new palette

these are the studies I did with the new palette, basically I got rid of all the neutral colors, include yellow ocher, actually I was forced by Ted to do so, because i like neutral so much. after i changed palette, it took me some time to get used to the new colors, or maybe not new, just more limited options. I started really like this limited palette, when you are mixing color, especially skin tone, it make you to think more. and it truly brightened the whole image, fresher, and more contrast. next semester I will add some neutral color back, but really be careful when mixing them.

new studies with old palette

these studies I painted with my old palette, with a lot of neutral color, yellow ocher, sienna(raw and burnt ), umber(raw and burnt). I use a lot neutral colors, they are quite intense, give the painting a very warm tone, also good for mixing skin tones. 

small studies

here are the small studies done in these 3 months, all quick studies, from 10 to 20 minutes. all of them are around 7x7 inches. really like this kind of exercises. in such a short time, you dont really have a lot of time to think, its more directly painted i guess, color are very limited too, use only big brushes. the boards I use are illustration board with acrylic paint on them, some assignment they did for first year probably, great for practicing, I can test the different effects on different color back ground.

new practice

did these two pieces in the Saturday long poses recently, similar color scheme and composition.

ed

did this piece in DVSA in the summer,ed is a great model.

narrative

this is a piece for narrative class, telling one personal story or experience.

still life painting

This is one little still life painting did during the summer. the set up is in one of the corners in Kathrine's studio, the two little clay figure studies done by John, forget who did the bronze portrait. 

new pieces from this summer

here are the two pieces I just finished. the upper one called 'lady with peach' ,the lower one called 'the way out'.
the first one was executed in the last life painting session during my coop, it was a one week long session, which I enjoyed very much. the whole set up is beautiful, kinda in Manet style(I mean the interior set up, not my painting, but probably there is something i borrowed from Manet in this piece). the model is great, I also tried some new paint borrow from my girlfriend. this painting I like it a lot, although there is lots problems, but I think I've got what I want to catch in this moment(a very long moment).
the second one I did in August, it is for a group show held in Hyatt Regency Hotel in downtown Toronto. this show is for the coming TIFF in September, I was told to paint something about film, better Asian film. but one problem about this theme is its hard to paint from life, its hard to find or set something up about this topic. and personally I really dont want to copy any photos or even use it as reference. guess I am slowly becoming a realist. so I asked my friend Yin posed for me, and put his little 8mm camera behind, i was going to put something on the wall the fill the empty space. but changed my idea at end. I feel adding too much probably will ruin the spacial and tension in this picture. and that is what i want to tell from this piece, the feeling of lost, empty, and awkward. stuck and seeking for the way out of this situation. the painting turned out OK, it basically represent how far I can go now. lots problems have to fix. Yin is a great model, very patient. now the painting is held on the first floor in the hotel, the spot is ok, right beside the bar. I think I probably wont be able to sell it for that price, but at least I get a piece to apply other shows, and this great experience to exhibit with other artists. I have to thank Micheal who called me after the TOAE, and gave me this opportunity.              

the beginning of the co-op summer

these are paintings I did by now, which is the end of the first month in this co-op summer. luckily i got Kathryn for my co-op, I dont think i can get any other better beside this one. but i didnt do as much as I thought, I did roughly 5 paintings, 3 are here, and the other two, one is still wet and one is not finished yet. I did some drawings, not even worth to show. hopefully I can get something done in next month. but honestly this co-op is too relax, and i knew it before i decide to take it. just have to push myself harder i think, very easy to say..  

last thing I did in last minute

these 4 pieces I did during the open house in Sheridan, they hired models for us to paint and also give school an opportunity to show those visitors what the students are doing in this program( but the reality is the last thing we do here is painting). its lots pressure when painting in front of many people, but I think someday if you are going to paint some public place you have to get use to it right?  

self portait

this piece is for the group assignment by the end of last year, the group topic is 'ritual', which I thought is a little bit too complex and abstract. and the thing is I really dont want to paint something base on photo reference, so i got this idea that i can use photos but not use them as reference but turned them into a part of my still life set up, so I can paint everything in real life. this painting can also be a self-portrait but without my own image in it, sounds tricky isn't it

4 sessions

I did these 2 pieces in Kathryn's class last semester, they were 4 sittings, the longest we can have in painting class. same model same costume different composition. I had lots fun and also hard time when i was doing it. have to say 2 figures are so different from one.   

a special piece

this piece actually is a unfinished piece, I painted it by the end of the first hour during a 3 hours sitting,  there is some part of this painting( not the model) remind me my father. it is so amazing, when you are painting a white model, suddenly you find your painting looks like your dad! so I decide to keep this painting on this stage. I think this is a magic moment for me.

mix media

two pieces did for mix media in class, two sittings for each, kinda fun.

painting did on second year

found two paintings did on second year, one is the still life assignment, the other portrait I worked base on a really poor sketch,  it became very stylized, and look like nobody.

smoking woman and bald guy

These are two painting finished last week and the week before. the smoking woman is a three sessions painting. initially i was goin to add a figure in the background, cropped, only showing half of the body, holding a glass of wine.but never got chance to make it. i still have hard time to find the right skin tone, either too reddish or too yellowish.  

nude woman

a nude study painted on last Saturday,18x24. dunno what to say, initially i thought it looks pretty good for a roughly 2 hours painting, but the more i look at it, the more i hate it, maybe i should stay on portrait for Saturday painting session, but whatever, its just practice right? the point of practice is freedom, if you take it too serious(you should take it serious when you are painting, but not the goal, i think this is what i mean),you will be too afraid to try something you never tried.   

new poster

new assignment to make a poster for 'doctors without borders'. looks familiar? its the Pietà pose.

  

Ron's magic show

Here is the painting finished last week, 3 sessions sitting, acrylic under painting,oil on top. oil dry times slower than acrylic, so i think this could work, hopefully nothing bad will happen. but the face..holly cow its so yellow..

last Saturday

the thing about oil is you have to wait until it dry then you can go scan it,so this was done last Saturday, haven't painted full figure for a while. one reason is 3 hours for full figure is quite a little bit too short, so can't really goes into any detail.

new portrait study

3 hours i got only this, sometime you just cant speed it up no matter how hard you try, if you lost the initial feeling. details kill the art, at least dont goes into details in the first session. am i expecting too much for a 1 session painting? but iv seen lots of amazing paintings done within 2 hours...

mailer assinment

this is a one week assignment did recently- to make a mailer for yourself. and the image is from another assignment called "draw a cowboy"