Work In Progress, Portrait of My Grandson

This is an update of the progress of the painting I am currently working on.  Portraits are so neat to work on.  So much to learn.  There are many small differences in people's faces that make us all unique.

I am getting closer to finishing him.  Right now I am zeroing in on making the eyes and lips as accurate as I can get them.  Also a few areas on the face need work to correct my mistakes and correct values of the skin tones.  I don't like the left chin shadow.  Gotta fix that.  I like the back ground and will probably leave the t-shirt as is.  Comments are welcome.  What do you think of this?

Tomorrow, God willing, another day in the studio.

Jimmie

Work In Progress, WIP Portrait Study of My Grandson

I thought you might like to see a couple of stages of a work in progress.  This is an oil portrait on a 14x11 canvas that I started a couple of weeks ago and have been working on it in intervals with other paintings.  After sketching an outline lightly with pencil on the canvas, I used a thin mixture of burnt umber and turpenoid to build a grisaille monotone image using a large filbert.  I call it a rough in.  This is the first time I did a grisaille to this degree.  Usually, just outline the main features and hair, then start painting.  Building the monotone was fun and familiarizes the painter with the image features. It also provides foundation to yield a likeness quickly when the paint is applied.  I am still working the painting with layers of flesh tones and improving errors on the features.  I call these opportunities.  I see one already in  the lips.  It's easier to see errors sometimes when the photos are lined up side by side.  This is an easy correction I can do next session.

I will post the finished painting, hopefully soon.

Jimmie

Countryside Church, Original Palette Knife Oil Painting

This is one of my first attempts using a pallet knife to paint with.  Countryside Church is 14x18 on stretched canvas and heavily textured.  I used a palette knife to spread paint for the sky and then used a blender brush to smooth the sky somewhat.  The rest of the painting is entirely done with the knife.  I got real excited when I saw how smoothing the sky in the background really made the rest of the textured painting pop forward.  Email jimmie@jimmiesart.com to check availability/purchase via secure transaction using online PayPal. 

jimmie@jimmiesart.com

The Light House, An Original Oil Palette Knife Painting, Alla Prima

I painted this little scene today in about 3 hours on a 6x8 inch gesso'd masonite board with a palette knives.  This is no particular light house, just a derivative from my mind.  It reminds me of the lights of harbors that I saw when I was in the navy.

I wanted to try the knife on a small piece of work and this came to mind.  I had some paint left on my pallet from this weeks work, so I used what I had plus a bit more white.  I used the larger knife to spread out the sky and water to establish the horizon and switched to small knife for the detailing.  6x8 inches is a small area for me to paint, much less using stiff knives.  Although the small knife blade is the same thickness as the larger knives, it felt stiff due to it's short length and was harder to control.  Had more tendency to cut through the layers enstead of floating and blending.  I switched back to the larger knife whenever I could.  After I thought I was finished with the painting, I realized there were no birds in it!  We can't have a seascape without birds, so one more trip back to the easel for the birds.

It is going to take longer for this painting to dry because it is layered with thick textures, so I will not post it on ebay or take it to shows until it is ready to handle.  It is for sale.  Email me at jimmie@jimmiesart.com to check for availability.

The light houses guided lost ships to safe harbors.  Jesus Christ is my guiding light.

Jimmie

Dogwoods In The Night, Original Oil Painting

Dogwoods In The Night

This is an original oil painting on 12 x 16 inch canvas that I worked on today.  The background is a black green with some lighter greens blended in.  The canvas was still wet when I took the photo of the painting so some extra glare is evident in the picture.

The inspiration for the painting started several years ago when we traveled to Canton, Texas every month for the First Monday of the Month Trade Show.  The dogwoods are plentiful there and bloom early in the spring.  There is an artesian water well, just outside Canton on a country road, famous for its taste and is free to the public (was at that time).  Anyway, we would go get water there and the view of the dogwoods in bloom in the woods was beautiful.  We took several pictures of the trees and blossoms and I finally got around to painting them after four years.

Also, there is a legend that the dogwood was once large, but after being used to make the cross Jesus Christ was crucified on, it no longer grows to be a big tree.  The blossoms are cross shaped with two opposing petals shorter than the longer petals and the petal tips have a small red spot signifying Jesus's blood.  This is a shortened version of the legend, as I remember it, but you can find much more by googling the legend of the dogwood on the internet.

We did the Canton show for about eight years and stopped in 2006 when we started building a house.  We miss doing that market and have ambitions to go back sometime soon.   I hope you like this painting.

God Bless You,

Jimmie Bartlett

Brazos River Bait Camp, Original Oil Painting (Alla Prima)

This is an oil painting I did today of the Brazos River Bait Camp.  It is painted on a 6x8 gesso'd masonite board.  The camp is located in a bayou off the Brazos River in Coastal Texas.  There are many birds in the coastal wet lands of Texas.  Herons and egrets are plentiful and we often see other species such as the roseate spoonbill.  Farther down the coast in the Aransas Pass Refuge you might get lucky and see a whooping crane.  Also there is a new nature center near Bay City, Texas that has a lot of wildlife and birds which is frequented by bird watchers, photographers, and painters.  I hope you like this little painting of a piece of Texas.

Jimmie Bartlett

Flight Over Carancahua Bay, Original Oil Painting by Jimmie Bartlett

This is an alla prima oil painting of a Roseate Spoonbill flying over the wetlands of Carancahua Bay just off Texas Highway 35.  I painted the scene wet on wet technique on a 8x6 inch gesso'd masonite board yesterday.

Doing this painting brought back memories of when I was a kid fishing with my Dad in this very same spot.  We fished out of a little wooden boat with an old Johnson outboard on back. There wasn't any houses on the shoreline back then.  I haven't been fishing in several years but, Carolyn and I go down to the coast all the time, with cameras at the ready, and have just as much fun.  Sometimes we get lucky enough to capture something like a Roseate Spoonbill for me to paint. 

The painting has SOLD, but prints are available.  jimmie@jimmiesart.com .

I hope you enjoy the painting.

Jimmie Bartlett

Paintings of my Daughters

Oil Paintings of my Daughters, 14x11 Canvas,  Private Collection

I am a lucky man to have two beautiful daughters.  They took after their mother.

Jimmie

Texas Barn

Texas Barn, 24x36 Inches on Canvas

I painted this scene several years ago.  It has a bit of Texas Pride and of course, lots of blue bonnets.  I think I will paint some more flowers this spring.  Ya' think?  Anyway, giclee prints are available.

Blue Bonnet Farm

Blue Bonnet Farm

This is a section of the larger painting I did several years ago Blue Bonnet Farm.  This portion of the painting makes a nice smaller print.  I have giclee prints available.