Thank You

Hug Point Sea-stack
16x20

As my show Moods of the Pacific Northwest begins to wind down, I want to take this opportunity to thank everyone for all your support. All the friends, family, peers and collectors, you have really added the spice to make this a dynamite experience for me and from the bottom of my heart I

Thank You!

 



From the time I was given the green light to move forward with this project, the entire process has been a life changing experience for me, and one that I will never forget.

 

Each of the paintings holds a special memory for me. Like the morning when I painted Torrent out in the driving wind and rain at La Push, or the time when my great friend, Eric Jacobsen and I straddled a guard rail in The Dalles and I ended up painting Reliable Beauty. Then there was the time when I painted a sea-stack at Hug Point and my freshly loaded palette fell face first on the beach. Consequently, the piece is lovingly adorned with Hug Point sand.

 

As of today, an amazing total of 24 paintings have sold from the show. I couldn't be more humbly thankful that Moods of the Pacific Northwest was so well received.

 

And to my biggest fan, my Grandmother (Betty), who has visited the gallery at least a dozen times with friends and family to do what grandmothers do best... boast.

 

Thanks to everyone who had an opportunity to see the show and/or offer up such kind words, especially those who chose to take a piece home. It truly means more to me than you can imagine.

 

I owe a special thank you to Kevin Weaver, the gallery director of Art on the Boulevard for believing and trusting in me enough to give me my first solo show. It was an unbelievable show of faith that I am so grateful for. Thank you Kevin, for giving me wings.

 

And lastly I would like to thank my wife, Victoria. I could not have done the show without your support and organization. I love you and thank you!

 

 

 

Continuance

Continuance
14x18

One thing that draws me to painting is going through the thought process of how to paint a subject.

One point of interest for me is whether to paint alla prima or work a surface over a period of days.....

When i began this piece, i fully intended to make it a multi-day affair. However, as the painting progressed, i was liking some aspects of it and i decided to push on into the evening and see how it turned out.

As it would be, i wanted to focus on the spontaneity of the sky and keep to the freshness of how quickly the light can travel across the terrain as it peeks through the massive web of cloud cover.

In the end, i was reminded a great lesson.....I went into this piece with a plan, a plan that was altered mid-stream. I scrapped the multi-day thing, went forward to complete it in one sitting, and wound up being pretty happy with the outcome.

Being conscious of our decision making, and acting on those intuitions is critical. Plus, you never know where you will end up going down those little experimental bunny trails.

Untold Stories

Old Glory XI
24x18

With the Memorial Day Weekend upon us, i thought it would be good to post another flag painting. Since i have started this series of paintings, i of course see our nation's symbol everywhere. And i'm like a kid in a candy store when i see a flag, and state to my patient wife, "look, there's another one"!

I often stop and take photos to capture just that right composition and study the wave patterns. However, this past week while in Seattle, and locked out of my son's condo (for a bit), i had ample time to contemplate a large flag flying atop a downtown building. A few people passed by, including an older gentleman wearing a veteran's hat. As he shuffled by, he glanced at me and gave me a nod. I reciprocated with a nod of my own and a solemn "hi". He had no idea what i was doing or what i was thinking, or what i was about to think....

At that moment, my thoughts turned from line and form to people. The many faces that pass by everyday with the blink of an eye, and of their untold stories. What does our flag mean to them? What does our flag mean to all who have lived under these colors? How much pain and how much pride is lurking in each and every one of us that most people never have the opportunity to learn about.

So here is one of mine....

I painted this piece with specific thoughts in mind. As it is my Eleventh flag painting in the series, it, and my number Nine painting, are meant to serve as my way of honoring the victims of  9 11.

Number Nine was painted for a specific Marine, and dear friend of mine, to represent our military forces and public servants who work to protect our nation on a daily basis. Number Eleven is to honor the 911 victims.

In my closing thoughts  i would like to dedicate this post to the memory of my mother, Betty Jane Lindstrom, who passed away in 1991. She planted the seed of oil painting in my teenage thoughts so many years ago. And although our painting styles are a bit different, i wish we could have had the opportunity to paint together.

Mom, thanks for the memories, and thanks for your amazing creativity.

Thoughts on Painting Still Life



Food for Thought
16x20



Still Life painting is a great passion of mine. And i think for most people, you either love em', or you don't. For me, still life's hold a special place in my heart, for that's when colors and values and shapes, began to make sense to me.

I also enjoy the gathering of trinkets and formulating them into a display. And, I gotta tell ya', you just haven't lived until you've wandered through thrift stores looking for interestingly shaped items that are just begging to be re-purposed. It truly is great fun. However, some items, like the bud vase, was my mother's, the book is my wife's, and the flowers are snips from our yard.

I knew i wanted this painting to be full of texture and that it would take multiple sittings to get it where i wanted it. The whole thought process that takes place with problem solving (the application of paint to a painting revisited) is quite freeing and magnetizing. Freeing - in terms of not having to dial everything in during the first pass or two because i know i'm going to refine as i go. And magnetizing - because each visit is like a new painting, only better. The juicy thick paint being pulled and dragged, grabs like a saber tooth tiger and reveals wonderful nuances.

If you already enjoy painting still life's, i might be preaching to the choir. If you don't, i would urge you to give it a shot - you never know, you might succumb to the power of the still...and if you're an appreciator, you probably already have.

Urban Impressions

Out for a Stroll

8x10

Recently, i have hit my urban impressions of downtown Vancouver,WA. Last weekend, the weather was so nice - it gave me a great chance to get out and snag some well-lit scenes for a couple of plein air pieces, and some photographs for studio work.

This painting was done in studio, but i wanted to give it a plein air feeling. The initial pass went in quite quickly - i did not fuss with perfect lines. Instead i focused on putting splashes and swipes of color and value in loose fashion. If you've never done that, you should try it. It's almost like being a kid again. Or in my case, dinner was just about ready.....

Over the next couple evenings, is when i really focused. I tidied things up a bit and infused some intense light, but still tried to keep to the playful feeling. I left all the signage as strokes and splots to keep to the looseness of the design. And although this is a representational painting, it could be more an expression color and light.

I know this is a tall order for anyone outside the area; but can anyone guess what the subjects are in this painting?

One hint....The yellow building was the first home of The Columbian newspaper.

Flyin' with Gray

Gray all the Way

8x8

This past weekend i had my brushes on six different paintings. Some being completed, some just beginning, and some obtaining both in the same sitting. This one, i would be willing to bet, maybe has thirty minutes into it.

I had just finished cleaning my palette and was deciding on which subject was to be my next victim for the day when i walked upstairs to find it snowing outside; and so, i took this as a sign that i needed to paint a snow scene i had been thinking of.

At least that's what i intended to paint.....

As i began, those three large piles of gray scrapings (light, med., dark) started calling me and i couldn't resist scooping into the juicy piles of mud and without much thought, the frenzy began. I started laying down massive globs of paint and with every twist and turn and slide of the brush, i could feel the tension of a structured, hard thought through painting go right out the window.

Unfortunately, the snow painting went out with it too. But, that's ok for a few reasons.

One, it was therapeutic; two, i can still re-do the composition in a more structured and true snow scene; and three, it was a great use of my scrapings and out came an interesting little painting.

I say interesting, for the chunky, sculpted shapes, and broken color are really fun to see - especially up close.

Most of my scrapings wind up in the next painting session, but i don't recall every painting almost entirely with my grays and i have to admit it felt like one of those guilty sins - like eating an extra donut, even when you know you shouldn't.

So, the next time you get the chance, do something a little off-color, and eat the extra donut.

Winter, Winter, Winter.....

Winter Morning

18x24

During my travels to and from work i drive past some stunning scenery. Many times have i wanted to pull over, break out my gear and start painting. While that hasn't happened yet, in the meantime, i take photos to use as reference for studio work. This painting was done from one of those pics that i have taken, just after a recent snowfall.

One of the great challenges in painting is to capture the subtle value shift that makes a painting read properly. And i think that challenge gets heightened when painting a gray scene; the values are so close that the margin for error narrows to a knife's edge. Fighting through that struggle is also part of the draw for me.

I'm not saying this from an ego maniacal stance, for i'm sure there are many who would rip this thing to shreds in a critique. i only offer this to say that anyone who knows and loves color can attest to the fact of how hard it can be resist the temptation of adding life and vibrancy with color, and remain neutral or tonal. in the end, it still has to come off believable and more important.......inspiring....

Either way it works or doesn't work is for the viewer to decide, but over the course of this winter i have developed a new love for painting the mood, and texture of our Pacific Northwest.

Along the Road

Milepost 131

8x10

This past weekend a stake was thrown in the ground, a tree was planted, and a Milepost was found. I officially have gallery representation; Art on the Boulevard in Vancouver,WA has taken me on, for which i am extremely excited about.

The road of following my passion for painting is filled with highs and lows, and is textured as much as a pizza painting.

(see posting of Steigerwald Gold for more on a pizza painting) http://michaellindstromartist.blogspot.com/2011/11/steigerwald-gold.html

This week is an extreme high, but it is not the final destination. Along the road of life there are occurrances that we will always remember as significant; graduation, marriage, birth of a child, death of a loved one. These are some examples of mileposts that can alter life or at least mark a moment in time. A moment in time from which there is no going back, we can only move forward. This is one of those weeks for me and what better way to express it than to paint it.

A great many thanks are owed to a great number of people who have helped me get to this point in my art career. No way did i make it here alone. And no way do i continue to improve without the help and support of friends and family.

Huge thanks to Kevin Weaver for taking me on in the gallery, and to my wife, Vicki, for believing in me and supporting me through thick and thin.

http://www.artontheboulevard.org/

Painting a Sunny Winter Scene

Winter Clearing

18x24

My trips to The Burnt Bridge Creek Greenway have harvested some great reference material to use in my studio work; the composition i used for Winter Clearing is one of my favorites. The numerous scraggly bushes, twisted trees, and killer colors are warming to my soul in the cold of winter, and i am hopelessly drawn to their power.

I have been gearing up to paint more in larger format and i feel this view of the fields, through the bushes and trees and on to the background hills, lends itself well to a larger forum to do its speaking.

Something occurred during this painting that i wasn't expecting though..... the scene depicted here was actually a bit overcast. While putting pigment to panel, i found myself using colors that would indicate a brighter day, and strangely enough i found it working for me... so i just went with it. This brings up an interesting thought: At what point does a painter recognize that something is working or not working? And what do you do with that? This leads to the big question....when is a painting finished?

I think it's critical to be self-aware; but that is not enough.... One has to be able to trust their own instincts, and then confidently act upon them. That might include shutting it down before a painting gets overworked. It might also mean that you revisit a painting after a period of time with a fresh set of eyes.

I know i'm not alone, when i say it's a struggle knowing when a painting is finished. It might be the hardest thing about painting, but no one can tell us when a painting is finished. That is part of the struggle and learning and growing process that must take place from within and will ultimately make us better painters for it.

I will never claim to be a great draftsman when it comes to painting. I will never have all my i's dotted and t's crossed. The important things i want to show up in my work are emotion, depth, texture, and passion. And, i think that's why people connect with art. They acquire a connection deep in their soul, with a certain piece of art, and that's when the inferno begins.

Painting the Sun

Filtered Sun

11x14

During my New Year's Day plein air painting excursion to the Burnt Bridge Creek Greenway, i came across this scene. The painting i did that afternoon was a thumbnail shot of this composition which turned out nice, but when i saw the sun filtering through the clouds, i instantly knew that i wanted that in a painting too. So, i took some photos and my three paintings for the day and headed home with the anticipation of creating a painting with another dimension in it; the sun.....

I completed this painting in pizza painting like fashion with a layering, texturing, and making-breaking-making again mentality, over the last couple weeks and it was a joy to create.

My favorite thing about this painting is the sun. I have never painted the sun or the moon before, but i have been wanting to for some time. Now, while the sun and moon are ever present, they are not always paintable subjects for me. So when the sun became paintable to me, i was really excited to give it my rendition and add that wildcard element to a painting.

I don't often see the sun as striking as it was on that day. It was totally there, but as if i were looking at it through welding glass and it just became a glow in the sky which was simply beautiful, understated, yet powerful; I love those adjectives. It's difficult to describe, and i think a rare occurrence, but when i can use the words beautiful, understated, and powerful in the same sentence, then i have come upon something truly unique that speaks to me in the poetry of a brush putting paint to panel.

I hope you enjoy the Filtered Sun as much as i enjoyed painting it.

Progression of a Flag Painting

I have been working on a series of flag paintings; i thought it would be fun to have you walk with me through the progression of one of them. Currently, i have completed six paintings in this series, and more will follow.

So here we go.....

Initial sketch on tanned panel. Laying down my darks and blocking in shapes getting ready for white. As i lay in the white stripes the flag starts to take shape. Finishing off the white stripes and putting down the initial background sky.

Old Glory IV

11x14

Final touches include: adding more dimension to the sky, popping in the stars, and strengthening the pole.... there you have it! A celebration of Old Glory living and breathing, and i am quite happy with the outcome.

It is fun to do a progression like this - we can look back and maybe bring ideas and thoughts of how to do something different to a future painting. For me, i really like the way the lone flag looked against the tanned surface of the panel - without a sky. I think it gave a rustic feel to the flag that i really like, so i did one and you can view that version by clicking on the Flag Paintings link: http://michaellindstromartist.blogspot.com/p/flag-paintings.html

Any thoughts that come to your mind?

Steigerwald Gold

Steigerwald Gold

16x20

This last weekend i was a bit under the weather with a monster bull frog in my throat and my wife would not let me go out in the field to paint. It was a big dissapointment; for being an overcast showery weekend, the atmospheric colors appeared to be strong and vivid. At least from our kitchen window they were.

I took the opportunity to work this larger studio piece of Steigerwald. It is the same composition as last week's painting only i pushed the values a bit, and maybe a bit too far. So i'm stewing on whether to leave it or continue; the infamous age old question.

The great thing i love about working on a painting in multiple sittings is the layering and textured that can only be obtained after the paint has dried to some degree. To me the dragging of paint over dried or semi-dried paint is like taking a big bite of Thanksgiving dinner, absolutely mouthwatering, and something i just can't get enough of.

Matter of fact, i might start calling these my pizza paintings. They get piled high with layers of delicious toppings; and i'm a deep dish, combo kind a guy.

Ever had a Juliano's Hurricane? Oooooooh Ya, if so, then you know what i'm talkin' bout.

Progression of a Painting

I have been wanting to show the progression of a painting from start to finish and i recently slowed down enough and remembered to take photos at different stages of the piece.

This painting was done in an afternoon in my basement, uh... i mean studio..... The photo that i used was taken at Steigerwald Refuge, during one of my treks down the path in search of a plein air subject to paint. I will often stop and take a pic when i see something that strikes my eye in hopes of using it in just this manner. So here we go......

I like to use a highly textured panel for my support. This panel is a former painting that i sanded down and gessoed over and reveals some wonderful texture.

The first thing i do is to tan my panel using a varied mixture of Burnt Sienna, Alizarin Crimson and Ultramarine and then loosely sketch my composition. Next, blocking in some shapes trying to lay in some darks, but sometimes i get a little antsy and my passion for color gets the better of me.

Introducing the background trees and sky

Here i have lightened up the hillside grass, established the foreground tree and layed in my highlights for the path which really allow the painting to take shape.

Path of Light 14x11

At last i add some touches of lights and darks in an effort to make things pop a bit, soften some background edges and add some foodle to the tree and i think were done. I really liked the way the foreground shadows act as stair steps into the painting, maybe a bit of a struggle to get past them (much like hiking), but the draw of the path leading you into the painting, i think, outweighs the initial struggles. Also, the big bushy tree in the foreground was an absolute joy to paint and keeps you from going off the panel. Oh, i should explain the foodle reference; its actually two words i enjoy saying that help me refrain from too much detail work...... Fiddle and Noodle - Foodle. Oops, i guess the Fox Terrier/Poodle mix beat me to it, darn poodles anyway.....

P-Patch Community Garden

Thomas Street Garden Pump

8x10

Our middle son, Kevin, lives in Seattle and this last weekend we helped him move to the Capitol Hill area. Saturday was pretty much a 12 hr grind, but Sunday Kevin took us on a tour of the area. Now, being the artist that i am, i found subjects and compositions all over the place, Seattle is just an amazing city, a bit edgy, but amazing. Both days i found inspiration everywhere that was begging to be painted.

During our sunday walk, we happened onto the Thomas Street Gardens, which is a lot, in the middle of a residential neighborhood that Thomas Street Gardens acquired in 1997 and is part of the P-Patch Community Gardening Program in Seattle. It is a lovely whimsical garden that clearly fits with a NW theme of recycling meets artistic.

Many of the P-Patch gardens promote a "giving garden" where the produce is donated to a local food bank. They also promote environmental awareness, strengthen neighborhoods, and increase self-reliance among many other things.

I was so inspired by this little pump nestled amongst the flowers and rocks that i knew it was going to make it into a painting. Little did i know it was to be the same day. I spent a few hours last night with some touch ups tonight and enjoyed painting this fun and cheery piece.

One of the things i enjoy doing while painting is dabbing on thick spots of color, especially for the flowers. I am not concerned too much with detail at this point, as i enjoy letting the paint do its thing as i apply it and pull the brush off the panel. The photo doesn't show it, but there are little curly ques and ridges that appear when applying paint in this manner and to me is the frosting on the cake. And, you just don't eat cake without frosting, right.....?

Check out Thomas Street Gardens http://www.seattle.gov/neighborhoods/ppatch/locations/34.htm

Wood Duck

I painted "Wood Duck" yesterday from a picture that I took at a wetland off Old Evergreen Hwy. 9x12 oil on gessoed panel.

Circus of Color

“Circus of Color” was a difficult piece to create. For me I have to connect with the subject in order to fully express what I am trying to convey. The theme, “It’s a Circus” for the annual Wy'East Artisan Guild Art Show, was a great challenge and something I toiled with for weeks. What I wanted to express with “Circus of Color” is a bright, vibrant, almost comedy of colors that jump out and grab the viewers attention, much like a circus does. It was important that I not get caught up with details, which is why I chose to use a painting knife for the entire piece. I used acrylic paints for their vibrancy and quick drying characteristics, which forced me to work fast and help with the expression of the painting. I also wanted you to feel a sense of movement. So you can feel the wind blowing through the colorful flags and the elephant meandering to the Big Top, as part of the next performance. Thank you for taking time to learn about “Circus of Color”. I hope you enjoy experiencing it as much as I enjoyed creating it.

Sailboats Resting

9x12 oil on masonite. I painted "Sailboats Resting" today from a picture I took last summer at Rose City Yacht Club. I really like how it turned out. The sun was setting and there were hints of pink in the sky and reflections in the water.

Sailboat

Here is a painting of one of my favortites, I did last summer. I began sailing with my neighbor on his 33' Yamaha and instantly was hooked. I painted this from a photo I took while on my first sailing voyage in June of 09 on the Columbia River. 14X11 on gessoed plywood