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August 20th, 2011Daily Painting: Fruit Bowl by Roger Light
July 4th, 2011
Daily Painting by Roger Light
To purchase this painting and others from Roger Light, click here: http://www.dailypaintworks.com/Artists/rlight-1885
Many of these little still lifes come into being because I walk through the kitchen to get something and I notice that the light is hitting an object just right. I like to capture things with this natural light, so I grab my camera and take multiple photos. I know there are purists who will say that you must paint “from life” start to finish, without the aid of photographs, but I disagree. My paintings are lit from natural light flooding through windows and hitting my subjects. This light changes minute by minute and if you set up an easel and start painting in your kitchen, two things happen: you annoy the heck out of your family as they have to walk around you to get food and 2) the light changes on you as you are painting the still life, causing it to look muddled as you correct for the changing shapes and directions of the shadows.
Purists should bear in mind that photography is in itself an art form, so creating a focused little painting from a photo one has taken is a perfectly legitimate artistic endeavor involving two art forms: photography and painting. Having said that, it is still helpful and important to have the real subject handy to refer to when your doing the actual painting, to supplement what you are getting from looking at the photo. One more point about this: looking at the photo on my computer is always superior to printing it and looking at the hard copy. The screen re-creates the light and vibrancy that I was so taken with when I first captured the composition–and it is essential to creating a compelling painting.
Roger Light
http://www.dailypaintworks.com/Artists/rlight-1885
The Modern Still Life
June 23rd, 2011One of the more interesting challenges in fine art these days, is painting a still life that is realistic, yet modern. As an artist, you want to create something that will be timeless, yet fresh. Something different and interesting, without being gimmicky or cute.
Add to the challenge, the fact that almost every object that one can think of has been painted in innumerable different ways in vast array of compositions, spanning centuries of art across dozens of cultures.
Now, I am not suggesting that you can’t set up a conventional still life with flowers and books and maybe a bottle of wine and paint that and feel good about it. What I am saying, is that for an artist that is trying to create something that will stand out as a unique contribution to the world of paintings, the standard still life isn’t going to get it done.
The artist has got to dig deeper, think more creatively and find a way to compose something that hasn’t been composed before. This is what has led me to The Vase Outside series. This is a series of paintings that feature the same round, glass vase, with different bouquets, in different locations outdoors. At this point, I’m not sure how long I will work within this series, maybe a two years, maybe ten. I have completed two paintings so far and I have over a dozen ideas for the future works. 
This is the first of the series, which happily, is sold.
I have been out with my vase and my camera these past couple of days and have started the process of creating the new compositions for future Vase Outside paintings.
Trompe L’Oeil Bookshelf–Part One
July 30th, 2010This mural will ultimately be about 13 feet high and 7 feet wide; this is one of 4 canvas panels that I am painting at my home studio. I will install all four at the clients home when they are completed.
The technique of painting the mural on canvas and gluing it to the wall is known as marouflage and it has been in use for centuries. This time-lapse video shows the early stages of the development of this mural. The client collects artifacts from medieval Europe, hence the knights helmet.
Why Your Painting Doesn’t Need to Match (the sofa or anything else)
July 26th, 2010Experienced collectors of art may roll there eyes at this post, because the reasons are very obvious to them. But I still run into new collectors all the time who actually still worry about having an oil painting match their furniture.
Here are a few quick reasons why you should never consider whether a painting matches the decor in a room:
1. Art is not an accessory! It is not like a vase of silk flowers or some fabric covered thing that adds interest. Its beyond that. Art is about meaning, beauty and spirit.
2. Not everything in a room should match perfectly anyway. Otherwise it looks too coordinated. A room that is perfectly coordinated is like a flawless woman who is conventionally attractive, with perfect hair, etc. but is somehow bland. Je ne sais quoi is not achieved by obsessing on matching, it is achieved by trusting your gut and putting some soul into what you are doing.
3. A fine art painting is like a window to another world. It’s supposed to be transformative. It’s not supposed to keep you safely in the room (the couch has that covered), its supposed to take you somewhere else.
4. Paintings are not to be ignored. That doesn’t mean that they have to be like an annoying theatre major who’s addicted to attention, but it does mean that the painting should be noticed and it should intrigue the viewer. If the only thing a guest says about your art is that it matches your decor really well, you may want to re-think your priorities.
For more about collecting art, please check out some of my earlier posts.
Thanks for reading.
Daily Painting: Coffee and a Donut
July 23rd, 2010
I had fun with this one. The sugar on the donut and the reflections in the black mug were fun to play around with. I was originally going to go with a white background, but I decided to add the red to punch it up.
Anyway, I hope you like it. I still haven’t gotten going with the ebay account to sell these. I also need to get a paypal account set up for this blog and the gallery. Lots to do.
Back to the Daily Paintings
July 22nd, 2010I am now in the midst of the challenge I was expecting when I began the quest to be a daily painter. The challenge is staying consistent with the little daily paintings while being busy with the mural jobs. 
This painting is a 9X12, oil on canvas I did of several corks left over from some of my favorite wines. They are sitting in front of a small wrought iron grate thing that is for pots to sit on (it has a name that escapes me). Behind the grate is a kitchen window, causing the little still life to be strongly back-lit.
More Images From My Current Mural Project
July 21st, 2010
Here are a few more images of the Castle Ruins and Trees mural I am working on. This is a combination of faded mural effects, trompe l’oeil effects and some basic, standard mural painting. The goal is to work with the existing wall structure to create an environment that is conducive to creative play and imagination.
Why Have a Mural in Your Home
July 21st, 2010There are very few things you can do with the decor of a room that have the transformative power on a mural. You can put up impressive drapes. You can put up wall paper. You can do a venetian plaster finish for the walls. You can put in new carpet or a wood floor. That’s all fine and it can have a nice effect. But having a mural painted on one or several walls in a room truly alters your perception of the space of the room.
During the past couple of weeks I have been fortunate enough to be working for some great people in University Park, transforming a large play room with a mural that is a combination of castle ruins and trees. Here is a photo of the work in progress.
Play Room Castle and Trees Mural
