Caravaggio's Paintings & His Use of Color and Drama in Art

This painting is by Caravaggio, Boy Bitten by a Lizard. Caravaggio was an Italian artist who lived from 1573 to 1610. He had a turbulent history. In my prior post, I wrote about Rembrandt and his use of strong light and dark contrast. Caravaggio’s painting also shows his use of light and dark values used to model form (chiaroscuro). In this painting you can see the balance of strong light and dark shadow in the boy’s face. You can see these contrasts in other areas such as the boy’s arm and the vase on the table. It also shows the boy’s emotions of pain and surprise. Caravaggio was known for his dramatic scenes and his realistic treatment of figures with objects such as fruit.

You can receive updates of my posts by email. Subscribe in the right upper widget. Forward this article to interested friends and family. Also join my Facebook Fan Page; click on the Fan Page widget to your right. Follow me on Twitter. http://artbyarlene.blogspot.com

Click on title of post to buy my original paintings. Paintings on canvas mounted on wood stretcher bars are $60 (20.4 by 25.5 cm, 8 by 10 inches). Shipping is free. http://artbyarlenebabad.etsy.com

Buy images of my paintings on items, i.e. fine art prints, greeting cards, posters, and mugs. Customize style, color, border and more. http://www.zazzle.com/arlenebabadartist

In August 2010 my paintings will be exhibited at the Art for All Canada’s Rainbow Gallery. The Gallery is across from Toronto’s historic St. Lawrence Market. http://www.artforallcanada.org.

http://www.blogcatalog.com/directory/art/

Paintings by Rembrandt & His Use of Colours' Value in Art

This painting is by Rembrandt. I have also converted it to a gray scale (value). In prior posts, I wrote about the elements of colour. Hue is the common name of a colour, i.e. red, blue. Value is the degree of light or dark of a colour. Intensity is the purity or chroma of the colour. Many artists focus on value (tone). Close contrasts of dark and light values are dramatic and draw the eye. As you can see in Rembrandt’s painting, the master used strong light and dark patterns. The few light passages were usually a pure hue or warm tints (hue with white). These light passages were surrounded by dark passages. Rembrandt and his colleagues did not have the variety of paints that artist have today. His use of limited light colours made these subjects glow. Many subjects merged from the background.

You can receive updates of my posts by email. Subscribe in the right upper widget. Forward this article to interested friends and family. Also join my Facebook Fan Page; click on the Fan Page widget to your right. Follow me on Twitter. http://artbyarlene.blogspot.com

Click on title of post to buy my original paintings. Paintings on canvas mounted on wood stretcher bars are $60 (20.4 by 25.5 cm, 8 by 10 inches). Shipping is free. http://artbyarlenebabad.etsy.com

Buy images of my paintings on items, i.e. fine art prints, greeting cards, posters, and mugs. Customize style, color, border and more. FREE GROUND SHIPPING TO U.S. ADDRESSES ON ORDERS OF $25 OR MORE. This is until April 28, 2010 @ 11:59 pm, Pacific Time. Code is MOMDAYGROUND. http://www.zazzle.com/arlenebabadartist

In August 2010 my paintings will be exhibited at the Art for All Canada’s Rainbow Gallery. The Gallery is across from Toronto’s historic St. Lawrence Market. http://www.artforallcanada.org.

http://www.blogcatalog.com/directory/art/

Art, Perspective & Optical Illusions in Paintings

This painting by Tintoretto is of Christ Washing His Disciples Feet. This version is from the Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO). Tintoretto painted this scene a number of times. The painting is a wonderful example of linear perspective. I wrote about linear perspective in prior posts. Linear perspective is a technique that creates illusions of 3 dimensional images on 2 dimensional supports, i.e. canvas. Parallel lines converge to a point(s) on the horizon line or eye level and the lines move into space. Size and distance between objects become smaller. In Tintoretto’s painting this is easily seen on the floor’s tiles. The illusion of movement in space is notable. It is difficult to see the knife (marked by me in green) facing the viewer on the table in this small computer image. The handle overlaps the edge of the table. When you look at the knife and walk slowly past the picture, the knife will appear to move with you. Stand to the left of the painting and the knife will point toward you. Walk to the right and the knife follows you to the right. People visiting the AGO love to see this optical illusion. I hope you will see this painting, my paintings on exhibit in August, and the AGO’s special summer exhibit, Drama and Desire (see my previous post). The link to the AGO is to the right of this post.

You can receive updates of my posts by email. Subscribe in the right upper widget. Forward this article to interested friends and family. Also join my Facebook Fan Page; click on the Fan Page widget to your right. Follow me on Twitter. http://artbyarlene.blogspot.com

Click on title of post to buy my original paintings. Paintings on canvas mounted on wood stretcher bars are $60 (20.4 by 25.5 cm, 8 by 10 inches). Shipping is free. http://artbyarlenebabad.etsy.com

Buy images of my paintings on items, i.e. fine art prints, greeting cards, posters, and mugs. Customize style, color, border and more. FREE GROUND SHIPPING TO U.S. ADDRESSES ON ORDERS OF $25 OR MORE. This is until April 28, 2010 @ 11:59 pm, Pacific Time. Code is MOMDAYGROUND. http://www.zazzle.com/arlenebabadartist

In August 2010 my paintings will be exhibited at the Art for All Canada’s Rainbow Gallery. The Gallery is across from Toronto’s historic St. Lawrence Market. http://www.artforallcanada.org.

http://www.blogcatalog.com/directory/art/

Special Paintings, Summer Exhibit at the Art Gallery of Ontario - Drama & Desire

I have not posted my new paintings for sale. My paintings will be on display in August at the Art for All Canada’s Rainbow Gallery. The Gallery is across from Toronto’s historic St. Lawrence Market. http://www.artforallcanada.org

These paintings are available as fine art prints. You can customize media/support, borders and more. FREE GROUND SHIPPING TO U.S. ADDRESSES ON ORDERS OF $25 OR MORE. This is until April 28, 2010 @ 11:59 pm, Pacific Time. Code is MOMDAYGROUND. http://www.zazzle.com/arlenebabadartist

If you are in Toronto, there is a special exhibit at the Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO). The exhibit, called Drama and Desire – Artists and the Theatre, takes place from June 19 to September 26, 2010. I was excited when I received the recent edition of the AGO’s journal, Art Matters. The journal included 2 paintings that I have studied. Degas’ painting The Orchestra at the Opera is a wonderful example of Degas’ compositional skill. The image shows his technique to achieve unity by connecting the dark colours (value) in the orchestra. He connected the orchestra and the stage with the top of the musical instrument and the conductor's head. The second image in AGO’s journal was David’s painting, The Oath of the Horatii. This painting shows David’s skill at perspective, composition and modeling with colours and values. There will be over 100 paintings, drawings and maquettes. There are also works by Delacroix, Ingres, William Blake, Toulouse-Lautrec, Edouard Vuillard and Aubrey Beardsley. The AGO is the only North American site. I hope you will join me in viewing this exciting exhibit and also take the opportunity to see my art. (The link is on this site.)

You can receive updates of my posts by email. Subscribe in the right upper widget. Forward this article to interested friends and family. Also join my Facebook Fan Page; click on the Fan Page widget to your right. Follow me on Twitter. http://artbyarlene.blogspot.com

Click on title of post to buy my original paintings. Paintings on canvas mounted on wood stretcher bars are $60 (20.4 by 25.5 cm, 8 by 10 inches). Shipping is free. http://artbyarlenebabad.etsy.com

http://www.blogcatalog.com/directory/art/

Studying Picasso's Painting, "La Soupe" & My Art Painting, "Two Workers"

This is Picasso’s painting, La Soupe. It was painted during Picasso’s blue period and is in the collection of the Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO). While I have studied and seen Picasso’s painting several times, it was not considered when I painted, Two Workers. In prior posts I wrote about my glazing of colour complements, orange and blue (hue). I wrote about the compositional structure, a bridge. The workers are confined in a small, compressed area to emphasize their hard work. They cannot stand straight in the picture plane. Picasso also compressed space in his painting. The woman is bent over and cannot stand straight in his picture plane. He also placed a hard edge at the top of the figure to further emphasize the posture and weight on the woman. I considered adding a heavy line at the top of my worker on the right to emphasize the workers’ confinement. I did not do this as my main goal was to emphasize the heat and reflection of the fire.

You can receive updates of my posts by email. Subscribe in the right upper widget. Forward this article to interested friends and family. Also join my Facebook Fan Page; click on the Fan Page widget to your right. Follow me on Twitter. http://artbyarlene.blogspot.com

Click on title of post to buy my original paintings. Paintings on canvas mounted on wood stretcher bars are $60 (20.4 by 25.5 cm, 8 by 10 inches). Shipping is free. http://artbyarlenebabad.etsy.com

Buy images of my paintings on items, i.e. fine art prints, greeting cards, posters, and mugs. Customize style, color, border and more. http://www.zazzle.com/arlenebabadartist

In August 2010 my paintings will be exhibited at the Art for All Canada’s Rainbow Gallery. The Gallery is across from Toronto’s historic St. Lawrence Market. http://www.artforallcanada.org.

http://www.blogcatalog.com/directory/art/

Analysis of My Painting, "Two Workers" - Compositional Structure & Complements in Art

This is my painting, Two Workers. It is almost finished. In prior posts I spoke about the figures and the glazing of colour complements, orange and blue. The orange colour (hue) is enhanced by its complement, blue. The compositional structure is a bridge. The 2 figures are united by the central beam. I wanted viewers to feel the heat in this space. The workers are confined in a small, compressed area to emphasize their hard work. They cannot stand straight in the picture plane.

You can receive updates of my posts by email. Subscribe in the right upper widget. Forward this article to interested friends and family. Also join my Facebook Fan Page; click on the Fan Page widget to your right. Follow me on Twitter. http://artbyarlene.blogspot.com

Click on title of post to buy my original paintings. Paintings on canvas mounted on wood stretcher bars are $60 (20.4 by 25.5 cm, 8 by 10 inches). Shipping is free. http://artbyarlenebabad.etsy.com

Buy images of my paintings on items, i.e. fine art prints, greeting cards, posters, and mugs. Customize style, color, border and more. http://www.zazzle.com/arlenebabadartist

In August 2010 my paintings will be exhibited at the Art for All Canada’s Rainbow Gallery. The Gallery is across from Toronto’s historic St. Lawrence Market. http://www.artforallcanada.org.

http://www.blogcatalog.com/directory/art/

Combining Paints in Art to Make a New Colour - Part II

This image is again the figure from my painting. As in my prior post, the painting and figure are not completed. I continued to paint the man’s blue gray clothing using the complements blue and orange. I glazed more layers of orange and blue. The colour is now darker than it was in my prior post. The exciting colour mixture achieved by glazing is still apparent. There is also an image enhanced with Photoshop’s saturation tool so the colour mixture is clearer on the computer monitor. I have also shown an image from Photoshop as if I had mixed my two colours on the palette. My mixture using layers of orange and blue is a more exciting colour.

You can receive updates of my posts by email. Subscribe in the right upper widget. Forward this article to interested friends and family. Also join my Facebook Fan Page; click on the Fan Page widget to your right. Follow me on Twitter. http://artbyarlene.blogspot.com

Click on title of post to buy my original paintings. Paintings on canvas mounted on wood stretcher bars are $60 (20.4 by 25.5 cm, 8 by 10 inches). Shipping is free. http://artbyarlenebabad.etsy.com

Buy images of my paintings on items, i.e. fine art prints, greeting cards, posters, and mugs. Customize style, color, border and more. http://www.zazzle.com/arlenebabadartist

In August 2010 my paintings will be exhibited at the Art for All Canada’s Rainbow Gallery. The Gallery is across from Toronto’s historic St. Lawrence Market. http://www.artforallcanada.org.

http://www.blogcatalog.com/directory/art/

Combining Paints in Fine Art to Make a New Colour

This image is a figure from my painting. The painting and figure are not completed. The man’s clothing is a blue gray. The light is from a fire in front of the figure. I used the complements blue and orange to paint the figure. I did not want to mix the paint on the palette and get a dull colour. I also decided not to mix the colours on the canvas. I glazed several layers of orange and blue to achieve a more exciting colour. There were more layers of blue than of orange. I also used a glaze of blue violet to model the shadow and folds in the cloth.

You can receive updates of my posts by email. Subscribe in the right upper widget. Forward this article to interested friends and family. Also join my Facebook Fan Page; click on the Fan Page widget to your right. Follow me on Twitter. http://artbyarlene.blogspot.com

Click on title of post to buy my original paintings. Paintings on canvas mounted on wood stretcher bars are $60 (20.4 by 25.5 cm, 8 by 10 inches). Shipping is free. http://artbyarlenebabad.etsy.com

Zazzle.com sale continues. Buy images of my paintings on items, i.e. fine art prints, greeting cards, posters, and mugs. Customize style, color, border and more. http://www.zazzle.com/arlenebabadartist

In August 2010 my paintings will be exhibited at the Art for All Canada’s Rainbow Gallery. The Gallery is across from Toronto’s historic St. Lawrence Market. http://www.artforallcanada.org.

http://www.blogcatalog.com/directory/art/

Zazzle.com Sale on All Orders

Zazzle.com is having a sale. Buy images of my paintings on prints, cards, shirts and more. There is 10.40% off all orders. The code is TAXDAYZAZZLE. The sale is until April 15, 2010, 11:59 pm, Pacific Time. Share this information with friends and family. http://www.zazzle.com/arlenebabadartist

http://www.blogcatalog.com/directory/art/

Painting Clouds in Art

This is the top of my unfinished painting. The darkest darks of clouds are lighter than the ground color. Clouds like other forms have a dark plane, a middle tone plane and a light plane. Clouds reflect colors. The bottoms of my clouds are influenced by the cool blue water and orange of the rocks. I also added a warm orange to turn the cloud’s form, the middle plane. Clouds also show atmospheric and linear perspective. The clouds are lighter; have less detail and are more muted when they are further away and lower in the sky.

You can receive updates of my posts by email. Subscribe in the right upper widget. Forward this article to interested friends and family. Also join my Facebook Fan Page; click on the Fan Page widget to your right. Follow me on Twitter. http://artbyarlene.blogspot.com

Click on title of post to buy my original paintings. Paintings on canvas mounted on wood stretcher bars are $60 (20.4 by 25.5 cm, 8 by 10 inches). Shipping is free. http://artbyarlenebabad.etsy.com

Buy images of my paintings on items, i.e. fine art prints, greeting cards, posters, and mugs. Customize style, color, border and more. http://www.zazzle.com/arlenebabadartist

In August 2010 my paintings will be exhibited at the Art for All Canada’s Rainbow Gallery. The Gallery is across from Toronto’s historic St. Lawrence Market. http://www.artforallcanada.org.

http://www.blogcatalog.com/directory/art/

My Painting, "Burpee Tomatoes" - Color Temperature in Art

I hope to display my painting, Burpee Tomatoes, in my August art exhibit. I wanted to paint the warm color of the orange tomatoes. The cool green tomatoes were a wonderful temperature contrast. Orange and green are secondary colors. They are made with two primary colors (red and yellow; yellow and blue). I modeled my tomatoes with warm light and a cooler shadow. As a colorist, this painting also has color as my theme and style.

You can receive updates of my posts by email. Subscribe in the right upper widget. Forward this article to interested friends and family. Also join my Facebook Fan Page; click on the Fan Page widget to your right. Follow me on Twitter. http://artbyarlene.blogspot.com

Click on title of post to buy my original paintings. Paintings on canvas mounted on wood stretcher bars are $60 (20.4 by 25.5 cm, 8 by 10 inches). Shipping is free. http://artbyarlenebabad.etsy.com

Buy images of my paintings on items, i.e. fine art prints, greeting cards, posters, and mugs. Customize style, color, border and more. http://www.zazzle.com/arlenebabadartist

In August 2010 my paintings will be exhibited at the Art for All Canada’s Rainbow Gallery. The Gallery is across from Toronto’s historic St. Lawrence Market. http://www.artforallcanada.org.

http://www.blogcatalog.com/directory/art/

Modeling My Painting, "Cherries" with Color and Value

This is my painting, Cherries. I hope to display it in my art exhibit in August 2010. I say “hope to display” because it is still on sale at my Etsy internet shop. I loved the red reflections on the tree’s branches from the cherries. I also liked the strong light coming from the left side that allowed me to model the cherries and branches. (A technique that allows objects on a flat surface to appear in the third dimension with the use of value, temperature and color (hue) in light, middle tone and shadow.) This painting has color as my theme and style.

You can receive updates of my posts by email. Subscribe in the right upper widget. Forward this article to interested friends and family. Also join my Facebook Fan Page; click on the Fan Page widget to your right. Follow me on Twitter. http://artbyarlene.blogspot.com

Click on title of post to buy my original paintings. Paintings on canvas mounted on wood stretcher bars are $60 (20.4 by 25.5 cm, 8 by 10 inches). Shipping is free. http://artbyarlenebabad.etsy.com

Buy images of my paintings on items, i.e. fine art prints, greeting cards, posters, and mugs. Customize style, color, border and more. http://www.zazzle.com/arlenebabadartist

In August 2010 my paintings will be exhibited at the Art for All Canada’s Rainbow Gallery. The Gallery is across from Toronto’s historic St. Lawrence Market. http://www.artforallcanada.org.

http://www.blogcatalog.com/directory/art/

Changing the Composition in My Painting, The Mountains - For the Better?

This is my painting, The Mountains. The color of the mountains against the clear blue sky first attracted me. I previously posted the unfinished painting. At that time, there was a small house on the left side. It was felt this house competed with the house on the right side and that it would be best if I removed it from my painting. I first lightened the house on the left side. This didn’t appear to help so I eliminated it from my painting. I then felt something was missing from the left side of the canvas; the painting did not appear balanced. I added the tree. I am not certain about this change in composition. I would love to hear your comments. The painting’s dominant value is middle tones. The temperature of the painting is primarily cool.

You can receive updates of my posts by email. Subscribe in the right upper widget. Forward this article to interested friends and family. Also join my Facebook Fan Page; click on the Fan Page widget to your right. Follow me on Twitter. http://artbyarlene.blogspot.com/

Click on title of post to buy my original paintings. Paintings on canvas mounted on wood stretcher bars are $60 (20.4 by 25.5 cm, 8 by 10 inches). Shipping is free. http://artbyarlenebabad.etsy.com/

Buy images of my paintings on items, i.e. fine art prints, greeting cards, posters, and mugs. Customize style, color, border and more. http://www.zazzle.com/arlenebabadartist


In August 2010 my paintings will be exhibited at the Art for All Canada’s Rainbow Gallery. The Gallery is across from Toronto’s historic St. Lawrence Market. http://www.artforallcanada.org/.

http://www.blogcatalog.com/directory/art/