Lots of Poppies

We love Red Poppies and are so fortunate to have them grace our garden each spring. They are a perfect complement to the Bluebonnets and Laura Bush Petunias.

Starting with the most distant part of the field I block in the Poppies with Magenta + White. Moving forward to the middle ground Cadmium Red Deep is used for the flowers.

Since the foreground is in shadow the mass of red here is a mix of Cadmium Red Deep + Magenta. Then I go back and begin putting in greens for the foliage. Blue/Greens are used in the part of the field farthest away to make it recede. Where the sunshine streams under the vines I use a lighter green made of Pthalo Blue + Lemon Yellow. Darker greens will be painted around the deep reds in the foreground.

Now I go back and paint the Poppies illuminated by the sun. Cadmium Red Light adds a wonderful warm pop of light! I gently “Lay” the color on top of the underlying greens. I don’t want to pick up any of the paint from the foliage and dirty the flower color.

Sunwashed Vineyards     16″ x 19″    Original Oil Painting

Stems and dark centers finish out the Poppies swaying in the gentle breeze from the Mediterranean. I don’t know about you but I’m ready to take a deep breath of that fresh, crisp air and stroll though the Sunwashed Vineyards. Thank you for following along. Have a wonderful evening and I hope you’ll visit our studio again soon. Hugs, Mikki Senkarik

Distant Village

The sky is completed first, then I paint forward on the Azure Mediterranean Ocean. I follow a simple rule in painting the water: Muted Colors go back, Intense Colors come forward. To make the color of the water in the distance muted I use mixes of Ultramarine Blue + MUD (Ultramarine Blue + Alizarin Crimson) + White. In the middle distance a mix of Ultramarine Blue + Pthalo Blue + White is used. Closest to the front of the painting the water becomes more intense, or brighter, with mixtures of Pthalo Blue + White.

The under wash of the vines is dry so I can paint around them without dirtying the color of the water. I let a ray of sunshine splash across the surface of the ocean, illuminating the hills and the tiny fishing village of Cassis in the distance. Remember, you can click on any of the pictures to see them larger 🙂

The fields of vineyards in the background are painted with cool blue/greens. I let the light hit the most distant vines. After the solid mass of color is blocked in I draw the rows into the wet paint.

The vines on the front hillside are painted with cooler greens in the far back, getting warmer as they come closer. I paint them loosely, allowing some of the under wash to show through. The warmest greens made of Ultramarine Blue + Cadmium Yellow Medium are reserved for the vines on the right since they are closest to the viewer. The grapes are also made cooler in the distance with mixes of Dioxazine Purple + Ultramarine Blue + White. The ones in the immediate foreground are pure Dioxazine Purple + White.

Dangling bunches of grapes are added on the right and the posts supporting the vines are completed. Tomorrow we’ll plant the field of Red Poppies!

AND….Don’t forget. The auction for the hand embellished and signed Limited Original of Jack’s Oil Painting “Taos” ends tomorrow night (Sunday) at 8 PM Texas Time. That’s the Central Time Zone. CLICK HERE to go to the auction. Happy Bidding! Hugs, Mikki Senkarik

Starting Anew

Today we’re starting on a new commission for a long time collector who saw the painting above in a video of my work. Just CLICK HERE if you would like to view the YouTube.

Bonnie wants her painting in a little different size than the one she originally saw. No problem, I can make the composition fit the new format. I begin drawing up the plan in an oil wash of MUD (Ultramarine Blue + Alizarin Crimson) thinned with Liquin. To see any of these pictures larger just click on the image.

After the basic elements are sketched in I apply an underwash on the vines. The most distant part of the row on the left is washed in with a mix of Viridian Green + Pthalo Blue + a liberal amount of Liquin. The coolness of these colors makes the end of the row recede. As the vines come closer to the foreground I use Sap Green + Liquin which is warmer. This follows a basic rule: Warm Colors come forward, Cool Colors go back.

A little bit of Alizarin Crimson is added for extra warmth in the leaves of the vine on the right. We’ll start painting tomorrow, hope you’ll come follow along. 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!

Flooded With Light

Nasturtiums are so wonderful with their happy blossoms and long tendrils. I block the flowers in first #1. Then the leaves are painted around the mass of Oranges and Reds #2. Working in this sequence keeps the flower color bright and clean. If I painted the foliage first my brush would pick up some of the green when applying the flower color, making it muddy.

The petals catching the sunlight are highlighted. Then the deep dark centers are added, completing the Nasturtiums. Remember, if you would like to see any of the images larger just click on the picture.

The Hollyhocks are painted in the same sequence: Flowers First, Leaves Last.

Crisp, White Daisies line up along the base of the adobe courtyard wall. After blocking in the flowers and foliage I highlight the blossoms illuminated by the shaft of sunlight pouring into the painting from the left.

Flooded With Light     34″ x 42″      Original Oil Painting

Stately Dioxazine Purple Delphiniums fill the lower left corner, helping to make up the dark shadow that acts as a threshold across the front of the painting. Think of being outside your home on a warm summer night. Imagine the front door is open, revealing the brightly lit interior. Your gaze is drawn through the darkness and across the threshold of the doorway by the light inside. In a painting the light behind the dark shadow in the foreground pulls your viewer into the piece and helps to give the feeling of depth. This technique also works extremely well with landscapes. You can make a cloud cast a shadow over the foreground of your painting.

This hidden Santa Fe corner is Flooded with Light and ready to head to the gallery for our annual Collector Event, August 30 and 31. If you would like more information about the event just email us at Senkarik@senkarik.com. Hope you’ll come, we’d love to personally give you a big, Texas HUG! Mikki Senkarik

Gecko and Cobblestones

Before we begin painting I want to let you know about an EXCLUSIVE OPPORTUNITY to own a Jack White. On our eBay auction we are offering this Hand Embellished Limited Original on Canvas of Jack’s beautiful oil painting “Taos”. To view the image larger just click on  the picture. Hurry, the auction ends Sunday, June 30 and the bidding starts at only a penny. That’s right, 1 Cent! CLICK HERE to go to the auction.

The Limited Original is unframed with plenty of canvas for stretching. Not only is the piece titled and numbered with the edition at the top border, it bears Jack’s unique reverse signature. This was how he had to sign his trademark gold leaf “Echruseos” because they were done on the back of glass. The signature appeared in the correct direction on the front of the gold leaf. When the Limited Original is stretched in a traditional manner the labeling will be upright on the back of the piece. To go to the eBay auction for this piece CLICK HERE.

Now let’s get to work. I brace against a mahl stick hooked over the top of my easel to steady my hand as I paint the Gecko tile design.

The window in the foreground is a mix of Ultramarine Blue + a touch of Dioxazine Purple + White. The light will spill into the painting from behind the dark building on the left. Terra cotta containers are painted with mixes of MUD + Cadmium Orange + Cadmium Red Light + White.

For the floor I begin working on the upper level of the porch and paint forward. The upright planes of the steps are made darker, the top surfaces are lighter because the sun hits them more directly.

The sunlit portion of the cobblestones are made cooler toward the back and become warmer as we paint forward.

Next the shadow across the front is blocked in. Notice the back of the shadow area is cooler so it falls back. I lay the paint in with rough, textured strokes to give the impression of irregular cobbles.

The cracks and crevices between the cobblestones are loosely indicated with touches of MUD. I don’t want to outline each and every rock. I let my brush dance along the edges of the rough brushstrokes to give the impression of the cobbles. There is more detail in the foreground with less and less as the floor recedes.

Cobblestones….DONE. Hope you’ll come back for our next session. I’ll be planting. Why don’t you bring some gardening gloves and come help? Hugs, Mikki Senkarik

Website: www.senkarik.com

Rounded Adobe and Vigas

The mountainside in the background is painted with cool Gray/Greens so it recedes. Then I block in the distant part of the Wisteria with mixes of Dioxazine Purple + Ultramarine Blue + White. Dioxazine Purple + White is used for the mass of blossoms toward the front of the building. This mix is a bit more Red and makes it warmer so it advances forward. The greens of the foliage are worked around the purples.

The rounded adobe is painted with mixtures of Ultramarine Blue + Cadmium Orange + White in various proportions. MUD (Ultramarine Blue + Alizarin Crimson) is added for the darker shadows. The beams protruding from the building are called Vigas and are a prominent feature of Southwestern architecture. On a sunshiny day they cast intriguing shadows across the rough adobe walls.

The window and door are pure Cobalt Blue + White. If you would like to see any of the images larger just click on the picture.

The willow slats over the glass in the door are so cool. They are fun to paint with all their wiggles and jiggles.

Heavy wooden beams, corbels and portal posts complete the main building. The soft Green umbrella is painted with mixtures of Pthalo Blue + Viridian Green + White. That’s all for today. Have a great evening and hope to see you tomorrow. Hugs, Mikki Senkarik

Hidden in Santa Fe

I’m starting to work on pieces for our annual collector event at the Santa Fe Art Collector Gallery August 30th and 31st. One of my favorite things about Santa Fe is the little hidden alleyways that lead to surprises around every corner. I knew this setting would make a wonderful painting, only had to add a few flowers to make it just right. I jot my ideas down in a quick pencil sketch.

The general plan is drawn up on the canvas with a brush dipped in an oil wash of deep purple made of Ultramarine Blue + Alizarin Crimson thinned with Liquin.

After the basic outline is complete I start washing in some of the general values.

The composition begins to take shape as more of the details and shadows are added. To enlarge any of these images just click on the picture.

The initial drawing is finished, we’re ready to begin applying paint in our next session. Thank you for following along today. 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! Hugs, Mikki Senkarik

California Poppies and Cosmos

We’re gardening again. The flowers of the California Poppies filling part of the planter in the right foreground are blocked in first. Then the leaves are worked in and around the red-orange blossoms.

I went ahead and painted the long thin foliage of the Poker Plant as I worked on the leaves of the Poppies. After painting the greens I go back and delineate the deep centers of the California Poppies with Magenta + Liquin.

Pink Cosmos grows in front of the planter. I follow the same sequence as with the California Poppies; Flowers First, Leaves Last. Mixtures of Permanent Rose + White are used for the Cosmos blossoms.

The foliage is painted, then the dark on the deepest part of the pink petals and yellow centers are added. The last step on painting the Cosmos is to draw in the thin stems with a fine liner brush.

Travels         50″ x 40″     Original Oil Painting

Adding the Red Hot, upright flowers of the Poker Plant finishes out our special commemorative collaboration. To enlarge the painting just click on the image. Jack came up with a wonderful name for this piece that contains hints of significant places from our collectors’ journey of twenty years together. Don’t you think “Travels” is pretty cool? This has been so much fun to put all the ideas together. I can’t wait to hear how the surprise goes.

If you would like me to paint something especially for you please feel free to contact us at senkarik@senkarik.com. Let’s collaborate to take your dreams and capture them on canvas. I can work within your budget and, best of all, you’ll be able to follow along on my blog! Hugs, Mikki Senkarik

The Tardis

Our collector, his wife and children are true blue Dr. Who fans. For those of you that aren’t familiar with the British science fiction television series the TARDIS, which stands for Time And Relative Dimension In Space, is a time travel machine. A properly maintained and piloted TARDIS can transport its occupants to any point in time and any place in the universe. In the series, the Doctor pilots an unreliable, obsolete TT Type 40, Mark I TARDIS. The chameleon circuit board in Dr. Who’s TARDIS is broken, leaving it stuck in the shape of a 1960s style blue, British police box after a visit to London in 1963.

I mix Ultramarine Blue + Ivory Black + White in various proportions for the TARDIS, or Police Box.

The body of the blue Police Box is painted first. The light on this one is more similar to the 1960s vintage before all of the electronic accoutrements found on more modern versions, like the one at the top of the page, were added.

Bracing my wrist on the mahl stick to steady my hand I letter the signage. What is a mahl stick? CLICK HERE to find out.

After the TARDIS is finished I start blocking in the Sunflowers.

Leaves are worked around the yellow, helping to shape the large blossoms. Adding the dark centers makes them immediately identifiable as Sunflowers.

The petals catching the sun are highlighted with Cadmium Yellow Light. The cheery blossoms of the Sunflowers dance in a gentle breeze drifting through the courtyard. Or maybe the air is swirled by the electromagnetic field surrounding the TARDIS! WHO knows? Hugs, Mikki Senkarik

Bluebonnets and the Chinese Zodiac

Our collectors love the Lone Star State and what says Texas better than Bluebonnets? These beauties are from our garden last spring.

We are so fortunate to live in the Lone Star State. Our studio is nestled among ancient Live Oaks and floats on an ocean of Bluebonnets in the spring.

So a couple of pots of Bluebonnets bring a touch of Texas to the piece. I paint them in the same sequence I do most blooming plants: Flowers First, Leaves Last. If I were to paint the foliage to begin with my brush would pick up some of the green as I worked on the flowers, dirtying the blossom color. By blocking in the mass of blooms first the color remains crisp and clean. Cobalt Blue + White is used for the Bluebonnets. A bit of Ultramarine Blue is added to the mixture for the flowers in shadow.

White caps finish out our Texas State Flower.

The Chinese year of each family member was mentioned in passing. I thought it would be fun to have tiles by the door to represent each person’s symbol. I had to Google the Chinese Zodiac to get a feel for the designs.

After doodling a bit I came up with some symbols of my own. I was really pleased how the wing and tail come together on the Rooster to make a heart! Doing research I found out I was born in the year of the horse, guess that’s why horses were my first love!

A Rabbit completes the trio of Zodiac tiles. I let a Bluebonnet break up over the lowest tile to give the painting more dimension. Remember, you can enlarge any of the pictures by clicking on the image. 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!