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!

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!

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.

Toyman
(Figurine from Justice League Unlimited cartoon)
Digital • 6.5" x 7" @ 300dpi
(Approx. 1hr)

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!

Yes, I know I'm a little late wishing in the new year, but seeing as how it's been four long months since I've blogged, I'm telling myself I'm doing well just to be posting at all! Below is a very abbreviated version of the happenings since my last post, including some news, a brief recap of last year's Weekend With the Masters and a few of my newest paintings...

 Our photos were taken by
the talented Arielle Elise Royer,
who has such a wonderfully artistic eye!

These four months have been quite busy, but they have also been exceedingly wonderful—because, on October 27, I married my love and best friend, Andrea! We met at Pensacola Christian College while both pursuing art degrees. Andrea is a phenomenal artist, and if you're not already familiar with her work, you can visit her website here. We had dated for almost two years before I finally asked the question back in April. I am so grateful that God brought me this wonderful girl and that she said "yes"! We are enjoying settling into our new home near Kansas City, Missouri. Andrea, thank you for the happiest 2½ months of my life. I love you.

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!

La Jolla Sunset
Oil on gessoed panel • 5" x 7" • Sold

Laguna Coast
Oil on gessoed panel • 8" x 10" • Sold

L to R: Me, Jonathan and Ryan at the Rancho Bernardo Inn,
which hosted this years' event

Jeremy Lipking demonstrating

Jeremy Lipking's demo completed

Painter and musician C.W. Mundy

My personal highlight was stumbling across WWM instructor C.W. Mundy playing his banjo outside one night at the resort. In addition to being a master painter, C.W. is also an accomplished musician. Jonathan, Ryan and I pulled up a bench and were treated to a concert. His album, Road Trip, is available through his website here. Andrea bought it for me for Christmas and I've been listening to it constantly ever since! C.W. is one of the most down-to-earth, personable people I've ever met, and we all enjoyed spending time with him.

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!

Our First Christmas Tree
Oil on linen • 7" x 5" • Not for sale

A Truly White Christmas
Oil on linen • 16" x 8" • Available
To inquire, contact Hudson Fine Art

I finished this piece soon after Christmas 2011, but waited until this Christmas to show it. My inspiration for this painting came after studying this porcelain nativity set of my parents' and wondering how I would paint a still-life of all white objects. A step-by-step demo of this painting will be included in the upcoming issue of the digital magazine Artists On Art, due out later this month. Each issue of Artists On Art is packed with rich, valuable content for artists, making it one the best periodicals for artists on the market. If you're not already familiar with the magazine, I recommend you check it out!

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

"The Richard Schmid Fine Art Auction has been the primary fundraiser for the Rist Canyon Volunteer Fire Department for the past 16 years. This year the High Park wildfire scorched over 87,000 acres and destroyed 259 homes. The power of art to do good has never been greater."2

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.

By Richard Schmid
Begonia Melange • Oil • 16" x 20"

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!

Southwest Art Magazine
September 2012
Cover painting by Sarah Keller

Tea and Inspiration
Oil on linen • 24" x 24"
----------------------------------------
Available. To inquire,
contact the Clague Studio

Satisfied Inside

Satisfied Inside
Oil on linen • 7" x 13" • Sold

Window light will sometimes take on a greenish hue if there is sunlit foliage directly outside. The effect can be beautiful and provides an interesting variation from the typical bluish window light. The color of a light source can be identified most easily on white surfaces (eg. the white dresses in this piece) but will affect all surfaces the light hits.

It can be difficult to make all the elements in a scene look like they are illuminated by the same light source. One might think that all that is necessary is to simply identify the color of the light source (in this case "green") and then add a little bit of that color to all the other mixtures. However, this kind of mechanical color mixing rarely looks true-to-life. Yes, the color of each surface in a scene will be affected by the light source, but the degree to which each color is affected can only be determined through careful observation of the subject from life.

Master Artist Richard Schmid shares much practical guidance regarding color harmony in his book Alla Prima. Here are a few of my favorite quotes on the topic:

• "Harmony then is not 'what goes with what?' It is more like 'What color doesn't belong?'—What isn't possible under this light? Certain colors simply cannot occur under given light conditions."

• "To create the illusion of nature's light-generated harmony in a painting, it is usually only necessary to recognize which color is predominating in the light on your subject, and then restrain its complement… By 'restrain' a color I do not mean eliminate it; I mean subdue it by not showing it in its purest form."

[A color's complement is the color directly opposite it on the color wheel. Red is the complement to green. In the scene I painted, it would be impossible for a bright red to be visible under the greenish light. A bright red object would appear muted.]

• I think this quote helps sum up this post nicely: "Your perception and judgment are also a part of the harmony, and there is no formula for that. However, knowing that certain colors will probably have to be moderated to achieve a harmony will help your decision making."

Once again, I am reminded to just be faithful to paint what I see! And speaking of painting, I should get to that. So, until next time… happy painting to you all!

Braving the Cold

Braving the Cold
Pastel on paper • 22" x 17"
Currently unavailable

This is a pastel drawing I finished recently of my beautiful girlfriend, Miss Andrea Orr. It was refreshing to simply focus on drawing, values and edges without being concerned with color.

I wanted to make this drawing a study in textures. There are three contrasting textures in the piece: The hat, the skin and the scarf. I tried to apply the pastel in ways that would best represent each unique surface quality. I used a paper blending stump to render the smooth skin, applied the pastel roughly for the knitted scarf and crosshatched for the herringbone hat.

I tightly rendered the face and hands, then sharply transitioned to looser rendering for the peripheral elements. I originally planned that the jacket would add a fourth texture variation, but ultimately decided the strongest way to communicate the beautiful rhythm of her pose was to reduce the jacket to a few simple lines.

I was inspired by Susan Lyon's beautiful conté and pastel drawings and used some of the supplies she recommends (Prismacolor Nupastels and Canson Rives printmaking paper). The Nupastels adhere well to the Rives paper, but can be lifted easily (and fairly completely) with a kneaded eraser, providing maximum workability.

Last chance to vote!

Hi everyone! This is just a reminder that tonight is the last night to vote for a painting in the final round of the "You Be the Judge" art contest. Please consider voting for my piece, "The Red Hood," by following the link below and scrolling down to the voting form. Thanks so much for your vote!

http://brianneher.com/blog/news/041612.aspx