Autumn Splendor Painting Framed and Hung - SOLD

The customer for whom I had done the painting, "Autumn Splendor", let me know that they have had it framed and hung.  They asked if I wanted to have a look at it, so finally today I went over to see it.
They had a "floating frame" made for it and I like the way it looks.  I like this type of frame; although you can't really see the form of it in my photos.
They are happy with it and I am happy with how it looks.
One of her visitors was looking at it and walked up to it to touch the trees to see if there was some kind of texture on them as she couldn't believe the shape was just from smooth paint.  Made my day!!!!
I always enjoy seeing how clients frame and hang the paintings I have done for them, it's a good feeling.

Title:  Autumn Splendor
Oil on canvas
Size:  29 x 39 inches, (60 x 100 cms.)
SOLD

Commission Finished and Delivered

This morning we took the finished commission painting over to its new owners.  Hopefully they enjoy it.  It was fun doing it.

Here is the finished painting and a photo of the new owners.

Title:  Autumn Splendour
Oil on canvas
Size:  24 x 39 inches or 60 x 100 cms.

WIP Commission Painting

Did a little bit of work on the commission painting finally.  It has kind of been on the back burner the last week or so due to other time commitments.  Getting there slowly but surely.  It would go faster if I would quit changing my mind about things partway through.  Hmmm artistic license or lunacy?

Oil on canvas.
Size:  24 x 39 inches, 60 x 100 cms.
Title:  Autumn Splendor

WIP- Commission Painting

I have been doing a bit of work on the commission painting.

The mountains are done, maybe.  The sky needs a bit of tweaking.

Today I worked on blocking  in the darks for the grass/shrub/tree areas and also worked some on the water areas.

I am leaving the 2 large trees to do last.

I was going to also block in the shadow areas on the large rock sticking up in the grassy/watery area; but I had a bit of an issue.

  My easel broke.  I have cursed this easel since we bought it.  It has always been unstable and wobbly which I pretty much fixed by adding some shims at the bottom.  A couple of weeks ago the bolt type screw in thingy that holds the top canvas holder in place stripped and so I have been using it by holding the canvas firmly at the top with one hand while trying to paint with the other.
This afternoon the same type of bolt screw thingy that holds the bottom canvas holder tight also stripped and it started sliding down toward the floor.  Luckily my knees were at the same height as the holder and stopped it as I grabbed the canvas.  I was not a happy person at this point.

Tomorrow I will try and find some bolts with the same type threads and if I can't find any I may just end up having a carpenter make me a cheap; but useful tripod type one here.

Anyway here is a photo of the painting up to this point.

Title:  Untitled at the moment
Medium:  Oil on Canvas
Size:  24 x 39.5 inches, (60 x 100 cms.)

Preparing A Canvas

I am getting ready to begin a new commission oil painting and thought I would talk about the steps I need to take before actually sitting down to do the painting.  It seems like there is a lot of boring stuff to do before the actual fun part of painting.

1. Talk to the customer and find out what they want and the size or decide what I want to do if I am just doing one for myself.

2. Hunt down a carpenter to make the wooden framework for the actual physical canvas, and also hunt down a place to buy some canvas for said frame.  This is not so easy in our city with zero art supply stores.  (There are a couple of stores which sell, as a sideline, paint and some regular size canvases; but the choice of canvases is limited and they are not always a good grade.)

3. Discuss with the carpenter the price, size, wood width, number of supports, style (wrap around-staples on back or regular-staples on side, making sure they will round off the wood so it won't show through after you paint on the canvas, etc. and do it in a language that you are not fluent in.  It is fun actually and people are always helpful.

4.  Pick up said canvas when it is finished.

5.  Prep the canvas to get it ready for painting which means putting a couple of coats of gesso on the back and usually 3 coats on the front. (I cannot buy the gesso here, in my city, in other than very small bottles which are expensive, so I mix up my own.)  A lot of people don't do the backs of their canvases; but because of the humidity factor here I always do.  So far I have had no issues with paintings molding or mildewing on the back as they hang on the walls.  I know other people with non prepped canvas backs have had this issue.  After all these coats have dried, I sometimes will put on a thin wash of some colour complementary to the painting colours to cover the white up.  I don't usually bother tinting the gesso; but do sometimes do this wash after the gesso.

6.  Do some type of drawing on paper and then transfer it onto the canvas.  I do not draw right onto my canvas as I do lots of changes/corrections and it is easier to make the changes on paper first.

7.  Finally, ready to paint!!!!

The commission that I am getting ready to start at the moment is oil on canvas, 60 x 100 cms. or 24 x 39.5 inches.  It is to be a landscape scene with some mountains in the background and a marshy area with lots of trees in their fall colours in the foreground.  This should be a fun painting as it is not as structured as a lot of things I do.  Looking forward to starting it.