Pause and Enjoy

Spicy chilis and Maximilian’s Sunflowers are seen everywhere in Santa Fe and Taos. The cheery yellow blossoms are blocked in with mixes of Cadmium Orange + Cadmium Yellow Medium. A bit of MUD (Ultramarine Blue + Alizarin Crimson) is added into the shadows. Sunlit petals are painted with Hansa Lemon Yellow that has a touch of Cadmium Yellow Medium mixed in. The warm leaves are mixtures of Ultramarine Blue + Cadmium Yellow Medium.

Dark centers finish the Maximilian’s Sunflowers bobbing and dipping in the breeze. Gently curved terra-cotta pavers help to give the impression of depth to the entry courtyard. First the entire surface of the floor is painted, then the curved perspective lines are drawn with a fine liner brush into the wet paint. Delineating the horizontal lines separating the tiles completes the process. The rocks lining the flower bed are made of Ultramarine Blue + Cadmium Orange + MUD + White. These are the same colors used for the adobe. More blue is added for the rocks while the walls have more Cadmium Orange. It’s amazing the variety of different hues this mixture makes just by varying the proportions of the base colors.

The Taos Blue bench is a mix of Pthalo Blue + a tiny touch of Cadmium Orange + White. The saw tooth edge of the front panel is made using the square corner of a #12 Bright brush held at a 45 degree angle.

People often ask how do I get such bright colors? Here is another one of those very simple rules we use in painting. Placing a color next to its compliment makes it appear brighter. Orange is the complimentary color or across the color wheel from blue. So placing the orange California Poppies in close proximity to the bench intensifies the blue, making both appear brighter.

Now for the Shasta Daises in the foreground. White flowers offer a wonderful excuse to use lots of beautiful lavenders, blues and soft greens in the shadows. My mixtures are laid out on the palette and I’m ready to begin painting. I work almost exclusively with “Bright” brushes, some are shown above. The broad surface is great for blocking in large areas and the corners can be used to paint fine detail.

The Shasta Daisies are blocked in. The shadow colors are randomly painted on the canvas, this will give interest in the dark areas of the flowers. The leaves are painted next with mixes of Pthalo Blue + Hansa Lemon Yellow. The greens will be worked around the flowers to shape them.

Pause and Enjoy     30″ x 36″       Original Oil Painting

Sunlight dances across the tops of the Shasta Daisies, issuing an invitation for the viewer to take a seat to Pause and Enjoy. Remember, if you would like to look at any of these pictures enlarged just click on the image. Thanks for visiting our studio today. Hugs, Mikki Senkarik

Website: www.senkarik.com

Back to Taos

Our gallery in Taos needs another piece. YIPPEE! Victoria asked, “Could you paint me a red door with a courtyard and maybe one of those cute little benches you do? People just seem to love them.” Jack has me well trained, I’m fairly obedient. So here goes. The basic design is drawn up on the canvas and we’re ready to start painting. The flowers are labeled to jog my memory as I paint.

Trees in the distance behind the wall are blocked in with mixes of Pthalo Blue + Orange + White. This makes a cool gray-green that drops back. The adobe color is mixed from Ultramarine Blue + Cadmium Orange + White. MUD (Ultramarine Blue + Alizarin Crimson) is added to the mixture for the shadows. Ultramarine Blue + White + a tiny touch of Cadmium Orange is used to cool the wall. You can especially see this on the left side of the painting. I also moved the door a little to the left from the original sketch on canvas. I felt it just gave the painting a little better balance.

Moving to the Wisteria I follow the usual sequence of “Flowers First, Leaves Last”. Blocking the blossoms in before the foliage allows the lavender colors made of Dioxazine Purple + White to remain bright and clean.

Adding the petals of the flowers catching the sunlight and long, twisting tendrils finishes out the wispy Wisteria. To see any of these pictures larger just click on the image.

A mixture of Magenta + Cadmium Red Deep is used for the shadow on the door while the bright portion in the sun is pure Cadmium Red Light. Thank you for visiting our studio today. Have a wonderful day. Hugs, Mikki Senkarik

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Captivating Lilies

White Oriental Lilies are so beautiful against a red background, I thought they would be a good subject for an ACEO on my eBay auction this week. So let’s get started. A pen and ink sketch is first made to plan the basic design. As a special treat we are including this original sketch with the ACEO in my auction. You can win TWO Senkarik originals! Next the outlines of the flowers are drawn with an oil wash on the acrylic linen canvas. To see any of these images larger just click on the picture.

CLICK HERE to go directly to my eBay auction.

A few of the leaves are blocked in and then the red background is worked around the outlines of the flowers. The red is made darker at the top, getting gradually lighter and brighter as I move downward.

For those of you not familiar with the acronym ACEO it stands for Art Cards Editions and Originals. The miniature paintings are the size of a baseball trading card, 2 1/2 inches by 3 1/2 inches. This category of art has become increasingly popular on eBay the last couple of years. Many of my collectors have framed these little gems in a traditional frame with a mat about 4 inches wide. The ones we’ve seen look really nice. ACEOs also make wonderful gifts!

The shadows of the Lilies are made with blues and lavenders. Pure white is reserved for the highlights.

Captivating Lilies           ACEO                Original Oil Painting

Let Captivating Lilies capture your heart and bring a touch of the garden into your home. Remember, as a bonus I’m giving my original Pen and Ink Sketch for the ACEO to the winner. This drawing is a piece of art suitable for framing. You will win TWO Senkarik Originals in the auction, the sketch and the ACEO Oil Painting, Captivating Lilies.

Bidding begins at a penny. The auction ends Sunday, July 1 at 8 PM Texas Time (Central Time Zone).

CLICK HERE to go to the auction.

HAVE FUN! Hugs, Mikki Senkarik

Spring Into Summer

In March Texas Bluebonnets popped up in our flower beds.

Then in April the Red Corn Poppies and Laura Bush Petunias took over.

Spring has past and now we are in the heat of summer. The mercury in our thermometer hit 107.4 degrees at the studio today. And that was in the shade! The Laura Bush Petunias are beginning to look a bit ragged but the heat loving Zinnias are in their element. I had never really paid attention to the multicolored flowers until we were visiting our dear friends, Jerry and Sharon in Ajijic, Mexico several years ago. We had gone to dinner and a bed was planted near the restaurant. I exclaimed in my Texas accent, “Oh, Zeen-yahs. Aren’t they pretty?” Jerry’s gruff voice split the air, “Mikki, you say Zin-E-Ahs. Not Zeen-yahs.” Sharon and Jack broke out in laughter. OPPS! I must admit I can’t ever look at these happy flowers without thinking of Jerry and Sharon.

The Pipevine Swallowtail Butterflies certainly like the Zin-E-Ahs!

We have a new baby in the neighborhood, a little fawn. This was as close as the attentive doe would let me get to snap a photo. Thought you would like take a little break from painting today and see what’s happening on Senkarik Pond. Have a great day. Hugs, Mikki Senkarik.

If you would like to receive an email every time I publish a new post please feel free to subscribe to my blog. CLICK THIS LINK and scroll to the upper right side of the page. You will see a heading EMAIL SUBSCRIPTIONS. Just enter your email address and click the button “Sign me up!”  It’s easy. And if you enjoy my blog please CLICK the FaceBook LIKE Button. As we say in Texas, “Much Obliged!”

Portofino Reflections

Deep green shutters are typically seen in Portofino. This is a pleasant day, but storms on the Mediterranean can be quite intense, the shutters offer great protection so most of the buildings have them. For these I mix Pthalo Blue + Cadmium Orange + White in three different shades: medium, medium-dark and dark. The entire surface of the shutter is covered with the medium-dark green. Then I come back and paint the louvers with the medium shade.

The darkest green mix is used for the edge of the shutters and to delineate the cracks between the individual louvers. Now I begin on the Magenta Petunias. Since I’m painting the flower color over the green of the shutter I have to “lay” the paint on the surface, being very careful not to pick up any of the paint underneath. This technique allows the color of the blossoms to remain clean and not get muddy.

After the flowers are blocked in and the leaves painted I come back in to indicate the deep centers of the Petunias. A mix of Magenta + a tiny bit of Liquin is used.

Paint saved from the harbor wall is used for the ornate beams supporting the slate roof. Now I can finish the blossoms of the Trumpet Vine cascading over the edge.

Wine, cheese and fresh grapes, YUMMMMMMMM. Greens left over from the foliage of the California Poppies and White Lilies will be used for the grapes.

Portofino Reflections     32″ x 44″     Original Oil Painting

We finish up by adding the details on the wine glasses and bottle. Wouldn’t you like to take a seat, sip some wine, relax and enjoy watching the reflections of Portofino rippling and dancing across the water? This has been so much fun. We have to wait a few days to give the paint a chance to dry a bit. Then I’ll spray it with a protective coat of Grumbacher Retouch Varnish and Portofino Reflections will be on its way to Fern and David. Thank you for all of your kind and encouraging comments, I appreciate them greatly. Have a wonderful day. Hugs, Mikki Senkarik.

Website: www.senkarik.com

Ancient Cobblestones

California Poppies are planted in the pot by the sunflowers. The happy little flowers are painted with shades of Cadmium Red Light + Cadmium Orange. The blue-gray foliage is made of Pthalo Blue + Cadmium Orange + White. To see any of the pictures larger you can click on the image.

The painting is going to hang on a soft blue-gray wall. Fern and David asked if I could include some flowers that would pick up that color. No problem, white Lilies will be perfect. The shadow colors range from lavender mixed from Dioxazine Purple + White to blue made of Ultramarine Blue + White. The jumble of lavender and blue will go well with the wall. I’ve also used some of the soft blue-gray color throughout the painting, especially in the boats and sails. Warm green leaves, Ultramarine Blue + Cadmium Yellow Medium + White, are worked in and around the blossom color shaping the individual flowers. Pure White is used to highlight the petals kissed by the sun.

Now to the cobblestones. I’ve been saving my paint to mix into colors for the ancient stones. A range of warm and cool browns are made. Some of the blue and lavender from the White Lilies will be used in the floor. The peach colors to the far right are for the tablecloth.

The basic light and shadow pattern is blocked in with choppy strokes. The floor is made cooler, or bluer, toward the back at the base of the wall so it will recede. Cool colors go back, Warm colors come forward. I will make the distant edge of the foreground shadow cooler so it will fall back.

The perspective lines separating the stones are indicated with a #2 Bright brush. My goal is to give the impression of cobblestones instead of delineating each and every individual rock.

I’ve often been asked, “When do you sign your paintings?” My response is usually, “When the floor is done!” I like to sign the piece when the area is wet, it’s much easier to make the fine lines smooth. If I waited until the paint was drier the strokes of my signature would be bumpy and irregular. This holds true where ever I place my signature, be it in the leaves of a plant or on the beach of an seascape.

The tablecloth is basically the same peachy color as some of the buildings along the harbor’s edge. The color is mixed with various combinations of Cadmium Red Light + Cadmium Orange + MUD (Ultramarine Blue + Alizarin Crimson) + White. The cloth on the flat surface of the table top is lighter because it catches light from the sky. The sides of the cloth draped over the edge receive less illumination from above, therefore they are darker. Have a wonderful day and hope to see you tomorrow. Hugs, Mikki Senkarik

If you would like to receive an email every time I publish a new post please feel free to subscribe to my blog. CLICK THIS LINK and scroll to the upper right side of the page. You will see a heading EMAIL SUBSCRIPTIONS. Just enter your email address and click the button “Sign me up!”  It’s easy. And if you enjoy my blog please CLICK the FaceBook LIKE Button. As we say in Texas, “Much Obliged!”

Sign Painting

The entire harbor wall is painted leaving a few key points of the original sketched lettering exposed to use as guides. The final lettering of the sign is painted wet-into-wet with an oil wash made of Magenta + Liquin. Here is where the mahl stick really comes in handy. Notice the tissue paper in my left hand. I wipe my brush every few strokes to keep it clean. A clean brush gives clean, crisp color on  your canvas. The tissue is thrown away after one or two wipes, insuring my hands and everything else around me stays paint-free.

Since the lower part of the painting is uncovered I can brace my hand against the canvas to make the finishing adjustments to the letters and swash underneath.

Now, let’s plant some flowers in these terra cotta containers. Permanent Rose + White is used for the Hollyhocks. A little Magenta is thrown into the mix for the flowers in shadow. Adele, one of my regular readers made a suggestion. She wrote, “Instead of saying Flowers First, Foliage Last why don’t you say Flowers First, Leaves Last? It is much easier to remember.” Thank you Adele, I love it and you are absolutely right.

So after the flowers are blocked in first and the leaves last I go back in to add the Hollyhock seedpods, then the centers and highlights on the individual blossoms. To see any of the pictures larger just click on the image.

The Sunflowers are painted in a similar sequence with mixes of Cadmium Yellow Medium + Cadmium Orange + MUD (Ultramarine Blue + Alizarin Crimson) for the darker shades of yellow. Pure Cadmium Yellow Medium is used for the midtones while a little Hansa Lemon Yellow is added to the Cadmium Yellow Medium for the petals catching the sunlight.

The foliage is made of various proportions of Ultramarine Blue + Hansa Lemon Yellow. The Sunflowers begin to emerge when the dark centers are added using MUD. We’ll do some more planting tomorrow. Why don’t you bring your gardening gloves and come help? Hugs, Mikki Senkarik

Harbor Waters

The water of the harbor with its dancing reflections begins somewhat like the sky. The basic blues are painted first. Ultramarine Blue + MUD (Ultramarine Blue + Alizarin Crimson) + White is used for the most distant water. Moving forward the blue becomes a mix of Ultramarine Blue + White, then Ultramarine Blue + a touch of Pthalo Blue + White. At the level of my brush I’m using Pthalo Blue + a tiny bit of Cadmium Orange + White. The darker blue close to the wall is the same mixture with less White. The Pthalo Blue mixes are much more intense than the muted Ultramarine Blue ones, making them come forward. This follows another simple rule that helps give the impression of depth in a painting: Intense colors come forward, muted colors recede.

The paint saved from the buildings lining the harbor is now used for their reflections. The colors are pulled down into the blue of the water. This dulls them just a bit, reflections are usually a muted version of the object making them. Then I begin working on the boats in the background.

After the distant boats and fishing nets are finished I refine the reflections a little more. Feel free to enlarge any of these pictures, just click on the image.

I love the warm glow of canvas sails when the sun is behind them. I use the shadow color left over from the clouds with just a kiss of Cadmium Yellow Medium mixed in to give the feel of the sun’s warmth.

The deck, seats and gunwales of the  foreground fishing boat are painted with one of those special colors we use from time to time, Sevres Green. It makes a vibrant green I’m unable to mix with our Double Primary Palette.

Wouldn’t you like to jump on that sloop heading out of the harbor for an afternoon sail? Another sailor is raising his mainsail in the background, getting ready to join in the fun.  Let’s run away! I can almost hear the halyards clinking against the mast, smell the salty sea air and feel the gentle breeze! Hugs, Mikki Senkarik

If you would like to receive an email every time I publish a new post please feel free to subscribe to my blog. CLICK THIS LINK and scroll to the upper right side of the page. You will see a heading EMAIL SUBSCRIPTIONS. Just enter your email address and click the button “Sign me up!”  It’s easy. And if you enjoy my blog please CLICK the FaceBook LIKE Button. As we say in Texas, “Much Obliged!”

An Essential Tool

While the sky is still wet I move to the foreground to block in the vine tumbling over the building. It’s easier to paint all the stems and flower petals wet-into-wet. Various mixes of Alizarin Crimson + Cadmium Red Light + Cadmium Orange are used for the fiery blossoms. Then the foliage color is worked around the flowers. I usually follow this sequence: Flowers First, Foliage Second. By painting the flowers to begin with the color remains clean. If the leaves were blocked in first, when I come back to put in the flowers my brush would pick up the green, muddying the blossom color.

One of the most essential tools an artist can have in their studio is a mirror. Mine is framed and mounted on an easel with wheels. The mirror is placed directly behind me so I can turn and critique my piece, I do this quite often as I work. Looking at your piece in the mirror moves it from the artistic side of your brain to the analytical side. You can see your painting as if someone else has done it and judge with a critical eye. Mistakes that you overlook while painting are glaring when you look at the piece in the mirror. If you don’t have a mirror in your studio, get one. AND….. even more important, USE IT! That’s Jack’s painting beside my easel, one of my favorites.

The mirror is especially helpful in painting buildings like these lining the harbor in Portofino. I can tell if my lines are straight and the perspective correct by judging the piece in the mirror. The first step is to block in the basic colors of the structures. I keep the hues muted so the buildings will stay in the distance.

Bracing my hand on my mahl stick the awnings, shutters and windows are delineated. Wouldn’t you love to live in one of these buildings with such a beautiful view of the harbor? To find out more about a mahl stick CLICK HERE.

Finally I add a flower market and a few people strolling along the harbor promenade. If you would like to see any of these pictures enlarged just click on the image. I’m glad you stopped by the studio, please come back again soon. Have a great day. Hugs, Mikki Senkarik

Website: www.senkarik.com

A Soft Italian Sky

The sky is my starting point because it is the source of light and influences the rest of the painting. The colors are mixed and I’m ready to begin. The purple shadows of the clouds are various combinations of MUD (Ultramarine Blue + Alizarin Crimson) + White. The light portions are Cadmium Red Light + Cadmium Orange + White with the addition of the tiniest touch of the shadow color. The blues from left to right are Pthalo Blue + White, Ultramarine Blue + White and a darker shade of the same mix.

The entire blue field of the sky is painted first. If you go outside on a cloudless day to observe the sky you will notice it is lighter and greener toward the horizon. As you look directly overhead the dome of the sky becomes a darker, deeper blue. So the Pthalo Blue mix is used in the lower portion of the sky. Working upward I use the lightest Ultramarine mixture while the darkest is saved for the top of the canvas to replicate the dome of the sky arching overhead.

Pulling out a 2 inch Bob Ross background brush I add the clouds, wet into wet, over the blue. I want the edges to be very soft so the clouds will appear light and fluffy. To see any of these pictures larger just click on the image.

The most distant range of mountains is made more blue and the top edge is softened into the sky. Following a very basic rule, Cool Colors Recede, Warm Colors Come Forward, the mountains in the middle are made warmer with the addition of purples into the blues. The closest range is painted with soft greens, purples and taupes, making them advance in front of the other mountains. The villages on the other side of the bay are indicated with the corner of a Bright brush dipped some of the Ultramarine Blue sky color.

Castello Brown is located high above the Portofino Harbor. The castle was originally built to guard the harbor, then was purchased in 1867 by Montague Yeats Brown and converted into a private villa. It has been a museum since 1961. If you ever go to Portofino it is well worth making the climb up to the castle. The view is INCREDIBLE! Thanks for visiting today. Please come back again soon to see how we are progressing. Hugs, Mikki Senkarik

If you would like to receive an email every time I publish a new post please feel free to subscribe to my blog. CLICK THIS LINK and scroll to the upper right side of the page. You will see a heading EMAIL SUBSCRIPTIONS. Just enter your email address and click the button “Sign me up!”  It’s easy. And if you enjoy my blog please CLICK the FaceBook LIKE Button. As we say in Texas, “Much Obliged!”