Oil and Acrylic Painting

I have always wanted to learn to paint (especially in oils), but as with many other things I would like to learn to do throughout my life, the actually doing it part seems to always be "some day". Well, there's no time like the present, and I ain't gettin' any younger.

Taking advantage of sales at the local Michael's and the awesome Jerry's Artarama store in Newark Delaware, I bought enough basic supplies to attempt both some oil painting and some acrylic painting. With a  limitless trove of YouTube advice and tutorials, including all 30+ seasons of Bob Ross' Joy of Painting series, off we go...

Painting #1 (oil on 9x12 canvas panel). My first ever attempt at a painting of any kind (mid-February 2020). It was done in one sitting, and was when I had absolutely no idea what I was doing. I bought some oil paints and sat down to paint something. This was the result. I tried to do a Bob Ross style painting, but without any of the tools to be able to do the Bob Ross method, which is a very specific technique. It's beginner-friendly. If you have the right tools and supplies. Which I didn't (at the time). The best I can say of it is that parts of it aren't terrible, and more importantly I learned a lot about oil paints. Mostly about what you can't do, which frankly isn't a bad place to start.

#1 - Mountain landscape in oils (small)

Painting #2 (acrylic on 8x10 stretched canvas). Having done a rudimentary oil painting, I tried an acrylic one next, intending it to be some sort of wizard's tower or sage's abode for our D&D campaign. It was an interesting contrast, coming only a day or two after the oil painting experiment. While oils dry in 4-5 days, causing their own set of specific behaviors on the canvas, acrylics dry in no time at all. You can blend oils for days on the canvas. You can blend acrylics for minutes, then things start to get tacky and the paint begins to "break" if you go back over it again while partly dry. Layering is obviously much easier, as a part of the painting can dry while you do another part, and then you can go back to it for the next part without muddying the paint underneath. Once again this was a learning experience in a new medium, and there are some things I like about the painting and a bunch that I don't.

#2 - Sage's abode in acrylic (small)

Painting #3 (oil on 16x20 stretched canvas). My first attempt at a Bob Ross style wet-on-wet painting. It is similar to Season 1 episode 13, although not an exact copy. His technique is remarkably easy to get a passably good result for an absolute beginner, but there are definitely some things to get used to and some things that Bob mentions but perhaps doesn't stress to quite the degree that would have been more helpful to me. Overall, I am very pleased with the result. I like the sky, I like the mountain well enough, and I love the pond and the shoreline. The trees and bushes are OK in places but not so great in others. All in all, I like it.

#3 - Bob Ross copy in oils (medium)

Painting #4 (oil on 14x18 stretched canvas). A few days after Bob Ross attempt 1, I did this one. I wasn't painting from an episode or a picture, I just sat and did whatever came to mind. It is mostly the Bob Ross wet on wet method with a few other things that I wanted to try. Overall, I am pleased with this one as well, although the distant line of hills is too washed out with nothing in the middle ground to tie it better to the foreground. This one pointed out the need for giving some thought to composition rather than just sitting down, picking up a brush and jumping in. In this method of painting, you paint from back to front, and once you have done the foreground, you can't really go back and fix things behind it that you would like to. So a valuable lesson learned in composition and planning.

#4 - Bob Ross style landscape in oils (medium)

Painting #5 (oil on 8x10 stretched canvas). I had about an hour one evening and wanted to do something a little different, so I used a picture I found online to copy this little impressionistic landscape. It's simple and far from perfect, but I kinda love it.

#5 - Impressionist landscape in oils (small)

Painting #6 (acrylic on 8x10 stretched canvas). Another couple days later I wanted to keep up with practice, and started this small acrylic landscape. I worked on this off an on in small 10-15 minute increments over the course of 4 or 5 days, working from a photo I had found online in a Google image search of something simple like "fertile fields". The photo didn't say where this actually is, but it reminded me of lots of places not too far from home, or someplace farther removed but that I have been to like the Shenandoah Valley. Another good learning experience. By this time I am learning that I need quantity of practice, not quality of end result. In other words, paint a lot to get better.

#6 - Landscape in acrylics (small)

Painting #7 (oil on 18x24 stretched canvas). A fail. This was going to be another Bob Ross-ish mountain scene following along with another YouTuber who paints in similar style. The sky came first and was fine. A big mountain came next and completely went off the rails. I have waited until this dried, and have begun painting over much it so that I can re-use the canvas and start again. Or at least start the mountain again using the same outline. More lessons learned.

Painting #8 (oil on 18x24 stretched canvas). There is a wonderful YouTuber artist named Stuart Davies who does amazing tonalist/impressionist landscapes in a very particular style using a very particular technique. This is not an attempt to follow his technique, but to do a similar kind of painting using more traditional brushwork. Parts of this one I really like, and parts of it I am less thrilled with. But there is nothing about it that I hate.

#8 - Landscape in oils (medium)

I have started another painting or two, and given the current situation, will probably be bored at home and in need of something to do for a while, so I hope to get in a good amount of practice. Having gone over my rudimentary efforts to date, I'll probably go over what I have learned so far and various other thoughts in another post soon.

Surreal Times

I haven't written anything in quite a while, but I will have a good bit more time around the house in the coming weeks, and certainly have plenty to write about.

The Covid-19 Coronavirus is certainly topic #1 in our daily lives these days. We have watched things escalate in recent days to the point that the governor of Pennsylvania has closed all public schools for the next two weeks (at least), and my employer has said that if you can work from home to do so for the foreseeable future. All school activities are cancelled, including the music program's trip to Hawaii in the first week of April. I am a board member of the band parents' association that has organized the trip, and to say that a lot of work has gone into this would be an understatement. Mainly though I am disappointed for Grace. We may reschedule into the summer, postpone to next year, or....who knows.

As for coronavirus end-of-the-world preparation, people are in full panic-shopping mode. As a family we don't typically keep a whole lot of food on hand, buying what we need when we need it. Stopping at the grocery store on the way home from work yesterday to grab something for dinner, I was greeted with the following sight:

Blizzard-mode at the grocery store

From a work perspective, I work for the largest clinical laboratory in the US, and one of the labs that the government has turned to in order to ramp up coronavirus testing capacity. The country is underprepared and behind the 8-ball at the moment, but the combined capabilities of us and the other major private labs should help make a difference soon. We are fierce competitors on the street every day, but today we are all working to expand testing capacity as much and as soon as possible. I work on the business side, not the medical side, but it is nice to get a reminder every now and then as to what we actually do, and the impact that we can actually have...

As for us personally, the kids will be off school for two weeks (at least), I will be working at home, Amp will be working onsite under restricted-visitor conditions, and pretty much all of our usual activities will be cancelled or curtailed. Depending on who you believe, one or two people at our high school have tested positive for the virus, which potentially opens up an unlimited pandora's box of community spread. The drama club performed four shows of Seussical the Musical last weekend, following which an exhausted Grace had a low grade fever and other flu-like symptoms for a few days. And I have some sniffles and a cough. So...probably nothing unusual. Probably. Mom is locked down in a nursing home at the age of 88 with a cough and a low-grade fever.

Despite recent damage control press conferences, our government's reaction to this threat has been not-enough not-soon-enough bordering on incompetence. Hopefully the price to be paid for our ineptitude isn't too severe. But it probably will be.

On a more positive note, Seussical was a great success, and Grace had a really nice role as Thing 1. It was perfect for what she wants - being a featured dancer, a good amount of stage time, goofing around, singing in ensemble numbers, and being the drama club's best tumbler. Proud papa... More on this to come.

Thing 1 is mine...

Amp has started a new part time job. Julia is rapidly nearing the end of her school years. Grace is growing up way too fast.

Ryder supervising me work

As for me, more of much of the same I guess. One thing that I am trying to do is work on some artistic endeavors. I have done some sketching and some painting. More on that later, but I have always wanted to paint, and I am finally doing some. To varying degrees of success.

Anyway, more to come. In the meantime, my sincerest wishes that everyone stay happy, healthy and safe.

Seussical the Musical

Garnet Valley High School Performing Arts Association's spring musical was Seussical the Musical. It ran for four shows from March 5 to March 7. In retrospect, we were lucky to get the show in before the school district shut down due to the Coronavirus pandemic on March 13. Many other high schools didn't get their performances in before everything went weird...

Grace was "Thing 1", part of the group of 6 Things that were on stage pretty much anytime the Cat in the Hat was on stage. In other words, most of the show.

Six Things (Thing 1 is mine)

She got to act, goof around, do tumbling runs, and dance. Lots and lots of dancing. In other words, pretty much the perfect show for her.

Cat and Things Chorus Line

Amp is in her seventh (!) year of working on costumes, and this is the third year that she is head of Costumes, and a key member of the core creative team. My pride in watching these shows is hard to describe. So much of the visual impact is because of the work of Amp and her excellent team, and I get to watch my daughter perform. First Julia for 7 shows, and now Grace in her fourth show (High School Musical, Annie, Hunchback of Notre Dame and now this).

Amp's Team's Costumes in all their Glory!

Our GVPAA director has done a great job of creating a community and a supportive atmosphere.

Grace and Horton the Elephant

The kids work ridiculous hours, but (for the most part) love every minute of it.

Grace and Maisey le Bird

The quality of the result shows.

Grace and the Cat in the Hat

And one of the great things about the program is that it is very inclusive, allows everyone to have their moment in the spotlight, but at the same time commands a commitment to excellence. They work hard.

Drama Club Sophomores

Grace's sophomore class is strong. Good actors, good singers and good dancers. Her friend group in drama club, coupled with her friend group in band and chorus, spans all grades, which is a nice thing.

Grace and Admirer

The GVPAA now does a late spring show (the third of the year), rehearsing after the spring musical ends (Seussical), and performing their shows in late May or early June. These shows include alumni, current students, and other community members. This year it was supposed to be The Sound of Music. Sadly, that isn't going to happen...

Grace with Lulu and Addie

Looking forward to next year, there will be The Addams Family in the fall and Newsies in the spring. Let's hope that can actually happen.

I'm already curious as to what the Director will pick for Grace's senior year. But I'm getting ahead of myself...