Richard McKinley Demo

On Sunday, prior to the opening of the Maryland Pastel Society's biennial exhibition, Shades of Pastel, I along with many other MPS members will have the opportunity to see Richard McKinley do a deomonstration. Richard is an incredible artists and generous teacher. Check out this short video of one of his demos.

another oil

painting in oils

In preparation of the Scott Christensen workshop in Colorado, I'm painting in oil using Scott's palette.

oil color charts are complete

Wow! When I started making these 12 color charts I thought it would take me a couple days. Instead, it took me a couple of weeks with each chart taking about two hours.

You may ask, "Was it worth it?" and I'd reply, "Yes, it was." I learned so much about this palette. Not only did I learn how the colors interact when mixed and how to consistently tint the colors. In addition, I learned that each color is different in its opacity where some colors are more transparent than others.

The true test of my efforts will come when I set out to put the pigments to use and how easily I'll be able to anticipate the mixture.

color chart 12 - bice

Vasari Bice

color chart 11 - silver point

Vasari Silver Point

color chart 10 - jasper

Vasari Jasper

color chart 9 - cedar

Vasari Cedar

color chart 8 - shale

Vasari Shale

color chart 7 - adobe

Vasari Adobe

color chart 6 - shiprock

Vasari's Shiprock

color chart 5 - bluff

This is a custom color by Varsari and part of the Scott Christensen palette. It is called Bluff. Very nice mixtures.

color chart 4 - permanent bright red

The fourth chart, permanent bright red

color chart 3 - ultramarine blue

Here is ultramarine blue mixed with the rest of the palette and tinted.

I love this video. Wish there was a school like this where I grew up.

scene in: duke ellington school - Google Videos

color chart 2 - cadmium pale lemon

This chart shows Cad Pale Lemon mixed with the other colors of the palette then tinted down four steps.

color chart 1 - full palette

This is a chart showing each color of the palette as it comes from the tube followed by four tints.

a new venture

A week or so ago, I learned that one of my paintings was juried into the American Impressionists Society annual exhibition that will take place in Denver, Colorado–my former home. It will be strange to go back after all these years and even more strange to be exhibiting there. All the same, I'm very excited for this opportunity and very much looking forward to spending a week in Colorado.

In conjunction with the exhibition, AIS offers a couple workshops. I've decided to take the Scott Christensen plein air workshop. I wasn't cheap and what was more shocking was the cost of the supply list. The workshop is an OIL painting workshop and I am not an oil painter other than a few times a year when it's too cold or wet to paint outdoors with pastels. Why am I taking an oil painting workshop? Lots of reasons. First, Scott Christensen is an amazing landscape artist and whether or not I continue in oil I'm sure I'll learn many fundamentals of painting that are relevant for any medium. Second, I like a challenge. Scott's palette is different from anything that I've used before with the primaries, white, and eight grays (custom mixed for him by Vasari). It is a beautiful palette and from what I understand an extraordinary paint.

The paint arrived yesterday and I excitedly opened the large shipping box. Inside I find three smaller boxes. Two simple corrugated boxes containing the primaries and white and a larger box with beautiful gold embossed VASARI label. I open it and find eight tubes where the labels are marked with actual paint samples... works of art. Now, those tubes of paint displayed on my workbench and I wonder, "Where do I begin?" Logical as I am I tell myself, "At the beginning, goofy." And, from the bookshelf I retrieve Richard Schmid's Alla Prima. I thumb through the pages until I find what I'm looking for—Color Charts. That's where I'll begin.

With the paints displayed, I begin applying gesso (two coats each side) to 1/4-inch acid-free foam board. When it was dry, I began applying black artists tape (trimmed to 1/4-inch strips, approx.) to create 1-inch squares. I have 11 tubes of paint and I need 12 boards. I'll keep you posted as this project progresses.

a work in progress continues

I started laying in color with the idea that the final piece will focus on the house and the azaleas. I'm painting on a Wallis Belgian Mist and I used a size that is larger than what I expect the final piece to be. My client asked that the house be bright. The architecture and landscape don't show much of the home except for the roof which isn't very interesting. When I first painted the roof it seemed dominant so I toned it down and accentuated to light on the bricks. The light is not exactly realistic but I hope it's believable and meets the client's request.



This is one of the images that I sent to the client for review. I think the painting is about 90% complete. I'll put it on the rail for a while and wait for feedback from my client. Before I sign it, I may—or may not—make some adjustments and call it resolved.

a work in progress

I'm working on a commissioned house portrait and thought it would be fun to post images as I work through the piece.


This is one of the photos that I was give as reference. There are several photos taken in various seasons and times of day. I like this one because I can see much of the structure and was able to work our the proportions of the house using this and the other photos.



The thumbnail with the proportions from which I made my larger drawing. When breaking the building down to a grid I figured the house is two squares high by 13 squares wide. When dividing each square into thirds, I learn that size and placement of windows/doors fall in those thirds.



This is the drawing done from the thumbnail. From here I'll begin applying pastel. This gives me an accurate rendering of the structure before I begin painting. This seems a little tight but I'm sure it will loosen up as begin the painting.