Kachina

One thing that has always amazed me was the way Fechin painted the Kachinas in his Taos-era  paintings. cLiCk hErE to see an example. 
His paintings were very abstract up close but they come together when viewed further away. When a painting is able to achieve this it creates a visually exciting painting. It is like walking a tightrope, too far in either direction and you fall down.

Thank you for looking,

Michael Williamson

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Apple

Apples have an amazing amount of differences to them. They are always a very challenging object to paint.

Thanks for looking,

Michael Williamson

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Red and Brown

OK there really isn't that much brown in this painting. I just ran out of names. I have trying to keep my brushstrokes looking fresh. I find that there are spots that I like about certain paintings. I liked the way the core shadow looks on the ceramic container.
Thanks for looking,

Michael Williamson

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Pepper Shaker and Lime

I love the way that metal reflect objects. Especially when the object turns and picks up little pieces of the atmosphere around it. Also is acts as a composition tool to bounce the eyes back to an object.

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Vase and Lime

This vase is actually a sumi ink pot that is used to keep the ink at a certain temperature. It is a perfect vase to paint.

Thank for looking,

Michael Williamson

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Slice of Melon

I liked how the bolder brush strokes turned out on this one. I was drawn to the sharp contrast between dark and light. It is always a challenge to find time to paint. I am now at the point where I paint whenever I can, day or night. I tip my hat to all professional artist who have growing families .

Thank you for looking,

Michael Williamson

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Last One In.....

It's been really hot here in Arizona. We have a little portable pool that we set up and the other night we all went for a little swim. When I was setting up a still life I thought of that moment and wanted to recreate it with oranges. I have been working with bold brush strokes and this one was pushing the boundaries.Sometimes it's good to see how far you can take something.

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20 minute pose

I went to a drawing open studio for the first time in months. I used to go all the time ! Drawing is one of the basic things that has helped me as an artist. I felt really rusty and awkward at first. This was a pen and ink drawing that was drawn in a 20 minute pose.

Thanks for looking,

Michael

Fiesta

I was working with bold brushstrokes trying to lay the color boldly. I use only three colors red, blue, and yellow (sometimes I will add a different blue or red to arrive at certain color) Darks are always hard to create. I have found that if I use these colors and create a chromatic dark (mixing all the colors together) It makes it a lot easier to achieve darks. I used the chromatic dark and mixed it with red or ultramarine blue in the background.

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Pear in Blue

I have been experimenting with my brush stroke trying to put the color down and not playing with it too much. The pear got a little abstract with hard brush strokes inside. I liked it in it's raw form so I kept it.


Thanks for looking,

Michael

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Sharing the Stage

When I was painting this I was trying to pick the main character for the painting, the little ink bowl or the Mango. The mango looked so delicious (it was actually picked too early and tasted horrible, but that helped it to be a great model :) I decided to let them share the stage.

Thanks for looking,

Michael Williamson

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Prom Night

This is a portrait from a painting group I go to. I was trying to keep hit the color spots that I saw while keeping the darks and lights separated. The room was a little dark and at the end when the lights when on the colors on the painting changed drastically.

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Palette knife in Blue

I’m trying to place the darkest dark and lightest lights closer together to produce a more dramatic effect.

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The Notebook

I always love to have a notebook with me. It seems to be falling out of fashion with the use of smartphones. I like the technology with phones where you can add information and find it again quickly, but there will always be a place for the old fashion notebook.

Thank for looking 

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Sliced apple

The contrast between the dark and light was a little more difficult on this one. I kept the apples from going brown by rubbing lime juice on them. They gave me some more time to paint the apples before they went brown.

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Overambitious

Sometimes you have to find the right tool for the right job. I find reflective surfaces some of the hardest to paint, but after painting this one I felt a little wiser. I hope it lasts :)

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The Extravert

I like the way the dark's are the backbone for the lights in this painting.

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The Introvert

This grapefruit is a little shy but still wants to go out and play. I have been working on the darkest dark and lightest light to add more contrast in the paintings.

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Innocence

This portrait was painted from a model. She was younger so there were differences in the anatomy. There aren't too many young models who can sit still for three hours :)

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Time Shadows

This painting reminds me how short time is and how we try to put so much into our schedules. I'm a schedule maniac, but once in awhile time slows down and lets me enjoy the moment. When I finished painting this, the sun was starting to rise and my crazy schedule was getting ready to begin again.

That's the good thing about painting (or any other creative endeavor). Time slows down when you are creative so you can capture a moment.

Thanks for looking.

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Wine and Cracker

Wine has a very beautiful look to it. It was late at night when I was painting this. It was very rewarding to finish  this painting and drink this wine :)

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Slice of Summer

A little slice of summer. I have been working on my dark colors next to light colors. I would like to work more on fruit and vegetables that are translucent. They have a challenging aspect to them.

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Delicate

These little drink umbrellas are very difficult to paint. The interior of the umbrella is the most difficult. I would like to spend more time in the future practicing these in the future.  

Thank you for looking.

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Apple and Bottle

It has been a while since I have last posted. I am working on some simple compositions trying to make sure the darks and lights are working together in the picture. When I look at older painting I realize that getting a good dark and a good light has been difficult for me.

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Together

6 x 8 Oil on Canvas

I love painting this little brass urn because it is always such a challenge. It always subtly reflects the colors around it. I've been trying to keep my colors strokes pure and direct. I usually take better pictures, but this one was done with a lot of artificial light.
Thanks for looking,

Michael Williamson

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Pomegranate

5 x 7 Oil on Canvas 

Its amazing how many colors reflect all around us. Colors are influenced by other colors around them. It makes you wonder how much of our personalities are a reflection of things around us. When one color changes its influence on other objects is affected and the reflected colors shift slightly.

Thanks for looking,

Michael Williamson

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Blue Reflections

8 x 6 Oil on Canvas

So far, waking up early to paint instead of staying up late is very challenging. Its been very cold for the desert and that makes getting up in the morning more difficult.

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Michael Williamson

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Cucumber and Tomato

5 x 7 Oil o Canvas

I'm trying to flip my schedule with painting. Instead of painting late at night, I'm going to try to paint in the morning before going to work. I'll keep you posted on how it goes.
Thanks for looking.

Michael Williamson

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The Gathering

8 x 6 Oil on Canvas

While I was painting this I was thinking about the conversation these objects might be having. It looks like all the fruits are gossiping about the bottle. Thanks for looking.

Michael Williamson

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Up to Pare

6 x 8 Oil on Canvas

I have been trying to keep my still life simple in order to get better at arranging and designing them. Thanks for looking.

Michael Williamson

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Little Ducky

After giving my son a bath I realized that the little ducky

7 x 5 oil on canvas, Still life

would be fun to paint and I was right. Yellow is such an easy color to get contaminated, but it can have so much power.
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Michael Williamson

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Sumi Ink and Brush

8 x 6 oil on canvas, Still life

Every time I paint this ink pot it is always a challenge on what to leave in and what to leave out. I think that is one of the hardest things as an artist is to simplify, and yet, make it appear to be detailed.
Thank you for looking.

Michael Williamson

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Hiding

6 x 8 oil on canvas, Still life

I was attempting to use light to guide the eye through the painting. Thank you for looking.

Michael Williamson

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Glowing Grapefruit

8 x 6 oil on canvas, Still life

I have been studying a lot about tenebrism and I wondered if you can get a similar effect by using complimentary colors. I tried to keep this painting simple and just make the color stand out. Thank for stopping by

Michael Williamson

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Brush and Varnish

6 x 8 oil on canvas, Still life

 

 

I was trying to lead the eye towards the bottle. The large brush I had purchased from a friend  but have never used it. It's just a big beautiful brush that looks like an artist should own.
Thank you for stopping by.

Michael Williamson

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Celebration

8 x 6 oil on canvas, Still life

I'm still trying to get back in the work schedule. With this painting I was trying to make the items stand out based on the color scheme instead of just making the background dark. I've always loved those little umbrellas. The light soaks through the paper and presents  a beautiful scenario.
Thanks for stopping by.

Michael Williamson

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Brush Reflections

 8 x 6 oil on canvas, Still life

This is my first painting of the new year. Better late than never! My goal for this painting was to concentrate on one color patch at a time without worrying about what the painting looks like. It was very frustrating, and needless to say, another late night painting.

 I am pleased with the results and the anticipation of this year.

-Michael

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