Dallas Cowboys Head Coach Tom Landry

Still Calling the Plays by Jack White

Jack and I are offering a piece from our personal art collection to our Team Senkarik Members. This is a rare opportunity to own a Jack White giclee on canvas of the Dallas Cowboys Head Coach Tom Landry. Father’s Day is just around the corner, maybe that special father in your life is a Dallas Cowboys’ Fan!

When Jack was commissioned to paint the posthumous portrait he was only supplied a black and white head shot of Coach Landry talking into the headphone. Jack had personally known Tom and knew they were almost the same size. So we used a picture of Jack as reference for Coach Landry’s body. Grant Teaff, former Head Coach of the Baylor Bears and Executive Director of the American Football Coaches Association modeled for the hand holding the playsheet. Just thought you’d enjoy hearing how the painting was composed. And remember, you can click on any of the pictures to see the image larger.

CLICK HERE to go straight to our eBay auctions.

The original oil painting is life size and hangs in the Coach Landry Prayer Room at the Kansas City headquarters of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. Landry holds the actual play sheet from the November 22, 1984 game that was supplied by our friend, Danny White, who was the Quarterback at the time. The Cowboys beat the New England Patriots 20-17. When Jack was visiting with Roger Staubach, the former Quarterback of the Dallas Cowboys, he was told, “even though he is no longer here with us, Coach Landry is Still Calling the Plays in my life. He gave me a great foundation to be successful.”

 

The art measures 36 inches tall by 18 inches wide and is signed “Jack White” in the lower right corner. The outside dimension of the frame is 42 inches tall by 23 1/2 inches wide. This Jack White Giclee on Canvas ARTIST PROOF of Still Calling the Plays appraises for $5,000. But we are starting the bid on eBay at only a penny. That’s right ONE CENT! The auction ends Tuesday, June 3 at 8 PM Central Time.

CLICK HERE to go to our eBay auctions.

Happy Bidding and Hugs,

 

Wind Dancers on eBay

Jack and I have been busy the last few weeks, we’ve been MOVING! That’s why I haven’t been posting on my blog. This painting was done a while back, we both really liked the finished piece and added it to our personal collection. We have now downsized and don’t have quite as much display space for our paintings. So we decided to offer this special piece to our eBay collectors! I was once asked if I could be a flower what would it be? I’d definitely choose to be a sunflower. Determined to grow anywhere their cheerfulness brings a smile to all who see them. Combining several pictures of sunflowers from our garden a quick sketch is made to establish my painting plan.

CLICK HERE to go to the eBay auction.

The sunflowers are drawn up on my canvas and I’m ready to begin slapping paint. Along with the laptop to view reference material, I’ve printed out closeup photos of individual sunflowers to paint from.

I’m taking a little different approach on this piece. Instead of first working on the background I’ll begin with the foliage. The large sunflower leaves just cried out for my really BIG brush. As long as I use it sparingly it shouldn’t be too much strain on my arm. It is so fun to make the broad, juicy strokes using various mixtures of Ultramarine Blue + Hansa Lemon Yellow. I also throw in a few strokes of Pthalo Blue + White for variety.

On to the background using the same large brush to apply the color. I’m using several shades of purple which is the compliment to the yellow sunflowers. This piece seems to be painting itself, I’m just hanging on to the brush and letting the paint fly.

The buds of the Sunflowers add interest to the piece. Plus it’s fun to paint the various stages of the blooming process. I guess my Medical Illustration background is showing.

Rendering the flowers I use the biggest brush possible. Above I am using the broad side of the brush to paint the shadows of the yellow petals with a mixture of Cadmium Yellow Medium + MUD (Ultramarine Blue + Alizarin Crimson). For the highlights I mix Cadmium Yellow Medium + Hansa Lemon Yellow. For the lightest yellows I add a little White to the previous mixture.

Here the corner of the brush is used to paint the center of the Sunflower. It’s amazing how much detail you can paint with the edge and corner of a large brush. Please remember, you can click on any of the pictures to see an enlargement.

Wind Dancers                24″ x 30″        Original Oil Painting

Because Sunflowers bob and dance so happily with the slightest breeze we decided to call these Wind Dancers. The auction ends Friday May 30 at 8PM Central Time. To go directly to the auction for Wind Dancers CLICK HERE.

Happy Bidding and Hugs,

 

Jack White GAUCHER now on eBay

We are offering a rare opportunity to own a Jack White “Gaucher” Original Oil Painting. Several years ago Jack was injured in an automobile accident and unable to use his dominant right arm for a period of time. With grit and determination he learned to paint with his left hand, hence the signature “Gaucher” which means lefty or left-handed in French. Jack’s left handed paintings are more impressionistic than the photorealistic work done with his right hand. Moonlight Magic captures the Provence landscape illuminated by a brilliant moon.

 To go directly to the auction for Moonlight Magic CLICK HERE.

Moonlight Magic is signed “Gaucher” on the front in the lower left corner.

The painting is signed by Jack White on the back. You can Click on the image to see it larger.

The actual painting measures 8 inches tall by 10 inches wide. The outer dimension of the frame is 16 inches tall by 18 inches wide.  It’s ready to put up on your wall, the hanger and nail are provided. Moonlight Magic is a collector piece. A Jack White “Gaucher” Original Oil Painting this size appraises for $2,000. BUT we are starting the bid at only A PENNY!

You Must HURRY though, the auction for Moonlight Magic ends Thursday May 8 at 8 PM central time.

To go to my eBay auctions CLICK HERE.

Have Fun Bidding!

Vineyards and Beyond

There is another simple rule that helps artists achieve the feeling of depth in their paintings: Cool Colors Go Back, Warm Colors Come Forward. The distant part of the field of Poppies is painted with a cooler mix of Magenta + White. Moving forward I use Cadmium Red Deep and Cadmium Red Deep + Cadmium Red Light which is warmer.

After the mass of reds are blocked in the upright posts are drawn into the wet paint with a small Bright brush turned sideways.

Now I come back and add the foliage of the Poppies. The leaves in the area where the sunlight dances across the field are made lighter.

Dark centers are added to the Poppies, then work begins on the vines. The ones farthest away are made with cooler blue-greens mixed from Pthalo Blue + Cadmium Lemon + White. Those leaves in the front are made of Pthalo Blue + Cadmium Yellow Medium. Remember, if you would like to see any of the pictures larger, just click on the image.

AHHHHH, the grapes are ripe and ready to harvest!

I come back and highlight the Poppies illuminated by the shaft of sunlight. Pure Cadmium Red Light makes them pop!.

I keep the vines and Poppies mostly in shadow, providing a “Threshold” that makes the sunlit beach in the distance glow. Think of being outside your home on a warm summer night. The front door is open, revealing the bright interior. Your gaze is pulled through the darkness, across the “Threshold” of the door to the light inside. The dark foreground works the same way in a painting. Your eye goes past the Vineyards and Beyond to sunny Bodega Head below. Hope you’ve had as much fun following along as I’ve had painting this piece! Hugs,

The Distant Vista

The horizon line of the Pacific Ocean makes a soft transition into the sky. I don’t want a hard edge because the moisture in the atmosphere blurs the distant line, making it fall back. The water closest to the sky is painted with muted hues of Ultramarine Blue + MUD (Ultramarine Blue + Alizarin Crimson) + White. Moving forward the water becomes brighter, mixes of Ultramarine Blue + White are used the the mid-portion. That closest to the beach is more intense, I use Pthalo Blue + White for the shallow water highlighted by the sunshine streaming in. This follows a basic rule for giving the impression of depth in a painting: Muted Colors Go Back. Bright, Intense Colors Come Forward.

The bluffs of Bodega Head and the Harbor are added. My wrist is braced on a mahl stick to steady my hand as I paint the details. What is a Mahl Stick? CLICK HERE to find out. If you would like to see this or any of the other pictures larger just click on the image.

Like icing a cake I add the surf breaking on the sand far below. This scene is the focal point of the painting, the vines frame Bodega Head and the distant links, directing the viewer’s gaze to the gentle sweep of the beach.

Vineyards in the middle ground also act to lead your eye to the sunlit beach. I love the California Coast, it’s so much fun to paint. Hope you’ll come back and visit again soon. I’ll be finishing up in our next session. Hugs,

 

Bodega Head

It’s really fun to do custom collaborations. My collectors, who are real estate brokers, saw Sunwashed Vineyards and wanted to know if I could paint a similar piece for their LOGO. They are based on the Sonoma Coast in California and their trademark is “the Pacific Ocean in your front yard, Wine Country in your backyard”. Kathleen sent this aerial photo of Bodega Bay to give me an idea of what they were looking for.

She and Dennis want Vineyards and Poppies in the foreground, Bodega Head and the sweep of the beach in the distance. My sketch is shown above.

They loved the sketch so the basic composition is drawn up on the canvas in a thin oil wash.

The mass of vines are now washed in. I use Viridian Green + Liquin in the most distant vines, while the closest ones are covered with a thin mix of Sap Green + Liquin.

I’ll start painting with the sky since it’s the source of light for the piece. My mixes are as follows: #1. MUD (Ultramarine Blue + Alizarin Crimson) + White. #2. Pthalo Blue + White. #3. Cobalt Blue + White. #4. White + a little Cadmium Orange + a bit of MUD. #5. MUD + Alizarin Crimson + White.

 

The sun pours into the painting from the left so the lightest blue #2 is used for that side. Mix #3 is reserved for the sky at the far right. The two are blended together in the mid part of the blue sky. The darker portion of the clouds are painted with Mix #1.

Mix #5 makes the middle tones of the fluffy clouds.

The portions of the clouds illuminated by the sun are painted with Mix #4. By working wet-into-wet I’m able to keep the edges of the clouds really soft. This way they drop back into the distance. Then the horizon of the ocean is painted with a muted mix of MUD + Ultramarine Blue + White. That’s it for today. Hope you enjoyed following along. Hugs,

 

Packing the Wet Painting

When I started this pair of collaborations I showed how the canvases were prepared for shipping the wet paintings. If you’d like to review that blog CLICK HERE. Now the time is here, let’s get packing. The painting attached to the cardboard is placed on top of another piece of cardboard that is the same size. This is to cover the nails. When the piece is unpacked by our collector this extra cardboard will be removed to gain access to the nails anchoring the painting to the original double ply cardboard.

Sides are built around the painting. They rest on the cardboard backing. We use pink insulation board cut in strips about 3 inches wide. This will keep the top of the box away from the surface of the wet painting. DO NOT use the white styrofoam insulation, it forms little pills that come off and stick to the wet paint!

The corners are anchored to the backing with 2″ painter’s tape. Then the double-ply cardboard top is placed on the walls.

Now the top is anchored over the sides and to the back with more blue tape.

The final step is to cover all of the edges with brown plastic shipping tape. To make it easier for our collector to unbox I’ve made a dotted line all the way around the top of the box. He can cut along this line to take the cover off of the package. Travis will need to leave the paintings attached to the backing and let them dry a few weeks before he places them in frames. So, this is how we ship pieces that are painted to the edge while they are still wet. Please feel free to ask questions. HUGS,