"Blue Haze' revisited

Blue Haze - 6" x 9"  SOLD

Recently I've had to move all of my paintings and supplies to a new location - my house!   Things are a bit topsy-turvey right now as I find a place for it all and redesign how I will use what was once my family room.  I think it will be a good decision once the dust of moving so much stuff settles because I will be able to work where I live.  Hopefully life's obligations will not prevent me from getting some work done.

As I looked over what I had, I discovered a lot of paintings I had done some time ago.  Some were good, others, not so good.  Some are candidates for reworking, based on what I know now as a more experienced artist.  So I will try to see what I can do to improve them.

This is the first painting I have re-worked.

The second image is a photo of the original painting. The first is a scanned image of the reworked painting which accounts for the sharper image.

I put a distant hill in the background to give it more depth, added a lot more detail, wider value range and a wider variety of subtle color in the correct values.

I really like the way it came out.

You can click on the photo to see more detail.

SOLD









https://www.etsy.com/shop/ColetteSavage

Misty Morning

Misty Morning - 9 x 12   NFS

Last weekend I participated in a workshop given by Thomas Kegler, a wonderful artist who is also located in Western NY.  While he is an amazing oil painter and I am a pastellist, a lot of the knowledge he passed on during the workshop applies to both mediums.  I really enjoyed watching him paint.  He managed to paint 3 paintings that day and travel all over Emery Park (near East Aurora, NY) to personally talk to and offer suggestions to us students several times throughout the day.  He really has a great understanding of what it takes to create art.  His work is incredibly beautiful and I was very grateful for the chance to take the workshop.

I was also very happy with my own painting done that day, despite the horrible weather - it rained the whole time and got cold as the day progressed, or was it just because I was so wet myself?  Thank goodness I had my winter coat and waterproof shoes with me.

Values in Painting

Finger Lakes Farm  - 12x18  pastel  SOLD

Yesterday I presented a workshop for the Genesee Valley Plein Air Painters, a very dedicated bunch of painters who have a love of painting outdoors like I do.  The theme of the workshop was how to use value to improve one's paintings.  Value is the range of dark (black) to light (white) and everything in between.

I am very in-tune to value in my own work and feel that once the correct values are established, the rest of the painting comes together more easily.

For this demonstration, I had to work inside from a photo due to the possibility of rain.  I worked over an old unsuccessful painting which had virtually no value range.  It's no wonder it was unsuccessful.

I drew in the basic shapes with a pencil.  Then using 5 values, blocked in the painting with pastel - black for the trees, dark gray for the grassy fields and barns, medium gray for the driveway, lighter gray for the sky and white for the roof of the barn and silos.  That's it.

Next was color.  I went right over the value sketch with color in the same values as in the value layer.  I used a variety of colors in each value.  This can be done only because each of those colors are of the same value as the grays, black and white which I initially used.  If I put down a color which was not in the correct value, it was was glaringly obvious, making it easy to correct at that point.

I gave everyone a value-finder which I made to help them to see value without the distraction of color.  Then they were given the chance to do value sketches and at least one finished painting before ending the workshop with a critique and ice-cold drinks provided by GVPAP.  I really enjoyed myself and was very pleased by the results of the workshop.  Everyone's paintings had a beautiful range of value that seemed to show a better understanding of how of value can make for a better painting.    SOLD

Goldenrod and Loosestrife

 Got an early start one day in September.  The morning had started out clear, but clouds gradually made their way in.  Actually, I had spied this scene a year or so ago and had planned to paint it, as the beautiful colors were hard to resist.  However the morning I was planning to go there, a friend contacted me to say the town had mowed all of the beautiful flowers down!  Argh!  Nevertheless, I remembered the scene and timed things just right this year.  Got a keeper out of it!

9"x12" currently unmatted and unframed

http://www.etsy.com/shop/ColetteSavage

https://www.etsy.com/listing/112633995/original-pastel-landscape-painting    

September Stroll

A beautiful day in September with soft sunlight, and the colors of the foliage just starting to show change.  I was standing in a low spot looking up the grassy hill at the distant trees.  Nothing super exciting, just relaxing and calm.

6"x9" currently unframed.  SOLD

Fall Colors

 This pastel painting was done in Mendon Ponds Park on an unusually warm day in late October.  The sunshine through the atmosphere made the distant hills a beautiful blue color and gave a warm cast to everything.  It softened the edges on the hazy shadows that crossed the path where I stood.  I occasionally had horse-back riders pass by me, as this is one of several riding trails through the park.  

unframed size - 6"x9"

https://www.etsy.com/listing/107667895/original-pastel-landscape-painting-fall

Irondequoit Creek Waiting for Spring in Ellison Park

The beautiful blue shadows on the sandy bank on the opposite side of Irondequoit Creek from where I stood in Ellison Park caught my eye immediately. Lately the intricate things that I see when I look into water have fascinated me. There is so much going on on the surface, under the surface, the reflections of the sky, the surrounding vegetation, shadows... There's so much to see. Winner of a Merit Award in the Rochester Art Club's Fall 2008 Show.

12"x18", framed size is 18"x24"
Paintings come matted and framed under glass, ready for hanging.  Sold

Spring Green

Linnear Park in Penfield is a favorite spot of mine. The spring greens that are so beautiful were just beginning to really show and after a heavy rain a day or two before, the stream was really full and moving quickly. Winner of "Best of Show" award in Suburban Rochester Art Group's Fall Show. SOLD

Just Before Opening Day on the Trout Stream

Trout season had just opened and the fishermen were out all over the place. I did a terrible little sketch early in the day and drove to a new location in Powder Mill Park to try my luck again. The shadows in the creek really grabbed my attention and I set to work. It is done over a recycled painting and is a lot larger than what I've been using lately, as it is 12x18".


12"x18", framed size is 18"x24"
Paintings come matted and framed under glass, ready for hanging.

Hojack Railroad Underpass in Charlotte

I was looking for a spot to paint in Charlotte and this view really caught my eye. It is where the old Hojack Line passes under Lake Ave., then takes a turn toward Rochester. Years ago, the line traveled straight, to where I sat and then over the Swing Bridge, which still stands in the Genesee River. The Hojack Line used to travel all along the southern shore of Lake Ontario at one time.

9"x12", framed size is 15"x18"
Paintings come matted and framed under glass, ready for hanging.