I did it! I completed my 1 hour painting challenge. It was pretty fun and I felt like I have grown a lot in a very short amount of time. I’m glad I did it, and will probably do it again.
I hoped that while participating in this challenge, that I would get inspired for a new direction for work. Unfortunately, I’m still not really sure where to go from here. I do have a few paintings planned, so hopefully while working on them, inspiration (or at least an idea) will strike.
Anyway here are the paintings from my last week of the challenge.
1 hour painting #16- Oranges from photo 8”x8”
If you have been following along, I had mentioned that I wanted to experiment with a painting from life and how it compares with a painting from a photo. I think my results are a little inaccurate when it comes to enjoyment of the process and end results, because I was having a really off day when I painted the first one from life. But I do have a few things I can talk about that I observed.
Like I said, I was not having the greatest day in terms of painting while working on the first painting, so it is easy to say that the one from the photo was a significantly more fun. The biggest difference for me was how much contrast the camera added. The edges were also a lot more harsh. Which I believe is just because cameras cannot capture all the colors our eyes see, but I don’t know that much about cameras so I’m sure shutter speed and ISO are also contributing factors. Then there is that fact that your composition isn’t going to change slightly every time you move if you are working from a photo.
I like how they both turned out.
Orange painting #1
orange painting #2
One reason I did this experiment, was because I still sometimes struggle with the myth that painting from life is superior to painting from a photo. I would like to get better at painting from life, because I think there is a lot to learn from doing it. But if I can’t or don’t want to paint from life, does that make me less of an artist or a worse artist than someone who only paints from life? No. That’s ridiculous.
I think both have advantages and disadvantages. In the terms of improvement, I think it’s good to do both. But when it comes making art/ being creative, I think you should do what is right for each individual piece as well as what brings you the most joy. Because at the end of the day, making art is about having fun and getting your inspiration into the physical world. (At least, thats why I do it.) Anyway, end of rant.
1 hour painting #17 Baby squirrel
I was losing steam at this point, so I thought I would go to instagram and ask for suggestions on what to paint. One of my friends suggested a squirrel or chipmunk. Since, I prefer to work from my own sources, I went way back in the archives to a day when Ike was about 2. We went to the park and we were the only people there. However, there was a baby squirrel that seemed to be a little lonely. So Ike played with it for at least 20 minutes or so. It was one of the most precious things I have ever witnessed. They were both sad when we had to leave. Anyway, this is a portrait of that little baby grey squirrel. I enjoyed it.
1 hour painting #18- Oliver and his shadow
Like I said, at this point I was taking suggestions. I got a lot of responses and honestly didn’t know how to choose. One suggestions was cats. As Oliver lazily laid next to the fire while I got my set up ready, I thought it’s been a really long time since I have painted him. He is a very enjoyable subject to paint, so I thought why not. I found this wonderful image of Oliver sunbathing and watching the chickens. I loved the contrast of the light. This was a really fun one and I think I actually finished this one with a few minutes to spare.
I hope you enjoyed following along on this journey with me. I enjoyed sharing my reflections about this series.
Until next time,
Caitlin