Wednesday, December 12, 2007

Half and Half


The difficulty with painting white subjects is to convey the idea of white without being dull or bland. The meat of the apple isn't truly white, but close enough to be tricky. I left a few spots untreated with lemon juice to get an umber tinge in spots. I then cut back in with a mix of white, cad yellow light, and burnt umber. The shadow side of the quartered apple slice has a nice violet created with ultramarine, alizarin, white and a touch of the local color on the lit side. As with my last few paintings, I toned the ground with burnt umber and covered that with a thin mix of ultramarine, white and burnt umber. The use of burnt umber in each part of the painting gives it a cohesiveness. This is 8x6", oil on canvas panel for $80. Please visit my blog and website. Thanks.

Tuesday, December 11, 2007

Hot in Traffic


Recently I have been working on more neutral backgrounds with some of the ground color showing through. I like the effect I am getting and hope to explore this further. This composition was difficult to develop. It can be tough to get a good arrangement with an even number of objects, but lately I have felt stagnant using only odd numbers in my compositions. This looked like afternoon traffic on an urban road. It is 6x8", oil on canvas panel for $80. Please visit my blog and website. Thanks.

Saturday, December 8, 2007

Inner Glow


Until recently the persimmon I have seen at the market have been pale, short, and unattractive. I came upon a beautiful bunch a few days ago and was excited to paint them. This arrangement came quickly and the painting fell into place (just as my last one did). The hardest part was getting the shadow color (cad orange medium with burnt sienna) to have enough opacity. I laid a burnt sienna ground and covered it with a thin mix of raw umber, ultramarine, and white. If you look closely some of that warm ground glows through the light overcoat in a very subtle way. It took me longer to set up the arrangement and my equipment than it did to actually paint it. This is 8x6", oil on canvas panel for $80. Please visit my blog and website. Thanks.

Wednesday, December 5, 2007

In The Pink


After not painting for about a week and getting off to a mediocre start the day before, I was thrilled when this one just "fell off" my brush. I was anticipating these to be difficult, but every stroke seemed to go in the right place. This one is 6x8", oil on canvas panel for $80. Please visit my blog and website. Thanks.

Tuesday, December 4, 2007

Peared Off


I have had a very hard time getting painting time the last couple of weeks. Thanksgiving, then both my kids got sick, and now my wife has the "Bug." I am making an effort to get back into the rhythm I had built prior to Thanksgiving. This is my first effort since my hiatus. I like the subtle color of the background (after my intense backgrounds over the last couple of months) but the pears look a little too artificial for my liking. This one is 6x8", oil on canvas panel. Please visit my blog and website. Thanks.

Wednesday, November 21, 2007

Pile Up


This painting was a blast to paint. Everything seemed to go the way I wanted. This is good considering I struggled with several paintings over the past week or so. These effortless, fun paintings are what keep us working through the tough times I suppose. I hope everyone enjoys their Thanksgiving! This painting is 8x10", oil on canvas panel for $100. Please visit my blog and website. Thanks.

Tuesday, November 20, 2007

Shallot Plate


When I looked at this painting in the daylight, I realized it needs more value contrast. Other than that I like the composition, colors, and rendering. This is 6x8", oil on canvas panel for $60. Please visit my blog and website. Thanks.

Saturday, November 17, 2007

The Council (to post or not to post)


So I haven't posted in a few days. The last several paintings haven't exactly lived up to my standards. OK, they bombed): I felt OK about this one, but there are some things I'm not thrilled about. Since I almost never return to a daily painting to make corrections (when I have tried, it doesn't work) I am stuck with a choice: To post or not to post? The main focus/purpose of these daily paintings for me is about the practice, experience, the habit of painting, so I'm not too concerned about having a run of bad paintings. My concern is that some people check my blog semi-frequently and expect to see a new painting at least every other day. If the audience was just family, friends and fellow artists, I wouldn't be concerned about posting a weak painting for the feedback/constructive criticism, but clients and potential clients read my blog and I'm not sure if it is wise to post work I'm not proud of. I also don't want it to appear that I'm not committed to working diligently. This is where I ask any of you who are actually reading this (as opposed to just viewing the paintings) for your opinions, especially you artists. What decision would you make, to post or not to post? I would really appreciate the feedback. Please visit my blog and website. Thanks.

Wednesday, November 14, 2007

At Odds - Sold


I have been doing a lot of paintings recently that are from above or don't have a backdrop to catch the cast shadows of the subjects. I really like the effect of the vertical shadow. It seems to show an alter ego or some subliminal aspect of the subject's personality. With this painting, I got a sense the two pears just had a disagreement and the moment depicted is the awkward silence immediately following the argument, where the two parties are confined to a closed space together. This is one of my favorites of my daily paintings. At Odds is 8x6", oil on canvas panel for $80. Please visit my blog or website. Thanks.

Tuesday, November 13, 2007

Gang of Three


I have recently been reading the blog by Carol Marine who does great work. I admire the dramatic, long shadows in her paintings that suggest late afternoon light. This painting was intended to capture a similar effect. I am happy with the results but I am excited to work on this type of lighting some more. This is 8x6", oil on canvas panel for $80. Please visit my blog or website. Thanks.

Friday, November 9, 2007

On Stage


When I looked through the viewfinder, this composition worked. When I finished painting, the placement seemed a little off. The problem with doing these 1 hour, alla prima paintings is I don't step back during the process as I do with my larger works. It is hard to see the flaws when you don't step back or check composition in a mirror. I may return to this one to make corrections (something I never do to my daily paintings) because I like the lighting and color combinations. Please visit my blog or website. Thanks.

Thursday, November 8, 2007

Red White and Blue - Sold


This set up was much more difficult to paint than I thought. It was hard to paint the shadowed underside of the square bowl with the reflected blue, while trying to convince the viewer it was a white bowl. I like the color combination and value division. I am also happy with the reflected blue on the back side of the nearest pear. This is 8x6", oil on canvas panel for $80. Please visit my blog or website. Thanks.

Tuesday, November 6, 2007

Clear View - Sold


I enjoy painting glass, but it can be frustrating communicating all the little nuances without including every detail. My last three paintings have been much more intuitive. I'm guessing the act of painting almost every day helps the process become more intuitive and less analytical. This one is 6x8", oil on canvas panel for $80. Please visit my blog or website. Thanks.

Monday, November 5, 2007

Outcast


Just as with my last painting, this one came almost effortlessly. I enjoy the stark contrast of the blue/orange and the dark/light. The dominant low key value gives an ominous mood and seems to imply the lone clementine is being turned away. This is 6x8", oil on canvas panel for $80. Please visit my blog or website. Thanks.

Sunday, November 4, 2007

King of the Hill


I really enjoyed painting this one. It was one of those that sort of painted itself. It reminds me of the child's game where everyone tries to knock off the person on top of the hill. It is 6x8", oil on canvas panel for $80. Please visit my blog or website. Thanks.

Friday, November 2, 2007

Tres Amigos - Sold


This painting appeared to me as friends from different walks of life. They each had their own character, yet blonged together. I enjoyed painting the bright colors and capturing the texture of the peppers. It is 8x6", oil on canvas panel for $80. Please visit my blog or website. Thanks.

Thursday, November 1, 2007

The Meet


I took last night off to trick or treat with my kids. What a blast/glad it's over. To me this set up looked like some kind of late night, clandestine meet in a vacant lot. It is 8x6", oil on canvas panel for $80. Please visit my blog or website. Thanks.

Tuesday, October 30, 2007

Out of Line


I haven't posted in a while because I have been busy with parent/teacher meetings, halloween decorations, and doctors' appointments. I have been painting every other evening, trying to stay in "shape." This one is 6x8" oil on canvas panel. Please visit my blog and website. Thanks.

Tuesday, October 23, 2007

The Missing Clove


Garlic is a very tricky thing to paint, especially when trying to remain loose. Being a white object, one must look hard for those subtle changes in color and temperature, and even then some imagination helps vitalize the painting. The blue of the shadow is not quite as light, in real life, as it came out in the photograph. This is 6x8", oil on canvas panel. Please visit my blog and/or website. Thanks

Sunday, October 21, 2007

The Guardians


As opposed to using true complimentary colors, I wanted to remain analogous and cause the violet to take on a cool nature. I am still having fun letting the objects spill over the confines of the canvas. This is 6x8", oil on canvas panel. Please visit my blog or website. Thanks.

Friday, October 19, 2007

Tripple Chili by Bart Dluhy


I have always been a little intimidated by having things run off the canvas. Normally I paint my objects within the border of the canvas. With these smaller, daily paintings, I have felt more comfortable experimenting with cropped subjects. This has been very refreshing, and has allowed for more options, compositionally. As I continue, I hope these arrangements become more natural feeling. This one is 8x6", oil on canvas panel. Please visit my website or blog. Thanks.

Wednesday, October 17, 2007

Cherry Red

I like the inner glow of thr bright red in this cherry, although I will probably return to work on the background/negative space at some point. This is 12x9 oil on canvas panel. Please visit my website or blog. Thanks

Tuesday, October 16, 2007

An Apple a Day - Not for Sale




Generally with these daily paintings I try to paint one painting in approximately 60 minutes or so. This last one proved to be more difficult and I ended up spending about 90 minutes each night, for the last 2 nights. My wife has been asking me for the last few weeks to paint this funky old vase that belonged to her grandmother. I tried to remain as loose as possible while keeping the realism.


The title refers to fighting breast cancer. Today was my wife's first Chemo treatment and we are full of mixed emotions. The pink vase refers to the ribbon representing breast cancer awareness. It is also something beautiful, but delicate. The apple represents the fight. Whatever one can do (self exams, mammograms, pushing for breast MRIs) to keep the doctor away... well at least reduce the number and severity of their services.


For all of those who have expressed their sentiments, and to those who have helped my family and others like us, thank you so much. No one can do it without all of the support! Please visit my website or blog.


-Bart

Monday, October 15, 2007

Drapery Study by Bart Dluhy


The painting I started yesterday was more complicated than I had anticipated, so I finished up tonight. I won't photograph it until tomorrow so I am going to post one of my drapery studies tonight. These always prove helpful in training the eye to see abstract shapes instead of what we think we know about a subject. I highly recommend this type of study to anyone who doesn't already do them. Please visit my website or Blog. Thanks.
(This was supposed to be posted yesterday but Blogger was having some upload problems)

Saturday, October 13, 2007

Close Company


I like the color combination of this one. I tried to remain a loose as possible. This is 8x10", oil on canvas panel for $60. Please contact me through my website or blog with any questions or interest.

The Smiths


I have been busy the last couple of days preparing for my wife's chemotherapy, so I haven't been able to photograph the paintings I do at night (I like to photograph the paintings in natural north light). Since it has been a couple of days, I will post the last few paintings today. This one is 7x9", oil on canvas panel. Contact me through my website or blog with any questions.

Wednesday, October 10, 2007

Avant Gourd by Bart Dluhy


My two daughters helped pick out some of my holiday gourds to paint. This is the first one. I most enjoy painting the little bumps on these gourds. With the daily paintings I am trying to limit myself to 60 minutes but I think the essence still comes across. I would like to loosen up a little more, but I tend to get tunnel vision on the individual aspects. With each daily painting I try a little harder. This is oil on canvas panel, 8x10" for $50. Please contact me through my website or blog. Thanks.

Tuesday, October 9, 2007

Tiny 'Kin by Bart Dluhy


I think these little pumpkin/gourds have so much character. Each year I paint a few. This is this year's first. I know, cliche, orange on blue, but it pops so well. This is 7x9" oil on canvas panel for $75. Contact me through my website or blog. Remember October is breast cancer awareness month. Thanks.

Monday, October 8, 2007

Getting Warmer


I love the look of chili peppers, especially habaneros. I liked the contrast against the bowl. This one is oil on canvas panel, 7x9". Please visit my website or blog.

Friday, October 5, 2007

Domino


I am a former Chef so I looked through my pantry to find objects in the primary colors. This was a quick sketch focused around baking. Domino is 8 x 10" oil on canvas. Any interests should contact me through my website or my blog.

Thursday, October 4, 2007

Stop and Go



I made this arrangement and after starting to paint, I realized it looked like a stoplight. This is oil on canvas, 10 x 22", $225. Any inquiries should contact me through my website or blog. 10% of all my sales goes to breast cancer research. In August my wife was diagnosed and is in the course of treatment. October is breast cancer awareness month. Please sign up for my newsletter. Thanks for your support.

Wednesday, October 3, 2007

Sweet Tart


I liked the color combinations. I ignored some compositional rules, yet I feel it still works pretty well. My focus was on simplifying realistic folds. This is Oil on Canvas 10x14, $50. Contact me through my website or blog with any questions.

Sunday, September 30, 2007

The Odd Couple


This was last night's 1 hour painting. I tried to use a large negative space effectively. I also tried working with the difficulty of a square format. This piece is 14x14" and is $75. Please contact me through my website or blog with any inquiries.

Friday, September 28, 2007

Arrangement on Gray


This was not a daily painting. I spent a couple of days trying to focus on directing the viewer's eye through the painting. This represents my normal working method. Recently I have been trying to do some pieces more spontaneously. Please visit my website or my Blog for more info. This is Oil on canvas, 18x14" for $275. As with all of my pieces, 10% goes to breast cancer research.

Thursday, September 27, 2007

Someone to lean on


I restricted myself to 1 hour to do this piece. In doing daily paintings in a smaller format than I am used to, I am trying to loosen up an create more emotion. This is oil on canvas, 6x12" for $50. Contact me at http://www.bartdluhy.com/ if you are interested.

Wednesday, September 26, 2007

Two Pear


I painted this using chiaroscuro, working alla prima. It is intended to be very loose but without alot of impasto. I am trying to loosen up my application. I usually obsess and end up overworking a piece. If anyone is interested, click here or visit http://www.bartdluhy.com/

Tuesday, September 25, 2007

Blue Candy


I don't eat muchcandy but I love the look. My wife is the candy fanatic in our house. M&Ms are her favorite and I liked the look of these scattered about. Any interests may contact me at http://www.bartdluhy.com/

Monday, September 24, 2007

Seedless


I mostly paint "food portraits" but do occasional figurative work and landscapes. This piece is 9x12 O/C $75 or can be bid on at: http://cgi.ebay.com/Original-Oil-Painting-Seedless-by-Bart-Dluhy_W0QQitemZ290164213645QQihZ019QQcategoryZ20158QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem