Tuesday, November 30, 2010

For Demonstration Purposes Only.

It's that time of the semester when I find myself doing demos. Lots and lots of demos. So skipping over the one where I painted a tarnished brass frog sprinkler in blue and orange gouache to demonstrate a logical place for a complementary color scheme, here's a portrait of a student in my Art Appreciation class, executed over the course of an hour in class.

Fabiola, 2010.
oil on canvas, 11" x 16"


The following two were separate technique and color scheme demonstrations, based on a sketch from my "Mind Your Manners, Alice Roosevelt!" book. They're both variations on tertiary, triadic color schemes, one utilizing a combination of red-orange, yellow-green and blue-violet, while the other is comprised mainly of red-violet, yellow-orange, and blue-green.

Each of these took about an hour and a half to complete (thankfully, the sketching and reference had been taken care of two years ago). The watercolor was for my University of the Arts Pictorial Foundation class, while the gouache was for a Seton Hall University 2-D Color & Design section.


Watercolor on Fabriano 140 lb. soft press, 10.75" x 13"


Gouache on Arches 140 lb. hot press, 10.75" x 13"

Here's the original oil that appears in the book:

"She simply decided to spend her time over his roof." 2010.
Oil on paper, 18" x 30"

...and the original sketch...

"She simply decided to spend her time over his roof." 2008.
Pencil and white gouache on gray Canson paper, 11" x 19"

6 comments:

Anni Matsick said...

Stunning work, Adam; that student must have been amazed at her portrait. You're a dynamo!

Adam said...

Thanks, Anni!

Sally Springer said...

I'd like to take your class.

Layne Johnson said...

Great stuff, Adam. All around.I'm a fan of yours!

Layne

_. said...

The oil on paper looks amazing! What kind of paper is used for the oil painting if I may ask?

Adam said...

Thanks, everyone. Joyce, the paper is Rives BFK printmaking paper, which I prime with a 60/40 solution of water and PVA Adhesive, in lieu of gesso...it's basically "canvas sizing" at that point, which is what's put on commercially produced canvases before an oil based gesso.

http://www.dickblick.com/products/lineco-neutral-ph-adhesive/

cheers!
Adam