Berthe Morisot - French Impressionist (Video)

"Consider the postage stamp, my son.  It secures success through its ability to stick to one thing 'til it gets there."  - Josh Billings

Photo of scene near Taos, New Mexico

by Carol Reynolds 

I've been having long days at the easel working on an oil painting of the scene pictured above, which is right outside Taos, New Mexico.     The quote above by Josh Billings about sticking to one thing til you get there is really applicable to me and this painting.   I usually work on several paintings at once, but for some reason I have been sticking to this one landscape, determined to finish it.   Stay tuned because it is  "almost there."

Below is a video showing many of Berthe Morisot's paintings, several of which I have never seen before.  It is Part 1  of  2 separate videos; I have not viewed the second one yet.  I think I mentioned before that as a teenager I read lots of books about the French Impressionists and fell in love with their style of painting, although my work is not impressionistic for the most part; sometimes a work of mine gets a little impressionistic.      Enjoy the video; it is almost 10 minutes long, by the way.

My Website

reynoldsrenditions@gmail.com

Free Seascape Oil Painting

"Got The Blues"

5" x 7" oil on stretched canvas

Some time ago I announced I would be having a Free Give-away; well, here it is.   It is an oil painting of the ocean on the North Shore of Oahu, Hawaii.   The give-away begins today, Thursday, September 19, 2013, and will end on Monday, September 30, 2013.   The winner will be announced here and on my website on Tuesday, October 1, 2013.    More information may be found at my website.  You just need to sign up with your email address here so I can notify you if you win the painting.  It will be a random "out of the hat" drawing and my friends and relatives are not eligible so it will be entirely an impartial process.

The painting will be packaged with care and will be shipped unframed.

Shipping is free in the USA.  Other areas will be charged whatever the current shipping rate is via United States Postal Service. 

Don't forget to sign up !   This will be fun.   

My  Website

reynoldsrenditions@gmail.com 

Best White Oil Paint, Natural Pigments, Hawaiian Moorhen, And My Studio Assistant

"The best way to finish a painting is to start a new one." - Sylvio Gagnon

"Making Ripples" (Hawaiian Moorhen)

24" x 24" Acrylic on gallery wrap canvas

Available

The above acrylic painting of the Hawaiian Moorhen was from a reference photo of mine taken at Hamakua Marsh in Kailua on Oahu, Hawaii.   It is not what I have been working on lately; I had hoped to finish a landscape this past Saturday but, alas, it was not to be.   Sundays I do not paint at all, and today life interfered beginning with needing maintenance help in my kitchen.   I spent some time improving my website and see below for my studio assistant who needed me to make a trip today to go buy her some food.

See her licking her chops !  This is Lika on my patio.  We are great buddies!  But I digress.

I recently discovered that Gamblin Artist Oil Colors has a new white called "Flake White Replacement".  It is true to the properties of the old flake white but does not contain the lead. This replacement white is also more permanent than the old lead laden flake white, which I used many many years ago.  Nowadays, for the most part, I use Weber's Permalba White which is a mixture of Titanium and Zinc whites; that combination of Zinc and Titanium is, or has been, the best white.  But I intend to purchase Gamblin's Flake White Replacement soon as well as another new white they have called Warm White which is a mixture of Benaimidazolone Orange, Hansa Yellow, Titanium White, and Zinc White.   I realize I can make my own mixture of warm white with paint already on hand, but I like to try new things and I like to save time.   

I made a post here some time back about Natural Pigments (click here) to view.   I will not repeat the old information given there, other than to say some artists (despite it being dangerous and toxic) might still want to purchase lead white paints.   Natural Pigments paints website carries more than one kind of lead white; their paints are called Rublev Colours and they come in watercolors as well as oils.   They are made of natural and historical pigments used by the old masters and there are no additives to the paint like fillers, driers, or stabilizers; simply single pigment colors and binders.  I intend to purchase some of their paints as well.  

Back to finishing my landscape tomorrow !  It is really coming along great; just need to adjust some of the greens and add the foreground cattails.  I tend to paint slow lately and, although I love impressionistic work, I work in a more realistic, time-consuming manner.  I am sure he must have been referring to the French Impressionists when Richard Boyle said, "To the impressionist, the work was finished, no matter how casual the execution, when the idea was completely realized on the canvas."   And that is okay, but it is not my way of working.  I will admit, though, to the truth of what Harley Brown has said, "The painting is always finished before the artist thinks it is."

Lika is sound asleep now beside me, and I need to be a copycat and do the same.  

My Website

reynoldsrenditions@gmail.com

"Breaking Through Artist's Block" (Video) - and Tomato Sandwich Painting

Tomato Sandwich Half

8" x 8" oil on canvas

$375

I have posted the above painting to this blog before, but now I would like to announce that it is available as a print in various sizes and formats on Fine Art America.    For today's post I had originally intended to show a video about fine artist David Cheifetz  because his still life paintings are so dramatic and rich in color.   He also paints other subject matter, but I was particularly drawn to his excellent still life work.   To make a long story short, I could not find a video on this artist but ran across the video shown below about "Breaking through artist's block"  that I found rather informative.   It explains how sometimes the eye (vision) of the artist improves beyond the artist's skill level which in turn makes the artist depressed thinking his work is terrible.   Then he may go days or weeks without painting.   This video lasts a little over 17 minutes and has no images other than a "graph" of sorts.   

I have not had artist block in a long time; I just paint slower now.   I tend to paint in layers, necessitating drying between layers before I can begin to paint again on the same canvas.  I have been painting this morning and I am almost finished with a landscape of a scene near Taos, New Mexico.   I may finish it tonight or tomorrow so please check back with me soon.   

My Website

reynoldsrenditions@gmail.com

Lost And Found (Old Photos of New England and Nova Scotia)

Motif #1  Rockport, Massachusetts

Recently I found some old photographs that had been "lost" and I was so elated!   Above is the only shot I have of Motif #1 in Rockport, Massachusetts.  I may or may not ever paint this scene, but I am a very happy camper over finding this photo again.   Below are a couple of images of scenes in New England, not sure if they are in Massachusetts or not.

These are not the greatest photographs, but they were taken over 30 years ago and were on tiny 3" x 3" photos.  Below is a scene from Nova Scotia taken in 1969

That is me with my 3 year old daughter and my grandmother.   Notice my 2 pony tails...  smile.   Just thought I would share this photo to prove I was once young.

My son and daughter are busy sharing on Facebook all the old family pictures I found with their friends and some other family members who have never seen these particular pictures before.  I still have several more to scan and send to my children.   But I am still painting away....the going is slow; but I wanted to make a blog post today to "check in" with you and remind you to visit again soon for completed new paintings I am currently working on.    

                     What Is It?

Go Here to find out

                     

My Website 

reynoldsrenditions@gmail.com

Escape To Foster Botanical Gardens Today (Flowers and Trees and Egrets - Photos)

Rainbow Plumeria 

I think the rainbow plumeria trees have the prettiest blossoms, but all plumerias are quite lovely, no matter the color.   

I went ages without going on a photo shoot so last week and today (Friday) I satisfied that craving.    Today I only intended to spend a few minutes at Foster Botanical Gardens in Honolulu and take only around 30 or 40 photos; instead I spent about 3 hours there and took 187 photographs!  I had a grand time.  The photos I take can all be references for future paintings.   Plus, I have several photographs as prints on Fine Art America  which you can purchase there as well as note cards.

Below are photos of the Cassia tree.

I took several photographs of some cattle egrets that seem to always congregate at Foster Botanical Gardens.   Following is one of them.

White Ginger is found on the Hawaiian islands, but it is not as abundant as the red and pink.  I am happy with the photo below I took today of White Ginger.

White Ginger

There are many hybrid Hibiscus in Hawaii; below is the Hawaiian native white hibiscus.

Hawaiian  Native White Hibiscus

Hybrid Orange Hibiscus (not native to Hawaii)

The orange hibiscus photo above I took in front of an apartment tower on my walk to the botanical gardens today.  I love that intense color !

Now, back to the easel tonight and tomorrow and splashing paint on canvas.... I mean on panel.   Lately, I have enjoyed using Gessobord panels as a support, although I still have several stretched canvases I need to use up.   Check back soon for more paintings.

 My Website 

reynoldsrenditions@gmail.com

  

"Fall Glory Greenlake Seattle" and "Alert" Oil Paintings (News)

"Fall Glory - Greenlake Seattle"

12" x 16" oil on canvas

$1575

"Alert"

Black-crowned Night Heron

12" x 12" oil on canvas

$1200

The "news" is that today I made the above 2 paintings available as prints on Fine Art America.  Please check out my website there for more information on these and other paintings and photographs of mine available at FAA as prints and note cards.

I will be busy tomorrow and however long it takes to complete 2  oil landscapes currently in progress.   It seems the older I get, the slower I paint.   Well, I've slowed down in a lot of ways with age.  But it's nice to "stop and smell the roses"     :-)

My Website

reynoldsrenditions@gmail.com 

Brilliant Solution - New Wave Artist Palettes and Black-Crowned Night Heron

You have all heard the saying "When my ship comes in....."   Personally, I like what Jonathan Winters said, "If your ship doesn't come in, swim out to it!"    The inventors of the New Wave artist palettes showed some excellent initiative for fulfilling a need for artists to have a comfortable and lightweight wooden palette.    They are designed to hug your body and reduce fatigue.   Many artist are already using these palettes, but some may not have heard about them yet so I thought I would write a short post about them.   They also have a new palette for acrylic painters called "Easy Lift" where the acrylic paint peels off easily after a painting session.   Another thing that is new is their grey pad disposable paper palettes, each containing 50 grey sheets.    I have been painting for a long time using another brand of disposable palette that also has grey sheets and I highly recommend the grey ones for proper color mixing and seeing the true value of colors. 

Check out the website http://www.newwaveart.com for more information and to view videos about their products.   They have a link to show you where in the USA their palettes are available.   

"The Shadow Of My Eye"

Black-crowned Night Heron photo

I photographed the fellow above last Friday at Ala Moana Beach Park in Honolulu.  I love the shadow his huge eye makes in this shot.     Black-crowned night herons are not tiny and cute and colorful, but for some reason I am very fond of this bird and will continue to paint it as time goes on.  For new visitors to this blog, below is a recent painting of mine of one of these herons.

"Alert"

12" x 12" oil on canvas

$1200

 Keep your eye on this blog for more new paintings soon.   

Thank you for visiting. 

My Website

reynoldsrenditions@gmail.com

Looking Beyond - Completed (Oil Landscape With Woman And Mountains)

"Looking Beyond"

6" x 8" oil on linen on panel 

$375

Wow!  Did this oil landscape with the Wasatch Mountains go through lots of changes to bring it to completion.    Of course, all artists know that a painting is never really finished; you just reach a stopping point.   I could have dabbled here and there on this work for another 3 hours or so.   What most people who are not artists don't realize is that a small piece such as this one can take as long or longer to paint than a 11" x 14" canvas.....or larger.   So this painting is a steal for $375 !   I made a lot of changes as the painting progressed.     Scroll down to the previous post on Sunday to see one of its stages as well as the reference photograph of mine.   

Please contact me if you would like to purchase this painting   reynoldsrenditions@gmail.com  

My Website

Looking Beyond (Oil Landscape With Woman And Mountains - Work In Progress)

 

Red -vented Bulbul in Rainbow Shower tree

 

A little birdie told me to go ahead and post again today.   I took a break this past Friday and went on a photo shoot at nearby Ala Moana Beach Park in Honolulu.   The above photo is one of several I took that day....but I also spent some time painting on Friday as well.    Below is one of 3 oil landscape  paintings I am currently busy trying to bring to completion soon.   





 

 

"Looking Beyond" is a 6" x 8" oil on linen panel.  It still has a ways to go; I will improve the color everywhere as I am not happy with the way things are going there.    Below is my reference photograph I took when I was in Utah.  I deliberately made the woman in the painting on a higher hill than in the photo.

 

 

 

Thank you for visiting today.   Please check back soon for the completed paintings.  

 

My Website 

 

reynoldsrenditions@gmail.com

















Her Garden - Oil Landscape

 



"Her Garden"

6" x 8" oil on linen on panel

$375

 

I finished this oil landscape this evening.  Hope you like it.   Contact me at reynoldsrenditions@gmail.com to purchase.  

 

"Flowers don't worry about how they're going to bloom.  They just open up and turn toward the light and that makes them beautiful."  - Jim Carrey

 

I wonder if Jim Carrey realizes that his quote can apply to people also when they turn towards The Light.  

 

My Website



Marina Dieul - Exceptional Artist (Video)

"Never lose an opportunity of seeing anything beautiful, for beauty is God's handwriting."  - Ralph Waldo Emerson


I love the quote above; I am inspired to paint by beauty, as well as by color and light.   I am very busy this morning painting away, and am now on a short break and having a bite to eat as I write this post.      I wanted to share the following video of Marina Dieul's beautiful paintings.  I have admired her work for a long time.    Enjoy!

Also, click on this link to visit her website for more examples and a greater variety of her work.

 

 

Please visit my blog here soon for newly completed paintings. 

Scroll down to  check out yesterday's post  to view photos of what I am currently working on.  Thank you for your interest.

My Website

reynoldsrenditions@gmail.com

New Landscape Paintings In Progress (Photos)

 

 

 

The above reference photo is one I took while in Utah;  I am currently working on a 6" x 8" oil painting of the woman in pink with the gorgeous Wasatch mountains in the background.   If this small work turns out well, I may do a larger version soon.  Below is another reference photograph I took in Utah that shows a little garden in the foreground; this is another 6" x 8" oil painting currently in progress.

 

 

 

I have not worked on a 16" x 20" panel in ages and I am quite excited about the painting in progress now that is that size.   It is an oil landscape on panel and I took the reference photo below for it near Taos, New Mexico.

 

 

 

The 4th oil painting now in progress is a landscape of Frijoles Creek in Bandelier National Park.  I may add a mule deer to this painting and tone down the green to make it look more like the Fall season.   See the photo below.

 

 

Please check back very soon to view the completed paintings.  I just wanted to let you know I am slaving away at the easel and enjoying every minute of it.   :-D

 

My Website

 

reynoldsrenditions@gmail.com

 



 

 

 













Frijoles Creek Oil Painting (Re-worked) And World's 10 Most Expensive Paintings - (Video)

"Footbridge At Frijoles Creek"

(reworked)

16" x 12" oil on panel

$1575

I was not happy with the photo of this oil painting of Frijoles Creek in New Mexico that I posted the other day; and decided also that the foreground could use more detail work and the water needed to be toned down a bit.   So here is the definitely finished painting.    It was photographed in my studio with light from good "daylight" artist lamps.

Below shows how it looked photographed outside today in the shade.

The photo above is too "blue-ish" as is always the case when I shoot images of my work outdoors in the shade.   Any comments on how to improve on this would be much appreciated.   Frankly, the top photo is more true to the original colors and values of the painting.

Ever wonder how to price your art or if it is too expensive for the market?    Take a look at the 2 videos below for food for thought.



I would love to hear your feedback on these videos !

My Website

reynoldsrenditions@gmail.com











Special Moments (Oil Seascape Painting)

 

 

"Special Moments"

6" x 8" oil on linen on panel

$375

 

 

This oil seascape is of  Kaneohe Bay on the windward side of the Hawaiian Island of Oahu.  A father and his daughter are sharing a special time together.   That overturned boat was in actuality very weather beaten with lots of grass growing around it.

 

My Website

 

reynoldsrenditions@gmail.com







 



Footbridge At Frijoles Creek (Oil Landscape)

"I only went out for a walk, and finally concluded to stay out 'til sundown, for going out I found I was really going in." - John Muir                          

"Footbridge At Frijoles Creek"

12" x 16" oil on panel

$1575

This woodland oil  landscape is located in New Mexico in Frijoles Canyon.   I could not resist including the coyote which are found there.

My Website 

reynoldsrenditions@gmail.com

Wildlife Artist Bob Kuhn - Video

This video shows the wildlife artist Bob Kuhn working live on a small painting.   He was a wonderful artist who died at the age of 87 in October of 2007.   I was visiting UTube and came across this video by accident and thought I would post it on my blog as a keeper for myself as well as for your enjoyment.   Bob worked primarily in acrylics, but also used oils, crayon, pastels, chalk, gouache, and he created some sculpture also.

I have been busy painting a landscape and a seascape as well.  Hopefully I will post them here over the weekend.   Please check back ; I am real excited about my woodland scene with a coyote !

Quote for the day:   "I have walked this earth for 30 years, and out of gratitude want to leave some souvenir."   - Vincent Van Gogh

My Website
reynoldsrenditions@gmail.com

Breezy Day; Peaceful Thoughts (Seascape Oil Painting Mokoli'i Island Hawaii)

"All the really good ideas I ever had came to me while I was milking a cow." - Grant Wood

"Breezy Day; Peaceful Thoughts"

6" x 8" oil on linen canvas on panel

$375

This oil seascape of Mokoli'i Island off Oahu was a joy to paint.  The island, also called "Chinaman's Hat" because of its resemblance to the straw hats worn by Chinese immigrants, used to be connected to Oahu but over time the sea cut it off.   Mokoli'i is accessible to the public by boat, kayak, swimming, and surfboard; but beware, sharks are often seen there.  

The island is in the Elvis Presley film "Paradise, Hawaiian Style" and also in several shots in the film "50 First Dates" starring Adam Sandler.

Please email me at reynoldsrenditions@gmail.com for more information or to purchase this painting. 

My Website

    

Rainbow Lorikeet, Sunflowers, Kingfisher Egg Cup - Still Life Oil Painting

"Heads Or Tails"

12" x 12" Oil on gessobord panel 

$1275

Both the live rainbow lorikeet and the kingfisher egg cup have their eye on the caterpillar; thus the title.   Many hours were spent on this oil still life painting.   Below is a close-up showing the lady bug and other details.    Please email me if interested in this work.

My Website
reynoldsrenditions@gmail.com

Daffodils, Miniature Roses, Canary And Critters - Still Life Oil Painting

"Contemplating Life - Ecclesiastes 3:1-8"

9" x 12" oil on panel

$850

After many hours, here is the still life oil painting of daffodils and white miniature roses I started awhile back. Actually, I have also been painting on 2 other works at the same time.   The color in this image is close to the painting, but not exact; the foreground is lighter and more colorful and the lady bug on the leaf is a brighter red.   Keep in mind, your monitor may differ in color than mine.  Below is a photo of the painting at an earlier stage of development.

That bird in the painting is a Yellow-Fronted Canary which was introduced to Hawaii around the end of the 1960's and it is a native to Africa.  I snapped his photo at Kapiolani Park in Waikiki some time back.

My Website

reynoldsrenditions@gmail.com

Oil Painting Video - Still Life By Eric Wert

Eric Wert's  attention to detail in his still life and floral paintings is marvelous !   Hope you enjoy the video !  You might want to turn your volume down on your computer as the accompanying music is rather loud. His website is www.werteric.com if you would like more of a visual feast.

I am still painting; the going is slow.  Painters like Eric Wert have inspired me to take a slightly different direction in my still life paintings; not only to add more detail, but to incorporate more "life" in each floral or other work as well ... in landscapes and seascapes too.    Check back soon to view my new work.

My Website

reynoldsrenditions@gmail.com

Red Blast - Oil Painting Of Red And White Tulips

"Red Blast"

8" x 10" oil on canvas

$525

This oil painting of red tulips with white edges might need a little tweaking, but basically it is finished.   I put on some Mozart to listen to while I painted last night..... it helps   ;-)

My Website

reynoldsrenditions@gmail.com 

Did You Say Red? Tulips - Oil Painting Work In Progress

Red Tulips

Work In Progress

8" x 10" oil on canvas

This oil painting of red tulips still has quite a ways to go....this is the 3rd stage; I forgot to photograph the 2nd stage.   I need to blend the various shades of red more, but it is too tacky right now.   So later it will be necessary to go over it all again and try to blend better; the liquin I use to speed up drying was on steroids today !

I have also been working on my daffodil painting as well.   Will post more results maybe tomorrow. 

My Website

reynoldsrenditions@gmail.com

Name That Tree ! (Photos California Trees)

This fantastic tree is one I hope to paint soon!  I photographed it at a small park in Los Angeles, California, a few years ago .   Does anyone out there know what kind of tree it might be?  I like to know what I am painting...  :-)   I will forget my copyright statement and allow this tree to be used by anyone for their own painting if you would email me  its name.    I will even send you some free postcards with one of my paintings on them as a thank you gift.   It might be an oak ??   Trees inspire me and I think they have a lot of character, but I am not real knowledgeable about a good many of them.

Below is another tree I was going to ask you about,  but I googled "red flowering trees in California" and found out it is a red coral tree, or Erythrina fusca.

Red Coral Tree

They also come with orange/coral shades of flowers.    This is not that great a photo; google "Erythrina fusca" under images for some great pictures of these beautiful flowers.   There is a reason my photography on this post is not the greatest;  after my Nikon camera got stolen (before I went to California)  I used the cheap disposable cameras you can find everywhere during my travels all over the USA.   You would be surprised to see how wonderful some photos turned out from those disposable cameras!    Now I have a good Sony digital camera that is excellent for my work. 

The photo below is of the Silk Floss tree, also taken in Los Angeles.   Somewhere along the way many of the photos of mine of that tree are missing.  

Silk Floss Tree

I painted a couple of watercolors of these blossoms while in Los Angeles, using much better reference photos.   This tree is unique because it has large "thorns" on its trunk and branches which serve to store water for dry times.   Please google images for "silk floss tree" for much better shots of these lovely flowers.  There is also interesting information on the Web about this tree's pods which contain black seeds surrounded by fluffy stuff that reminds one of silk, hence its name.  

Below are a couple of my photos taken at Echo Park in Los Angeles ; I used a disposable camera for them and they turned out better than the shots above.

I hope to finish one or both of my floral still life paintings tomorrow.   Check back with me !

My Website 

reynoldsrenditions@gmail.com

Daffodils And Red Tulips On The Easel (Works In Progress)

I thought you might like to see my easel setup and the two oil still life paintings I am working on right now.  I went back to the yellow daffodil painting and it is flowing much smoother now than previously.   Those red flowers with the daffodils will become more purple when finished.   The red tulips are practically painting themselves !  Both of these florals are painted in oils.   

As you know, most floor easels like mine shown above have "gaps" with no wood behind where you put your canvas to work on.   When you are painting small works and miniatures, this can be a problem.   I solved it by placing a piece of cardboard between the back of the easel and the artwork; it is also great to put my reference photos on with "Tac" putty, which is the white patches you can see on the cardboard.

My Website

reynoldsrenditions@gmail.com