Saturday Painting Palooza Volume 315: Doubling Down For Rejection

Hello again painting fans.

This week I'll be taking a brief break from the Cape May shingle style house. I'm starting a long term project in anticipation of an event that will take place next summer. It is the LeMans-winning Mazda 787B seen in the photo directly below.

Now I'll tell you how I arrived at this decision. Earlier this summer I entered two paintings in my first juried art show. This means that 3 seasoned artists review all the entries and determine which will go into the show. The show, which is currently underway, is being held by the Kent Art Association. The two that I chose are old Saturday Painting Palooza projects that may be familiar to long time readers. Both are favorites of mine. They are seen in the two photos directly below.

Now after talking to several people, I was fairly certain that the 1949 Packard was the stronger entry of the two. I spent many weeks doing it several years ago and I believe that it shows. There are paintings within the painting including reflections that could stand on their own as independent images. It was a personal milestone for me. The cacti are nice but certainly less notable.

I, along with many other artists, left my two pieces for the judges. KAA sends out its decisions by mail. One Saturday a few days later, my envelope arrived with our other mail. I tore it open anxiously. And I was rather surprised. The Packard was rejected, the cacti were in the show.

Subsequently, I discussed the results with my sister-in-law, an artist whose work has appeared at KAA and won one of the awards in the same show several years earlier. She noted that the association seems to prefer landscapes. Furthermore, the frame on the cacti was far more flattering to the painting it contained. (And of better quality.) Presentation counts. Sigh.

So, in anticipation of next year's event, I've decided to present them with another car, a thumb in the eye, so to speak. Yes, I'm doubling down for rejection. It's part of my newfound I've got to be me approach to social considerations. What can I say, I like cars. I'll also present them with something falling under the heading of conventional landscape just for a balanced approach. As an aside, this painting is on a large gallery wrapped canvas that won't need a frame.

I've had this image (from Wikimedia Commons) for some time. The time now seems ripe and I can take my time doing it. I'll provide updates from time to time in this space.

The current state of the painting is seen in the photo directly below.

That's about it for now. Next week I'll have more progress to show you. See you then. As always, feel free to add photos of your own work in the comments section below.

Earlier paintings in this series can be seen here.

Saturday Painting Palooza Volume 314

Hello again painting fans.

This week I'll be continuing with the painting of the Cape May, New Jersey shingle style house. It is seen in the photo directly below. (I'm using my usual acrylic paints on an 8x8 inch canvas.)

When last seen, the painting appeared as it does in the photo directly below.

Since that time I have continued to work on the painting.

In a distinct break with my usual recent habits, I spent plenty of time with the painting this past week. Much has been accomplished, but I am left with a dilemma. I was able to take the details much further. Windows now appear at the very top in the front-facing gable. The porch overhang has been reshaped along with the posts. The railings now extend down to the street level. Both gables have had their inner surfaces reshaped.

The result is an appealing image, but not the kind of painting that I had intended. Or that I usually do. This one now has a plein air style, an image done fairly quickly on site. I usually paint in a tighter, fussier style. I like what I see here and will not overpaint it, at least not yet. I'll continue with it this way and see how it goes.

The current state of the painting is seen in the photo directly below.

That's about it for now. Next week I'll have more progress to show you. See you then. As always, feel free to add photos of your own work in the comments section below.

Earlier paintings in this series can be seen here.

Saturday Painting Palooza Volume 313

Hello again painting fans.

This week I'll be continuing with the painting of the Cape May, New Jersey shingle style house. It is seen in the photo directly below. (I'm using my usual acrylic paints on an 8x8 inch canvas.)

When last seen, the painting appeared as it does in the photo directly below.

Since that time I have continued to work on the painting.

Once again, I've gotten less work done than I would have liked. I did manage to begin to finally address the details of the house. I've redefined the windows in an attempt to get things in their proper positions. The size and proportions of the front-facing windows are now much closer to what I am seeking. I've begun the same process on the right side windows. Above, the point of the front-facing gable has actually been moved to the left so that it sits directly above the center of the banded windows. There is still much to do.

The current state of the painting is seen in the photo directly below.

That's about it for now. Next week I'll have more progress to show you. See you then. As always, feel free to add photos of your own work in the comments section below.

Earlier paintings in this series can be seen here.

Saturday Painting Palooza Vol.312

Hello again painting fans.

This week I'll be continuing with the painting of the Cape May, New Jersey shingle style house. It is seen in the photo directly below. (I'm using my usual acrylic paints on an 8x8 inch canvas.)

When last seen, the painting appeared as it does in the photo directly below.

Since that time I have continued to work on the painting.

I have continued to sort things out but this was a particularly crazy week. I did not get nearly as much done as I would have liked. I added to the foundation, previously a victim of benign neglect. It now follows around from front to back, broken only by the root of the chimney. Above, Windows now punctuate the right side of the building. Above that, the chimney top pokes into the sky. Out front, the stair railings have now been placed. There is much to do but the major configuring is now done.

The current state of the painting is seen in the photo directly below.

That's about it for now. Next week I'll have more progress to show you. See you then. As always, feel free to add photos of your own work in the comments section below.

Earlier paintings in this series can be seen here.