WOULD YOU LIKE A FREE CRITIQUE OF YOUR PAINTING?

Critique for an oil Painting sent to me by Eileen

I am continuing to give 'free critiques' for paintings sent to me via e-mail to: fayrene@charter.net

Eileen:  I wonderd about the composition in the front part of the painting? Something just is not happening there.

Fayrene: You have chosen a lovely palette of color and a challenging perspective which makes the piece compelling to the viewer.

1.  Try replacing the blue road with a fence that is is obscured from view behind grass and brush as we ascend the hill. The blue pulls your eye and wants to become the center of attention.

2. Next, define the bottom tree in the second cascade from the right, and the large yellowish tree at the bottom left. If you define these two areas with more seperate areas of color and values, as well as brushstroke rhythm, you will create a 

push-pull' focus of attention to hold the viewer in the center of the painting.

Some great painters to look at for studying brushstroke rhythm: Joquin Sorolla (1863-1923) - one of my all time favorites, and these contemporary painters: C.W. Mundy and Richard Schmid. All vary their brushstrokes, paint loosely with a great deal of rhythm and feeling for the subject.  Hope this helps.  Best Fayrene

Happy New Year!

Wanted to catch the last of the Fall colors before the next storm blew thru. It's the afternoon before New Years' on the Bob Jones Trail along the San Luis Obispo Creek. The weather was mild - in mid 60's, with a lot of people using the trail as they walked and rode their bikes to the beach and back. Working from my quick color study of the previous day I did a more complete composition for a final studio painting. Lots of good cheer among the passerbyes as we all looked forward to the New Year. Let's hope it's a good one. Happy painting!.

"Summer Treasures"

20x16" oil on Stretched Canvas

A beautiful flower from my patio I'm really proud of, a good book, strawberries from the garden, a little local wine and one of my favorite treasures, ....an abalone shell.  I can't really see the bay from our house, but put my imagination to work, opened a pretend window and let the summer breeze blow in.  Used a really thick impasto palette knife technique on the flowers.

I just took it to display at the Judith Hale Gallery in Los Olivos.  Go in and say hi!.

Color Study- North Avila Beach

Carried my little 3# Gorilla Painting Box down to the beach the other evening to do this value study. It was a little after 6 pm and the tide was low. Pelicans were just coming around the chalk cliffs thru Shell Beach and cruising for dinner. The Cormorants were sitting on the rocks sunning their water soaked feathers as the sun hit them closer and closer to horizontal. What a peaceful half hour. I’ll be painting it soon. First the color study, then the full blown piece for SLOPE’s show at the San Luis Obispo Lighthouse.
To enjoy the sounds of the surf while viewing this value study to to my new web site and click on "Art To You Blog". Under archive you'll see and hear Avila Beach. www.fayreneparrish.com

I Have A new "Art to You Blog"

 It is part of my new web site at www.fayreneparrish.com. When you get to my website, just click on "Fayrene Parrish - Art To You Blog". All my future postings will be listed there. This blog your are reading will remain for reference. YOU CAN SUBSCRIBE TO MY NEW BLOG THRU YOUR FAVORITE RSS.

"Great White Egret"

11 x 14" Oil on Canvas
These elegant birds are just entering their mating season and as a result are starting to show longer, feathering head and tail dressings. I’m lucky to watch them along the”Bob Jones Trail” running along the San Luis Creek near our home.

$150., purchase by contacting artist. (10% will be donated to The Land Conservancy of San Luis Obispo)

Palette Knife Demo for Art Club

This is the finished painting "Break of Spring Along The Bob Jones Trail"

Today I gave an oil painting demonstration to the El Camino Art Club in Arroyo Grande on oil painting - "Palette Knife Technique". Following are the photos of the step by step process and the steps written out follow. Let me know what you think.







1. On a toned stretched canvas I sketched in the basic layout
2. (Using a palette knife only throughout the painting), I next laidd in the sky
3. Laid in the far bank bushes and trees - basic shapes only.
4. Laid in foregound creek bank.
5. Used 'color shaper' (rubber tipped tool to remove color from the egret.
6. Sky was sticky enough now to lay in clouds
7. Using various greens, shaped far bank bushes and created some trees.
8. Darkened shadow cast immediately under far bank.
9. Applied variety of blues and blue-greens to stream
10. Brought in tree branches from far right of painting and added apple blossoms and blossom buds.
11. Tuned details and added 'fiddleneck flowers'.

Try it out and let me know what happens.

"Road Home" ©

Oil, 9x12
Sold!

Another piece for the "Go Native Show", this Sunday, May 6, at the Atascadero Lake Pavilion, 1 pm. Information at: www.atascderonativetree.org, or www.slopepainters.com/newevents.html
40% of all sales will go to the Atascadero Native Tree Assosciation.
Some musings on trees: “...for the tree of the field is man’s life”. Deuteronomy 20:19
As a child growing up in California, tree’s were certainly a very big part of my life. We climbed them, sat in them (pretending to be big birds), and swung in them - remember the old tire swings?
As an adult I value trees for their steadfastness; they are rooted in the earth; they provide our planet with oxygen, shelter and food to all the creatures
including us humans. And not least of all, for the beauty with which they enrich our lives.
Hope you can make the show.

"Spooner Cove II" ©

$150. Oil on Stretched Canvas, 9x12"

This is the finished 'demo' that I did at "Ladies First" sponsored by Judith Hale Galleries in Los Olivos. The rocks are filled in now and the shore break completed. This nice, low price represents the fact that it's unframed and sold only here.

"Mission San Miguel Archangel" ©

$95.
Oil on Canvas Board
Sale to be donated
to Mission San Miguel

Mission San Miguel Archangel is just north of Paso Robles. The devasting earthquake a few years ago caused major damage. It's a beautiful mission steeped in Central Coast history.
This gate enters the north side of their walled cemetery. Click on the 'history' button at their website www.missionsanmiguel.org for an interesting tour.

"Avila Ridge" ©

$95.
5x7" oil on canvas board

Avila Ridge is between us and the ocean. My husband Ted Parrish took the beautiful
photograph from which I did this painting.

Basic Color Palette & Brushes

Here's the 'basic color' palette I use for both land and seascapes. From the bottom, (left to right) is raw and burnt umber;
raw and burnt sienna; and then reading straight up - cadmium medium yellow; cadmium medium red - the two blended for orange; alizarin crimson; ultramarine blue deep - the two blended to make black - with white added for a purple; sap green; permanent green medium; and white. Use the best grade of oils you can. I've found it very important to be consistent with the same brand. Brands do have a variance in their colors and permanency once in a great while, but by being consistant with a brand, a color variance is noticeable immediately. I use Rembrandt oils. Winsor Newton is also excellent. My white is Permalba brand. It's a fluffy mix of zinc oxide and titanium white.
The brushes I prefer are bristle 'Silver Grand Prix' brights, ...using the biggest sizes I can - and for the finer work, 'Silver Renaissance' sables. I have positioned the #8 bright next to the #8 flat to show the actual bristle length difference. I like the flats for work that needs a more flexible 'hand' in laying down the paint. I hope this is useful. Please let me know if you have any questions. Have fun with it.

"Ladies First"...Judith Hale Gallery, Los Olivos

This past weekend was the Judith Hale Gallery's annual "Ladies First" event in Santa Inez Valley. Artists are spread throughout the gallery's sculpture garden demonstrating their medium, music plays and fine food and wine is served.
It's a wonderful time and the artists get to catch up with their collectors and friends. I was demonstrating palette knife painting.

Here's the layout of the demo showing the knives - two 1-1/4" knives and one 2" knife. I've laid in the sky and ocean with my knives, and brushed in the rock and shore area with a bristle #10 bright. My next step is to put in the details of rocks and shore water with the knives.
My next blog will show the basic palette layout of paints and the brushes I use.