"2012 #1 Cozumel East Beach" 12 x 16 oil on linen

I completed my first “texture project”. I definitely felt a bit rusty as I have painted nothing since the end of June.

My goal on this group of paintings is to achieve or discover some kind of textural quality that feels right with the subject matter. I have been pretty much a direct “alla prima” painter for several years, however as I painted this beach study I decided to work up some of these paintings indirectly. perhaps build up a couple of layers of paint…maybe play the glazing game. So this first painting is an example of paint application with one tool(a small painting knife) in a single session.

Painting Knife, Large No. 10 with a 30 x 40 canvas in the background just getting started....

I purchased a set of four extra large Liquitex painting knives a couple of weeks ago and challenged myself to paint a complete large(30″ x 40″) landscape with each of them. I will share what I have learned as I work on the paintings.

The first painting will be completed with the Liquitex Painting Knife, Large No. 10 pictured above. For this landscape painting I selected a design idea from my most recent trip to Cozumel it is a view near the area called “el Mirador”.  A view of  the  blue Caribbean water interacting with the sharp ” iron shore” limestone  of Cozumel. For those who are familiar with this “wild” part of the Cozumel east coast this was a pretty calm morning.

So far The big no. 10 painting knife has performed well. The only problems I have encountered are related to me being right-handed.  There are areas on every canvas where I have trouble making right-handed marks.

first day color block-in in progress

As I complete the painting I will add a few more in-progress images and I will talk more about the tool.

Mixing color with the big knife is a pleasure it handles big piles of paint with ease and it feels good in my hand. I was able to mix and block in large areas of color in a short time. The “Scotch” in me makes me cringe at the quantity of paint I am squeezing out.  As I have progressed in this painting I have   struggled a bit with exactly what my marks should look like.  As I began refining areas of the painting it began to have the same “feel” as the Arch painting I completed a month ago so I have let it go in that direction something I called a “Van Gogh-esc” look .  It is an interesting form with the potential for color, linear and textural movement and rhythm.  It is a form that I think I will explore for a few more paintings.( Although I had a professor who admonished me not to paint this way after viewing a work with similar form that I tried as a student.)

end of the second session

The painting has continued to evolve as a series of dashes and blobs.  I have been able to create an interesting variety of mark shapes with the big  Liquitex No. 10 painting knife using the edges and tip. When I start my next (3rd) painting session I plan on adding a smaller trowel shape knife to help me break up and refine some of the lines in the design.

I have completed the knife work on the painting. I think it is finished. I will look at it in my studio for a few days to make sure. I am happy with the way the big knife worked since I only spent about 6.00 on it I can’t complain to much. I really liked the big handle it was easy to hold. I thought the knife had decent spring and it appears to be well built my only complaint would be that the bend or neck between the blade and the handle could be longer so it had a deeper drop so my knuckles could be further from the surface of the canvas.

I like the design, the yin yang , half  land half sea quality of the design. Like most artists when they walk away from a painting I know it is not what I had in mind exactly but the essence is there and I had the bonus of exploring the possibilities of a new tool. I can already imagine it on the south wall of my family room (at least for a few weeks).

The cool thing is I have three more big knives to try out! The next design may be drawn from almost the same location looking south as opposed to north.

Here are the first sessions result of my big Liquitex No. 13 painting knife test and review.

First painting session with Liquitex No. 13 painting knife

I liked the way I was able to mix and cover a 30 x40 canvas in 3-4 hours. The knife forces me to live with its marks. The similarity of the marks  gives a rhythmic quality to the application. Of course during this first session I am mostly trying to get the right color in  right location.

As for the composition I was just a little nervous starting this composition with so much sharp texture and contrast in the foreground. The rough and I mean ROUGH texture of the limestone “iron shore” should contrast nicely with the smoother,  lower contrast shapes of the water wave and sky.

I spent a couple more hours working on the painting with  the large  No. 13 knife and I will call it session two.  I like the mark making control this knife gives particularly for sharper edges and linear shapes.  I have been painting with oil paint for 30 years and I can’t believe that I have neglected to use this tool more often.  So far thumbs up for the big No. 13!

Session two with the big No. 13 Liquitex painting knife.

I am struggling a bit capturing the correct colors and values that I want …but that is what makes the act of painting so rewarding, solving the problems.

I Spent yet another morning with the big N0. 13 and this painting and I am still enjoying the somewhat random quality of the marks I can make with it. However, I think another tool will be needed to break up the regular squareness and edginess of the marks. I have come to the conclusion that it is a better painting tool than a mixing tool for me.

30 x 40 Cozumel study with Liquitex knife No. 13 (Painting Session 3)

The painting is coming together, this third session leaves the painting almost finished. I can only see a few changes that I would like to make and then I will  put this painting aside and begin work on my next big knife painting.

I returned to this canvas one last time with The Big No. 13 knife. I added more value and a bit of modeling in the foreground rock shapes.  I also touched up a few color/value transitions that were bothering me.  I am calling this painting complete.  I am happy with the big No 13 knife; the limitations it imposed on me were mostly positive. I will use it again!

"Cozumel east shore wave" 30 x 40 oil on canvas, by Stephen Bartholomew

My next oil painting in this knife review series will be a approaching storm cloud painting. Two years ago Rhonda and Jewel and I were on Cozumel and it was breezy and  I thought for sure we were in for some kind of storm. But the stormy clouds just hung out over the ocean; sending patches of clouds towards land which created an awesome display of light and shadow on the beach. In my mind I visualize  a simple painting so wait and see how it turns out. The Big Liquitex knife I will be using and reviewing for this painting is a rounded No. 2. It looks like a short necked pancake turner.

Liquitex No. 2 painting knife first session, the block in.

My first observation after using the No. 2 knife for a few hours is that  it is not a mixing knife for the palette! It performed better as a blocking in tool but it would not be my first choice for that task either. It is a painting knife When I started making subtle value adjustments and edges I found that the No. 2 performed quite well. I was able to manage vertical and horizontal edges better than I had expected based on the rounded shape of the knife.

My second session with the No. 2 knife went well. I was able to make some nice small small marks with the knife. My only concern with the painting is I have some value adjustments to make between the two large shapes in the painting so I need to decide how to proceed with transparency or opacity?………. I chose opacity.

"On The East Beach" 30 x 40 oil on canvas (not finished yet)

I modified the values in a couple of places and after an hour or so I  put down the big painting knife and brushed in a lone figure on the beach.

This composition is quite simple…. which means it may but tougher for me to complete. I will add the finished painting as soon as it is done. As for the No. 2 painting knife I thought it was very versatile as a painting tool and as I indicated above I could not mix with it.

Ok!  This is the last of the  Liquitex knife review paintings. I am using the Big No. 6 for this oil painting and again I am working a composition from the east side of Cozumel.  As I  blocked in the painting I determined that the No 6. was not an efficient mixing tool, so I did my mixing with the No. 10. I  found that the paint scraped on fairly easy on the bare canvas leaving a trail along one edge of the stroke no matter how careful I stroked. This characteristic I don’t see as a problem in my work but some painters might find the ridges annoying. I had excellent edge control (see the horizon). However, I did struggle with more organic shapes,  the angled, hard edged shape of the tool made it difficult .  Again, as with the No. 13 knife, I think the limitations may enhance the abstract or suggestive quality of the final product.  I came and added another layer of paint using the No. 6 knife.  I liked the way the knife performed.  The composition seems balanced and calm (like the morning I was there).  there are a few color changes That I may make  but all in all  I feel pretty good about the painting.

First Painiting session with the Liquitex No. 6 Knife. 30 x 40 oil on canvas.

Mirador Morning - Cozumel 30 x 40 oil on canvas by Stephen Bartholomew (almost done)

If you are interested in owning this or any other paintings in my blog or if you would like me to interpret your favorite scene contact me.  Check out the win a painting link before you leave. You may now purchase prints and cards of some of my painting s at  Fine Art America .

Buffalo on the east shore of Antelope Isaland, Great Salt Lake, Utah.

I spent the first good day of summer here in Utah hiking and sightseeing with Rhonda out on Antelope Island. Antelope Island is part of the Utah State parks system, it is known for its wildlife.  We saw lots of antelope, waterfowl, a couple of hundred buffalo and a lone coyote. The most numerous wildlife we encountered were the no see um biting gnats. They were in our ears and hair withing minutes of our arrival. I was glad we had purchase nets to put over our heads and some insect repellent for our exposed skin. I would not have enjoyed our visit nearly as much and we might have had to cut it short. I was reminded of Humphrey Bogart in the African Queen when the flies were eating he and Katherine Hepburn alive. I was grateful that we were only hiking and photographing on this trip. I am afraid I would have given up painting before I even got started….. there is nothing quite like an oil painting filled with dying insects.

I saw some interesting orange flowers, scarlet globe mallow, blooming in the midst of the sea of purplish-green June grass surrounding the trail. There were  scattered sage brush and boulders punctuating the scene so I decided to work those ideas into a painting. ….which is what I am working on now. I have spent a few hours with this painting and I am still struggling with the color and the texture. The color scheme is a secondary triad of orange, violet and green. This is a color scheme I have rarely used particularly when no single color is dominant. The textural feel I am building with the strokes of the palette or painting knife have an interesting movement from the bottom of the meadow shape up to the boulder shapes. I hope to have this painting completed soon. I will post the completed painting along with the in progress view I have included here.

Antelope Island outcrop (in progress) 20 x 30 oil on canvas.

Antelope Island outcrop 20 x 30 oil on canvas

The completed version shows more development of the value and texture in the foreground I have included a detail of the knife work below. Based on the completed version shown above I have invested in several new painting knives, including some fairly large tools that could be sued to flip a burger or a small pancake. I am excited to try them so check back soon and see the resulting experiment. The image I selected to try out my big new knives is an east coast view from my trip to Cozumel. You may now purchase prints and cards of some of my painting s at  Fine Art America .

Knife details from my "Antelope island outcrop"

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April sunset Cozumel island Mexico

I just returned from Cozumel for the third time. This trip was a little less of a tourist excursion and more of an artist excursion (although we did do a lot of snorkeling and a bit of scuba diving),  I spent more time on the wild east side of the island near the limestone arches at El Mirador and along the more serene beach at Punta Sur Parque west of the southern lighthouse. The Sea was calm(relatively) on both days.

As an art student  I read  about Van Gogh’s time in the south of France. I learned that  he was captivated by the light and color I am not sure I truly understood how that could happen until  my first visit to the  wild east shore of Cozumel with its vivid color contrast and bright tropical sun. The “Cozumel” light and color has had had a lasting impact on my ” painting Psyche”.  Hopefully in the weeks and months to come I can share some examples of Cozumel’s light and color as I feel and see it. The first struggle is finding the correct  pigment or color I have settled in with a couple of turquoise blues and greens along with my usual cobalt and ultramarine. I will see how the color in the next few paintings feel.   I am working larger “studio sized” works now. I made enough photographs and sketches for eight to ten large oil paintings while I was there. I have two underway in my studio now. One of the paintings really took on a VanGogh-esc feeling as I started to finish it. I really liked the way I was able to guide the paint around the water and rocks.  The painting I am referring to is of one of the arches near El Mirador on the east side of Cozumel.. I have included two photographs one of a sunset we enjoyed and one of a reef we snorkeled.

Beach View Cozumel 2011 #1, 20 x 30 oil on canvas

Arch View Cozumel 2011 #2, 20 x 30 oil on canvas

Wave View Cozumel 2011 #3, 20 x 30 oil on canvas

A bit of studio news… I shipped out another free painting to another lucky reader. She selected one of my ” Cozumel Wave ” paintings as her free painting. If you are interested in any of my Cozumel art  or having me create a painting from your  Cozumel photo contact me. I may give another painting or print away in the near future check the links at the top of my blog page for details.You may now purchase prints and cards of some of my painting s at  Fine Art America . To purchase any painting you see in my blog contact me .cozumel art

Punta sur reef, Cozumel, Mexico

"Temple Mountain Tapestry" 30 X 40 Oil on canvas

November couple of years ago my wife and I went down to the San Rafel  Swell area of central Utah to hike a couple of slot canyons that pass through the titled mass of Navajo sandstone that runs north and south through the east side of the “swell”. We had just finished an afternoon out and back hike through Crack canyon and we were driving back towards Temple Mountain. As the sun was going down it illuminated Temple Mountain with golden light. I was lucky to have been there.  We camped that cold night south of Goblin valley near the entrance to the  Ding and Dang slot canyons. It was a perfectly clear night and I made a couple of photographs of the stars. The next day we hiked through the two slot canyons, which were a bit more technical than we expected and then we made our way home. I painted this 30 x 40 knife painting as soon as we returned home I exhibited it at the Springville Museum of art in December of 2008. After the exhibit I brought it home and stored it. Last week I was digging around in my studio and it behind some other works and brought it into my room and hung it I think I like it. It takes me back to the San Rafel and its desolate sublime beauty.
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A new 20 x 16 oil painting of Aspens. "Big Al's Meadow"

A few years ago I did a little plein air oil painting in a little grove of aspens above the Aspen Grove area of the alpine loop (near Sundance, Utah). It is a favored location of mine. I painted this location a long time ago way back in 1975. That painting was made for one of my favorite high school teachers, Al Davis. That old painting was a winter time view and it was a watercolor. Last time I talked to his daughter, Nancy, the painting was still hanging in her mothers home. I think of Al every time I drive past that spot. Another memory I have of that spot happened in 1977. my younger brother an I we on a winter camping Nordic ski tour. It was a full moon that night and we skied by the light of the full moon. We set up camp very near this little grove of trees and nearly froze to death. According to the weather it had been -40 degree Fahrenheit. That night. cars that were parked in the Sundance parking lot had frozen radiators. I learned a couple of things on that outing; I did not really like winter camping and checking on the weather forecast prior to any outdoor activity might be a good idea.

A friend at work was looking for a painting of Aspens or that Sundance area and I thought of that little stand of trees and started to work.  The results are included here I made a 16 x 20 version for my friend at work and I made a large scale work that has more of a golden tone.  I have exhibited the larger work a couple of times.  I am now offering some prints of the larger versionimpressionist paintings aspens paintings aspens art

I was happy about the results. Viva la palette knife!

"The Dancing Sun" 36 x 48 oil on canvas - Stephen Bartholomew

Waist deep in the cold water of the Tunnel Slot, near Harris Wash, Utah.

I have had a busy couple of weeks. My wife and I spent some time hiking around Bryce Canyon and then  we travel to Escalante, Utah and hiked to and then waded through a couple of nifty slot canyons. I have often thought and sketched a few ideas about what a slot canyon painting of mine might look like. The problem for me is that a good photograph really captures the visual quality rather well. What I have yet to see in a good photograph is the closed in, deep inside the earth feeling that fills me when I am sliding sideways through some narrow gap in the rock. I believe sublime might be the correct word to describe what I am thinking about.   I just need to get a good solid  visual idea and then I’ll paint it. ( When my wife read this entry she suggested I should just start a painting and see what happens. I think she is right!)

Speaking of painting this week in my studio I have been creating a  small studio painting based on a plein air painting I did a couple of years ago up at the Sundance Ski resort. The day I made the plein air sketch was a memorable one, as a tall blond  young woman invited me to leave. She informed me that I was painting in an area reserved for mountain bikes.  Even when I presented her with my season pass which I had used to ride up the lift she was insistent that I leave so I complete the sketch at home. This version is a bit larger. I feel like it captures the day rather well. The day was a slightly overcast mid-morning in late June. I enjoyed several plein air painting outings in the Sundance  and Aspen grove area that summer in fact a large waterfall painting I blogged  about a couple of months ago started out as a small study, which  I painted standing just below the lowest snow field depicted in this painting. It was an interesting outing that day over by Stewart cascade, a few hikers who were visiting the falls stopped and visited with me. Painting is usually a solitary effort for me so it was a change to talk and paint it reminded me of my old high school days when art class was mainly gab session.

On the easel. An in-progress view of a small studio oil painting.

My first newsletter contest came to an end.  The lucky winner now has  her painitng.  If  you entered and did  not win you are in luck I will be  giving away another framed oil painting away in September of 2011 and you are already entered.  Any new readers who would like  a chance to win should, click the “win a painting” link at the top of my blog and follow the instructions.

Looking out my front window I see the storm last week left a nice white blanket on the upper halves of the Wasatch Mountains. The slope depicted in this painting already has a dusting of snow and most likely the snow making machines are running at night or they will be soon. I love the snow.( I am just not crazy about the cold). I can look at this painting and already imagine myself running down this section of the hill in three weeks I hope.sundance arttimpanogos paintingsutah canvas printsmountain bike paintingsmountain paintings

9 x 12 oil on linen. "Cozumel Wave"

As I sat in my studio a few days ago I kept looking at the little knife painting I made of the southern tip of Cozumel last week and I really like it! It inspired me to look through my materials from Rhonda and I’s last trip and find another composition from which to paint. I looked through a bunch of fun photos and some drawings and I found enough material to put together this little composition. It had to move a few elements around but I really like what I ended up with.  Painting this stuff gets me all fired up to book a trip and head south! Unfortunately a trip will have to wait for a couple of months.  Along with relaxing and soaking up the sun and looking for inspiration I look forward to jumping in the ocean and peeking at the fish, turtles, coral and other undersea wonders. Snorkeling with a camera has become one of my fun new hobbies.

I will be giving a painting away in September of 2011! All you need to do is sign up for my news letter. Check back soon.

9 x 12 oil on linen "Cozumel Wave 2"

Well it’s been a couple of days and I painted another little painting from just about the same spot. My point of view is a little higher on the shore. I included a little sea lavender in the foreground. I love the sweet smell of the sea lavender as you dive along the eastern beach road.  On the west side of the Island there are some really big bunches of these near some of the resorts maybe I’ll paint a west side view next with some more sea  lavender shapes in the foreground.

One of my fun photos from our last trip to cozumel. The snorkeling is awesome!

I use only a couple of knives; a small short trowel, a longer narrow trowel and a square ended blade. I do most of my painting with the long skinny trowel pictured in the middle below.

My most used knives. Blocking in the darkest values.

When I work on larger paintings I use a couple of larger trowels and a large spatula-like palette knife. When I use the knives to paint I often go directly to the color which I think is correct for the spot, particularly when I am painting “en plein air”.  At times when I feel that an overall tone might help create unity  I  block in the value pattern completely with a contrasting tone.

A simplified value block in done with Eqyptian violet and titanium white.

By laying down a thin layer of violet or blue I  may achieve a bit of atmosphere. By using a warmer tone underneath could imply the feeling of time of day or season or just make the painting more interesting.  A layer of color knifed on at the start of an alla prima* painting may make it more challenging for a beginner.
(* alla prima meaning that the entire process is completed while the paint is wet)

The Painting I put up today is a small study of Emerald Lake. Emerald Lake lies to the east of the Skyline drive road in central Utah, south of the Twelve Mile Flats campground. I may be mistaken, but I think the Twelve Mile Flats campground is the highest campground in the nation at around 10,300 feet.  I first saw Emerald Lake sometime during the 1960′s  while  riding to a  nearby snowbank to get snow so my grandmother could make  ice cream  for us on the fourth of July. I recall having a snowball fight while the adults shoveled a couple of bags of snow. The geology of the whole area consists of bright white limestone covered by rich dark soil which makes for some interesting contrast.

9 x 12 oil on linen. Emerald Lake #1

The title Emerald Lake #1 implies that there will be at least one more so check back in a few days and see what I make. Check out my painting give away link  at the top of my page.

Check out my works for sale page, if you are interested in this or any of the works on my site that are not listed there contact me.

9 x 12 oil on linen . "Southern Tip"

Well I got the little baby painted. I feel pretty good about it right now. I tried to solve the composition by using diagonal shapes to offset the flatness of the horizon.

I think its kind of odd for a landlocked artist to paint the sea that is a couple of thousand miles away. Maybe I just need to go back down there and spend a couple of days…or weeks.

Check back again I should have something new painted by Sunday. I can’t say if it will be Utah mountains, deserts or canyons.   It may even be another view of the Caribbean sea.

Enter to win a framed original painting!

An after thought …. I had a bunch of snorkeling video from my last trip to Cozumel so I put it together to use it for the Photography courses I teach.Here it is …