Painting My World: September 2011

Friday, September 30, 2011

Early Autumn Landscape

'Memory Lane' 8 x 10 pastel

Today's painting started as my demo for Wednesday night's mystery pastel set class. I haven't had the chance to upload my student's work but I plan to make a collage of our paintings. I used my mystery set to start this painting but I tweaked it with a few other colors after class. I wonder if any of my friends will recognize this view? This painitng is on Canson, no underpainting.
This weekend I am headed to the mountains. First I will be stopping at High Country Gallery in Blue Ridge Ga to bring some new work, then on to Murphy to scout out some painting locations for my upcoming workshop. The workshop is full but if we have a successful experience I will plan another date in the Spring.

Thursday, September 29, 2011

Colorful Sunflowers Acrylic 12x12

'Cheerful' 12x12 acrylic on gallery wrapped canvas

Here is something different from me....an acrylic sunflower painting! A few months ago I was playing with acrylics and did several paintings which have been on display at DuPre's Antique Market. I will be taking down my display tomorrow so I have a lot of work that I haven't posted online. I had fun with a paint brush but put them away over the summer. I will be reorganizing my studio rooms and would love to leave the paints set up so they will be more enticing to me!

Wednesday, September 28, 2011

Desert Wildflowers

'Desert Blooms' 11x14 pastel

Today's painting is a commission I just completed. It is a larger version of a study that had sold. I am waiting to hear if my client is pleased or if changes are needed. I really enjoy commissions and working with my collectors to create a special painting. It is nice to get to know them even if it is just through emails. The waiting part is hard though!
Today is Mystery Painting day. My morning students did some great work and I am waiting for my night class to see what they come up with . I plan on putting them all together in a collage tomorrow.

Tuesday, September 27, 2011

Mystery Marsh 7x5 pastel

'Mystery Marsh' 7x5 pastel

Here is another little painting using my Terry Ludwig Mystery set. There are so many valuable lessons to be learned from using a random very limited palette. It really makes you think! For this one I got a little more abstracted. Now I want to try to see how far I can push these colors. Stay tuned for more from tomorrow's pastel classes!

Monday, September 26, 2011

'Sunset from the Platform' 8x10 pastel with Terry Ludwig's Mystery Box

So today I went down to my studio with the intention of painting one marsh scene with my new set of Terry Ludwigs. For this week's pastel class all of my students got a mystery set and we are going to use only our sets to paint. I figured I better practice with mine. Well.....8 paintings later I stopped! I had so much fun trying to see what I could do with these 14 pastels. I just couldn't stop at one painting. I'll post a collage of all of them later and I will also post pictures of the work we do at Wednesday's class. I can't wait!

Sunday, September 25, 2011

Chamisa Shadows 8x10 pastel

'Chamisa Shadows' 8x10 pastel

Today's painting is another demo painting from last weekend's workshop. We were talking about light and shadows and this was my shadow demo. It was a quick study on Canson paper. I was doing a lot of talking while painting so I didn't get it very developed. I figured I would work on it later but when I looked at it after a few days I actually like the looseness of it. I think I will leave it alone and perhaps try another one in a larger size.

Saturday, September 24, 2011

More Sunflowers

'Sunflowers on Pink' 8x10 pastel

I had fun with this series of flowers in vases. Next on the easel for me are some more marsh scenes. I just printed a stack of photos and will set up my papers next. I like to get my supplies prepared all at once so when the time and mood strikes to paint...I don't have to spend time deciding what to paint and how I want to start. It's nice to pick up a board with my paper and reference photo attached and just paint.

Friday, September 23, 2011

Hydrangeas 8x10 pastel SOLD

'Summer Blues' 8x10 pastel

I had fun in the studio today working on a commission of a tree in a meadow. It is 16x20 and it has been awhile since I worked larger. I know that isn't very big at all but when you paint small 16x20 is big! I do like it though and wish I did it more often. Today's painting is the hydrangea still life I did earlier this week. I loved using those wonderful blues and purples! I did a value underpainting with an alcohol wash for this painting.

Thursday, September 22, 2011

Morning Glow 11x14 pastel landscape

'Morning Glow' 11x14 pastel

I am still working on my florals and painted the hydrangeas and another vase of sunflowers. I am having fun with them! Today's painting is the demo I did at Sunday's workshop. The topic was capturing the light and being aware of the color and temperature of the light and how it effects the landscape. This is an early morning marsh scene. It is on Canson paper. I am back to sanded paper this week for some wet underpaintings. I had a student today bring in some Canson that she had coated with acrylic pastel ground. It had a nice tooth and dried nice and flat. I may need to try that! I am always learning something new!

Wednesday, September 21, 2011

Sunflower Bouquets 8x10 pastel

I’ve been working on some florals today for a change of pace. Usually my flowers are in meadows and not in vases so it is a bit different. For these paintings I did a value underpainting with an alcohol wash on Uart paper. In my pastel class we have been focusing on designing a painting with big simple shapes so the value underpaintings were helpful to set up the paintings with the big value shapes and not all the picky details I saw in my photos. Next on the easel is a pitcher of hydrangeas!

Monday, September 19, 2011

A Red Poppy 5x7 pastel

'Red Poppy, Blue Door' 5x7 pastel

I took a photo of these poppies last summer on a trip to Taos New Mexico. I loved how they looked up against the turquoise door. I have more photos and I think they would make a good series. I am looking for a series so maybe it is time for some flowers. This 5x7 pastel is on Canson with my favorite pastels....Terry Ludwigs and Great Americans.

Sunday, September 18, 2011

Late Afternoon Marsh ...variation #3

'Late Afternoon Marsh' 8x10 pastel

Today's painting is the third version of the same marsh. I painted each one to show different times of the day. This is the Late Afternoon or Magic Hour...my favorite time of day to paint or take photos. I love it when everything glows from the sun. Tomorrow I will start on a new series. I'm not sure what it will be yet. I know something will come to me. I have been playing a lot with Canson so I may need to try something else for a change of pace.

Saturday, September 17, 2011

Morning Light 8x10

'Morning Light on the Marsh' 8x10 pastel

I am working on a series of the marsh scene and I am painting it at different times of day. Yesterday I posted the mid day version Today’s painting is the early morning version. I love the light of early morning and I am always glad when I manage to get out early to enjoy it. This painting is also on Canson paper.

Friday, September 16, 2011

Summer Afternoon Marsh

'Summer Afternoon Marsh' 8x10 pastel

One of the things I am trying to be more aware of is how the light effects the landscape. Colors, temperature and shadows all change as the light changes. I have to be able to see it so that I can better capture it in my paintings. This Sunday I will be addressing this idea in my mini workshop. I am looking forward to a fun afternoon of sharing and painting. I will show more samples and give a full report on Monday. Today's painting is on Canson. Can you tell I am loving the Canson paper! It has been the paper I reach for first lately especially if I am not wanting to do any kind of underpainting.

Thursday, September 15, 2011

Purple Mountains Majesty ...a monochromatic painting

'Purple Mountains Majesty' 8x10 pastel

This week we worked on doing some monochromatic paintings. We removed the challenge of choosing the right colors so we could concentrate on values. When I began painting I read and heard so much about the importance of value but to be honest I never really understood what it was or why it was important. When it finally did click for me everything made so much more sense. I think that when we are learning something new such as how to paint...there is so much information for us to process. We don't always get everything at once but with study and practice it will all fall into place. Monochromatic studies have been a great tool for me to learn to control the values in my paintings.

Wednesday, September 14, 2011

Mountain Wildwlowers

'Mountain Wildflowers' 8x10 pastel

I have really enjoyed painting from the photos I took a few summers ago up in the North Carolina mountains. It was a gray overcast day be Jayne and I had fun exploring the countryside and taking lots of photos. This was a big meadow filled with Queen Anne's Lace with the mountains in the background. This painting was done on Wallis Belgian Mist with no underpainting.

Monday, September 12, 2011

Old Town Albuqurque 5x7 pastel

'Old Town Color' 5x7 pastel

While I was in Albuquerque this summer for the IAPS convention, I had some free time to explore Old Town. It was great that it was in walking distance and even better there was a Feast Day of some sort with entertainment on the Plaza. It was so much fun! This is just a quick study on Canson. I will probably do a larger version at some point.

Sunday, September 11, 2011

Simple Pleasures ...North Carolina Mountain Landscape

'Simple Pleasures' 8x10 pastel

I'm calling this one 'Simple Pleasures' because it reminds me of spending a warm summer day walking in the mountains and enjoying the simple pleasures of a blue sky filled with white puffy clouds and meadows filled with wildflowers. I'd like to spread out a picnic blanket under the tree and enjoy a peanut butter and jelly sandwich for my lunch...another simple pleasure in life!

Saturday, September 10, 2011

New Tiny Pastels 2.5 x 3.5 minis

Here is this week's mini pastel paintings. I am listing them at Daily Paintworks Auction. DPW is a great site for artists and art lovers. I love browsing through all of the great art that is posted. I used some iridescent pastels on some of these paintings. They are just too much fun to paint! Here is a link to my DPW gallery http://www.dailypaintworks.com/Artists/kmargulis-1159

Friday, September 09, 2011

Winding Roads... A California Landscape

'Winding Roads' 11x14 pastel

It's hard to believe that a year ago I was busy packing for my plein air workshop with Richard McKinley in Hope Valley California. What an experience of a lifetime that was. The scenery was gorgeous, I met some wonderful artists and Richard was a fantastic instructor. It was all I imagined and more! I took many photos of my trip but really haven't had much time to paint from them. I think I need to do a California series! This one is 11x14 on Canson from one of my photos. One of Richard's suggestions for me was to paint from my plein air studies. It has been on my to-do list but I really need to make it a priority!

Thursday, September 08, 2011

After the Rain, Taos New Mexico Landscape

'After the Rain' 8x10 pastel

Here is another painting in my new Southwest series. These pastels are all inspired by my travels in the American Southwest. This is a scene from Taos, NM. When we visited Taos, we had cloudy rainy weather. It did make for some interesting photos though. Especially when the clouds began to break up. This pastel painting on Uart has a watercolor underpainting.

Wednesday, September 07, 2011

New England Summer Meadow 5x7 pastel

'New England Summer' 5x7 pastel

I am a firm believer in the benefit of lots of painting practice to advance your skills. I am fortunate that I am able to paint full time now but when I was just starting out in pastel I was working full time so it was hard to find the time to practice but I managed to paint every day by doing small studies as I called them. I liked to work 5x7 or 8x10 and since I only had an hour to paint I learned to get the main idea down fast. I encourage anyone who wishes to see an improvement in their work to try some fast and small studies! This little one is 5x7 from a photo I took on Nantucket Island.

Tuesday, September 06, 2011

Sanibel Island Winter Workshop! SOLD

'A Break in the Storm' 8x10 pastel

I have been asked to return to the Bailey-Matthews Shell Museum on Sanibel Island to teach a class this winter. The class is focused on painting shells in pastel but I have some interest in a plein air workshop while I am there. I don't have a date yet but it will most likely be in late January or early February and it would be a one day plein air workshop. If you think you might be interested send me an email and let me know! Today's painting is on Canson Moonstone color using Terry Ludwig's arid landscape pastels.....they aren't just for arid landscapes!

Monday, September 05, 2011

Chamisa in Bloom 8x10 pastel SOLD

'Chamisa in Bloom' 8x10 pastel

It was a rainy day in Georgia today and a great day to stay inside and paint. I started working on this painting and just wasn't happy with the bushes in the foreground. They were just blobs of green and brown. So I gave them a good spray of workable fixative and sat down to eat some cookies and look at facebook. The very first post was a wonderful painting of Rabbitbrush in bloom by Lorenzo Chavez. I was inspired! I needed to make my bushes bloom! So I looked at some reference photos I had of chamisa in bloom to guide me. Thank you Lorenzo for the inspiration! This painting is on Wallis Belgian Mist using mostly Terry Ludwig's Arid landscape set. I love that set!

Sunday, September 04, 2011

Desert Dreams II New Mexico

'Desert Dreams II' 11x14 pastel

I recently sold one of my personal favorite paintings ‘Desert Dreams’ so I decided to paint another version this time in a vertical format. It was a good exercise in interpreting my reference photo in a new way. I moved some bushes and trees around to fit this format. This painting began with an oil stain underpainting. You can still see the drips if you look carefully.

Saturday, September 03, 2011

Soaptree Yucca New Mexico

'Desert Blooms' 11x14 pastel

I had a great day in the studio. I painted all day and I don't think I am done yet. Just taking a blog break! Yesterday I did a few underpaintings all of them New Mexico landscapes. I like to paint series of things and I have been wanting to paint from photos of my recent trip to New Mexico. These Yuccas were actually from my trip two years ago. The blooms were pink which added a nice bit of color to the landscape. I thought the blooms on the yucca were white but evidently they can be tinged with pink. These blooms were quite pink and very beautiful! This painting is on Uart paper with an oil stain underpainting.

Friday, September 02, 2011

The Sunflower Patch 8x10 pastel

'The Sunflower Patch' 8x10 pastel

Today I brought some new paintings over to the Frameworks Gallery here in Marietta, Ga. I recently had 4 paintings sell so they needed some new work. This sunflower painting didn't find a home this time so I traded it out and took it home with me. Today I also started a new series of New Mexico paintings. I did three underpaintings, 2 of them oil and one watercolor. I plan on staying home a painting this weekend!

To Bid on this painting please visit my Daily Paintworks Auction HERE

Thursday, September 01, 2011

Field of Poppies

'Meadow Walk' 11x14 pastel

I forgot to take a 'before' picture of this painting. I did it months ago for a demo and it wasn't a success. But I put it in my pile of paintings that need work and pulled it out yesterday. The original version was divided into two paintings and the foreground was way too busy. I considered cropping it into three squares but instead decided to brush out the foreground and work at connecting the front field with the background. Brushing out the front allowed me to keep it simple. I took out many of the yellow and white flowers and left just the poppies. It's fun to see what you can do with a failed painting!

A Pathway to the Beach - Sanibel Island

'Path to the Sea' 8x10 pastel

Today’s painting is another Sanibel Island scene. I love painting pathways to the beach and when I walk the beach with my camera I like to go up and down every path I see to get different angles in my photos. This painting is done on Canson paper, moonstone. I am really enjoying painting on Canson lately!

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