Black & White Painting Challenge 5.26.2009

2010-08-16T13:44:00.001-05:00

Pat and Jan, so good to see that you're still at it. Beautiful work! I happen to be in Detroit MI at present, but will vow to find something to paint and get it posted sometime this week. Not too terribly scenic, though.....

Two Gulls on Rowley's Bay

2010-05-18T23:22:00.002-05:00

B& W study from photo

2010-05-18T23:08:00.005-05:00

This study was done recently from a photo I took last year at Perrot State Park on the Mississippi north of LaCrosse. The other pastel (with 2 gulls) was painted last week in Door Co. the morning after I painted the scene on site at Rowley's Bay in the evening. It was too cold and windy that morning to go back and paint it again like I wanted to do so I painted if from the sketch and a photo I took the evening befrore. I bought a 9 x 12 inch digital picture frame for that purpose as weather in Door Co. can be pretty tough to paint outdoors in and it was a great way to get more information immediately from my own photos without having to use a laptop (the last thing I want on vacation is a computer).

Blackhawk Island Plein Air Painting

2010-05-15T23:11:00.002-05:00

I did this black and white study to warm up today. There is a lot of green out there so simplifying was helpful--just worrying about the values.

After lunch I progressed to color. It was a beautiful day on the island (which is actually a peninsula except during floods). We were on Lorine Neidecker"s home turf (American poet, b.1903-d.1970). She lived simply, in a log cabin near the water's edge. Very rustic but easy to see why she liked it.

Spring in Wisconsin

2010-05-12T09:33:00.003-05:00

It's spring in Wisconsin and the greens are looking more like summer. I'm ready to get back to the black and white value studies--but here's my attempt at greens. I was southwest of New Glarus last Wednesday, painting until sunset. It was super windy but the hill behind the road I was on provided the perfect wind break.

Still life

2010-02-05T09:45:00.005-06:00

Unlike Jan I have not been brave enough to paint plein air. But recently I really wanted to paint from life so I started with apples. Lines and Colors blog featured Jeffrey Hayes' still life paintings and using a shadow box so I built one out of foam core which I used for the lemons painting. I need to tone it down a bit but I like the way you get really dramatic lighting.

January 31, 2010

2010-02-02T10:48:00.000-06:00

Winterscapes are closer to b/w at least. Sunday was a windy but beautiful day. Found a spot to paint that was out of the wind.

2010-01-07T20:53:00.003-06:00

Happy New Year to everyone! Don't know if any of us will check the blog out but thought I would add the charcoal sketches I did of my cats down in my studio just before the holidays this year. Sophie was sound asleep but I caught Dexter just as he put his ears back and got that psycho kitty look on his face. I added color with pastels to his sketch but I like the black and white one best. Hope everyone had happy holidays and that you are finding time to paint. I'd love to see some work and hear from you all. Best Wishes for a great New Year, Pat

2009-10-20T21:12:00.004-05:00

Well, the tree is black and white but Door County is in color this time of year. I was there last week for a personal painting retreat and the colors were subdued compared to many years but still the sugar maples are very colorful. It was very chilly most of the week and sometimes very windy so this painting was done one cold morning from the window of my cabin. I did do some watercolor sketching of Rowley's Bay and painted there with pastel one day when the wind was really fierce. I took some photos of the bay, too so I hope to work up some in studio pastels from those. The most gorgeous view I had of the bay was the 2nd night I was there to watch the sunset and huge grey and purple clouds and a pink and peach and pale golden sunset was reflected in nearly glassy water; all that and floating on the water were at least 40 Mute Swans. It was a priviledge just to be there. I also include a couple of the watercolor sketches. These sketches were done within minutes of each other; one was looking west and the other north; the skies looked totally different depending which direction you looked. It's a beautiful place and preserved for us by the Nature Conservancy and the state of Wisconsin.

Ok, it's still color but...

2009-10-09T16:37:00.002-05:00

at least I've been painting. I worked on this two Sunday evenings in a row. Both Sundays were overcast and stormy. I thought it captured the mood out there.
Is anyone still painting???
Let's see what you're all doing!

Kennedy Mill Park Pond

2009-08-26T15:12:00.003-05:00

8 x 10" oil

Here's another from our PA workshop with Marc. I will be returning to the quad exercise for future postings, for practice at simplification (which, by the way, I think is helping my watercolor -- see http://janetflom.blogspot.com/).

Hi there from Here

2009-08-25T10:59:00.004-05:00

Great to see activity on this site again. I haven't been painting much at all, except LAST WEEK when I returned to spend another week with Marc Hanson in Taylor Falls. In case you are wondering why-- whereas I feel that I can grasp painting ideas intellectually, I know that there is a long ways to go before I can get it to come out of my hand and jump on the canvas. Seriously. Hearing old things repeated and new things from Marc, having the opportunity to observe his demos and specfically, his paint delivery/ application, made this one of the better workshops I have attended. (only a "meh" for camping, though -- too much fooling around for food and shelter.)
Moreover, it was great to have the entire 5 days to take in and digest all that we were being taught.

So here's one of the BW studies and a Nocturne from the workshop.

Grey Bonnets

2009-08-19T19:45:00.002-05:00

Whaddya know, but I have a new B&W piece to put on the blog! After doing several pieces for the Great Chattachoochee River Paint Out, there were several things I wanted to work on, so last night I did this piece from a photo. The scene is actually a field with some bluebonnets from somewhere near Llano, TX.

My goals were to work on my edges, and I still need to work a lot more on that. A second goal was to work a bit more with the 'tree framing' composition. And lastly, I wanted to experiment with three different kinds of white and see how I'd like to use them (Griffin Aklyd, Titanium White and Gamblin's Flake White Replacement). Sometimes I like the more transparent whites (Griffin and FWR), and other times I like the opaque (Titanium). Would it be weird if my palette included three different types of white?

My new web site

2009-08-11T11:32:00.002-05:00

Hey gang. I haven't done any B&W work since my last post. My only 'extra' time was going to building my new web site : http://donthacker.com.

I'm going to be participating in a 'Paint Out' this week. It is at the Chattahoochee River National Rec Area (http://visitroswellga.com/great-chattahoochee-river-paint-out.html) , and you'll be able to see what I do there on the site.

I do plan to do some black and white work again soon. In fact, a friend of mine suggested I use Mars Black instead of Ivory Black b/c of it's richer color and consistency. I rarely put black on my palette, so I'm not familiar with the properties of either really. I am looking forward to new things to experiment with.

Don

Hilltop Beauties

2009-07-22T20:45:00.002-05:00

Okay, I'm horrible at titles for paintings! This was from a hilltop seeded with wildflowers, overlooking the Minnesota River near Jordan--just a delight to paint in the midst of all the color! The middle ground was a lot darker, but so boring that I had to deliniate the trees more just to give it some interest. It's painted on a medium rough cotton duck panel--which just ate up the paint and dulled the lustre of the oils.I'm thinking I should sand down these panels and add more coats of gesso to get a smoother painting surface.

Minnetonka Lake at Excelsior

2009-07-22T20:35:00.002-05:00

This was done on a panel with an older painting
that I had gessoed over--poorly, and with lots of
streaks! When I got it home, I had to repaint the sky just to overcome all the streakiness. I've heard it said that you should never, ever paint over an old painting. Still, some argue that it adds interest--some happy accidents! Anyway, I'm happy with it now. Jeanne

July 13, 2009

2009-07-14T17:02:00.002-05:00

I did this last night. Looking towards the woods--not a very interesting scene but the shadow falling across the wheat and soy beans caught my eye. I was thinking of all those 5" x 7"s Marc did and wanted to see if I could make something out of this. I toned my panel with a muddy reddish color, painted in the placement of the major dark shapes and started adding color.

2009-07-07T14:36:00.004-05:00

The thing about posting, it gives enough distance to be able to see one's own work with a stranger's eye. I find this quite helpful in judging strengths and weaknesses, and also in noticing proclivities. For instance, I have noticed that I seem to choose scenes where shadows fall across pathways; what I don't know is exactly why I do this. I am getting rather bored with this choice, now that I recognize this, and so next time I go out I will look for something different. The other thing that grabs me is how very much I like the first, simplified BW, I like it much better than any of the others. So the new challenge will be to try to carry what I like in that throughout the remainder of the exercise. (I set up so many panels for this quad-exercise, and am committed to completing that many (4-6 left?) of these exercises before I graduate to "just painting."

House on Angel Hill

2009-06-27T17:11:00.002-05:00

Hi everyone:

This was one from our workshop where my painting was almost entirely Viridian green. (Hopefully, I've tamed that a little!) Also, it's my first attempt at a building. There was a lot of gnashing of teeth over the windows. Does the glint on the left window look too hokey? (It almost looks like the window is winking at you!) Maybe there's another way to do the reflection. -- Jeanne

What a show...

2009-06-26T12:37:00.002-05:00

... you all are putting on!!! I'm loving watching your dedication to 'learning' and not just 'finsihed' products. I'm still proud. :)

I'm about to head to Telluride, CO for a plein air fest. Just wanted to say that I will be talking to other painters about your efforts here any chance I get.

This is a little 6x8 that I did as a demo for my son a couple of weeks ago. The entire time I was painting it I was reminding myself that if I were to make a strong image out of a very bright light situation, I had better 'reserve' and watch how bright I let the color become. What you are doing will continue to be used in your painting from here on out. I still replay the importance of this lesson every time I put paint to panel.

Happy 4th!!!

'Red Shed' oil 6c8 © Marc R. Hanson '09

Better Late Than (Almost) Never

2009-06-25T16:35:00.006-05:00

I'm still laughing about Jeanne's comment about not being able to wait to post! Usually, I drag my feet, wondering "Do I gotta?" These are from a few weeks ago; I wrote about them but did not post due to camera issues -- mostly, losing my charger. The upper one is from my neighborhood park, a very busy place at 6:30 am with moving light sources and all kinds of chatty people! The lower one I tried to keep it all simple, and felt I understood the value shapes, but failed to have a concept. Haven't painted since, but starting to get itchy for it. If Don can paint on his wedding day, I should be able to step up. Kudos to Marc, too, for painting in this steamy hot weather.

Azalea Lane

2009-06-23T21:00:00.004-05:00

This was started en plain air at the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum and finished at a friend's cabin this weekend. I shot the painting outdoors and adjusted my white balance for "direct sunlight". The photo shows me a lot of things I'd like to correct, but I thought it was about time I put my toe in!

By the way, I had a great time at the workshop and really enjoyed meeting with all of you. I hope we can keep this blog going as a critique group! Jeanne

2009-06-21T19:26:00.002-05:00

I got to paint the morning of my wedding day (yesterday) with a good friend of mine, Dorian Vallejo. In order to visit with guests, we set up at the town square in Madison, GA so folks could stop by and hang out with us. This was a big hit and we got to do some plein air and still be sociable. It was my first city scene and I wanted to post it here, because Marc's lessons on value composition really saved me here. It was a tough subject given the time constraints and the fact I had to also entertain. But while I have some things that I wish were much better, I got something because I had a clear overall concept and value proportion to work with it. In order to get the effect I wanted, I did make the darks darker, and the lights lighter and warmer. I'm not sure how this would've even have turned out if I had done it before the workshop. Dorian also gave me some great tips and did a very nice painting that resulted in a cool wedding gift for Kate and me.

Eastern Cottonwood

2009-06-17T21:26:00.002-05:00

Jan and I went painting at 7:15 tonight. I've wanted to paint this cottonwood tree for weeks but knew I wouldn't have enough time to do a b&w study and start a color painting before the sun set so I opted to do a b&w study. It's not great but I know what I need to do next time. I'll say it again ... I love doing these studies. In the past I've wasted so much time jumping into color before I really understood what the heck I was painting. I'm sure if I keep this up for the next several months my paintings will drastically improve.

Just Thoughts, No Images

2009-06-15T13:56:00.004-05:00

Good to see you Diane! And Don, I concur (as I think we all do) that we can post or discuss whatever as it relates to painting. I am always interested in hearing about your forays into new surfaces, etc. I tried out Marc's recipe but there was a little too much texture/grab in my mix, I think. I really felt like I was chewing up my brushes. I don't know if it was the modelling paste mix or the pumice mix, but next time I am going to adjust downward on one or both. That being said, they were miles better than the cheapie storebought prerprimed panels, even with acrylic gesso OR oil priming over them. Apparently I like a little, but not a lot, of grab on my surface. Good to know. Makes a difference in how I feel about painting, whether I want to go out and do it again if it's all just been a struggle.
I have done three of the 4-panel studies now, and plan to do at least 5 or six more, because that is how many panels I have prepared for this exercise, and NOT because I have been particularly successful at them. Indeed, I mostly think they suck and I think you might agree (if I could get my stupid camera's memory card to behave-- will post when I can). HOWEVER, I am learning so much in an indirect way that I keep wanting to get out there again despite the lack of perceived success. For instance:
1. I couldn't find a scene that grabbed me, settled for something that didn't, and never developed a concept. Failed to simplify into simple shapes. Happy to recognize this.
2. The next time out, I drove and drove and drove, never getting grabbed and complainting about the flat light. Eventually lost my nerve to paint, dissipated away.....and didn't paint.
3. The next one I went out to a neighborhood park about 6:30 am when the sun was strong, the shadows long, and the people few-- or so I thought. Wrong on all counts. Who knew the spot I'd picked would be the main route for all joggers and bikers, including 12 separate people that I knew and who stopped to chat! Meanwhile, the sun changes fast at that time of day, and whatever shadows I thought I'd be using for compositional cues just disappeared. Pouff!
4. the last time I went out, I went about noon so as to not mess with moving shadow shapes, did not drive all over hell and just picked a spot I'd been to previously, and just did it. I think I got the simple shapes right, and I think I got the values right. Success!? It was at this point I remembered, too late, about concept -- there was none, and nothing in that little painting was interesting to me. So, 2/3 on this one.
And so -- lessons learned from all this? Don is right about concept and value both being great lessons to learn, and which I am still working on doing consistently. I must set aside my frustration with application and color, and just be pleased to work on these few things. But the biggest success may just be that I went out and did it. The fear thing is a strong thing for me, and if I can get over that, I can learn anything.

Better Late Than Never

2009-06-15T05:44:00.008-05:00

Hi everyone! I have been busy painting since leaving the St. Croix area and finally got around to figuring out how to blog. Unlike Jan I'm a total idiot when it comes to online social networking! I absolutely love doing B&W studies and truly understand its merits now. I still have a lot to learn but I am getting it. I don't have photos of my B&Ws but I thought I would share the color stuff I've been doing. The two beach paintings were done two weekends ago in Onekama MI and the other was done near the Sugar River in WI this weekend with Jan. BTW the painting with the buried roof is called the Monkey House and it's still a work in progress.

I hope all of you are well and enjoying your summer.

All the best, Diane

June 14, 2009 BW & Color!

2009-06-14T19:17:00.009-05:00

First of all, Don, and everyone, please consider this OUR blog. I am happy this will evolve and appreciate that the lessons keep on coming.

Yesterday afternoon I went out to paint. It was a perfect, rare day. The temperature was in the 70's--very balmy. I was determined to do a quick black and white study and move on to color. I did the BW study--as you can see, very quickly. I didn't resolve the sky and didn't hit the right value for the foreground. But I knew that and felt I could resolve those issues easily. I forged ahead with a very limited pallet: Ultramarine Blue, Alizarin Crimson, Cadmium Yellow Light, White and Black. I felt I was successful in getting the right values. The sky was a bit of a challenge. The sky I was seeing behind my trees was not the sky I wanted to paint. I borrowed the clouds from a different part of the sky. This was liberating. Often I tend to be so literal.

2009-06-14T16:57:00.002-05:00

I didn't do a B&W, but I did go out and paint today and I thought I'd share some of the things I tried from Marc's workshop. As he instructed, focusing on the value composition is my second thought after determining my concept. What a great lesson just with those two steps. The b&w and 4 panel studies definitely helped as I went back to do a color plein air. Today I used a lead primed panel for the first time. It is the L219 from New Traditions Art Panels. This is the panel Marc used in the final demo. I actually didn't like it as much as using his pumice powder recipe, as it was fairly slick and the paint came off sometimes as I was making marks. However, it does have a great look to it, and after some of the paint started to set up, it worked very well. I also used the Griffin Mixing White at the beginning of the painting which dried quickly and made it easy to work over. It doesn't cover very well and I was working on a ground, so I used Titanium White at the end. Using them in combonation this worked very nicely. You can see what I painted over on my blog, http://journal.donthacker.com.

I know the blog started with the B&W Challenge (obviously), but I would like to hear from the rest of the group in this manner as they reflect on/try other things from the workshop and even beyond (unless Jan thinks otherwise, she is the admin after all). I would be interested in what you guys have to share, especially since we know that we are working from a similar place, and I'm not sure how often folks will be working in black and white. I do plan to do a nocturnal black and white sometime soon, but I may have to wait until the days start getting shorter.

2009-06-11T09:45:00.002-05:00

Finally, it has warmed up a bit. The sun was in and out so it was hard to isolate values in all the foliage. I tried to keep it loose and not too spotty. The water reflections are crude--how do you make thin lines or spots without globs and smears? (the same problem with sky holes)

1st & 2nd atttempts at BW&4C painting exercise

2009-06-08T12:59:00.007-05:00

Second attempt at this exercise.

This was my first attempt at the black and white/ color exercise. I really think this is helping me to "cut to the chase" when deciding what is worth painting and what to let go. Don's painting of the tree is wonderful. I will try this again!

2009-06-07T20:14:00.005-05:00

I went out again today and did the four panel exercise (although I didn't quite divide my panel very well on the last step. I was kind of rushing at the end). Great exercise, and it really hit home the focus on the value composition. Also, a lot of times I punch in a lot of sky holes and over model trees. Doing the value blocks made me realize (as I was over-modelling the tree at first) that it looked much better kept simple. Just a few suggestions of tree holes and such worked just fine. I used canvas panels primed with the pumice/acrylic primer recipe Marc gave us and I
like that surface a lot. I think on my next panels I'm going to put in more pumice and get it a bit more absorbent. I also used the Griffin Alkyd Mixing White, which does dry quicker and help a lot, although it doesn't seem to cover as well. I may keep both whites on my pallete and use Titanium White some at the end.

2009-06-07T08:16:00.003-05:00

I did the first half of the four panel exercise yesterday (I didn't have time for the whole thing). This is a scene on the Chattahoochee River here in Atlanta. It was an overcast day, and went with a medium and light value combination. On the second step, I made some adjustments and put the medium values a bit darker. It was tough with the overcast day not having color. I look forward to the next chance I have doing panels 3 and 4.

2009-06-06T23:29:00.002-05:00

This is a difficult but interesting exercise. Since the weather was rainy today I painted from my little porch and this was a view beneath the big old cedar trees by my patio. I used pastel on Uart paper. The main thing I learned is how distracting color can be. It was alot easier to model the stones in the wall in black and grey.

2009-06-05T11:13:00.002-05:00

So, this is my first attempt at the 4X format exercise. I did it very quickly and rushed the final color square. The color is off because I kept changing it and the drawing suffered. The chair was dark green but had warm sun on it. My choice was to ignore the local color but keep the values accurate. I finally went back and read Marc's directions for this and next time will pay more attention to color temperature and the whole painting.

Gin

Goodby Week 1, Hello (Fresh) Starts

2009-06-02T17:20:00.005-05:00

Whew, only 4 out of 7 actually attempted; I guess one of the things that I have learned this week is that 7 may be ambitious, what with weather, life, being old and tired, a MOTB and other various assorted ailments and interruptions. Still and all, I learned that I get overwhelmed by things such as sky holes, shadow edges and leaves, and stop looking and start dinking around overmuch. Also forgotten is the idea/need for simplicity at the start, the simple shapes at the outset. I also only have about 1-1/2 hour at a time in me before I fade. Adding these to Marc's recommendations, here are my goals for the coming week:
1. Paint out at least 4x (= a minimum of 4 bws); keep it shorter rather than longer per episode.
2. Follow Marc's 4 per panel method, emphasizing those simple shaped starts.
3. Slow down and really look at those complexities of the landscape, and decide when and if they are necessary ---to the concept?
OK, so now I'm accountable. Have a good week, y'all.

2009-06-02T13:54:00.003-05:00

Very overcast, midday. Used pastels because

it was easier to get them out.

I'm having trouble doing leaves and branches,

keeping them loose and grouped rather than

painting every leaf.

Gin

2009-06-01T17:50:00.007-05:00

You guys have me impressed and inspired with this blog! Great idea, and great work. I didn't accept the B&W challenge, although I have done some painting since the workshop ended. I was able to get in 4 pieces while still in Minnesota, and you can see them on my blog. I had a fantastic time in MN, and it is nice to have this site for us to stay connected. Thanks for putting it together.

After Taylors Falls, I tried my first ever noctural piece in downtown Minneapolis. Unfortunately it had to be scraped off right away. It was a piece I should've done in B&W first as I got the sky too dark and it upset the rest of the painting. By the time I saw to correct this, the area restaurants were starting to shut down and I decided it was time to leave. I really enjoyed painting at night and Marc was right about the handy Mighty Brite. I found mine at Barnes & Noble for just $25 and it worked like a charm. Can't wait to go night painting again.

I also assembled all the ingredients for Marc's perfect panels. It took a bit to find the pumice powder, but I found it today at Sam Flax. I also found rotten stone at Ace Hardware. Has anyone tried that before? It contains limestone and diatomaceous earth. A friend of mine uses DE in his panels, plus I really like saying diatomaceous, so I thought it might be worth experimenting with. Finally, tonight I plan to order some lead primed panels as Marc recommended.

2009-06-01T10:51:00.003-05:00

Boy, am I slow to catch on to this blogging. Found out that there were comments that I wasn't reading. And that I have to sign in to download photos.

These two were painted on our outing to Barnesville, MN. We were rained out so the second one was not finished. I am frustrated by by black & white because I love color so much, but know that I need this discipline. Think I will do both this week for comparison. Gin

Last Friday's session

2009-06-01T09:52:00.001-05:00

This was the first one painted on Friday, before lunch, looking into the ravine with the sun behind me. The one below was painted after lunch, my energy level was definitely lower and the values are more tentative and just overall more "meh." BUT I got my camera working again!

May 31, 2009

2009-05-31T22:21:00.003-05:00

Painted yesterday's tree from the opposite side. The value range is really compressed. Lights are not light enough nor shadows dark enough. The lighting was better at the close of the day--should have had dinner first and then gone out to paint. I really love this Sugar River Road. So many lovely clumps of trees to paint...
...Jan N.

2009-05-31T08:07:00.002-05:00

Still no working camera, but I hope to solve by tomorrow; meanwhile, a few thoughts:

When we cooked up this challenge, the parameters were supposed to be black and white studies from life, landscape or other, and we were aiming for 7 of them by June 2. What will be the goal for the second week and who wants to set it? It could be the same or different, and people can of course follow them or not, as always, but I like to have a structure or goal or purpose. If nobody wants to speak up, I suppose I would just continue with what I’m doing, as I find I am learning a lot:

1. The hardest thing of all is making myself get out there. Any excuse suffices – wind, rain, no large block of time, no subject strikes me, etc. etc. I suspect getting over this will be the most valuable thing I will gain. When I actually DO get out there, it is a joy and time flies.
2. Greens are a real monster.
3. I tend to be heavy-handed with my values. I can exaggerate them into 3 values, but anything more subtle than that is real struggle and I find I stop looking carefully and just start doing whatever to make things read. Sometimes this is a good thing, but most times not.
4. Learning to simplify is undoubtedly another of the benefits of working in B & W.
5. I still can't make fine lines, no matter what the tool or brush. &^%&^%!!!!

Lastly, are you also experiencing onlookers who want to see what you are doing and are taken aback by the lack of color?

2009-05-30T19:50:00.000-05:00

May 30, 2009

2009-05-30T19:37:00.002-05:00

Diane painted these two and after standing in the wind and sun for several hours is too tired to blog.

Sugar River Road, Verona--about 2 miles from my house. A wonderful, sunny afternoon with peeper frogs croaking, redwing blackbirds singing and the cumulus clouds puffing by. I set out to just paint a tree and painted this little scene. Many trees, not just one.

So, I painted this scene to paint just one tree--came closer this time. Can see the issues--the horizon should be lighter--it was bright and sunny.

2009-05-30T19:36:00.004-05:00

This scene was painted with pastel on Belgian Mist Wallis paper. Because I used somewhat different shades of greys and because of the different styles on left and right it looks like two different paintings. Looks a little like Edward Gorey on the left. This was the scene this afternoon across the street where the school was setting up it's annual picnic. My second painting is of one of the oak trees on our street. I wanted to get the effect of the evening light and shadows on the tree but was only a little successful.

Frederic Remington B&W's

2009-05-30T11:43:00.003-05:00

I hope that you don't mind this post. It's slightly off the topic of the blog but is to show some examples of just how far one can take this black and white value study work. Remington was also a master colorist and I think the reason is because he had such a great ability to see value in the images he paitned. He painted full scale paintings in B&W. If you're ever in Cody, WY go to the Buffalo Bill History Center and look for the paintings he did in black and white. It will leave an impression, guaranteed.

Just to illustrate how far one can go with this, here are a few Frederic Remington black and white illustrations. He and others like Haddon Sunblom, Harold Von Schmidt, were ilustrators in the day of the 'Pulp' magazines. These were the inexpensively produced magazines of detective, western and crime stories among others. The paper was cheap 'pulp' newsprint, hence the name Pulp Magazines.

They also painted for book plates that were then turned into etchings and printed to illustrate the books.

These are just examples that I found quickly with a google search.

May 29, 2009

2009-05-29T21:46:00.005-05:00

Diane and I drove around for an hour this evening--looking for the perfect spot to paint. Our world is beautiful but so very green it's almost ridiculous. We settled on Valley Road--which is only a mile from my house. We started painting at 6:15pm and didn't notice the time until the sun started setting at 8:15! Don't know where the time went. The photo of this painting is pretty dark. I'll try again tomorrow--the painting isn't quite that murky. It was great to be outside again. (It has rained every day here.)

2009-05-29T17:28:00.002-05:00

I have moved Marc's comment into post mode so that all members can read and comment (I missed it the first few times around, not seeing that he had commented). My vote is yes, of course, but what say you all?

Marc R. Hanson said...
Hi guys! Thanks for letting me in on this GREAT idea!!! I'm so proud of you all to have gotten this blog together. I hope that it keeps going past the 7 days. In fact, if you don't mind, I'm going to direct others over here to watch what's going on. I know that they're going to want to be a part of this exercise, many are students from the past workshops. Would you consider at some point opening it up to these other students who might be really interested in painting the B&W's and sharing them. I won't suggest that until you have discussed it and decided what you want to do. I'd also like to post some and comment on the subject? Again, you all are making me a very happy art teacher. :)Marc

Camera is acting fritzy again, can't seem to upload the TWO (2) -- count 'em-- BWs I did today! Yay! Guess I'll have to wait until later, and maybe then I'll be posting a whole bunch.

2009-05-29T07:47:00.000-05:00

Life does get in the way of painting, no? My goal was to do seven black and white paintings (as per Marc) by Tuesday June 2. So far, I only have one done, but hope springs eternal and there are 4 days left.........For me, the rules are that they must be from life and be in oil because that is where I want to make improvement/advances. I state these so-called rules here, in print, so that I may be accountable and embarrassed if I blow off the challenge. HOWEVER, for others the "rules" may be different depending on what they wish to accomplish and I hope the posts just keep coming, whether they are pictures without comment, comment without pictures, or any combination thereof. Just post, and keep the communication going....happy painting!

Today Gin and I are heading out to some as yet unknown location to do a few (hopefully) postable pics. The weather is clear and the spirit is willing.

2009-05-28T21:24:00.000-05:00

I am guessing that this is where I should have made a comment with my painting. Next time maybe I will get it right. Thanks to Jan for giving me some pointers as I am new to entering anything on a blog. My painting is a watercolor done with M. Graham Neutral tint and the white of the paper. I painted it from a pastel I did Memorial Day when I picnicked there with friends.

2009-05-28T21:07:00.000-05:00

2009-05-28T19:28:00.001-05:00

May 28, 2009

2009-05-28T15:20:00.000-05:00

It's still rainy here. This one is from a plein air painting I did from April. We were at the Pheasant Branch Conservancy in Middleton, WI. The color painting I did that day was truly awful. I thought it would help to make a b/w painting of it to see if I could get it to work. It was a rainy day, not a ton of contrast and maybe just not a great composition. I worked way too long on this one--especially considering the results. But, I'm over it. Onward...

2009-05-28T14:08:00.000-05:00

First time out since I returned.

Am still nursing my sore hand, but can do things if I'm careful.

It is hard to paint subtle value changes in shades of gray, without color, so I'm going to make a black strip with holes punched in it like Marc used. It was a beautiful day today in Fargo.

Gin Templeton

May 27

2009-05-28T09:58:00.000-05:00

Ok, I can see I have some things to learn about taking photos of these BWs, as this looks nothing like the painting's values, in which the sky was a lot lighter than the road -- really! It was a very gray, overcast day and the value range was compressed, I thought. Also, I am wondering what is the proper size/ resolution in order to post these? As small as possible? Anyways, I am ready to head out to do another one, possible of the same thing as it is bright sunlight now and it might be interesting to see how things are different.

Where have all the BWs gone?

2009-05-28T09:23:00.000-05:00

My camera is acting up and therefore, unable to post. BUT I have been painting, and will do so as soon as I get it solved.....I decided that there are several goals to be accomplished by painting and posting to this blog:

1. Everything Marc told us (goes without saying)
2. Exercising my "get out there and just do it" muscle, and never mind the results.

My thoughts keep straying to what am I going to actually do with all these B & Ws once completed? As thought there must be an end use in order to make the exercise worthwhile? The simple fact that I must acquire many skills like brushwork, paint handling, seeing and executing values, composition issues, dealing with the overwhelming challenges of landscape, let alone painting on site. I need to reach a comfort level with all these things, and keeping color out of it at this point seems like a good idea.

So, I'm in this for a long haul-- I need it, and I believe Marc when he says that this is the way to improve my painting. Now, if only I could get my computer and my camera to communicate, I'd be posting proof of this commitment.

May 27, 2009

2009-05-27T08:41:00.002-05:00

Day two: come on now--get your paintings up here!
I started this yesterday evening and finished it this morning. It's the tree in my driveway. - Jan Norsetter

Radishes (because it rained today) It has rained a lot lately. I have gone out whenever I can. Today I purchased these radishes at the farmers market--it was raining there, too. Decided I'd try a still life. I also did a color version of the radishes.--Jan Norsetter

May 26, 2009 postings

2009-05-26T14:15:00.001-05:00

This blog has been set up for everyone from our Plein Air seminar who wants to join the black and white painting a day challenge. The idea is that we can all use the practice of managing value. So for the next seven days post your daily painting and leave comments if you feel like it.

Alright, I've posted the first painting. It's a view from one of the streets in the Angel Hill district of Taylors Falls. I painted this scene in color on the second day of Marc Hanson's Plein Air painting seminar but wondered if I could do better on the placement and values. Decided to try it for my first entry. (Jan Norsetter)