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to the wharf, and a wall-leaner revives

by cooper on 7/30/2008 8:20:28 PMComment on this

Howdy!

I spent the entire day in the studio, so those of you waiting to see pics of that mural---sorry, maybe tomorrow. I got into the 'to the Wharf' painting and just kept going. UNTIL. I had to back off and take a long look at it, and somehow my gaze went sideways. To one of those wall-leaners. Yup. Way back when, I was at open studio at the art center, one of those nights where we were short a model, and so we sat in on rehearsal for a musical and sketched those folks. I knew there was good stuff in there, and part of it translated to a canvas right away. After wiping off the cobwebs (no, not really) some of the rest of the story began to appear. We will see if it keeps going tomorrow! For now, three images for you:

To The Wharf 7 30 08 am

To The Wharf 7 30 08 pm

Rehearsal 7 30 08

Ok, time for some dinner!
Later, Cooper

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to the wharf

by cooper on 7/29/2008 6:58:09 PMComment on this

Hey there,

Welcome to my daily painting chronicle. It was a good day in the studio and out! In the studio this morning I worked on the canvas I showed you yesterday. It's an image of a couple walking 'to the wharf' or if you happen to know the Iowa Great Lakes, it's 'to the Wharf'. :) It was a Fourth Of July stroll I saw and especially enjoyed. Yes, as a matter of fact, I am getting a little obnoxious with my camera, but I am pretty sure they would be even less likely to stop and pose while I painted them on the spot! Here's something else I've been thinking about: many people out there make much better models if they don't KNOW that they are being models!

This afternoon was spent working on the mural project, and tomorrow I need to remember to take the trusty camera along to catch a few progress shots of that. This is the largest mural I have ever attempted. I am working right on the drywall rather than a canvas, and that's probably a good thing. It's actually letting the brush move easier, which makes going for the big shapes easier.

Later, Cooper

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On The Road Again

by cooper on 7/28/2008 11:54:58 AMComment on this

Good Morning!

Hey, I've had a good two weeks, how about you? :) We exhibited at a show in Boulder, Colorado, sandwiched by a lovely vacation, with a bunch of it spent with our son and daughter-in-law who are Coloradoans. Or is that Colorado-ites? We took the scenic route home, up the Poudre River with an overnite in Walden, Co at a cool place called "Antlers Inn". By the way, if you haven't experienced the Poudre River Valley, THAT'S what seeing Colorado is all about! Amazing!

The down side was, return to Spencer was Thursday pm, leaving for a show in Geneva, Illinois was Friday am. Yup, that's a big ugh. Maybe because of the wild schedule, maybe some other random factor, but I threw in a canvas and the paints, and painted while at the show. Nope, didn't get far, but enough blocked in that I'm beginning to feel it. Here's a peek:

Later, Cooper

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painting, on the wharf again

by cooper on 7/16/2008 7:14:00 PMComment on this

Greetings!

Today's studio time was spent painting on the wharf again. Let me rephrase that: painting, "on the wharf again". Not that it wouldn't have been a lovely day on almost every wharf or facsimile thereof in the surrounding area, but this painting has a deadline, and working outside just might have distracted me :)

So two images for you:

Yup, those blue blobs at the front left still need help, but we're getting there.

Later, Cooper

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polishing off bicycle race painting #2

by cooper on 7/15/2008 6:34:14 PMComment on this

Hey, welcome to my project blog on this sunny warm July 15th, 2008.

The decision was made this afternoon, it's done. It, being the 2nd look at the Great River Energy Bicycle Race in painting format :) It's signed and the first layer of varnish is drying as we speak. Do you supposed my decision was influenced by Ragbrai gearing up for this weekend? Yeah, that's too big a story for here, I'll put a post about that on my journel blog shortly. At any rate, it now appears that yes, this painting will be making the trip to the Boulder (Colorado) Art Fair this weekend. July 19th and 20th, Pearl Street Pedmall, Downtown Boulder.

And the painting I moaned about yesterday--- another painting on the wharf---is progressing nicely, thank you. There are some decisions to be made about the lower left, but I don't think the garbage guys are going to get this one :)

Later, Cooper

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another painting at the wharf begins

by cooper on 7/14/2008 7:18:08 PMComment on this

Hey there,

July 14th, 2008: when you rough in a painting on Saturday and you already have the LITTLE brush in your hand on Monday, you know something's up, like:

1 Rule numero uno learned many moons ago (save the little brush for later) was displaced, because, in fact, it is Monday.
2. You got up too early, and it is Monday. 5:30am can be brutal for some of us.
3. Leftover weekend-itis gave you a feeling of 'let's experiment'--a whole 20 x 40 canvas with a #6 flat. Lovely.
4. You started painting before you started thinking, because, who knows!

So a whole lot of not much of anything was accomplished in the Cooper studio today. Possibly three steps forward, and somewhere in the range of two to two and 1/2 steps back. I do have one slightly blurry image of the day for you. The good news is when I clicked it to black and white, I've got the values right so far. Yea for bloomin' me. I'm headed back to the studio to work a little harder, er, smarter, now. With my big brush.

Later, Cooper

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Another painting from the Great River Energy Bicycle Race experience

by cooper on 7/12/2008 8:35:06 AMComment on this

Greetings!

It's not signed, it's not varnished, but it's feeling done, --- the former should be happening soon. So it seems the Great River Energy Bicycle Race experience has yielded another painting. The first painting in the series (we can call it a series now :)right?) was one of the hilights of the people watching at such an event.

Between Laps, Great River Energy Bicycle Race is an acrylic painting on a gallery wrap canvas. It measures a lovely 40 x 40 inches square. It already has a permanent home.

The next, waiting in the signature queue, is also in holding on the what to call it issue. My spouse vetoed the 'helmet head's concept :) but like the idea of 'rounding the corner off Nicollet'. We could very possibly enter a competition for the world's longest title with that: Rounding The Corner Off Nicollet, Great River Energy Bicycle Race. For now, I kind of like it:

Rounding The Corner Off Nicollet, Great River Energy Bicycle Race, 30 x 40 inches, acrylic painting on a gallery wrap canvas. This painting's first public viewing will be the Boulder Art Fair, in Boulder, Colorado. That event is held on the Pearl Street ped-mall on the dates of July 19 and 20.

Now, I'm off to progress the mural project. (for that link, scroll to the last paragraph of the post!) Update at eleven!

Later, Cooper

ok, give me a moment or two and I will get a better image of that for you. It is a truely lovely day in northwest Iowa, but apparently not one on which pixels will be my friends. :)

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bicycle race painting, hmmmm

by cooper on 7/9/2008 5:25:17 PMComment on this

Hello!

The Cooper studio was focused on the bicycle race yet again today! This painting (note the 'hmmmmm' in the title) is beginning to feel like it's in the finish 'er up stages. Unless this is your first visit here, you KNOW I don't mince my primary colors, but I am pretty sure somewhere in the thick of things, this one switched primaries. I was cruising along thinking yellow, when all of a sudden and how did that happen and wow do we ever like it this way, it's red!

At lunch time I coerced the resident high schooler to pretend to be the spectator at the left, which helped the red shirt issue some, but it's probably needing a little more something. For those of you who know the resident high schooler, you are correct in assuming that I did not adjust the shoulder line to match his bony one!

I don't believe I mentioned in earlier posts, this painting is happening on a 30 x 40 canvas---I was pretty sure I was going to need lots of elbow room on this one :)

Later, Cooper

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racing around the corner, painting

by cooper on 7/8/2008 7:45:21 AMComment on this

Good morning!

Yesterday was spent painting on look #2 of the Great River Energy bicycle races. As promised this one DOES have actual bicycles in it :) In fact, they are coming right at ya', and there are getting to be more and more of them as the painting progresses!

Logic says the cyclists in the background should have been painted first, but the guy in the lead caught the attention of my brush first , and from the perspective of story telling, that's probably key. He's in the lead and he knows it, and everybody else is behind and they know that, so the push is on. And isn't that what a bicycle race is about? Well, maybe people watching, but that's another story!

Later, Cooper

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open studio efforts, painting

by cooper on 7/6/2008 5:28:16 PMComment on this

Greetings!

We are at the tail end of the holiday weekend, where, you guessed it, no painting happened at this studio :). But I have an image to show you from just previous. Our life drawing group at the art center did not meet this week due to a model shortage, so instead I drove up for open studio on Thursday night. The Pearson Lakes Art Center has open studio on Thursday nights, where during the summer especially, there's always something going on. There's almost always someone willing to sit as a model!
The studio we normally work in had someone's huge project taking up the floor space, so open studio was held in the children's classroom. That part of the building has windows with a bit of a western exposure, so the late afternoon sun was hitting the model from one side, and then knowing the sun would fade as we worked, spots were shining on the model as well, from the lower right. Yes, it did make for interesting shadows and highlights! I kind of felt like I was on a roll---ending up with two fairly expressive drawings and then this painting. No, not finished, but the story is spoken, right? :)

Later, Cooper

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I Could Stay Here All Summer

by cooper on 7/3/2008 10:19:18 PMComment on this

Hello!

Here's a summer painting for you! I finished it several days ago, but just now getting it listed in my portfolio. I seem to be living in a whirlwind lately. Oh, and you should read myjournal blog to affirm the validity of THAT statement! Go for the post titled 'Fountain Square Art Festival---Wham!' Enough said.

And so the painting---no, I couldn't get anyone to sit that still on a dock that long, so the figures are done from photos. The water however, Okoboji, behaved quite well, don't you think? :) The 'formative stages' of this painting actually happened several days ago, here's a look.

"I Could Stay Here All Summer", acrylic painting on canvas, measuring a lovely 24 x 40 inches. This is a gallery wrapped canvas, with finished edges, so no need to frame unless you really like frames! Enjoy!

Later, Cooper

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painting more bicycle racing

by cooper on 7/2/2008 9:35:16 PMComment on this

Greetings!

Today would have been a good day to be like an octopus with eight hands, er, tentacles. I could have worked on at least four paintings at the same time, I'm pretty sure.

I settled for one, that being another look at the Great River Energy Bicycle Race. This one, I promise, will have actual bicycles in it. I've cropped it down pretty tight---aren't we always told that putting too much in is the first big mistake? Aargh! But there was so much happening, and it was so exciting---it seems like a crime to leave any of it out. I guess that will have to be my excuse for yet another painting, eh?

I have two really smeary images for you, that I'm sure only I can see anything happening in. Then I've got a third that might actually show you where I'm headed this time. The first is just a page of thumbnail sketches to help me figure out where lights and darks needed to be. Lately it seems that if I skip this step, I head for trouble that takes twice as long to correct. The next image is a smearing of paint vaguely in the shape of the chosen thumbnail. #3 puts a cyclist on the canvas---yea! Progress.

Later, Cooper

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