Wanted to share my latest painting for my Santa Fe Gallery, “Brushed by the Sun”! Several of my Blog and YouTube followers have asked me to show the entire progression of the painting in one video. SO…. with no further ado here you are:
The scene in the background is from a picture Jack and I took years ago as we drove along the Rio Grande River, heading from Santa Fe to Taos. The distant mountains, “Brushed by the Sun”, took our breath away. I hope they capture your heart as well!
I appreciate you visiting my blog today! If you would like to receive an email every time I publish a new post, you may 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 click the button “Sign me up!” It’s easy. Please keep in mind, to move through the blog when you get the posts, just CLICK on the small titles at the top of the page. The right one for the next post or the title on the left side for the previous session.
Thank you for subscribing and have a wonderful day! With Big Hugs,
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TODAY, Monday, August 23rd through Friday, August 27th until 11:59 PM Eastern Time you can get 15% OFF on ALL EIGHT JACK WHITE ART MARKETING BOOKS atSenkarik.com. Just use the coupon code TEXTBOOK15 when you checkout. Act fast to take advantage of this great offer from Lulu.com, Mikki and Jack’s online distributor. This offer ONLY applies to the printed version of his books, not the downloads.
Thought you would enjoy this email Mikki recently received. “From a grateful artist… Dear Mikki, I wanted to reach out and tell you how much Mr. White’s books on art marketing helped me. Moreover, I have recommended his books to several of the artists I know, and I can see the change happening in their art careers, all thanks to a generous and caring soul that wanted to share his knowledge and success with others! I have only been painting for two years, but in the last four months I sold over a hundred of my works, most of them on eBay – I have read all the books Mr. White has written (and not once…) and I make every effort to follow his advice. Yet there is a lot to improve. I admire your work and your spirit, and, knowing how busy you are, I am very thankful for your time reading this note of appreciation! Sincerely, Julia”
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The table is painted with several mixes of Cadmium Red Deep + Magenta, Cadmium Red Deep and Cadmium Red Deep + White. You may click on this, or any of the other images to view enlargements.
Next we’ll work on the chairs; they are made of several shades of Pthalo Blue + White. Pthalo Blue is brighter and more intense than the Cobalt Blue of the gate, therefore the chairs appear to come forward.
The darkest values of the chair seat are first blocked in with MUD (2 parts Ultramarine Blue + 1 part Alizarin Crimson) + Cadmium Yellow Medium + White. Then lighter strokes of the same mix + more White are made to indicate the woven rush strands.
Geraniums fill the large terra cotta container in the foreground. I paint them in my usual sequence of FLOWERS FIRST, LEAVES LAST.
My collector loves to read! So, I’ve put a old favorite on the table, ready for her to pick up and read. The well worn cover is made with combinations of Viridian Green + White.
VIDEO DEMONSTRATION! Come watch as I block in the Fruit Basket!
“CALL OF SANTORINI” 19 inches by 19 inches
Feel the fresh breeze on your face, beckoning you to come sit amidst the fragrant flowers, eat a few grapes and enjoy the view of the white buildings glistening against the backdrop of the azure Aegean Sea. That’s the “CALL OF SANTORINI”! She’ll need a few days to dry, then this pretty baby will be ready to bring a touch of Greece to her new home. I appreciate all of you, thanks for following along. HUGS,
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The gate leading down to the lower terrace is painted with combinations of Cobalt Blue + White. The edges of the boards comprising the gate are highlighted with a lighter shade of the same mixture. Please keep in mind as you read through my blog, you may click on any of the images to see them larger.
Colorful blossoms of Daisies are blocked in with Cadmium Orange + Alizarin Crimson, Cadmium Red Deep, Cadmium Orange + Cadmium Red Light and Permanent Rose + White.
Sweet Potato Vine spills out of the terra cotta container from underneath the Daisies. The heart shaped leaves are made with Pthalo Blue + Cadmium Yellow Medium + a bit of Lemon Yellow. White is added to accent those lit by the sun.
Centers of the Daisies are delineated in three steps. #1. A dark blob of MUD (2 parts Ultramarine Blue + 1 part Alizarin Crimson) is made in the middle of each flower. #2. Cadmium Yellow Medium is used to make a smaller spot in the center of the dark. #3. A tiny speck of MUD is then centered in the Yellow.
Fragrant Lavender fills the pot next to the Daisies. The richly colored blooms are painted with mixes of Magenta + Dioxazine Purple + White while the Gray-green leaves are Ptahlo Blue + Cadmium Orange + White.
The terrace floor is covered entirely with combinations of MUD + Cadmium Orange + a touch of Pthalo Blue + White. A little sunlight slips under the gate, the rest of the surface is in shadow. Next, the wide grout lines between the stones are started by first establishing a few of the lines in perspective.
The irregular shapes of the individual stones are now formed. Paint left over from the terrace wall is used for the grout. This style of floor is very characteristic of those found throughout the Greek islands.
WHEW! Planting flowers and setting stone has worn me out for today! But we have more to do. Hope you’ll come back and help me finish up in our next session. I’ll even have a video for you showing how I paint the Basket of Fruit. See you then! With Big Hugs,
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The most distant part of the ocean is made lighter and more muted with a mix of White + Ultramarine Blue + MUD (2 parts Ultramarine Blue + 1 part Alizarin Crimson). Moving forward the color becomes darker and brighter. Here I’m using Ultramarine Blue + White. Some of the colors from the bluffs are pulled down into the water below them, giving the impression of reflections. To see this or any of the other images larger, just click on the picture.
Closer to the buildings and immediately behind the terrace, the hue of the Aegean Sea is increasingly more intense. I gradually worked from the previous Ultramarine Blue + White to Pthalo Blue + White to the White + Ptahlo Turquoise Blue that is being applied in the image above. The brighter colors come forward, while the more muted blues that were painted in the first step recede.
Shadows of the long arms of the windmill race down the curved sides of the massive tower. The shadows become bluer and lighter the farther they are away from the wooden blades casting them.
White stucco buildings, dazzling against the azure water of the Aegean Sea in the background, tumble down the hill below the windmill. Next the Bougainvilleas, cascading over the wall above the stairs, are blocked in with mixes of Magenta + White.
If you travel to Santorini you’d better be in shape, jillions of stairs ramble up and down the steep bluffs overlooking the ocean! We make them bluer or cooler at the top. Descending down the hill and coming closer they become darker and warmer. The basic mix is MUD + a little White. Ultramarine Blue is added into the mix for the cooler steps, Cadmium Orange for those that are warmer.
The tops of the steps are lighter than the risers (upright sides). This is because the flat surface receives more light from the sky above.
Terra cotta Geranium pots hug the wall below the dangling arms of the Bougainvillea. The bright blossoms are made with Cadmium Red Deep and Cadmium Red Deep + Cadmium Red Light.
Fiery Red Orange Trumpet Vine tops the side wall of the curved stairs that is closest to us. The bright flowers are blocked in with some of the paint left over from the Geraniums plus mixes of Cadmium Orange + Alizarin Crimson, Cadmium Red Deep + Cadmium Orange and Cadmium Red Light + Cadmium Orange. Leaves are made with warm green mixtures of Ptahlo Blue + Cadmium Yellow Medium and Pthalo Blue + Cadmium Yellow Medium + White.
Our Santorini scene is beginning to take shape. But we have A LOT more to do! Hope you’ll keep coming back to follow along. See you in our next session! With Colorful Smiles,
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Let’s get to work on this painting of Santorini! The sky is first. My color mixes are shown above, the recipes are: #1. White + MUD (2 parts Ultramarine Blue + 1 part Alizarin Crimson). #2. White + a tiny bit of Cadmium Orange. #3. Two mixes in different combinations of White + MUD + Alizarin Crimson. #4. White + Pthalo Blue + a little Lemon Yellow. #5. White + Pthalo Blue. #6. White + Cobalt Blue.
Light comes into the painting from the upper right; the sky becomes progressively darker moving from right to left. The lightest mix, #4, is used closest to the sun, #5 in the mid portion of the sky and #6 at the far left. Notice how I use the corner of my large “Bright” brush to carefully work around the blades of the windmill. Please keep in mind, you may click on this, or any of the other images, to see an enlargement.
As the clouds drift lazily along the horizon, the warm sunlight dances and skips across their fluffy tops!
The long arms of the windmill are drawn into the wet paint of the sky with a mix of MUD + Liquin. I hold the mahl stick, hooked over the top of my easel, with my left hand. Then I brace my right hand on top of the left, that steadies it so I can make smooth lines.
With my hands still braced on the mahl stick, the thin wires are added with a fine liner brush. Drawing them into the wet paint is much easier than waiting until the background is dry. If I were to wait, my brush would not pull the lines smoothly over the dips and bumps of the thick texture.
The most distant mountains are made cooler, or bluer, and lighter so they will recede. Moving forward, you can see the bluffs become warmer and more distinct. This makes them appear to be closer to the viewer and helps to give depth to the painting.
The Santorini Sky is complete. I’ll be working on the Aegean Sea in our next session, hope you’ll come back to my studio and follow along! With Happy Hugs,
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Heading to the beautiful island of Santorini, Greece for this piece. Here’s the sketch I did for my collector I’m collaborating with.
The canvas is up on my easel and we’re ready to start sketching the basic plan up on the crisp, clean surface which has been primed with a thin coat of Liquitex Basics Titanium White Acrylic. This image shows my painting set up. My palette is a piece of 1/ 4 inch glass, placed on a white shelf board. The glass makes for easy mixing and clean up. Having the white board underneath allows me to see my color mixtures as they will appear on the white canvas. Please remember as you read my blog, you may click on any of the images to see them larger.
Using a brush dipped in a thin mix of MUD (2 parts Ultramarine Blue + 1 part Alizarin Crimson) + Liquin, the horizon line and then the outline of the terrace in the foreground are drawn. Next, I begin sketching the distinctive windmill that is like so many seen in Mykonos and Santorini.
A large oval is drawn to help in determining the perspective and length of the long arms of the windmill.
Bougainvillea cascades over the wall, lining the stairs that descend the hill in front of the windmill. The mass of color is washed in with Magenta + Liquin. The basic shapes of the palm trees have been blocked in with the thin MUD + Liquin mix.
A T-Square was used to make the horizontal line that’s the guide for the oval table top. Then the curved lines are drawn freehand.
The neighbors below have a brightly colored umbrella that peeks above the wall of the terrace. The spines are drawn radiating out from the center pole.
Typical Greek wooden chairs provide a place to sit and enjoy the view of the azure ocean in the distance.
My collector loves to read. So we’ve placed one of her favorites on the table, along with a bowl of fruit to snack on.
Defining the basic outlines of the flowers and labeling them completes our work for this session. We’ll begin painting next time. I hope you’ll come back to visit my studio and follow along.
If you would like to receive an email every time I publish a new post, you may 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 click the button “Sign me up!” It’s easy. Please keep in mind, to move through the blog when you get the posts, just CLICK on the small titles at the top of the page. The right one for the next post or the title on the left side for the previous session.
Thank you for subscribing and have a wonderful day! With Big Hugs,
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Let’s begin with the Sunflowers. The large blooms are blocked in with various shades of Yellow. The mixes used are Cadmium Yellow Medium + MUD (2 parts Ultramarine Blue + 1 part Alizarin Crimson) + Cadmium Orange, Cadmium Yellow Medium + Cadmium Orange and pure Cadmium Yellow Medium. Please remember as you read this post, you may click on any of the pictures to see them larger.
Dark centers are added in the blossoms. Then the leaves are painted with mixtures of Pthalo Blue + Cadmium Yellow Medium and Pthalo Blue + Cadmium Yellow Medium + White.
After the sunlit petals of the Sunflowers are accented with Cadmium Yellow Medium + Lemon Yellow, work starts on the White Hollyhocks nestled next to them. The White blossoms are first painted with combinations of White + Dioxazine Purple, White + Pthalo Blue, White + Pthalo Blue + a tiny bit of Lemon Yellow and White + Ultramarine Blue. This provides the shadowy part of the blooms.
Leaves, made of several mixes in different shades of Pthalo Blue + Lemon Yellow, are painted around the flowers. This helps to give them shape. Highlights on the blossoms are then added with pure White.
The final step of painting the Hollyhocks is to add their distinctive stalks covered with seed pods.
Sunflowers and Hollyhocks are full of happy blooms. Now, come watch as I paint the Red Hot Poker Plants!
VIDEO DEMONSTRATION: Painting the Red Hot Poker Plants.
“Elegance of Sedona” 20 inches by 24 inches
We’re done! Come saunter through the fragrant courtyard and enjoy the view of the majestic peaks of Cathedral Rock glowing in the warmth of the late afternoon sunlight. As soon as “Elegance of Sedona” is dry enough, it will be off to it’s new home! Thank you for following along. I’ll be starting on a new commission of Santorini, Greece in our next session. See you then!
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The Chili Ristras are first blocked in with a dark red made of Cadmium Red Deep + Magenta. The individual peppers are shaped with brushstrokes of pure Cadmium Red Deep, which is lighter in value. A mix of Magenta + Liquin is used for the deep shadows between the hot, spicy peppers. You may click on any of the images in this post to view enlargements.
Highlights are added with Cadmium Red Light and Cadmium Red Light + White.
The gate is painted a Southwestern Blue, made with mixes of Pthalo Blue + White. The edges of the boards are accented with the same mixture + extra White.
My collectors had a wonderful suggestion of fuschia, or reddish purple, for the large container where we’ll be planting Sunflowers. I’ve used mixes of Magenta + Dioxazine Purple + White and Magenta + White to block it in.
The tile floor is completely covered with combinations, in varying proportions, of MUD (2 parts Ultramarine Blue + 1 part Alizarin Crimson) + Cadmium Orange + White, MUD + Cadmium Orange + Cadmium Red Light + White and Cadmium Orange + Pthalo Blue + White. My goal in this step is to establish the shadows and sunlight streaming across the surface. Also, some of the colors from the container and gate are pulled down into the floor directly below them. This gives the impression of reflections into the floor, which is still wet from a summer monsoon that just passed through.
The lines separating the pavers are drawn into the wet paint of the floor with a fine liner brush dipped in a mix of MUD + Liquin.
To paint the lower edge of the gallery wrap canvas I take the painting, attached to a cardboard backing, and lean it upside down against the taboret next to my easel. This makes it easier to paint the bottom surface and continue the tile lines over the edge. To see how the canvas was attached to the cardboard on a piece I finished previously CLICK HERE.
We’ll be planting the Hollyhocks, Sunflowers and Poker Plant in our next session. COME WATCH, I’m even planning to have a video demonstration! Hugs,
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Let’s start construction on the courtyard wall. The golden adobe color is made with combinations of MUD (2 parts Ultramarine Blue + 1 part Alizarin Crimson) + Cadmium Orange + a little Cadmium Yellow Medium + White. More White is mixed in for the sunlit portions of the wall. Chili Ristras cast long shadows down the wall. A few strokes of Ultramarine Blue + a bit of MUD + White are worked into the shadows to make them cooler. If you’d like to view an enlargement of this, or any of the other pictures in my blog post, just click on the image.
The ancient stucco is crumbling in places, exposing the adobe bricks underneath. They are painted into the wet surface of the wall with rich, rusty mixes of MUD + Cadmium Orange + Alizarin Crimson + Cadmium Red Light. The same mixtures have been used for the tiles on top of the arch. Some brushstrokes of Cadmium Orange + Pthalo Blue + White are also made on the tiles to give them an aged, moss covered look.
The broken edge of the stucco is delineated with a brush dipped in a thin mix of MUD + Liquin. The same mixture is used to indicate the crevices between the bricks.
The broken edge of the stucco raises up just a little, catching the sunlight. So that is accentuated with a lighter shade of the original wall color.
Now that the wall is complete, work begins on the Bougainvillea cascading over it. The mass of Hot Pink is blocked in with a few different mixes: Permanent Rose + Magenta + White, Magenta + White and Permanent Rose + White.
Leaves are added with a cool green made of Viridian Green + White and Viridian Green + Phtalo Blue + White.
A second Bougainvillea tumbles over the wall to the left of the arched gate. We’re done for this session, hope you’ll come back and follow the rest of the progress.
By the way, an artist named Pat contacted me through my website and asked a question. I tried email her back with my answer but her email was returned because the address was incorrect. So Pat, please feel free to contact me through the comment section below. Thanks. And to all my followers, I appreciate your support and encouragement. Have a wonderful day! Hugs,
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Mikki Senkarik 