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Because we all need to laugh...
I've just created a new page on this blog called "Art Humor" (see the tab above)!
Tinker Bell and TobyMac
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| More Whipped Cream Oil on linen • 24" x 14" • Sold Portrait Award of Excellence, 2013 OPA National |
The painting to the left is a recent one of my 5-year-old cousin. Her family was in town visiting, and I decided to take the opportunity to paint her. She was a terrific little model, especially when entertained with her favorite Tinker Bell movie and supplied with plenty of ice cream and repeated servings of whipped cream (hence the title)! Of course, even the best-behaved 5-year-olds can't sit still forever. When the whipped cream ran out, she found it much more interesting to hop off the couch and "help" Andrea and me with our paintings. She had a lot of fun putting strokes on our paintings as we directed. Maybe she is an artist in the making!
I did this simple sketch of my cousin from life. Although the sketch is very basic, it helped me keep my colors more life-like while working from photographs for the larger painting.
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| Study for "More Whipped Cream" Oil in linen • 5.5" x 4.5" |
I don't know about you, but the music I listen to while I paint has a great impact on my work. One song in particular, "Steal My Show" by TobyMac, has had a big influence on me lately (listen below). The songwriter asks God to steal his show, recognizing that his own performance is of much less importance than the work God can do through him. That kind of humility is inspiring. Naturally, every artist wants people to enjoy his work. But when I seek man's recognition instead of God's, I set myself up for disaster. When people praise my work, it's easy to let it go to my head and forget that it's God that gave me my talents. This song reminds me to ask the Lord to "steal my show" and do more with my life than I ever could on my own.
Sketches
Sometimes, after wrestling against the pressures that sometimes accompany studio work (does it look right, will it sell, etc.), you just gotta relax and sketch for fun! Below are some recent sketches, all painted from life, all just for fun!
My lovely wife was kind to let me paint her while she read her book. For the first time, I experimented with painting on tracing paper. I really enjoyed it!
Here, I focused on copying the temperatures and colors in the whites as accurately as I could. It was a great exercise for me.
I did these last two sketches in Photoshop with a digital Wacom tablet.
I was really surprised how much I had to desaturate my colors to make them match those in the aluminum. I know a lot can be said for keeping one's grays "interesting" by making them more chromatic, but this was a good reminder for me that temperature is so much more important than color!
Thanks for taking the time to view. I'm hoping to keep up this refreshing practice of sketching for no other reason than to have fun!
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| Andrea Oil on tracing paper • 11" x 10" (Approx. 1hr, 15min) |
My lovely wife was kind to let me paint her while she read her book. For the first time, I experimented with painting on tracing paper. I really enjoyed it!
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| Tea Service Oil on linen • 7.5" x 7.5" (Didn't keep track of time) |
Here, I focused on copying the temperatures and colors in the whites as accurately as I could. It was a great exercise for me.
I did these last two sketches in Photoshop with a digital Wacom tablet.
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| Toyman (Figurine from Justice League Unlimited cartoon) Digital • 6.5" x 7" @ 300dpi (Approx. 1hr) |
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| Cad. Orange Digital • 6.5" x 7" @ 300dpi (Approx. 45min) |
I was really surprised how much I had to desaturate my colors to make them match those in the aluminum. I know a lot can be said for keeping one's grays "interesting" by making them more chromatic, but this was a good reminder for me that temperature is so much more important than color!
Thanks for taking the time to view. I'm hoping to keep up this refreshing practice of sketching for no other reason than to have fun!
Happy New Year!
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| Our photos were taken by the talented Arielle Elise Royer, who has such a wonderfully artistic eye! |
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Weekend With the Masters 2012
In September, I again had the privilege to be an assistant at the annual Weekend With the Masters, alongside my good friends Jonathan Stasko and Ryan Mellody. The event offers workshops, demos and lectures by some of the top artists in the industry. It's a real treat to see these artists demonstrate and teach. This year, WWM was held in San Diego, and my friends and I arrived a few days early to do some plein air painting of the beautiful landscape. One evening, we drove to a beach in La Jolla to paint the sunset. By the time we found a parking spot, hauled our gear down to the beach and set up, we only had about fifteen minutes before the sun slipped below the horizon! We painted frantically in an attempt to capture the beauty, which was stunning but oh-so-fleeting. It was an exhilarating time with great friends!
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| La Jolla Sunset Oil on gessoed panel • 5" x 7" • Sold |
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| Laguna Coast Oil on gessoed panel • 8" x 10" • Sold |
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| L to R: Me, Jonathan and Ryan at the Rancho Bernardo Inn, which hosted this years' event |
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| Jeremy Lipking demonstrating |
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| Jeremy Lipking's demo completed |
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| Painter and musician C.W. Mundy |
Daniel Gerhartz has a terrific blog post on his time instructing at this years' WWM, including photos of two stunning head study demos. Be sure to read his post here.
AMO (Artist Mentors Online), a blog radio program, conducted interviews with several of the WWM instructors, including C.W. Mundy, Sherrie McGraw, Jeffrey Watts and more. In these interviews, the instructors discuss some of the same valuable principles they taught in their workshops. They are definitely worth your time, and, best of all, they are totally free! To listen, visit AMO's blog here.
A Very Merry Christmas
While Andrea and I were dating, her family introduced me to the joy, hope and wonder of live Christmas trees (my deprived childhood knew only of stuffy artificial trees). On this, our first Christmas together, Andrea and I instituted the new Clague family tradition of harvesting a live Christmas tree. However, we wanted to be frugal, so we constructed our own small "tree" from pine branches taken from our own yard. After warming up inside with homemade lattes, we added the lights and decorations. We were so pleased with our first little tree, that we were inspired to do alla prima paintings!
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| Our First Christmas Tree Oil on linen • 7" x 5" • Not for sale |
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| A Truly White Christmas Oil on linen • 16" x 8" • Available To inquire, contact Hudson Fine Art |
I'm excited to see what 2013 holds in store (like hopefully more frequent blog posts), and I hope you are too. Happy New Year and happy painting to all!
Richard Schmid Fine Art Auction: Sunday, Sept. 2
"In the early 90’s the internationally known artist and author, Richard
Schmid, rode into town [Rist Canyon, CO] brimming with energy, enthusiasm, and fresh
ideas. When Richard realized that the only organization immediately
available to protect his family and property from wildfire still relied on second hand, often out of date equipment, he thought it the perfect time to experiment with a long held philosophy that art could be used to do more than just beautify a community."1 |
| By Adam Clague Train to Grand Central • Oil • 16" x 12" SOLD |
I am so pleased to have two of my pieces in the Silent Auction. Both the Live and Silent Auction take place this Labor Day Sunday under the Big Top west of Fort Collins, CO. Don't worry if you don't live nearby; participants may bid by phone (see below). Please take this opportunity to obtain a beautiful work of art and to contribute to this group of dedicated firefighters.
To view art online and pre-register to bid, please visit www.RichardSchmidAuction.com. To arrange live phone bidding, call 970-482-6912.
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| By Richard Schmid Begonia Melange • Oil • 16" x 20" |
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| By Adam Clague Sunday Afternoon • Oil on linen • 9" x 12" SOLD |
1 http://www.richardschmidauction.com/Auction%20History.html
2 17th Annual Richard Schmid Fine Art Auction newsletter. Southwest Art (southwestart-newsletter@artists-hub.com): August 29, 2012.
Southwest Art Magazine's "21 Under 31" Feature
Each year since 2000, Southwest Art Magazine has published an article spotlighting 21 emerging artists under the age of 31. I am honored to be a part of this year's feature! My recent piece Tea and Inspiration is pictured in the article.
I also want to congratulate my good friends Jonathan Stasko, Angela Burns and Sarah Keller, all phenomenal artists, who are also included in the article. Look for the magazine on stands this month!
I also want to congratulate my good friends Jonathan Stasko, Angela Burns and Sarah Keller, all phenomenal artists, who are also included in the article. Look for the magazine on stands this month!
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| Southwest Art Magazine September 2012 Cover painting by Sarah Keller |
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| Tea and Inspiration Oil on linen • 24" x 24" ---------------------------------------- Available. To inquire, contact the Clague Studio |
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