How to Photograph Oil Paintings, Part 2

I have previously shared my method for photographing oil paintings, always a challenge and now I'm adding an addendum.

This week I've been photographing six paintings for my upcoming Peterson-Cody Show, two of which have a very dark background. I was having difficulty getting good pictures because the walls of my studio, the legs of the tripod and the silver on the camera, even my pale mug were reflected in the dark areas of the painting.

This is what I was finally able to get after much fumbling around and experimenting. 

For you the short version - here's what worked.

I wrapped a piece of black fabric around the tripod and camera, I wore a long sleeved back T shirt and I stepped to the side so my face wasn't reflected and used a cable release to take the picture. A cable release is always a good idea.

I also draped a piece of the fabric over a frame made of 1x4's that was clamped to a sawhorse and stood it behind the tripod so that it was reflected in the painting rather than the light colored wall. (luckily the frame was still in the studio from a photo shoot I'd done this weekend, the orange fabric you see is from that shoot).

I suppose I could have covered the wall with a big black sheet. Maybe I should paint that wall a dark color?

Another thing I've added is a Kodak, Q-14 Color Separation Guide. Magazines and printers use these to color correct for publication purposes. I've never used one before but thought it was time to start.

Here's the previous post about my method for photographing oil paintings.

Ode to Melancholy, 24x36, oil on panel

This is a video about the body of work I was documenting and shipping off to Peterson-Cody Gallery this week. (more about the shipping drama and solutions in a couple days!)


The opening is November 4, 130 West Palace Avenue, Santa Fe, NM. If you're in town stop in and say hi, I'll be in town.

Women Painting Women Artist on "Work of Art - The Next Great Artist"

I've never watched this Bravo reality TV show before this week, but one of my students recommended it to me. I'm not a fan of reality TV but I have to say this was entertaining.

The first show of the 2nd season aired last week. I was delighted to see Jazz-Minh Moore as one of the contestants.

I've shown with Jazz-Minh last fall, November 2010, at the Women Painting Women Invitational that was at Robert Lange Studios in Charleston, SC. and I loved her paintings! They are acrylic on birch panel, and she incorporates the wood grain in an interesting way. They are finished off with a think layer of resin so they have a depth that is beautiful.

Here's a link for the show which airs every Wed 9/8c. Work of Art-The Next Great Artist .

You can see Jazz-Minh's work here. 

Here are a couple of my posts about the WPW Show, here and here. Press about the WPW show here.

And  finally a link to the Women Painting Women blog that inspired the show at Robert Lange Studios.

Fortunate To Be At Robert Lange Studios

Chinese proverbs found in the tradition of fortune cookies inspired the premise of this group show in Charleston, SC. The show is built around "Brilliant" work, Jonathan Brilliant that is, and his Field of Good Fortune Series.

One of Jonathan's large metal sculptures will be in the center of the gallery and Robert Lange Studios' artist's and invited guest artists work, based on the theme, will hang around it on the walls.

Framed beside each work of art will be the tiny fortune cookie proverb that is linked to the piece. I thrilled to be showing again with the wonderful artists at RLS!

Oracle, 30x22, charcoal and pastel on paper

Oracle's fortune cookie proverb

Oracle appeared in American Artist's Drawing Magazine in it's Winter 2011 issue in an article entitled Forming the Figure by Ken Proctor.

Shipping a drawing that is already framed and under glass is always tricky, but she made the journey just fine. The glass was taped and she was wrapped in multiple layers of foam and bubble wrap. Thank you Fed Ex! Here's another post I did about shipping art.

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Value Study With a Twist

I'm moving my students from value studies to full color.

Day 1- This is my demo piece of an under painting using an open grisaille method. Grisaille is painting in monochrome and open meaning that the white of the canvas is allowed to show through the paint for the lighter areas of the painting, much like a watercolor technique. If we were painting in the whites with white paint it would be a closed grisaille.

This is a very similar effect as the rub out painting I had them do a few weeks ago. We thinned the paint, Burnt Umber, with a 60/40 mixture of  linseed oil and odorless mineral spirits and painted using an additive method rather than a subtractive method like the rub out. I like doing this type of under painting because it is a value study that you build on rather than do and discard.

I introduced color by adding one piece of fruit to each of the mug and egg still-lifes they'd been working on. Different set-ups had a green apple, a lemon or a red apple.

Day 2- I demonstrated pre-mixing color for the areas to be painted that day. Working from the background to the foreground and painting adjacent forms simultaneously I laid in the forms and simple colors of the lemon and the area around the lemon. (sorry no picture :(

Day 3- I demonstrated bringing one area of the painting to a more finished level. I started by oiling out, rubbing a mixture of medium (60/40 linseed oil and OMS) and a bit of Res N Gel over the sunk in area where I was going to be painting that day. Sinking in is when the oil is drying and the pigments on the surface look chalky or dry.

The couching layer of the oiling out helps the new layer adhere and also helps you see the colors you'd previously painted. Colors can get hard to judge as they dry and this basically brings them back to full saturation.

As I painted I emphasized keeping edges soft, especially in the reflections in the mug and cast shadows. I encouraged them to really look at the objects and challenge themselves to paint by observation.

Only by this intense observation would one notice the way the silver mug throws blue onto the side of the lemon nearest it, or how red the shadow on the under side of the lemon is.

All the students came up with great little paintings. Next up for the class is an all blue still-life and the challenge of differentiating and mixing all those different subtle colors.

It's fun to dream up ways to torture them in a good way!

"Story Within" New Painting Video

Here's a new body of work created for Peterson-Cody Gallery, for my upcoming show opening Nov 4, 2011, Santa Fe, NM.

"Story Within"

It's a two person show with Forrest Solis.

My daughter Carly, a recent graduate of Savannah College of Art and Design, has opinions. It was her idea to do the voice over rather than music on this video.

I have to admit I experienced a little stage fright. I have no problem talking with my friends, family and students about art but I was nervous about recording my thoughts and hearing my own voice recorded.

Thanks to Carly's awesome editing you can't even tell I'm a slow southern talker, woo hoo for garage band!

I welcome comments and constructive criticism since I'm planning on doing more videos. I have a few other videos on my YouTube Channel.

Miller Gallery - CONTEMPORARY REALISM: Invitational

I'm thrilled to have been invited to participate in this show! Cincinnati, OH. Shaping up to be a great looking exhibit.

These images are from the gallery's facebook fan page.
Opening Friday, September 30, 2011, 6-8 pm

The gallery is located at:
2715 Erie Avenue - Hyde Park Square
Cincinnati, Ohio 45208
phone-(513) 871-4420
Hours: Tuesday-Wednesday 10-5:30 / Thursday-Friday 10-8 / Saturday 10-5:30 / Sunday 10-2
Miller Gallery 

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Veni, Vidi, Vici

"Veni, Vidi, Vici", 14x11, oil on panel

Fresh off the easel and curing for the small works 2011 Holiday Show at Principle Gallery in Alexandria, VA. Here are a few details.

Reportedly uttered by Julius Caesar 47 BC as a comment on his short war with Pharnaces II of Pontus in the city of Zela. "I came, I saw, I conquered."

This painting is unapologetically campy and was much too fun to paint, although it was a challenge to paint the figure blurry enough when they are normally the focal point of my paintings.
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Fire Dance

"Fire Dance", 8x10, oil on panel

detail

Thinking of titles is a tricky venture and sometimes I go blank. In my last post I asked for ideas for a title for this little painting. I received some interesting ideas but my favorite came from LA artist Shanna Galloway, "Fire Dance". Here are some of her thoughts about the painting: 

"...The moths don't seem to me to be near their end but are hovering around, circling the fire... which is a purification... the moths will no doubt be transformed... the matches speak of the duality of death and life..."

Another reader suggested "Torch Dance" which is beautiful as well.


A big thanks to all of you that played along taking the time to share your ideas about my work. I couldn't have said it better myself! 

Here is link to other still life paintings I've done. This one is called "A Cautionary Tale", 9.5x10, oil on panel, but as they say, that's another story...

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Like a Moth to a Flame

This is a new painting, actually I'm still not sure of a title. Any suggestions?

It's 8x10, oil on panel, it's curing for the small works 2011 Holiday Show at Principle Gallery in Alexandria, VA. 

When researching ideas for a title I found this interesting... interesting but not surprising, once again Shakespeare.

Origin 
The phrase is a simple allusion to the well-known attraction that moths have to bright lights. The word moth was used the the 17th century to mean someone who was apt to be tempted by something that would lead to their downfall. This is referred to by Shakespeare in The Merchant of Venice, 1596:

"Thus hath the candle singd the moath."

Flames and matches have shown up a couple times before in my work. It's interesting to me when a certain imagery surfaces over time and I'm not really conscious of doing it. Painting is cheaper than therapy and way more fun but sometimes I'd like to know why.

In this instance I've used this idea before but always wanted to do a painting focusing just on the moths and the flame.

"#!%*&#$@", oil on canvas over panel,  37x24. This piece was done in 2006. My son was the model.

I had so much fun designing this. I did a lengthy photoshoot of my son wearing the Hulk hands, rummaged through the rubble of a torn down house to gather material for the still-life, photographed the flame from a blow torch and photoshopped in the lightning.

In the course of designing it I wondered if the lightning was over the top but finally decided It was a dark and stormy night... was a fitting background and just campy enough. And seriously once you've gone with Hulk Smash hands is there such a thing as "over the top?"

I think this is an example of a painting where humor and a campy attitude can still reveal truth. Channeling human drama, pop culture, emotions and irresistible attractions I just let it flow on this one, free associating imagery.

This piece is one we have added to our collection and it still makes me smile. 

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Hear Ye, Read All About It

 

Sign Up For My Email Newsletter

The thrill of change, new galleries, new publishing company, new adventure's in the air at Terry Strickland Art.

Interested in keeping collectors, students, friends and family up to date, I'm creating a newsletter, first edition Sept. 15, 2011. 

The newsletter will be monthly, not too long but chock full of news about upcoming shows, workshops and new paintings fresh off the easel. It will include a teaching spotlight, art world musings and of course lots of pretty pictures.

I'm using Mail Chimp, a "newsletter publishing platform". I settled on this service because several art friends have used it and been pleased.

Wow, there's so much to learn! They have many video tutorials but it does take time to sort through it all.

The trickiest thing is creating a recipient list. I don't want to risk getting reported as spam, plus it's not cool to jam up the in boxes of people who don't really care about Terry Strickland Art, so I'm starting from scratch on a brand new email list.

Even though this had been a good deal of work setting everything up I know it the long run it will help me safely keep in touch with the people that really care about my work.

Sneak peek at the first issue...

A new painting, "The Bribe"... is that Athena, Eve or Wall Street?

Incognito Project Update

New Gallery Representation

A New Strickland Family Business

"The Lion Tamer" in the Spotlight

Well almost the spotlight... 

I'm happy to announce that my painting "The Lion Tamer, The Incognito Project" has been named a finalist in The Artist's Magazine's 28th Annual Competition, figure and portrait category.

They say that the model is half the success of a figure painting and I think Peggy proves that true. She was willing to play along and share her fierce side with me, a side that not many people see. She also has a great energy that was a joy to try and capture.

Here are a couple more posts about this painting, they include details of the painting and a painting I did of this model 8 years ago.

Here's the first Incognito Project announcement, a portrait series I've been working on since June 2010.

 Here are all the posts about this Project. 

 You may see the paintings that are finished thus far on my website's Incognito Project Gallery.

Also...I'm launching a new email Terry Strickland Art Newsletter using mail chimp, if you didn't notice it on the sidebar you can subscribe here. The newsletter will be monthly, not too long but chock full of news about up-coming shows, new paintings in the works or fresh off the easel, workshops, possible teaching tips, art world musings and lots of pretty pictures :D