used quite a few very large brushes throughout the painting. Especially in the background. Using these can be a bit tricky sometime as it is a very simple thing to ruin prior carefully laid in strokes.

Skull in Umber Monochrome (Sold)

Skull in Umber Monochrome (Sold)

9" X 12"

Oil on Paper

2014

I painted this 2 hour study from life using Raw Umber and Titanium White. Monochrome works like this are a great way to study value relationships, and the skeleton in particular presents an elaborate exercise along these lines due to the myriad of small changes in form.

Monochrome Female Head Study 02

Monochrome Female Head Study 02

12" X 16"

Oil on Paper

2014

This painting is another 2 hour study done on Canson Oil Paper. I've really come to enjoy working with it over the last year. Although at first it took some getting used to as it is a "thirsty" surface to work with. What is especially attractive is that there is a soft focus quality to the finished work that is quite unique. Although hard edges are easily defined as well.

The paint bleeds a bit into the tooth with fluid applications. So it can behave a bit like watercolor paper in that way. Although it takes opaque passages with no problem as well, which makes it quite versatile. It's very much like working with Gouache on Illustration Board, but better in that it offers the permanence and luster of working in Oil.

Skeleton Study in Green Monochrome

Skeleton Study in Green Monochrome

9" X 12"

Oil on Paper

2014

This is a 2 hour study of a full size skeleton that I purchased back in the 90s. I've returned to paint and draw from it on countless occasions. The human skeleton, along with other animals in nature, is a work of tremendous complexity and presents a unique challenge when used as subject material due to the innumerous small forms of detail throughout.

In using it as a subject over the years it really sinks in after awhile just how complicated the spine is in particular. It's like this giant tree trunk of electrical wiring running right down the body carrying out much of what the brain commands and each vertebrae is riddled with processes, ridges, and nodules. It's a bit counterintuitive given how simple the back appears from a surface anatomy perspective. In fact the back, especially the lower back on the male figure, is one of the most continuously homogenous shapes on the human form in general. It's really quite deceptive. 

Monochrome Female Head Study

Monochrome Female Head Study 01

9" X 12"

Oil on Paper

2014

I've just opened up a Gallery on DailyPaintWorks.com* and this is the first painting I've posted there. It's a 2 hour study completed last year as part of a daily painting exercise and I'll be posting more work over the coming year or so.

I'm not currently represented in the "Gallery World" as I've been working full-time commercially for over the last 15 years very much under the radar. I made my first portfolio website back in the late 90s and took it down in late 2003. So I've been missing in action in a public way for quite some time. I haven't even really been on social media at all either. I started a Facebook page some years ago but that was mainly just to do research for a commercial project. I've really had my nose to the grindstone for a long time without taking much time to look around or self promote my work. So I imagine some visitors have come here and said to themselves, 'Who is this guy?'. For those that have I've added a bit more biographical info* at my DailyPaintWorks gallery.

*My online Gallery is currently closed to further purchases as of April 2015. Although I may reopen it at some point in the future.

Untitled #212 (Sold)

Untitled #212 (Sold)

11" X 14"

Oil on Canvas

2014

I usually make some effort to soften more edges on my Alla Prima paintings, but I found this angle to be more befitting of a flatter approach. Profile views on figures have always struck me as the most graphic of angles. 

Obviously, this isn't an original insight as it has been a primary means of graphic figurative communication in art going all the way back to the Egyptians. Given this, this viewpoint and those close to it are typically the best suited for an angular definition of shape in portraiture. Even Picasso took advantage of this oftentimes:

Untitled #202

Untitled #202

12" X 16"

Oil on Canvas

2013

Studio 117B in San Gabriel, CA. has workshops on Thursday evenings and Saturday afternoons that feature models in long poses. This portrait is from one of those sessions and was completed in nearly four hours.

Garrett; the facilitator of the studio - is a smart, generous, and all around great guy who has gone to considerable length in creating a wonderful studio set-up for visiting artists.

Sara Streeter Portrait

Sara Streeter Portrait

14" X 18"

Oil on Canvas

2014

This portrait of Sara Streeter will be a part of a group gallery show on display at the Angels Gate Cultural Center February 8 - March 27, 2015. It was completed Alla-Prima from life in about 4 hours last fall. 

She modeled on her birthday, on a Saturday morning, and stood for a four hour pose. The woman is a pro.