February 14, 2008 by Carrie L. Lewis.

Landscape Study #3 2008

Landscape Study #3 2008 was painted over a burnt umber under painting, believe it or not. Back around Christmas, I painted several aceos in different colors just to see what I could make of them later. I also wanted to see how various colors of under painting affects the finished painting. I did a few of them shortly afterward, but I still have a lot of those cards left.

Tonight, after working on a couple of small format landscapes, one 4×6 and one 6×8 (see Rain on the Ridge, I decided to end the painting day by doing an aceo. When I looked at the line of cards waiting for attention, this one leaped out at me.

A landscape had been scrubbed into that dark background with white, so I worked over that, beginning with the sky. Not a lot of attention was given to any particular area, since the scene was dominated by darks under a glowering sky.

Titanium White, Azo Red, Cerulean Blue and a touch of Japanese Yellow were mixed for the sky colors.

The ground was glazed and rubbed over the existing foundation with Yellow Ochre, Sap Green, a stroke or two of Titanium White and Japanese Yellow.

That turned out very well, but needed a bit of interest. I added the glowing clouds just above back light trees in the middle ground, then added other trees in the distance and the grass and brush in the foreground.

All in all, not a bad way to end studio work!

All of 2007’s aceo landscape paintings can be seen at ACEO Landscape Painting A Day.

A selection of aceo landscapes may also be purchased through Carrie L. Lewis ~ Horse Painter.

Larger landscapes may be seen and purchased at Landscape Paintings.

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February 6, 2008 by Carrie L. Lewis.

Anyone who has read very many of my web journal, be it personal musings, new painting news or work in progress news, knows that one of the treasures I have found in my move to Kansas is the Flint Hills region. It is one of my highest pleasures to take to the road and wander the miles of Flint Hills back roads, shooting pictures and having adventures.

It has also been the inspiration for so many of the original aceo landscapes you will find elsewhere in this blog.

So it is my great delight to share with all of you a recently discovered blog that is about this place that is so near and dear to my heart.

Flint Hills of Kansas “exists to promote the Flint Hills of Kansas as a tourism destination for experiential tourists who seek a new place to visit, a place to enjoy and appreciate nature, history and culture while maintaining the environment unchanged for the enjoyment of those who come after us.”

So reads the description for this blog.

The blog includes information on places to stay, things to see and do, historic locations (which abound in this area!). Rodeos, restaurants, art galleries, ranches and retreats. The possibilities are endless.

It also includes coming events across the Flint Hills throughout the year.

As if that is not enough, the blog is accompanied by a web site, Kansas Flint Hills. If you are looking for fun or unusual things to do in this part of Kansas, this is the web site for you.

Take a moment or two and visit the blog or the web site, or both! Just see if your imagination is not captured by this unique land!

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January 23, 2008 by Carrie L. Lewis.

Landscape Study #2 2008

If there is one thing most artists enjoy, it’s trying out new supplies. I am certainly no different.

A few weeks ago, I purchased a sample pack of 6×8 canvas panels from Raymar Artist Supplies and have been working with them.

Last week, I purchased a selection of new oils from M. Graham & Company, Artists Color Makers. They arrived today! A belated Christmas!

Landscape Study #2 2008 is the first painting created using these new paints, which are ground with Walnut oil instead of Linseed Oil.

I used a very limited palette of Cadmium Yellow Light, Cadmium Red Light and Cerulean Blue with a bit of Titanium White mixed in.

The painting was created in less than 30 minutes, beginning with the sky and working downward. It was painted over a triple gessoed, Crescent museum quality mat board that had been toned yellow, so the only area that really required an opaque paint layer was the sky. Even there, some of the yellow underpainting can be seen near the horizon.

After painting the basic shapes of sky and hills, the shadows were added, then the trees in the middle ground and distance using a wet-into-wet technique. The painting was finished by using a round color shaper to stroke in the foreground grass.

This is the second aceo landscape painting of the year to be completed.

All of 2007’s aceo landscape paintings can be seen at ACEO Landscape Painting A Day.

A selection of aceo landscapes may also be purchased through Carrie L. Lewis ~ Horse Painter.

Larger landscapes may be seen and purchased at Landscape Paintings.

Posted in Oil Landscapes | No Comments »

January 9, 2008 by Carrie L. Lewis.

Landscape Study #1 2008

A new year, some new paintings.

Above is the first aceo landscape painting of 2008.

It is a familiar scene, but the technique is slightly different. I began the painting with an under painting. When color work began, I was experimenting with mixtures of blue and yellow to make green. The greens on this painting were mixed from Lefranc Cerulean Blue and Azo Yellow.

The painting below is a pochade painting, which is to say that it is not what I would normally consider a finished painting. It is a study.

Landscape Study #1 2008 Pochade

It measures 8×6 and is painted on a single primed linen panel from Raymar.

As with the smaller aceo landscape painting, I was experimenting with color mixtures. But I was also experimenting with new techniques AND trying out a new painting support all at once.

Part of the logic of this is to learn to do more with less. Fewer tubes of colors in my paint bucket, better, cleaner colors on the canvas. That is the goal. Greens are the primary reason, but I am also looking forward  to learning what colors to mix for all those beautiful horse colors!

So while painting proceeds on portraits and exhibit paintings, I will be using the aceo landscape paintings and pochade and small format paintings to try out these new ideas.

All of 2007’s aceo landscape paintings can be seen at ACEO Landscape Painting A Day.

A selection of aceo landscapes may also be purchased through Carrie L. Lewis ~ Horse Painter.

Larger landscapes may be seen and purchased at Landscape Paintings.

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December 31, 2007 by Carrie L. Lewis.

Landscape Study #314 2007

The ACEO Landscape Painting a Day challenge ended with these two paintings, both of which were completed on December 18, 2007.

It had been my hope to do more and, in July, 400 aceo landscape paintings seemed well within reach.

315 landscapes were completed throughout the year, with many others painted over or abandoned.

I also painted 13 non-landscape aceos for a total of 328 aceos.

Landscape Study #315 2007

All of December’s paintings can be seen here.

Visit ACEO Landscape Painting A Day to see more original ACEO Landscape paintings.

A selection of aceo landscapes may also be purchased through Carrie L. Lewis ~ Horse Painter.

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December 17, 2007 by Carrie L. Lewis.

Landscape Study #312 2007

I reached a milestone today. I painted two ACEO landscape paintings and there is nothing unusual in that.

The remarkable thing is that Landscape Study #313 2007 marks the fulfillment of my painting goal for 2007, which was to paint one ACEO landscape painting every day except for Sunday.

There were 313 painting days in the year; 313 days during which I would plan to be in the studio. Much to my satisfaction, I find that upon concluding this work today, I have successfully completed 313 ACEO landscapes. There were many days when I did not think I would reach this point and others during which I thought the goal would be satisfied much earlier in the year.

That is, therefore, the end of the ACEO challenge. Somehow, it seems appropriate that the last official painting of the challenge should be a sunset scene. (No, I did not plan that!)

Landscape Study #313 2007

But does it also the end of painting ACEO landscapes? Somehow, I don’t think so. ACEOs are great fun, a great way to warm up the paints and brushes before starting work on larger pieces and they are also wonderful ways to work out compositions in color and in oil without the necessity of investing large amounts of time or supplies.

And they are very portable. I can take a few brushes, cards and tubes of paint with me wherever I go and work on them away from home. That is always a plus!

Through the course of this challenge, I have learned a lot about painting and about landscapes.

I have learned to paint fast and more loosely than usual.

I have learned about the affects of underpaintings on the finished painting.

I have even learned how to take challenging or unattractive subjects and make paintings from them.

Not all of the paintings turned out the way I envisioned (very few ever do!). Some were abject failures in my estimation. But others were well beyond what I previously thought I could ever do with any subject.

So while the journey had its ups and downs, its feasts and its famines, I do not regret one step of it!

All of December’s paintings can be seen here.

Visit ACEO Landscape Painting A Day to see more original ACEO Landscape paintings.

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December 14, 2007 by Carrie L. Lewis.

Landscape Study #310 2007

Both of tonight’s aceo landscape paintings were started some time ago. The original underpaintings were sketched out in Burnt Sienna during my last visit to Michigan.

Landscape Study 310 2007 is strongly influenced by Michigan. The distant trees are, in fact, based on the skyline as seen through the back door of my Mom’s house. I added the foreground trees and the water where there is a field of hay in reality.

It did snow while I was up there, but the idea to paint this as a winter snowfall scene did not occur to me until days after we got back from Michigan.

Finishing it tonight was perfect, as I was able to spatter thinned paint to my heart’s content. It didn’t hurt that it was also snowing outside!

Landscape Study #311 2007

This landscape painting is one of two recent paintings completed over a Burnt Sienna underpainting and that turned out with a very classical look and feel. This one is the most strongly ‘old looking’.

In all areas, the underpainting has been allowed to peek through the final layers. It is less noticeable in the sky, where white goes on opaque or nearly opaque in almost any type of application. But I used Cerulean Blue and a bit of Burnt Umber to enhance the look of a lowering, gloomy sky.

On the landscape portion, Sap Green and Yellow Ochre were applied in very transparent glazes, with just a touch of white in some of the highlight areas.

While I don’t know if this new and interesting palette is something I want to use all the time, it is a very interesting and intriguing one.

It is also nice to know how much influence the first color put to canvas or board has over the finished painting.

All of December’s paintings can be seen here.

Visit ACEO Landscape Painting A Day to see more original ACEO Landscape paintings.

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December 13, 2007 by Carrie L. Lewis.

Landscape Study #309 2007

All of December’s paintings can be seen.

Visit ACEO Landscape Painting A Day to see more original ACEO Landscape paintings.

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December 12, 2007 by Carrie L. Lewis.

Landscape Study #307 2007

Two more studies in Prussian Blue and White. Although it is difficult to paint any scene that features the bright light of day using these two colors, they are so much fun to work with that painting night or twilight scenes is a pleasure.

These two paintings feature a broader, more expansive landscape than other recent nocturnes.

Landscape Study #308 2007

But both feature starry skies and snow covered ground.

And trees.

Neither one is based on a particular scene or location but are combinations. Landscape Study 308 2007 actually seems to be a combination of Michigan and Kansas. Truly unique!

All of December’s paintings can be seen here.

Visit ACEO Landscape Painting A Day to see more original ACEO Landscape paintings.

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December 6, 2007 by Carrie L. Lewis.

Landscape Study #306 2007
Rain in the Flint Hills

I will be the first to confess that this painting did not turn out at all the way I had planned it.

The idea was to paint a scene I had photographed in the Flint Hills early this fall. Rain clouds close to the ground. A curtain of rain moving toward us, then over us and finally past us. Cool colors and subdued values.

That’s what I remember from that day and that’s what I photographed.

And when I started painting, that’s what I was painting.

I began with an under painting of Burnt Sienna. Looking back on it, that was probably my first ‘mistake’ and affected the outcome from the start. Burnt Sienna did not dry as quickly as I had hoped it might and, once I began glazing color over it, it remained dominant. The end result was a painting with very warm tones in spite of the rain.

But it worked beautifully in the foreground, where successive, transparent layers of Transparent Yellow Ochre and Sap Green produced excellent lights and shadows, even on such a gray day.

So although it didn’t turn out as planned (you would be shocked at how often that happens!), it turned out very well.

And the best part is that I still have that gray, rainy day full of cool tones and blues and grays to paint!

This painting is painted on triple-gessoed Crescent museum quality mat board.

All of December’s paintings can be seen here.

Visit ACEO Landscape Painting A Day to see more original ACEO Landscape paintings.

Posted in Oil Landscapes | No Comments »