Thimgan Hayden Studio Blog

Black Mirror For Painters

2012-01-14T12:33:00.000-08:00

Oil Painting Tool: How to make a black mirror

Assuming you know how to use a black mirror to check yourvalues in painting from life- here are simple instructions on how to “make”one.

Purchase a narrow, emptyblack frame with glass….like you’re going to frame a family photoor certificate. You’ll also need matte black spray paint andnewspapers or a messy work area.

Take the backing off the frame and lay the frame and glass face down on a sheet of newspaper. With adequateventilation, evenly spray the back of the frame and glass- or remove the glassand spray it on one side only. Useseveral thin coats- not 1 thick one. Try not to spray thickly enough for the paint to pool. Check between newly dry coats to see when the glass reflects darkly but no longer hastransparent spots. When you can't see through it- and you see a good, but darker reflection in it, you are finished. Put the backing on again and use it!

On the easel- May 2011

2011-05-22T12:06:00.000-07:00

Hello! I've fallen behind on posting here....keeping up with technology takes a lot of time! I'm learning how to get newsletters running and e-posts of new work. Somehow I manage to paint, teach, and raise a family, too! Here is a pic of me working on a self-portrait. I really couldn't paint sight-size on this one because of the easel feet hitting each other and the way the light was coming in and lighting (or not) my painting enough.

"Forsythia" 16x12 oil on panel

Self-portrait about halfway through

Works lined up for summertime showing. I love seeing a wall of them at a time. It seems so seldom that I amass any amount of them and get to see them as a group.

Self-portrait finished. I'm wearing my favorite short-sleeved sweater and my Zecchi's painting apron.

Thimgan and Russ, Recent Works at the Water Street Gallery

2011-05-22T11:40:00.000-07:00

If you're local, stop in to see recent work! I'll be there from 11-5 this Saturday, May 28th.

Thoughts on Exhibition, The Wyeths- America's Artists

2011-03-14T08:45:00.000-07:00

For those of you who are local, and aren't aware of it, the Kalamazoo Institute of Art is hosting an exhibition of Wyeth paintings through April 17th. Visit the KIA website for details including docent talks and lecture of Farnsworth Museum Curator, Michael Komanecky on April 14th. www.kiarts.org

I left my daughter at the door of a manga workshop hosted by the KIA, paid, and wandered into the Wyeth galleries. I have read a few biographies of N.C.Wyeth, Andrew Wyeth, and one about the whole Wyeth family, so I'm familiar with the background lore. At various points in my life I have gravitated toward the work of one or another of the Wyeths. This time, it was definitely Jamie Wyeth's work which struck me. There were 2 pieces by Henriette Wyeth Hurd that were also very striking. I would like to see more. I felt a great sympathy with her work.

I went through the Andrew Wyeth room fairly quickly. I was fortunate enough to see the Helga Exhibit years ago when I lived in Maine, which is so breathtaking that after that - any smaller collection of mixed works is less exciting. Of the featured Andrew pieces, I found Alvaro and Christina ( 1968, watercolor), to be the height of the spine-tingling quality that his work gives me. He paints a section of a barren room where the spirits of the brother and sister linger in the objects. There are other remarkable pieces on display, but I want to move along...

The N.C. Wyeth room hosts a good assortment of his work. There are a number of paintings of landscapes and houses with grandiose skies on coastal Maine, as well as a couple of portraits. There are also some of his illustration pieces, many of which were much larger than I thought they'd be. He's such a muscular painter- robust. I liked the strong house "portraits' the best. It was fun seeing his bold style of working with value changes in the illustrative pieces.

For me the big surprise was Jamie Wyeth. I have seen his work in show catalogs and various places, but in person, they were incredible. For one thing, the subjects are interesting. They have the gritty-Wyeth touch but without the colorless, spine-tingling eeriness (dare I call it creepiness?) that haunts Andrew Wyeth's work. I have great regard for the profundity Andrew Wyeth's work, but it gives off a mood I wouldn't want to live with. Jamie's subjects are sun-soaked or wind-weathered, thoroughly drenched in northeastern states of being. He is one with his subjects, as his father, but with a sense of emotional freedom.

The richness of the paintings hit me in the gut when I walked into the room. That's why I'm obsessed....that's why I love this work.....that indescribable feeling of having the wind knocked out of me in the presence of Good Art. Many of Jamie Wyeth's paintings are painted on large panels. This is putting to rest something I have been wrestling with myself. I think I'm developing a strong preference for painting on panel. It shows off my confidence and bravura, and I won't be rushing around re stretching canvas pieces. Jamie's underpainting makes the surface image glow, and I was reminded of Odd Nerdrum in that Jamie instinctively knows where to put what tone in order to unify sections of the painting and separate it from others. I'd be hard-pressed to name a favorite, but I suppose on many levels, I'd chose: Screen Door to the Sea. Like all good art, you have to see it in person. No computer screen or book image can show the power and luminosity of the real thing.

The overwhelming feeling I had was- paint with courage. When the tools are inside you, don't be afraid to step out and use them! Don't be afraid of critics. Don't be afraid of the paint. When you feel like you're flying when you're painting, it'll show.

The Lost Painting- A Little Inspiration

2011-03-11T20:24:00.000-08:00

I just started reading The Lost Painting by Jonathan Harr( 2006 Random House). In Part 1, an art historian remembers looking at painting he believes is an unidentified Caravaggio painting.
"He studied the face of the boy again, the eyes and mouth, areas difficult even for a great painter. This face, he concluded, was much livelier than the Doria version. Indeed, the entire work felt fresher and lighter in both color and execution. He detected the spark of invention and creativity in this painting, something a copyist could never achieve."
As a painter of portraits, the unnameable "thing" that I hope educated onlookers feel more than analyze, is this sense of liveliness and bravura. It's this "thing" that I look for in my own work to satisfy my own expectations.

on the easel December 2010

2010-12-09T12:50:00.000-08:00

Long Shadows- Douglas 24x36 oil on panel

I've worked on a little bit of everything this month. This rather large (for me) landscape and the next sneak peek of a figurative piece have taken about two months of dabbling.
I have to add that after seeing the image of this piece- I went back and added more trees and some shaping to the right side of the panel-in front of the white building. It improved it. Seeing it small, showed me the verticals were too strong.

Untitled 36x24 in. oil on panel

Untitled 12x16 in. oil on panel

These haven't been titled yet...any ideas? I also have a very "Chardin" still life that is very striking. I am waiting to get a photographer to image it for me because that snapshots are horrid. These are bad enough! If you are interested let me know or keep an eye out for the classier images a-comin'.

"The Bride" in Montefiascone, Italy

2010-11-02T13:54:00.000-07:00

The Bride/Annunciation 40x36 in. 2008

About The Bride

I have titled this painting The Bride or Annunciation, but it really could bear many titles. I don’t intellectualize my paintings while I work on them. I choose my subjects intuitively. Titles are slow in coming because I try not to anticipate where a painting will take me.

A young woman is seated alone in her wedding dress in an undefined space that can be past, present, or future- all of which tumble about in her mind. It is an iconographic moment. Anna, as The Bride, represents to me those times of struggle between the ideal and the real. She could be Mother Earth (Gaia), a struggling nation, or the Virgin Mary at the Annunciation. It is the moment when we recognize the real has supplanted the ideal, when the real subverts all imagined ideals.

Italian Gallery Opening

2010-10-28T02:18:00.000-07:00

I'm going to be working with an international contemporary art gallery called Artegiro located in Montefiascone just north of Rome, Italy. Artegiro pulls in multi-media arts from around the world that celebrate the role of exchange, transposition and displacement in art as in life.

The first show I'll participate in is called SUBversion which runs November 12th through December 12th.

on the easel October 2010

2010-10-28T01:34:00.000-07:00

My latest few pieces...

Art Babel: Painting Demo by Steven Assael

2010-09-24T08:33:00.001-07:00

Art Babel: Painting Demo by Steven Assael: "Watching Steven Assael work is absolutely incredible. He will literally do an oil sketch like this in less than an hour. Here's a demo from ..."

Art Babel: Brown Velvet, by Memoree Joelle-Scott

2010-09-24T08:33:00.000-07:00

Art Babel: Brown Velvet, by Memoree Joelle-Scott: "My husband, an artist, took this photo to use as a reference for a painting he's working on. It will be something of a study after Rembrandt..."

Art Babel: Observations of a Female Artist depicting the Femi...

2010-09-24T08:32:00.000-07:00

Art Babel: Observations of a Female Artist depicting the Femi...: "As an artist and a woman rendering nude studies, I find myself to be the subject of much curiosity, some of which has been a challenge bot..."

on the easel August

2010-08-04T11:11:00.000-07:00

Blue Hydrangeas, 18x24 in. oil on linen

I just finished this yesterday and really love it. The blue harmonies for a floral are new for me.

on the easel July 2010

2010-07-23T12:09:00.000-07:00

Below are two more paintings that I've worked on this month. I have this 6x6 painting on panel called Shells (below) which isn't quite finished. It is part of a little series going of small pieces painted from my son Cedric's nature collection. This is the third I've done and I have another set up to begin soon.

Here is a pic of a hydrangea painting that I am painting for Phil and Carol Carra. Carol loaned me glass pieces and the linen from her home to use in the painting. This is a 16x20 oil on linen.

On The Easel - June 2010

2010-07-03T09:54:00.000-07:00

I'm going to be a really good girl and post the new pieces that I'm working on or just finished every month. I was able to paint quite a lot in June with the long days of summer and Joseph being home. When the peonies were in bloom, I did three peony paintings in a row. One I am still modifying so I'll post that later.

This is a 24 x 18 in. I think it will be titled: "Peonies and Red Scissors".

This 2nd one is a 24 x 30 in. The image is a bit dark on this. The upper background is a dark green and some details are a bit lost in this pic. I think this one will be called "Peonies and Pink Scissors". This painting and the one above it are amazing hung together!

Here is another piece that I'm so excited about....this is a 20 x 16 in. called "White Daisies". This will be framed in a nice champagne-colored frame.

Here's a 6 x 6 panel. It has a mate to it that I finished yesterday....

This image shows the painting of Cedric, my son (which is for my own collection) with two really lovely landscapes. The larger one is a Montana river, the smaller one is of a local lake area. The little one is available through Water Street Gallery. The larger landscape I may use as a competition piece.

This 9x 12 in. oil on panel is available from Water Street Gallery. I just painted this last week- we had such amazing clouds! It's called "Wind From The East".

Hydrangea season is just around the corner!

Copies After Velazquez- A Study In Technique IV

2010-06-04T19:45:00.000-07:00

MODERN MASTERS

This title is ambiguous, I know. This one is loosely based on Steven Assael's technique (A brilliant painter!). I feel this sketch turned out wonderfully chromatic but I was not as liberal with the paint as Assael would be. I'm still on the cautious side.
The Venetian Red-toned canvas really retains warmth and glow throughout the painting. It was very easy to keep the chroma high. Not good, perhaps, for people that fight too high of chroma as a perpetual problem. It was fun but I felt like I was reining in the color as opposed to the other approaches.

Ground

This is Venetian Red acrylic sprayed with shellac which I used only for this project. Usually when I tone with red I use an earth red and Turps and let it dry a number of days.

Day 1
Palette contains a Cadmium Green Light, a Titanium White to go with the Cadmiums, and a pre-mixed light, warm gray made of Raw Umber, White, and Green Umber. I also made a White mixed with a tad of Cobalt Blue for a cool highlight color. I just did that for fun...neither Assael (I assume somewhat after seeing a demonstration) nor myself usually pre-mix colors before trying to match something we are seeing. I also made an orange-which I don't usually pre-mix either....

Day 1 cont'd.

This was it! It was such a small piece I didn't use more than 1 alla prima session to do this. I tried to spend roughly the same amount of time on each of these. Some processes take more than 1 day for sure- and some don't IF it can be done well and is so small.
I'll add another pic that has a bit higher color showing. The truth is somewhere between the two and a bit better in person, of course.

Copies After Velasquez- A Study In Technique Ill

2010-03-26T13:13:00.000-07:00

RUBENS

Day 1

I did a thin drawing with Yellow Ochre and Raw Umber on a gray imprimatura. An important quality to Rubens work was his layering of warms on cools and cools on warms. These were either painted in separate layers or wet-in-wet with the idea of layering; not mixing warms and cools together directly.

Day 2

On a couch of balsam-based medium, I painted the shadows and background, then jumped into working the thick light areas. As I mentioned, I tried to mix on the canvas and keep my warms and cools separate, floating color on color.

This seems like a good approach for projects from life when you have limited time. The effects were easy to get. From the beginning there is a complex silver and gold glow that just seems to appear. Getting close to the canvas, you can see how much the visual effect relies on the warm underpainting which can be a drawback. The half-tones may have less body than other methods. Some of Rubens paintings look like they were left like this (it is a very loose, spontaneous look). Maybe this is what his first painting looked like. I followed the approach suggested in Max Doerner's The Materials of The Artist and Their Use In Painting. This was an experiment and I am not a Rubens Expert-FYI...

Copies After Velasquez- A Study In Technique Il

2010-03-26T12:38:00.000-07:00

VAN DYCK

Day 1
I begin on a white canvas to sketch in the subject with Raw Umber and a little Turpentine.

Day 2
I refine more if needed with the Raw Umber then add Flemish White highlights on a thin dammar layer (dammar put only under the areas to receive white). I let this dry at least two days, more if possible.

Day 3
I have a lightest light represented but have more room to push darks. I establish a taste of my darkest dark and then make an educated guess at the background color and value.

I proceeded to paint the hand itself and bring the whole sketch to a finish. Obviously, most paintings don't get finished this quickly. I used an earth palette for this-no cadmiums etc.

Copies After Velasquez- A Study In Technique I

2010-03-20T14:41:00.000-07:00

I began a series of oil copies of a hand painted by Velasquez in order to clarify to myself some of the different technical approaches I am aware of. I chose the hand because I wanted something I thought I could paint five times without going crazy. I also wanted to start all five with the same cartoon transfer so they would start out with the same exact drawing. Next time I do something like this, I will work from a very simple object from life. It was, perhaps, not a fair set-up because it may have limited color interpretations and textural interpretations. The other difficulty is that of labeling the techniques. I settled upon labeling them with a broadly understood term or the great painter that I associate with the technique. Another limitation I ran into is that, really, this is a "first" painting. There wasn't much visual information to go beyond that.
Labels and Working Distinctions
Van Dyck and oftentimes my familiar method: Transparent shadows first in Raw Umber and when dry, underpaint thick lights with Flake White.
Grissaille: Opaque underpainting, mixing Raw Umber (some use a warm black or green earth) with Flake White on the palette and painting a covering layer lighter in value than it will need to be later on.
Academic Method/Ingres: Greater care given to line and an opaque dead color stage for an underpainting.
Rubens: Transparent shadows, cools and warms kept in separate layers and on separate brushes.
Assael: Start with opaque and higher chroma midtones and build lights and darks into them. Sculpting very thick highlights.
Grounds
All grounds are Claessens 13SP (single-primed)
Van Dyck: White ground
Grisaille: White ground
Academic/Ingres: White ground
Rubens: Gray toned
Assael: Venetian Red toned

See Image 2

Before Day 1.....In order to keep things similar from the beginning, I transferred charcoal drawings onto each canvas. However, below I pretend that I am working from life and describe what I did each day under typical working conditions. Remember this is a very simple, small subject and it would take more days at the later stages for more complex paintings.

The Subject: Image 1

The Grounds: Image 2 Rubens

The Grounds: Image 2 Assael

The Grounds: Image 2: All other grounds remained white

Figure Painting demo by Jacob Collins

2010-02-23T05:57:00.000-08:00

Be sure and visit http://grandcentralacademy.blogspot.com/2010/02/jacob-collins-demo-week-1.html to watch the progress of a figure painting painted by Jacob Collins alongside of his students. This method is very similar to the approach taught at the Angel Academy in Florence. Note the length of time and care that goes into getting a drawing/cartoon to work from.

Just Finished!

2010-02-09T05:17:00.000-08:00

Here are a couple of pieces that I just finished and am really fond of. They are inspired by Cinderella and the fairytale pumpkins that I love to see in the fall. The paintings are titled "Principe" and "Principessa"- italian for prince and princess. I just got them in their frames which are wide brown with gold inner edges-very striking. The paintings are being juried for the WMAS - Exhibition at the Kalamazoo Institute of Art this spring. If you live locally, stop in!

French and Californian Wines

2010-01-18T11:28:00.000-08:00

This fall I had fun working on a pair of 19 x 42 inch wine-themed paintings commissioned for a specific spot in a lovely home on the shore of Lake Michigan. The items are all pulled from the owners' home making it all the more personal. It's tricky getting all the parts to play together. An item such as the candelabra is quite elaborate in itself, yet is supposed to retire a bit in the presence of the wine. Also, both pieces needed to relate to one another without becoming redundant. I was happy with the result... Salute!

Snake River Trip

2010-01-18T11:03:00.000-08:00

In August my family and I made a trip across the northern states to Washington to visit our family in Seattle, Spokane, and Asotin. My In-laws live on the Snake River just below Hell's Canyon. The landscape is incredible. We live more outside than inside in the summer there, soaking in the precious sunshine and fresh air. I've sketched there over the years and I'm posting a piece from this summer's visit. I'm using the inspiration of the cloud movements for a couple of pieces I'm presently working on.

More Florals

2009-09-23T16:59:00.000-07:00

Portrait Painting Session

2009-09-23T16:44:00.000-07:00

In August an artist friend, Ed Tereshinski, and I painted portraits of his son (thanks for sitting!). We both painted on panel. I'm loving panels for small pieces. I prep artist-grade panels with R. Doak's Panel Primer or Gamblin Ground, 3-4 coats.

Finished Portrait

2009-09-23T16:29:00.000-07:00

After many months a portrait is dry, varnished, framed and hung. This particular painting was framed in a Hackman Frame (Ohio) and was a beautiful custom piece. In August I went to varnish the portrait on site and pick up still life pieces for two wine-themed still lifes for the front entry of the same home.

Landscape Painting

2009-07-15T07:08:00.000-07:00

Joseph, Cedric, and I found this great new landscaping spot quite close to home. It's at the merging point of a lake's run-off and the Kalamazoo River. There is a fishing hole for the family and lots of interesting trees and shadows for me. This first sketch shows a very idyllic summer experience of fishing and bathing in sunlight-Cedric and Joseph almost lost in a big, green world.

I've been using panels more and more this summer. I think for smaller pieces this is going to really be a habit. I'm using artist grade panels and panel primer from Robert Doak (NYC). Sometimes I use an imprimatura of Red Ochre or Raw Umber but usually I just leave them white until I know what will be painted on them.

Floral paintings

2009-07-06T10:14:00.000-07:00

I've been concentrating on floral paintings during this last month. It just happens that I reach for the flowers during the short Michigan summer. I enjoy plants with big, airy blossoms. My goal is to paint them beautifully, but not sentimentally. It's hard to find the right terms for what I mean.

New Studio Set Up At Last

2009-07-06T09:55:00.000-07:00

May 1st we moved into a unique loft-style space in Plainwell, Michigan. I have a studio as the back half of our family space. Joseph and I painted it to add class and cut down on bounce-back light on painting projects. You can see I have plenty of room for myself and atelier painters. One room has north light. The largest room has natural light or artificial light options. I'm finding the choices helpful. It gets boring painting in the same light day after day. This way I can move objects around until I find an inspiring view.

2009-04-12T12:05:00.000-07:00

Atelier Information

Thimgan Hayden Studio

The Atelier is designed for the beginner to advanced student who is looking for practical, traditional instruction in drawing or painting either for their own enrichment or professional goals.

Each student will be guided through drawing and/or painting projects which will serve to build an understanding of the elements of representational art. Students will learn about the practical application of line, volume, chiaroscuro (light and shadow contrast), color mixing, and artists' materials. Beginners may start drawing using the same basic program of study used by the French Academy. They will then progress to more challenging projects such as still life painting and drawing and painting the portrait and figure using the sight-size method.

Located in historic downtown Plainwell, Michigan, the studio provides a quiet, low-stress environment with each artist working independently and at his or her own pace.

Schedule:

The studio is open Monday through Friday with flexible hours. Each person is working on his or her own project and will receive concise instruction in addition to informal learning opportunities. Other opportunities include group discussions, trips, an annual show as well as an excellent resource library.

For more information on scheduling and fees contact: Thimgan Hayden (pro. Tim’ee-in) at: thimdhr@yahoo.com

New Spaces

2009-04-08T09:55:00.000-07:00

Here is a peek at the raw space that will be my next studio. The left wall has the tall north window and a stage (or model stand in my case) runs along the back wall. This used to be a small theatre and dance hall. I'll be in Plainwell, Michigan for a time. It's just north of Kalamazoo.

Getting Started

2009-03-30T05:46:00.000-07:00

Here is an image of my current portrait project. This portrait was done in 5 sittings with some work on my own in addition to that of course... We wrapped up the last sitting on St. Patrick's Day; which was rather fitting.