Art Quote of the Day...Creating Mystery in Your Paintings

'Morning Mystery'         13x18       pastel         ©Karen Margulis
sold

I don't remember where I came across this quote. Sadly I don't even know the author but it is one that often comes to my rescue. It helps me remain true to my desire to paint with more expression....to paint what I feel rather than render every detail as they exist in my reference.

" The human mind delights in soft mystery"   unknown

It really is amazing how we are able to piece together bits and pieces and make them into a whole. We really don't require much information to fill in the blanks. We prefer it that way. It allows us to participate in a painting. If we see a few blades of grass rendered in detail surrounded by larger blocks of grass color we can assume that the entire area is the same type of grass. We don't need every blade of grass to make this assumption.

close up of the trees and moss

Soft Mystery....keeping this thought in mind as I paint reminds me to decide where I will put clarity and detail and where I can just suggest it.  Take the spanish moss in the trees of today's painting. The trees are in the distance so I don't want to paint the moss with detail and hard edges. I want to simply suggest a FEELING of moss in the trees. A gentle brush of lavender pastel is all that is needed. Soft mystery to suggest moss.

Painting notes: This is a commission painting on brown Canson Mi-Teintes paper. I love to paint landscape commissions and have a few openings on my schedule for holiday commissions. Contact me for details! karenmargulis@gmail.com

Do You Have Grass Box?

'Memories of the South'       12x18       pastel        ©Karen Margulis
available $165

I don't know what I would do without my grass box. I know my marshes and meadow paintings would not be as interesting. I know that it wouldn't be as easy to create painterly grasses. Keeping a grass box is a new habit of mine but I don't know what I was waiting for!

What is a grass box you may be wondering?  It is a small box of pastels that I use exclusively for painting the finishing touches in any marsh or meadow painting. Any landscape that has grassy bits can be a challenge. If you paint too many grass blades or make them too thick and regular you risk creating a fence of grass. A grass fence is a visual barrier. It can prevent the viewer from entering or moving back into a painting. A grass box makes it easy to always paint lyrical grasses.

My collection of grass pastels along with a small banker's clasp used for scratching grass marks in soft pastel passages.

What is in my grass box?

• Some harder pastels such as Nupastels and Rembrandts. These pastels have more binder than softer pastels so they make a crisper mark.
• Some harder Russian pastels given to me by a friend. These harder and round sticks make wonderful painterly grasses.
• A variety of earthy colors for both green and dried grass. I add to this box when I find a grass color that I can't I've without!
• A few 'spicy' greens...greens that are intense for those special bits of eye candy.
• A metal Banker's Clasp that can be used to scratch grass marks into a passage of thick pastel.

Having a box of pastels that work well for those finishing marks in a grassy area is a useful tool but it also helps to practice making effective and lyrical grass marks. You may be interested in my blog article on painting grass here:http://kemstudios.blogspot.com/2016/02/more-on-painting-grasses-with-pastels.html

Painting Notes: This is one of the demo paintings I did for my recent workshop with the Piedmont Pastel Society. It is on Uart pastel paper with an alcohol wash underpainting.

What is Painting From Within?

'The Marsh Spirit'           13x20           pastel          ©Karen Margulis
available $195     

It is all in there. If we really know and love a place it is all within us. We can recall it when needed. That is why I love painting from bad photos. It allows me to ignore the photo and paint what is inside my head and heart.  I recently read a quote from Degas that inspired my studio class today.

"It is very good to copy what one sees; it is much better to draw what you can't see any more but is in your memory. It is a transformation in which imagination and memory work together. You only reproduce what struck you, that is to say the necessary." Edgar Degas

In that spirit I decided it would be a good exercise to paint without reference photos today. Instead of going cold turkey we were allowed to choose a photo of a place we loved and do a thumbnail sketch. We could use the thumbnail to start the painting....but no photo at any time. This would force us to paint from our memory of the place. Some call this painting from memory or from imagination. I like to call it Painting from Within because I use information that is in my mind and in my heart.

The demo painting half done. I needed different pastels for my vision

TRY THIS: Trust that you have a lot of great information within. Try to paint without relying on a photo. Set a timer for 30 minutes. You can use the reference photo for the first 15 minutes. Put the photo away for the last 15 minutes.

I will share tips for painting from within in another blog post. Stay tuned!

Sunday Studio Video: The Finishing Marks on a Large pastel Painting

'Southern Colors'         30x40       pastel      ©Karen Margulis     sold

 I was back on Facebook Live today with a new video. The topic of the day is 'Finishing a Painting.'  How do I  decide where to put the finishing marks and what they will be?  I answer these questions and more on the video. I show you how I finish this large marsh scene. The video is available on my Facebook page or on my YouTube channel.

As promised I am posting the progress photos of the painting as it developed.

6x8 color study available

Step One: The drawing with pencil

Step two: The underpainting: a layer of Mount Vision pastels rubbed in with pipe insulation foam

Step Three: reinforce the darks and start the sky. 

Step Four: Start at the back and work to the foreground

Step Five: All of the grass is blocked in with big simple marks

Step Six: Adding some details in the grass and the distant buildings...Before the final marks

On the easel waiting for the finishing marks.

Another Painting Transformation. Step by Step

'Reawakening'           13x18          pastel        ©Karen Margulis
sold

This one should have gone into the trash. It was a demo I did last winter for a group of school children for their Art Day. They were choosing the subject as I painted and suggested a tree, water, guy fishing and I have no idea what the red things are supposed to be!  It was fun and the kids loved it but it was a painting destined for the bin.   On top of that it was on Canson Mi-Teintes unsanded paper which doesn't usually take to much abuse.....or does it!?

Today I decided not to throw the paper away and see what I could do with it. Was there any hope? Below I walk you step by step to the save!

This is the demo painting. It is on terra cotta Canson Mi-Teintes paper. I took a stiff brush tried to remove as much pastel as possible. I was left with some dark shapes. I sprayed the paper with workable fixative and let it dry.

I decided to reinvent the painting and turn it into an autumn marsh scene. I had a reference photo for inspiration. (bottom of post) I set to work with a dark blue and dark burgundy pastel to introduce the dark shapes of the bushes and distant trees.

I repainted the sky and added some clouds. I painted the distant trees and marsh and added the blue water. I dealt with the foreground last.  As you can see in the photo above I had to darken the foreground with fixative. This also allowed me to continue building layers and getting the texture of the autumn weeds. I would say I sprayed and painted the foreground 4 times! Yes Canson can take it!

The final touches were in the foreground. I used the sharp edges of Rembrandt  pastels to paint grass and a very soft Sennelier pastel to paint the light fluffy blooms.  I used Terry Ludwig pastels for all other areas of the painting.

close up of foreground

 So the fishing guy and the red things are now history. There is really nothing more satisfying than the challenge of taking a mess and reinventing it into something interesting.

reference photo

Sunday Studio Live Demo: Choosing a Pastel Palette for a Marsh Painting

'Moody Marsh'         9x12        pastel         ©Karen Margulis
available $145

It was bound to happen. Technical difficulties with my weekly live videos! At least it happened at a convenient cut-off point. And I probably could figure out how to edit them together but for now they are two separate videos. My camera man husband accidentally pressed the finished button when I wasn't finished! The perils of live video!  Here is a recap in cased you missed the videos.

In the first 7 minute video I talked about how I choose pastels for a painting. I put my working palette into a butcher tray so that I am working with a limited palette. Having ALL of my pastels available when I paint is a recipe for color chaos!

Choosing pastels for a painting

Steps to choosing a working palette

• Do a small black and white thumbnail. 
• Decide on main colors (color scheme) I usually choose by intuition but will sometimes consult a color wheel.
• Test main colors on the thumbnail or scrap paper.
• Once main colors are selected I add them to a tray and choose the remainder of the pastels.
• I add the pastels to the tray and keep them grouped by LANDSCAPE ELEMENT.
• I usually consider VALUE first then color. Local color if used at all comes last. I think about layering color.
• I start adding colors to the tray by selecting my darkest values for the darkest parts of the painting . I usually choose 4-5 pastels of the same value for the darks.
• Then I select the LIGHTS. In a landscape this is usually the sky. I keep them in the 'sky pile'
• Then I select pastels for the remaining elements of the scene....distant trees, grass, flowers, etc. I also choose middle value pastels to layer under any grass. This is the dirt.

That's it! Now I have a limited palette that keeps me out of trouble. If I need to add more pastels I will add them to the tray so I can keep track and try to reuse rather than reach for a new pastel.

The pastels selected for today's painting 

You can watch the video of the painting demonstration on my YouTube channel. Here is the link.

Is it Finished? Thoughts on Finishing a Painting

'Silver Ribbons'           8x10       pastel        ©Karen Margulis
available $150

It was a great question. I had a discussion with an artist last evening about finishing a painting. She wondered if it was OK to leave areas at the edges of a painting unfinished. She told me she is a very detailed oriented artist and feels compelled to finish everything....meaning she likes to add the detail all over including up to the edges of the painting.  Leaving areas vague and unfinished just doesn't feel right. But is it OK?

Edgar Degas weighed in on the idea of leaving a little mystery and vagueness in our paintings when he said the following:

“A painting requires a little mystery, some vagueness, and some fantasy. When you always make your meaning perfectly plain you end up boring people.”

The plan and the painting before the finishing touches

I started this marsh painting as a quick demo and decided to add some finishing touches. As you can see in the above photo it is quite 'unfinished' at the bottom edges especially in the corners. I could easily continue painting the grasses and even go as far as have a more photo realistic finish. But I reminded myself of the Degas quote and asked myself what was important to the painting.

It was about the ribbon of water leading into the distance. It wasn't about the foreground grasses. I didn't need to finish and paint every stalk and blade of grass. I had permission to leave it mysterious and even a bit vague. A few carefully placed pieces of grass would invite the viewer to participate and fill in the rest of the details. The mystery in the foreground invites the viewer into the scene. They are not stopped by a wall of grass!

The Magic Frame

When the painting is placed into a frame it is even more clear that leaving the foreground a bit unfinished does not take away from the message of the painting. I was able to see where I needed to put the detail and more clarity....and it wasn't at the bottom corners!

Tip: I recommend keeping an empty plein air style frame in the studio and using it to evaluate paintings after they are completely blocked in. It will help you decide just how far you need to go and how much 'finish' you really need.

Try This: An Interesting Technique for Painting Grass with Pastels

'Hidden Marsh'      12 x 18        pastel           ©Karen Margulis
available $165

It was all about the texture. One of my favorite things about my foray into the world of oils was the ease of creating texture. I crave texture in my pastel paintings. I do what I can to give the illusion of texture. Building layers of increasingly soft pastel and working on a prepared textured surface are just two ways.  But what about on regular sanded paper such as Uart?  Sometimes I want more physical texture!

Yesterday I was doing laundry when something on the shelf caught my eye. It was a tube of Gel n Dry medium from Sennelier.  Bill Creevy used it during his IAPS workshop several years ago. I bought a tube but never used it much. It was time to take it out and see what would happen!

Unfinished demo that needs help

I had the perfect candidate for the experiment. It was an unfinished demo from my Chicago Uart workshop. It was a quick demo to illustrate the effect of underpainting colors. It had decent bones but needed help. It needed texture in the marsh grasses!

Giving Sennelier Gel n Dry Medium a try

 I squeezed out some of the Gel n Dry into a container and with an old bristle brush applied the medium to the foreground grassy areas.  It wet the pastel and made it much darker and richer.  I brushed the medium on with random brushstroke. The soft pastel became like paint. I then used the end of the brush handle to draw lines into the wet pastel. I could see the brush handle cut through the pastel leaving tracks. I was getting physical texture!

After the Gel n Dry

I let the painting dry overnight. I am not sure how long it actually took to dry but it was at least 3 hours so this is not a quick technique. It was nice and dry in the morning and my unmounted Uart paper was perfectly flat. The wet medium had no effect on the paper which is good to know.

I reworked the painting adding layers of green and peach pastel over the grassy areas. I was excited to see the pastel stick to the raised areas leaving the dark values in place. I had raised pieces of grass courtesy of Gel n Dry. Cool!

Pastel on top of the grooves left by the Gel n Dry medium

more textured grass

Can Pastel Premier Paper Take an Alcohol Wash? My Experiment

'Contemplation'          8x10         pastel         ©Karen Margulis
available $145

It was a great question. A Facebook friend wanted my opinion on Pastel Premier sanded paper. She also brought up the question of using an alcohol wash on the paper. I have used Pastel Premier and was sure I had done an alcohol wash on it. In fact I had no idea that there was an issue with it.

So I decided to find out. First I looked up the specs on Pastel Premier. Here is what is said about the paper on Dakota Art Pastels:

Pastel Premier - a new Archival Quality paper for the pastel artist! Made in the USA, Pastel Premier is produced on 100% cotton, acid-free paper. Made exclusively for Pastel Premier, the unique surface is created by double priming the 100% cotton base paper, then coating with an aluminum oxide abrasive. This produces an ideal, evenly coated surface for pastel painting. A final seal layer is applied to the primed and abrasive coated sheet to make the surface extremely durable and able to withstand almost any measure of scrubbing and reworking. The paper works with a wide range of wet media including water, mineral spirits, and alcohol (heavy use of alcohol NOT recommended - may soften surface) for under-painting. 

Pastel Premier is available in two surfaces:
X-Fine (600 grit) - a smoother, finer surface in White only
Medium (320-400 grit) - toothy, aggressive surface in 5 colors

Pastel Premier comes in White, Buff, Italian Clay (warm neutral gray), Terracotta, and Slate (dark, cool gray).

So alcohol can be used...just not a heavy application. Next I needed to try it for myself. How much alcohol could the paper take?

I took out a piece of white Pastel Premier. This paper is great for watercolor underpaintings so I wanted to see how alcohol would react to the paper. I used 70% isopropyl alcohol. I never use 90% or denatured alcohol.

I was very liberal with my washes. The alcohol was allowed to drip. I used as much alcohol as I normally do. I didn't worry about using too much. The paper was fine. There as no change in the grittiness and the grit didn't come off. I was feeling really good about it.

Then I went back over a wet area with more alcohol. This is when I noticed that the grit in this area was starting to move or soften.  I stopped and let the underpainting dry.

close up of the alcohol wash

starting to add pastel

 There was a slight wave to the paper but after 30 minutes under a heavy book it was perfectly flat. I use paper unmounted. The pastel went on with no noticeable change in the feeling of the grit. I was able to get as many layers as I needed to finish the painting.

My conclusion after this experiment... I wouldn't hesitate to use an alcohol wash on Pastel Premier. However I would not try to rewet areas or go back and add more alcohol to an area. It is safe to say that the paper accepts a light alcohol wash....which is plenty to create an interesting and effective underpainting. (I also did the same underpainting on Uart and I will report on that in an upcoming post)

More on Painting Grasses with Pastels

'Enveloped in Peace'            11x14        pastel         ©Karen Margulis
available $165

Many a good landscape painting has been ruined by grass.  It's true!  There is something about painting a field of grass that causes many artists to get carried away.  I do it myself when I am not paying attention.  Three things happen frequently when trying to paint a grassy area.

1. The artist isn't focused and puts in blades of grass randomly. A piece here , another over there and before you know it there are spotty blades of grass with no purpose or direction.
2. The artists gets so caught up in the painting of the grass blades that they over-do it.  Rather than putting in a few pieces of well placed grass...there are too many and not anything left to the viewer's imagination.
3. The artist paints grass that looks like a child's work. I don't mean to sound harsh because it is something that happens without our knowledge. Think about how children draw or paint grass. What happens is that our brain tries to help us paint grass using the symbol we have...how we drew grass as a child. We end up with a fence of rigid rows of grass.

So what can we do to improve the way we paint grasses with pastels?   ROLL THEM!

Using the rolling technique

Rolling the pastel creates much more painterly grasses than when we just try to draw them.  You need to use a round pastel for this technique. Hard or soft will work with each giving a different result. (see chart below)  All you do is place the top edge of the round pastel on the paper and push and roll it across the paper until you get the grass length you need. Here are a few tips:

The results of rolling with some round pastels

• Vary the pressure as you roll to get a broken line which looks more natural.
• Change the direction of your marks so that you don't end up with a line of fence of grasses....this creates a visual barrier.
• Use harder pastels such as Rembrandts and Art Spectrum to get a finer line with more control.
• Use a softer pastel such as a Sennelier or Schminke for a chunkier grass. The softer pastel fives a more textured grass.
• Pay attention where you place each grass.....every blade of grass should have a purpose. I like to use my grasses to help move the eye around the painting.

Have fun with painting grass and don't forget to Roll the pastel! 

This is just one of the ways I like to paint grasses. I share more in my YouTube video. Have a look at the video here and please share it if you like it!https://youtu.be/n-MNHNxm6y8

How to Paint Grass with Pastels...New YouTube Video

'Lyrical Marsh'         5x7      pastel        ©Karen Margulis
available $75

 Landscape painters have to deal with it and it can be a challenge. Meadows, fields, marshes, prairies....most landscapes include grasses of some sort. How much grass should we put in a painting? How can we paint grass that looks natural and believable?  I struggled with grasses and my paintings had many of the 'grass problems'. It was frustrating.

I have learned that all I need to do is SUGGEST a few pieces of grass and the viewer will fill in the rest. It has made a big difference and now I embrace the grass!

Pastels I used for the demo and video

I finally had a break in my schedule and decided to make a new Youtube video.In the video I share some tips for painting better grass....believable and authentic looking grass. The video is 16 minutes long during which I share  a demo of the different ways I paint grass. And I end with a demo of a 7 minute study of 'Lyrical Marsh' , the  5x7 pastel shown at the top of the post.

Please have a look at the video when you get a chance. I would love for you to give it a thumbs up and share it if you found it helpful! Here is the link:

https://youtu.be/n-MNHNxm6y8

If you are reading this post via email and the link does not work visit my blog directly at www.karenmargulis.com for the link to the video.

The many ways to paint grass....watch on YouTube

I decided to paint a larger version of the study using the same palette on an orange piece of Canson paper.

'Lyrical Marsh 2'         9x12      pastel on Canson           $125

SOS for Painting More Often

'Marsh Walk'          5x7      oil on panel       ©Karen Margulis
available $75

 It wasn't really my plan. I didn't intend to paint 2 daily paintings every day. I joined the 30 paintings in 30 day challenge so I would be motivated (ok....pushed) to paint more with oils. It is day 5 and I have 10 paintings to show for my effort. I can't stop now and I am glad I began doing both a small pastel and a small oil. I have learned so much already by having an immediate and very direct comparison of the two mediums.

But I have learned something even more valuable and I need to share my discovery. It is important for all new painters and for all of us who want to paint more often.

I call it the SOS for Painting Practice. Intrigued? Read on!

'Marsh Walk II'         5x7       pastel          $75

SOS For Painting Practice

If you want to paint more frequently there are three things that will help. Painting more often doesn't mean only Daily Painting or doing a challenge....it simply means making time for art even with a busy schedule. It means taking time out at least weekly to paint and not waiting for a class or workshop or the perfect conditions.  What is SOS?

It stands for SIMPLE, ORGANIZED and SLOW & STEADY

• SIMPLE: Keep it simple and you are going to have more success. Start with a simple set up and a limited palette. Use the same paper or surface. Practicing with the same materials will help you master them. You will get to know what they do and how they work. Gradually introduce new supplies. Starting out with 25 tubes of paint or 500 pastels can be overwhelming. Keep it simple for success.

• ORGANIZED: I don't usually stay organized but I am finding that having all of my oil painting supplies handy and very organized is making it easier to quickly get started. I am taking time to clean up and set up for the next painting before moving on to something else. Being organized is a game changer! Take time to get organized.

• SLOW & STEADY: Understand that it takes many many paintings before you will feel comfortable. Making the commitment for the long term will remove the pressure to perform. Reminding yourself that it is only practice will free you to play and explore. The result will be a happier painting experience and ultimately better paintings.

I have taken my own advice and set up a small area dedicated to oil painting. I have my paints, brushes, water, paper towels, wipes, reference photos and toned panels all together and ready to go. It is making it very easy to do my quick daily painting without spending so much time setting everything up.

A Quick Tip for Painting Reflections

'Peace on Earth'           8x10        pastel        ©Karen Margulis
available $150

I couldn't resist. I had to paint one more before my studio is transformed into the family dining room for Christmas dinner.  I am working on studies for a hotel project. I will share all of the details soon but I am having fun creating these studies of some of my favorite subjects.

This scene was fun to paint and gives me the opportunity to share one of my favorite tips for painting reflections and making water look wet.  I don't overthink my reflections. I know there are certain 'rules' about reflections. Dark objects will be slightly lighter in the reflection and light objects will appear slightly darker. I don't really consider this as I paint. Sometimes too many rules bog me down.

But I have discovered a technique that tends to make the reflections believable and they end up being  'correct' without too much angst. Read on for the details:

My plan and underpainting

•  When I put a color in a shape that is above the water I put the same stick of color down into the water. Example.....I put green in a tree then I use the same color in the reflection before I put the stick back.

• IMPORTANT: I pull the pastel stick DOWN and make a vertical stroke in the water for the reflection. If I were to use the same quality of mark in both the tree and the reflection it would be difficult to know which was the tree and which was the reflection.

• Pulling strokes down for reflections helps give the illusion of wetness in the water.

• Next step is to BLEND the vertical strokes so they are soft and 'watery'. I use my finger or a white magic eraser to pull and soften the strokes. *This is the key to success.* The blended marks give the viewer a clue that they are looking at reflections in water and not an upside down tree!

• I Paint all water in HORIZONTAL strokes. I pull some of the water strokes across the reflection....just in some areas. I don't want to obscure the entire reflection. 

Small color study for the hotel project