The Big Rescue

I had lunch today with a couple of my friends who also happen to be collectors. You may recognize them as models for my Incognito Project as well.

After an enjoyable lunch they asked me to comment on a recent art purchase they'd made. This wasn't surprising since they are avid collectors and they know that I love collecting other artist's work as well. They had brought it to the restaurant and did the big reveal in the parking lot.

Turns out they'd purchased an old oil sketch of mine from 2002. They had rescued it from obscurity in an antique shop in Birmingham, AL.

This was a life-drawing sketch done back when the X's 8 group that I still attend, used to meet in a warehouse downtown.

They were delighted to discover this painting and add it to their collection of "Strickland's". What a fun surprise!

This proves that you never know where those donated art auction  pieces will turn up 10 years later... if you're lucky, maybe in the hands of someone who will appreciate them.

Thanks guys for putting a smile on my face today!

Behind the Scenes

This is a short video that my daughter-in-law, Amy made about the cover photo shoot we did for her upcoming book, The Pantheon, the first in her Olympia Heights series. It shows my working process and my messy studio. This is the same type session I do with a model when I'm shooting reference photos, although I don't usually have such a rocking soundtrack, but maybe I should!



You'll notice the crazy thumbnail sketches of model poses and playing with the lighting, using a key light and reflected light. All the painting paraphernalia is just shoved to the side of the studio to make room for the model, lights and tripod.

This young man has modeled for me before and the paintings are designed so you'll recognize him in other work besides Amy's book cover, which is coming out this summer.

edited July 15, 2011:
Olympia Heights, The Pantheon, available here for Kindle!

Divine Comedy in the Studio

Have I said lately that I love my job? AND The Incognito Project? 'Cause when your doing "camp" there is no such thing as "too far", and sometimes when exploring "camp" you just may stumble on "poignant".

I had all my lights out for the "Photography for Artists" workshop yesterday, so I decided to shoot photo reference for Harold's Incognito Project painting. I do not usually share reference photos of models but I don't think Harold will mind.

Harold is a skull owned by my friend Janie. This isn't the first time Harold has been under my brush. A couple of years ago Harold and Janie's son, Pete, modeled when I did a few paintings exploring mortality and Hamlet. Pete is the perfect Danish Prince and Harold is a dead ringer for Yorick.

 

"Goodnight Sweet Prince", oil, 37x24

 "I Knew Him Well", oil, 15x30

 "Memento Mori", oil, 36x56

Pete and Janie have modeled for The Incognito Project as well, but no peeking at those till the paintings are done. 

Bon Voyage Little Still Life Paintings!

Today I packed up a couple small paintings and shipped them to Principle Gallery in Alexandria, VA for their Spring Still Life Invitational, opening Friday April, 15, 6:30-9:00 PM.

This one is called "Gray Morning", it's 12x13 and oil on canvas over panel.

The Second piece is a little study of grapes and light. "One", 9x12, oil on paper.

Still life is not my usual subject matter but I enjoyed doing these paintings. It's a pleasure to spend time observing the play of light and shadow on simple subjects.

I was reminded why so many great figure painters and portrait artists also study fruit, there is something in the translucence of a grape with light shining through it that is reminiscent of the luminosity of flesh.

And why painters traditionally paint eggs as a "back to basics" study. Getting the modeling down while capturing reflected color, light and shadow was a challenge. The egg painting set-up had a red-orange piece of paper reflecting back onto the still life, as a demonstration to my students of color reflections and a study of the relative nature of color temperature.

Both of these paintings I started with my students and worked on them off and on with them as demonstration pieces.

"Southwest Art", April 2011

My work is featured in the "Artist to Watch" column, by Bonnie Ganglehoff. Here is the link to the article on magazine's website, Exploring the Human Condition

"Exploring the Human Condition"

That's the title of the article in the "artist to watch" column by Bonnie Ganglehoff, in April 2011's Southwest Art.

Bonnie wrote a beautiful article touching on my inspirations and journey to full time painter. Thank you Bonnie! There is also an ad for Peterson-Cody, the gallery in Santa Fe, NM, that is representing my work in the Southwest.

That's "The Ascent" and "Fast Lane" both available now at Peterson-Cody gallery.

The All Artist Spring Show will feature new works by Stephen Day, Michael Downs, Gordon Inyard, Jane Jones, Josh Moulton, Scott Paulk, Terry Strickland
April 1- 30, 2011, Opening reception April 1st, 2011

Underpainting Demo

Today, at the request of Forstall Art Center management, I did a free demonstration of under painting techniques using Gamblin's new FastMatte fast drying oil paint. It is an alkyd resin and linseed oil binder. The paint is designed to be used instead of acrylic for toning canvases or doing under paintings.

I set up a still-life of a clementine orange and red grapes. I have a set up made of foam core sides, black fabric covers the back and sides and a sheet of black foam core on the top. There is a hole in the top to clamp a light from above, this blocks the overhead studio lights.  This way the drama of a single light is not diluted by the studio lights.

 

I toned an Ampersand Gessobord with Fastmatte thinned with a mixture of Galykd and odorless mineral spirits. This mixture was drying very quickly even as I worked. It will be completely dry in 18-22 hours. I did a rub out or reductive value study, simply rubbing out the paint with a t-shirt scrap.

On a second panel I did a pencil drawing, then restated it in a permanent sepia Faber-Castell artist pen. Then I did a rub out painting on top of the sepia drawing, this time trying the paint with a mix of linseed oil and odorless mineral spirits. This mixture stayed wet longer and gave me more time to work the study. Using a sepia pen to secure your drawing works well with more complicated paintings.

Either one of these methods will dry quickly and could be continued in a day or two with full color. Here are a couple of other studies I've done at the local life drawing group.

 5-minute rub out gesture sketch

1 hour rub out oil sketch

 And here's one I did on the Women Painting Women on Expedition last November.

I'm enjoying this technique very much and find that if the study is pushed far enough it is beautiful even with out adding any color. It takes the place of doing value studies when used as an under painting and helps me resolves problems relating to placement on the canvas or value. 

Find out more about FastMatte at the Gamblin site.

"Let the Games Begin"

Here's a new painting from The Incognito Project, it's 14x23, oil on panel. The models are Birmingham friends of mine who had a fun time dressing up and sharing their alter egos with me last summer at the big photoshoot event at my studio.

 I have the best friends!

"Oracle" appears in American Artist's Drawing Magazine, Winter 2011!

 

(On the cover, "Eight Falling on Thirty" by Ian Ingram)

My drawing is included in an article titled Forming the Figure.

"Whether traditional or contemporary, realistic or abstract, an artist's choices concerning the model, pose, and form of a figure are guided by expressive purposes." 

by Ken Proctor

“Oracle” 22x30  Charcoal and Pastel 

Here is an excerpt:

"In our mythologized and ordinary era, how is it possible to revive a myth? To engage the modern viewer, Terry Strickland follows a proven strategy: Artist's as far back as the Renaissance, set historical and biblical scenes in present-day concepts, with the figures wearing contemporary clothing. Defying stereotypes about gypsyish fortunetellers, Strickland’s Oracle appears to be an ordinary, modern woman.

Clothing is a powerful symbol for an artist to characterize a figure.  A suit speaks of facts, a gown of glamor. But hidden or forbidden truths, as an oracle might deliver, come not from the exterior but from inspiration within, beyond everyday experience. To peel away the the outer, workaday world, Strickland posed her model stripped to a slip.  Symbolically stripping enables revelation. Like her slip, the oracle's skin is light and clear. Dark hair, stark shadows, and a dramatic lighting heighten her fair skin. The combined effect, rendered in a straightforward, realistic style, transforms an ordinary woman into an archetypal virgin-priestess.

Although it stretches the bounds of a contemporary setting, the oil lamp is plausible, familiar. Light is a powerful symbol-light shining out of darkness suggests mystical revelation. And who would seek the truth with a light bulb?  Fire is primal.  It's flickering fragility of fire suggests the tenuous nature of fortune and fate. Glass, the impossibly mysterious product of fire-hard as a rock yet transparent, with it's inscrutable lens effect. No wonder fortunes manifest in crystal balls. 

Whereas layers of meaning in collage depend on overlapping real materials, Strickland created a double meaning through conventional realism and a pose carefully constructed to occupy two layers of space. In a dramatically Baroque gesture, the oracle thrusts out her lamp. She appears to hold it with smoke to her nose and flame to her heart, calling to mind the legend of the Oracle of Delphi, which postulates that priestesses breathed intoxicating vapors to induce a trance. The lamp seems to project beyond the picture plane; the mesmerizing flame--the light of mystical truth--hovers right before our eyes."

Pretty cool, huh? The article in it's entirety is very thought provoking, siting Ingre, Degas, Chagall, Kokoschika, Modigliani, Diebenkorn, de Kooning, and Therese Bauer.

He put into words how I felt about the piece so well, concepts that for me were not so much conscious thoughts but feelings, and to know those ideas were experienced by a thoughtful and receptive viewer is wonderful for me!

The magazine is available at book stores now and through the website.

Here are other posts I've done about "Oracle".

"Photography for Artists" Workshop

Learn to Photograph the Model and Your Artwork

Great reference photos make for great paintings!

Various studio lighting situations with a live model will be demonstrated including highlight, reflected light and background light.

Also Covered: Equipment tips, basic color correction, sizing and composition using photoshop.

Don’t let inferior photos of your work keep you out of shows! 

WHAT: Workshop at Terry’s Studio

WHERE: 127 Heather Ridge Drive, Pelham, AL

WHEN: April 16, 2011. 9:30am-3:30pm, bring a sack lunch, drinks provided.

COST: $70.00, call 205 664-5331 or email strcklnd@bellsouth.net to register, class size limited.
See the photoshoot for my Incognito Project.
How to photograph your paintings.
Sign up for my monthly email newsletter.

2011 Portrait Cover Contest Winners and Honorable Mentions

Professional Artist Magazine has put the entire article on their website along with images of several honorable mentions, listed as standouts among the 1000 entries considered in the competition.

See the entire article by Louise Buyo here. 

The second place winner was Sara Scribner. Here's one of Sara's paintings from her website that I enjoy. I had the pleasure of meeting Sara at the Women Painting Women show in Charleston, SC, last fall at the Robert Lange Studios and seeing her winning painting in person!

 “The Shadow Obscures” Oil on panel 22x28 2009

The third place winner was Maayan Zari, a photographer from Jerusalem, Israel. This is another one of her portraits from her website that I enjoy.

Maayan Zari

I have subscribed to this magazine for years, I think it has much valuable info for working artists, motivational columns, info about networking, shows to enter and other opportunities including workshops.

You can buy the current March issue with my painting, "Voice of the Tiger" on the cover here in a down loadable digital pdf, for $3.95.