Toscana - some more background work

I painted the background some more. I've been painting Tutankhamon's Throne (see the link to my Egyptian art blog) and after that I usually paint a few strokes of this painting to relax.

Toscana - beginnings of a landscape

Here is the beginning of the landscape. Done with a tiny brush (faithful to my style...)

Toscana - hazy background

Oh how I enjoyed myself: took one of my biggest brushes to avoid doodling with too many details (at this stage at least) and did what I could - very quickly again - to make an impression of a landscape veiled by the mist of a summer evening. I haven't the foggiest what this will be like - it's more like an exercise in painting than anything else. I've been painting on smooth board so long that even the grain of the canvas felt odd. Also I have been doing underpaintings and gradual glazing for so long it is really interesting to find out how my eyes see tone and value when I paint straight with color. I'm quite curious to see will this be a total flop or a good painting. (The light glares off the wet paint on the left - it is darker in real life. Will take a better photo later)

Toscana

I felt I needed to have one "loose" oilpainting on the side. Something I can add a few brushstrokes to when I have first worked on another, detailed painting, and need to loosen up a bit. There's only so much detail one can paint at a time... I am not planning any underpainting here, just hopping in straight with color.

I thought I might paint this horse in what I hope will look like a Tuscany landscape. I chose a linen canvas 46 x 30 cm.

The first three stages I did really quickly - all in all the work in these three photos took me half an hour.

First a loose sketch - the outline of the background with rough pastel, a slightly more detailed horse with ink. Then a spray of fixative to keep it all in place.

 Then some burnt umbra, diluted with turpentine to block out the white background.

And while I still had some wet paint in my brush, I loosely blocked some formations of the landscape I am planning to paint, and brought out the horse some more.

Planning new paintings

I'm in the process of planning new paintings. Will begin posting as soon as I get started. One is a commissioned portrait that has been waiting for me to get my art show "out of the way". And others are just ideas in my head at the moment.

My Egyptology paintings will take most of my painting time, but I do intend to paint horses as well, time permitting.

So check in once in a while to see what'g going on horse-painting-wise.

Opening of the Art Show at Galleria Ferin

And here is a photo taken by my friend Merja Attia, from the opening of the art show in Galleria Ferin (Yrjönkatu 11, Helsinki) on October 18th 2010.

I am just explaining to the visitors how I have done "Calling" - if you look closely, you see me holding a scalpel in my hand. That is my "brush" for the work. (See the pictures of the work in progress below)

The art show will be open until 7th of November. If you are around, do visit the exhibition.

Calling - Done!

And here is the finished scratchboard artwork "Calling", 90 cm x 60 cm. I will take it to my framer this weekend and then to a horse art show in Helsinki in October. Will put the info about the exhibition here on my blog later.

Calling - working on the neck

And here I have been working on the neck. Maybe half-way there - at the moment the shadows are a bit too dramatic still. :)

Calling - moved on to the neck

Now I have worked on the head and moved on to the neck. The photo lies a bit - the whites are a tad too white compared to reality.

Calling - bridle

Now I worked on the bridle a bit. It is still "floating" in the middle of unworked surface, which makes it look a bit odd. But plenty on detail here too - little sea shells are used as ornaments.

A detail of the muzzle

And here is a closeup.

Calling - the muzzle

And here is how far I had time to work on Calling today. Not saying the muzzle is finished, but I'll have a closer look once the whole head is finished.

Calling - upper jaw and nostrils

I worked with the scalpel and a small fiberglass brush for the first time- the photo shows the muzzle slightly lighter than in real life (the brush polishes the surface a bit which may cause it to reflect too much light in a photo). But anyway: upper jaw and nostrils this time - plus the bit. As the lower jaw is not here it looks a bit funny. If you look closely you can see the outline of the lower jaw. Next I'll be working on that one.

Calling - beginning to work on the bridle

Had some time to work on this today - took its sweet time to work those tiny details of the bridle! (The faint line of light is sunlight - a ray came through the shades while I photographed this)

Fire - deepening color

I have now added some more color to the painting. Maybe it is now more evident what I had in mind when I named this painting "Fire". I am reaching for a deep red chestnut color with a golden hue. I painted as long as I had energy and when I wasn't really "seeing" the painting anymore, it was time to clean the brushes and call it a day. Will return to this later.

Fire - started with color

Here I have added three thin layers of color. This is nowhere near ready yet. More color will be added, and I'll be defining the highlights and details. I'll leave the background for now - once I have finished with the layering, I'll see will I make it more blue, black or brown.

(The photo lies a bit - the background is not that blue, but the color of the horse is just about right).

Calling - ears and the area around the eyes

Had some free time today as well, so I worked on the scratchboard work. This time I concentrated on the ears and the area around the eyes.

Fire - finished underpainting

Oh how I enjoyed myself today - had four and a half hours on uninterrupted painting time. I used it to do the second layer to my underpainting. I call the underpainting now more or less finished. Next I'll start painting with colors.

Calling - a big scratchboard work, started with the eye.

I want the horse to look at me so I begin with the eye. Once I have that connection, I start working around the eye. Looks a bit abstract at the moment, doesn't it? Well - I shall be working on this more.

This will be a 60 x 90 cm scratchboard work.

Fire - Grisaille

Here's the first grisaille layer. I am trying to make a "moonglow-effect" -  a dreamlike, soft effect. Next I shall start building more details and after that come the color layers.

Fire - umber underlayer

And here is the first real umber underlayer. This will all vanish under the actual painting, so it is more like a continued sketch. Here I have blocked in the major areas of shadow.

Fire - Imprimatura

The first underlayer of color - the idea is to block the painting surface so it will make the next painting layers glide in smoother. Also a colored surface makes it easier to define the shadows and lights than a white one would.

Fire - drawing

This will be a painting for an art show in Helsinki in the fall. The first drawing.