The Value of Value and Key

I've been exploring how value and key affect a painting's mood in two recent works-in-progress.  Even with identical compositions,  paintings will look and feel very different depending upon the value and key used.

Here's an example.  Based on a sketch done at a nearby farm, I created several 'thumbnail' sketches (small, quick, images of major compositional shapes) to test out what values (grey scale lightness and darkness of each shape, like the note in a scale), and key (overall placement of values, mostly darks or mostly lights, like octaves on a piano) work best in creating the feel of the place. The composition of all the thumbnail sketches are identical- only the value and key vary between them.  

Colors have value, and to focus in on this quality, I often follow the time-honored approach of squinting at the image, which narrows perception down more to a grey scale (dark to light range), temporarily factoring out other delightful aspects of color (hue and intensity...more on this on a later post). Give this a try, look out the window and watch what happens!

Thumbnail images of a scene, to explore value and key options

I decided to develop two images, the second and third from the top. Note that the composition (placement of shapes) is the same, but the values and overall key differ.

Value Example 1 (painting in progress)

Value Example 2 (painting in progress)

Example 1 uses the higher (e.g. lighter) key and closer value range of the third thumbnail, and I think that it creates a lighter, relaxed, harmonious mood, and the feeling of morning.  In example 2, which follows the second thumbnail, the key is lower (darker), with more dark and middle values, and I sense more solidity and weight to the shapes, and a bit more solemn feeling, like dusk.  I'll be working on both paintings later today, and will keep you posted!

Value and key play critical roles in a painting's structure, and the feel it conveys to the viewer.  I've learned time and time again of the importance of making deliberate choices about how to use these elements in each painting I create.  When viewing works by other artists, I realize what an impact value and key have in the painting.  Try the squinting method to see the 'forest' rather than the 'trees' the next time you're in an art gallery, or try it out on my website paintings.

Holiday Art Show and Sale - Opens Tonight!

'Found Apple,'  2009    6" X 5"  Pastel

Here's "Found Apple", a bright little pastel which is exhibited for the first time at the Faustina Gallery's Holiday Art Show and Sale.  I love the glowing colors of this painting, and remember the excitement which I felt in finding this apple out in the wild. I was driving on a back country road, saw the apple, stopped, jumped out and picked it up, and created this painting with appreciation of it's rich and unexpected color. I then got on a roll with a series of paintings of apples from local heirloom trees which I found on horseback rides,  walks, and on our own farm.  Four other works from this series, as well as paintings by several other area artists are featured in this exhibit and sale.  These are smaller works, bright and affordable, perfect for holiday gifts!

I'll be at the reception tonight (6- 9 pm), and would enjoy talking with art appreciators and sharing my work. Here's the gallery info.: Faustina Gallery, 229 Market St., Lewisburg, PA 570-24-5080. The show continues through December. I hope that you can make it!

Drawing Family

I enjoyed a big Thanksgiving meal and a few days of vacation with my family. With the gift of more time together, I made several sketches of my husband, kids, and father-in-law. Although I am primarily a landscape artist, I cherish these small images of the people that I love, and in the process of drawing them,  I appreciate my family all the more. Drawing people also helps to hone my drawing skills for landscapes.

Paintings Find Good Homes!

I'm really delighted that seven of my recent paintings have been purchased! I hope that these works on paper and canvas will share the sense of gratitude for and connection with the natural world which I felt as I created them.  I feel very fulfilled in knowing that my paintings connect with other people's lives and experiences in these ways.

I hope that you had a happy Thanksgiving and time with family and friends.

Consolidating in the studio

For the past few days, I've been working in the studio, developing new works from the sketches  I made outside last week.  I loved exploring the 500+ acre farm nearby, and have several pastel sketches which interest me.  I'm working on a long distance view from the farm, and experiementing with different 'keys' in value (how dark and light the colors are- kind of like octaves on a piano). I'm developing a darker version, and a lighter version, and will see what I can learn in the process, and how the moods of the paintings differ with choice of values. I'm also excited about working from other sketches on this farm- many interesting compositions and colors!

Evolution of a Work - 'Drifted Stream in Valley'

I explored a neighbor's farm in the coldest part of winter.  I'd really been missing painting on location, and it was too cold to take along my  full supplies, so I just took a very small notebook and pencil in the pocket of my winter coat.  Because the snow was up to my knees, I also had to figure out how to get around.  So I hauled out my cross country skis, threw them in the back of my pickup (four wheel drive to get around in the snow), and I was free to roam!  

Finished - 'Drifted Stream in Valley'

I followed the course of the stream, and liked the contrast of the dark water against the frozen and drifted-over sections.  I noticed something new about shadows in snow, where the most shaded bank on the left was a cool blue, while the shadows on the right were a warmer blue, reflecting the color of the sky.  I also really liked the zig zaggy path of the stream, really drawing towards the distance.

Original graphite sketch in pocket sized sketchbook

It was so cold, that I couldn't even take my hand out of the gloves, so I sketched in pencil still wearing them, recording the bare essence of the composition.  Meanwhile, I was learning and absorbing more in the process of sketching, filing away in my memory.

Oil sketch completed in studio to 'capture' the colors

 When I got back to the studio and warmed up, I made an oil sketch on canvas paper to record the colors that I had remembered.  I really like how the transparent blue on the left stream bank gives the feel of drifted snow and coldness.  With the colors and my memories of being there, the 'mood' or feel of the place that drew me to it began to take shape in the painting.

In progress on canvas

I then began the final painting on a larger, 18" X 24" stretched canvas.  The photo above shows the under painting, where the composition is laid in, and I played up the warm/cool color contrasts.  By the time I began this work, the season had changed, but my preliminary studies and the memory of having been there in the elements and what I'd observed were all I needed to complete the work

Painting outside today!

I found some beautiful, rolly land today, and walked it and painted it.  I appreciated the feel of the warm sun, and sense of discovery passing through harvested corn fields, finding hedgerows and farther views.  The leaves are mostly down now, but even in the grays of the woods there are many surprise color accents, and light and shadow play across the hills. I started two pastels, and am going back tomorrow in the early morning- still much more to discover, and to see literally in the 'different light' of morning.

The Show is On!

I'm really pleased seeing my new oil and pastel paintings displayed together at the Faustina Gallery in Lewisburg!  The gallery owner/director (Jody Horn) has done a beautiful job hanging the exhibit which features twenty one of my landscapes along with oil paintings by Simonne Roy.  The lighting, and spacious and relaxed setting are a beautiful place to see and savor the exhibit.  I feel very pleased with the quality of these works, and enjoy seeing them as a group where they do show the marks of the maker, and relate to each other as a group.

The exhibit/sale continues through Nov. 20 (gallery hrs. Tues.- Sat. 10 am - 5 pm; phone 570-524-5080)- stop by if you get a chance, and let me know what you think!

Alice Kelsey at Faustina Gallery viewing her paintngs

Let the Show Begin!

The opening reception for 'Ridges and Valleys' takes place tonight, 6 to 10 pm, at Faustina Gallery in Lewisburg.  I delivered the work yesterday, and am really excited about seeing it displayed as a group- 7 new oil paintings, plus 14 new pastels will be exhibited along with work by Simonne Roy.  All the paintings are landscapes of Central Pennsylvania.  I feel very connected to the natural world, and am pleased when my paintings can convey this feeling and my sense of gratitude. 

Alice considering color on in-progress oil painting

This photo shows me doing a fairly typical process when oil painting- most of the colors I use in my oil paintings I create by mixing from a few standard primary and secondary tube colors.  When I mix a color, I often hold a bit in front of the painting so I can consider how it would work with the colors already in the painting- I then can 'tune' that color so that it has the effect the painting needs.  It is amazing how colors interact with each other, and this always fascinates me (there is so much to learn!).   

Evolution of a Work - 'Summer Morning, Farm Lane'

I really like the atmosphere of a hazy, early morning in August that comes through in this pastel.  The place is also special to me- it is a few miles from where I grew up in Chester County, Pennsylvania.  I had returned to my 'homeland' on a painting expedition, wanting to connect with some of the beauty of that area, which certainly led me to be an artist.

'Summer Morning, Farm Lane' - completed
(collection of Linda and Dave Miller)

For a week straight, I got up with the sun and painted all day.  This particular scene presented a practical challenge, because I only had a limited set of pastels with me, and could not find the full value and temperature range of colors that were crucial to the painting.  I had the correct colors in oil paints with me, but did not have a canvas of the right proportions for the composition that I wanted.  So I decided to do an underpainting on pastel paper, establishing the values and drawing the full composition.  The spacing  between the trees I also felt was really important, and I paid careful attention to the drawing aspect in this underpainting.  After completing this underpainting on pastel paper, I then also painted a second oil sketch (on canvas) to establish the correct colors - I could only include part of the composition due to the shape of the canvas.

"Summer Morning, Farm Lane' Oil Sketch
(collection of Tim Kelsey)

In this full color plein air oil sketch, I really wanted to capture the strong dark shadow masses in the trees, contrasting with the bright, sun lit area.  The greens in the ground area also differed greatly in temperature and value as they receded into the background, and I really wanted to get these right because they were so important to the atmosphere.  I ended up liking this sketch as a finished work.

After returning to the studio, I followed up on the studies I'd done outside, and using the oil on canvas as a color reference, I returned to the monochromatic painting on paper and applied pastel over the oil.  I'm really pleased with having found a way to get the spacing of the trees and colors as I wanted them in the finished work.  It really did take some improvising on the spot!

If you compare the two paintings, you'll see that the pastel's composition includes more of the scene to the left.

Framing away!

I've been super busy framing pieces for the show, which opens in one week.  It takes a lot of time and attention to detail, and is very different from the skills required to create the art.  However, I'm finding it really gratifying to see the pieces glow in the frames, and hanging side by side as a group.

I really like each of the pieces in my upcoming show, and seeing them together, I am pleased how they bear the marks of the maker, and clearly were created by the same hand.

In this photo, I'm doing one of the final steps involved in mounting a pastel in its frame - the piece is already 'sandwiched' between a mounting board and mat, and I am securing these layers in the frame with little metal 'points'.  Right after this, I put on black backing paper, and add the hangers and wire. I do use archival methods and materials, and pastels are known to last a long, long time.    

Alice in the framing room, affixing the back to pastel.

Frames sighted!

Yeah!  Thanks to leads from a friend, I found several frames that I like very much!!!! If all goes well, they will be here in time for my show opening in two weeks to add the 'icing' to my oils on canvas.  I can't wait to see them ready for exhibition!

Evolution (Resurrection?) of a Work; "Round Bales- Cluster of Four"

Sometimes when a piece is done, it isn't really done.  I 'completed' this painting, 'Round Bales- Cluster of Four,' about seven years ago, and framed it.  But every time I looked at it, something just didn't feel quite right to me about it.  So earlier this month, I took it out of the frame, and dramatically reworked it, and finally, I'm fully satisfied with it.

"Round Bales - Cluster of Four"  final version, 2010

As a point of comparison, here is how the painting almost looked when I first framed it in 2003.  Several things didn't feel quite right to me about that earlier version:

As originally framed in 2003

Frame hunting

Today was filled with art-related chores.  I'm in the midst of selecting frames for several of my recently completed canvases, and drove 80 miles searching for just the right moulding. The 'hunt' is still on, with several possibilities under consideration, but the magic 'ah-ha' still eludes me.... keep on searching!

I'm excited to be just over two weeks away from my joint exhibition at the Faustina Gallery in Lewisburg, and am about to begin a 'blitz' of framing to prepare the works for exhibition.  My husband builds most of the frames which I use, and I cut the mats myself- a rather exacting activity (every 1/16" counts, and there are many ways to make critical mistakes!), but I find it gratifying to bring the works through this final stage. I enjoy freeing the finished pastel from the drawing board, making final cropping decisions, and mounting it in a compatible frame, where it can then glow brightly on the wall! Very satisfying!

Evolution of a Work - "Autumn Evening, Round Bales Uphill"

I started working on this painting about six years ago, but most of the time it rested between stages, until the composition felt right to me.

"Autumn Evening, Round Bales Uphill" - completed

This painting began with an initial pastel sketch on location.  Back in the studio, I thought it would be fun to make an oil version on linen, with its beautiful texture.  Below is my initial start of that oil.  I like to begin loosely, and let the shapes and colors get a force of their own.  At this stage, I ran into a problem where the triangular shape in the bottom left corner just didn't relate to the rest of the painting, which had more arc-shaped forms.

Initial oil sketch on canvas

It took a while to find the answer, but I ended up removing the triangle, and brought more light into the foreground. You can see that the background now has more depth as I've layered on more color.  However the painting still lacked unity, so I remembered back to what I connected with at the time I first sketched the scene outdoors- the patches of bright light striking the ground, slanting in during late evening.  So I made the colors more neutral to harmonize with each other (see the image below).

At this stage, it had to rest quite a while because I wasn't sure what else to do to fix it.  The foreground seemed not to hold the eye, so I took the drastic step of adding more hay bales to balance the masses, and to move the eye from foreground to background, with places to investigate on the way in a circular motion.  Compare the image below to the final version above- in the image below, my eye tends to zip right to the row of bales and freezes there- in the final version, my eye circulates around and things feel in balance. 

Second stage - triangle removed

Evolution of a Work - 'Morning Shadow from Woods to Field"

I recently completed this painting of a scene I often pass while driving a tractor. 

"Morning Shadow from Woods to Field" - completed

I started this painting on location, and as you can see from the initial sketch below, it originally had different colors in the foreground. I added more distinct dark masses to 'ground' the foreground, setting the space distinct from the background.  I also played up the red area on the right a bit, to set off the green areas a bit (since red and green are complementary colors).  I softened the shadows, since although the purple color was beautiful, it kept drawing my eye to that spot alone, rather than allowing my eye to circulate throughout the painting.

Early sketch, cropped with tape from the larger painting

More fundamentally, this painting originally began as part of a larger piece (see the image below), which I didn't feel held together well as a complete composition.  Yet I liked both sides of that painting, so I visually separated and cropped them using artists tape and worked on each separately.  It is only when both paintings were done and ready for framing that I physically cut the two apart.  The painting on the left I call 'Windy Day, Fall Fields." 

More developed - but with only tape laid over the paper
separating it from the original composition

Evolution of a Work - "Back Field in Summer Sun"

This is a pastel painting of a hill on our farm.  I've always loved the clusters of white pine trees, with their big masses, how they anchor the hillside.

"Back Field in Summer Sun" completed

This is the initial start of the painting, begun on location.  You can see that my initial efforts in a painting are to establish the placement of forms in their relation to each other.  I usually carefully consider the overall composition before I start feeling out the masses and movement.  When I start, I usually like the mark-making to be free and loose, not thinking too much, but instead feeling until it takes shape.  In choosing the blue color, I needed its darker value to 'hold in place' the big shapes of the trees, and to create a sense of coolness. The foreground fields were a warmer, lighter green, with early spring grasses just coming through.  As I laid these in, I then noticed the slightly reddish tint of the dried winter grasses remaining, and quickly put that in so I could remember this when working on the painting in my studio. I really love this sense of discovery while working on location, which is a big part of why I begin many of my pieces en plein air.

Initial sketch

Back in my studio, I added more foreground color, and then used a wash (solvent and bristle brush to liquify the pastel) to unify the colors and shapes.  I often do this to help create the background of a painting, and then later layer onto this specific details.  The clouds started to appear to balance the composition.  The cloud on the top left in particularly helps balance the composition by returning the eye throughout the piece (rather than drifting off the top left).   I feel these decisions intuitively- it is only retrospectively that I think of them as 'action steps."  If I think too logically at the time, the painting becomes stilted and doesn't grow.

More developed

To finish the painting, I layered color over color in the foreground, to create a rich texture of visible strokes and to give the feeling of winter and spring grasses meeting.  I darkened and unified the pine tree shapes, restating the dark masses and value contrasts which had first appealed to me with the subject.