Painting Light and Reflection

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This is one of my favorite examples of Tom’s expertise in painting light and reflection. -SF

Tom wrote: I asked a musician friend of mine if I could watch him play his bass in a club. I had wanted to do a painting of a jazz combo or other group. He said I could. I took my camera and took several shots.

This painting is supposed to show an afternoon feeling with light  coming in through the slits in the blinds. The piano player has sunlight coming in on his shoulder. Both men have a lighter side on their faces. The bass player’s bald head reflects in the wall behind him. Both heads have a highlight from a light over them. There is a tip glass that was put on the piano. I have used atmospheric perspective. The glass is larger than the people in the background, giving the feeling of depth. You can see light reflecting off the side of it from the blinds, and you can see the bass player’s arm through it. In the bottom is money that has been left for tips.

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Ocean Waves

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Last week I visited California and watched people playing in the ocean waves. It reminded me of this painting of Tom’s. When you look at it, don’t you get the urge to run and jump in? -SF

Tom wrote: I’ve loved playing in the water my whole life. Nothing is more fun than going to the beach! I painted my nieces, Laci and Kayli, and their brother, Jake, playing in the waves along the Northern California coast.

I’ve tried to create excitement with backlighting. Note the small edge of light on the right side of them, while the rest of their figures are in shadow. I’ve splashed a few waterdrops around along with crashing waves. Kayli is running through the water. The waves above their heads show sunlight shining through them. Trees and shoreline are in the distance. I haven’t put detail in their faces. I wanted the viewer to create those things in their own minds.

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Creating Atmospheric Perspective

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This is one of Tom’s most beautiful landscapes, with it’s trees and flowers and gorgeous colors! I enjoyed his explanation of how he created atmospheric perspective. -SF

Tom wrote:

Brown County Indiana is famous as an art colony. In the late 1800s a group of artists settled there. Since then, hundreds of other artists have felt that Brown County was their spiritual home. The town has a charming area with shops, restaurants, hotels and cabins. A favorite place to go is the Artist’s Colony Inn. They have a great restaurant.

One morning I was in the area. As I walked toward the Inn, a group of ladies lined up and went in for breakfast. I was intrigued by the sunlight behind them. The glow of the sun made the leaves in the trees a bright yellow, while the shadow side was blue. The buildings in the shade had a bluish tint and the others were slightly yellow from the sun.

I have tried to duplicate the feeling of that morning. I put the hanging plants and flowers in front of them to create atmospheric perspective. The flags above the woman’s head are painted small, giving the impression they are further back.

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Painting a Still Life

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Tom often uses fruit in his still life classes because of their interesting shapes, colors, and shadows. As a class demonstration, he took a simple fruit bowl on a tablecloth and transformed it into this beautiful painting – SF

Tom wrote:

Whenever I do a still life, I light the subject with a lamp so I’ll have shadow and light. I draw the scene on the canvas. I draw each shape I see, like the shapes of shadows or of light. For example, I draw the shadowed areas of the bananas, then the lighted areas. Once the drawing is in, I begin painting. When I paint I don’t think “I’m painting a banana,” instead I think “that shadow shape has a blue tint to it,” so I’ll paint that. Then I might think “there is a blue-green shape” and I’ll paint it, instead of thinking I’m painting the edge of a plate. The cloth is white, but with the yellow light shining on it I use a yellowish tint.  If you think about it, my process is like putting together a puzzle. I paint shapes and colors and they eventually come together as a picture.

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Painting a Self Portrait

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I love Tom’s portraits. When he does a self-portrait I am completely amazed! It’s one thing to paint someone who is sitting for you, but to paint yourself and do it as well as this one – it’s incredible! -SF

Tom wrote:

I set up my portable easel in front of the mirror over our dresser, then got a canvas, my pallette, and brushes. I opened the blinds so the side of my face would be illuminated. Here is the result of my efforts after a few hours. Note the light and dark sides of my face. Also look for highlights in my eyes.

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Painting at Dusk

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Earlier this year, Tom painted this picturesque corner building in the charming town of Rising Sun. It’s one of my favorites. Enjoy! -SF

Tom wrote: This painting is of a building on Main Street in Rising Sun, Indiana. The words on the side of it have been preserved to add to the history of the place. It is early evening. The streetlights have come on, illuminating the buildings and the street. Two cars are parked. Possibly their owners are inside closing their businesses for the evening.

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Fishing

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Tom enjoys fishing with his son, Jared, and painted this portrait after a day out on the lake. He wrote:

Here is Jared with a rainbow on his line. Note the sunlight is coming from the left side of the painting. There is a sliver of light on his arms, face, leg, and life preserver. The inside of the canoe on the right side of the painting is red, while the left side is dark. There is reflected light from the orange life jacket on his face. Small portions of the trees have sunlight on them, but the rest is in shadow.

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Docked

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Tom painted this beautiful, quiet scene on the Ohio River. He wrote:

As evening comes along the banks of the Ohio River, the water is quiet and smooth. You see reflections of trees, along with the boats put to bed for the night.

You will see atmospheric perspective in this painting. The closest boat is painted larger than the one further away. The colors of the trees go from warm greens to pale blue.

When I paint, I find myself squinting. I am trying to minimalise what I see and I’m going into almost a trance to feel the emotion or magic of each scene.

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