Art of the Dog: Dawn Secord: Through an artist's eyes....August 1, 2018

Wednesday, August 1, 2018

Through an artist's eyes....August 1, 2018

I went to the post office today. Really not a big deal. I decided to drive the long way home through the city rather than on the freeway. At the top of a hill, the view was spectacular. It made me pull over, step into the middle of the street, and just admire it. (thankfully it was a quiet street and no traffic)

Standing there in the middle of the street - quite literally - I attempted to count all the colors before me. This was impossible to accomplish for fear of traffic at some point. Then it hit me. This would be a great blog topic - how does an artist see things? How often do we stop and just admire what we see? What do the shapes created by cast shadows resemble? How many colors are in the drop of water from the sprinkler on the rose pedal? I am always stopping and taking photos of these little bits of beauty with my cell phone. Right then and there an inner commitment was made. Each day is a day to celebrate. Each day I will find something beautiful and share it through the eyes of an artist. So, today is my first day of sharing.

Here is the view that compelled me to stop the car and stand in the middle of the street like a fruit cake. The mountains in Southern California are gorgeous. It amazes me how different the colors are in the distance. This is caused by moisture in the air - atmospheric perspective (a topic for another post). The farthest hills are a deep blue while the next layer of hills are purple. Looking at this scene, one can feel the words "Purple Mountains Magesties" from the poem, America the Beautiful. Do you know...."Purple mountain majesties" refers to the shade of the Pikes Peak in Colorado Springs, Colorado, which, according to Wikipedia, inspired Bates to write the poem.

Life is a journey - be inspired everyday. Let beauty stop you in your tracks. Take a moment and enjoy all that surrounds you.

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Pastel Painting in Progress - French Bulldog

Here is a painting in progress. The pastel paintings are done very much in the same way an oil painting is done. I start with a base color. Usually I work with a precolored surface. With oil painting I would lay in a foundation color so the white canvas wouldn't show through. So this is the same basis. Since I am right handed I work from left to right unless it is a landscape or still life in which case the entire surface is worked uniformly. With pet portraits, so I don't damage an area that is completed, the surface is worked from left to right. While working an area of the subject I lay in mid tone values first - then work light to dark. With pastels an artist can "fill the tooth" of the surface so it is important not to over work any areas. Once the entire subject is painted I go back and reinforce the lightest lights and darkest darks. My greatest area of interest is the eyes. If the eyes aren't right the entire painting will look odd. If the painting is about a sleeping animal it is important to convey the comfort of the animal.

Oil Painting in Process

The following pictures show an Oil Painting in process. The first images show my beginning sketch. I use a common pencil, ruler and an eraser. Once the beginning sketch is satisfactory the sketch is secured with a layer of black oil paint. When the first layer is dried I apply a base color over the entire canvas. I love working on a burnt sienna foundation. There are paintings where I start just working directly on the white canvas and there is no base layer or foundation. It really depends on the painting. From the base foundation I start layering colors. It is a slow process due to drying time. This is where it really becomes fun. I should really make a recording of my husband saying, "You're done - stop messing with it!" Thanks for taking a peek. This painting is of a cat named Lynxy!