Collaborative painting for Central Florida Dream Center Auction Sat

I've been working on a collaborative painting to benefit the Central Florida Dream Center  through Arte Que Salva (Art that Saves).

Like many artists, I get approached for charities throughout the year. I usually like to choose those that benefit my community or an issue that is close to my heart. Central Florida Dream Center does both, working with families, individuals and children in need to offer a three pronged approach to their programs: spiritual, social and economic. 

So what is a collaborative painting? 

It is simply that you work with another artist to complete a painting. There are no rules. For instance, it can be done simultaneously in the same painting session or you can mail unfinished pieces back and forth with serious time lapses inbetween sessions. In this case, children from the Central Florida Dream Center started the painting on an canvas piece of cloth during an art workshop. Some of them chose to work alone on a single piece of canvas, and some worked with a buddy. Now, it's up to me (and other participating artists) to finish the work.

Here's a before and after. 

Collaborative work between students and me!

Students Alexia and Amiya created the painting on the left. The final piece after I altered it is on the right.

I thought about different approaches to painting on their painting. I thought it was really important to keep the integrity of their work and not completely paint over everything. But where to start? I usually paint realistically in oils but in keeping with the spirit of the piece I decided to work mixed media. I used graphite (pencil), inks, acrylics and papers. I wanted to stay with the vivid colorway and push it. I also wanted to incorporate a little realism and have that play off all of the kid's elements and the abstraction. I also wanted to build up layers. Layers of life, layers of thinking and of the possible future.

Did you notice? Ignoring an accepted "rule" of composition, I put the girls face and figure almost dead center in the canvas. Rules are made to be broken, hey!

This is a close up detail of the figure.

Detail of collaborative work between students and me

In the detail you can see the graphite drawing with paint glazes, torn paper collage, stamping, scumbling, sponging and painting.


The painting will be displayed and auctioned along with the other art pieces at the Jeanine Taylor Folk Art Gallery in Sanford, Florida. They will be displayed from 12-8pm on Saturday, May 16 with the reception and auction running from 6-8pm. Map here.

Enjoy a special, one night event with wine and refreshments and support the Central Florida Dream Center!

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30 Days of 30 Paintings - Day 16 "Hexidecimal dream f"

Here goes days fourteen fifteen and sixteen. I took on a monumental painting project during the 30 Days of 30 Paintings, "Hexidecimal dream f".

After the original half-completed painting was stolen, it became a serious road block for me. The completion of this painting symbolized my artistic recovery and moving onward. During the painting I feel like many unseen hands were helping me.

It was a joy to reclaim my painting. It was even better to see it realized after so much time thinking about it. 

I can't help but look at this finished painting with joy, I feel it says everything that I wanted to and more. There are many layers - literally and figuratively speaking. The title "Hexidecimal dream f" refers to counting digitally in the hexidecimal numbering system.

We normally use base 10 numbering system (10 fingers). Hexidecimal uses base 16, mainly because of computer hardware registers. If you are in the ones column with base 10, when you want to go past number 9 you must go to the tens column and put a 1 in as a placeholder and a 0 in the ones. In hexidecimal, after 9 comes a, then b, then c all the way up to f. f is 15. If you count starting from 0 to f (or 15), like with computer registers, then it stands for 16 instead.

This is a portrait of a girl at the age of 16. The girl's head is filled with dreams of digital thoughts. It's a recursive environment and there's some interplay between the realities. How much of digital life (tv, movies, social media etc) seem real at that age, or any age? Still, it's her inner dialogue. It's the place she turns to when she thinks about her future. It has shaped her world completely, even though she is aware of it's influence. It feeds her rich fantasy life and at times spills over.

"Hexidecimal dream f", 30x40", oil on linen, ©VP Miller

Link to the first stage of the painting.

Link to the second stage of the painting.

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30 Paintings in 30 Days - Day 13

Someone told me that artists generally shouldn't show paintings in progress. I'm sure there are very good reasons for this. I'm sure we as artist some believe that should keep all of our technical abilities and development secret. When I worked in I/T I never withheld knowledge. It's not my nature, and I love teaching. It's the same way with art for me. Even if you have two artists painting the same subject side by side using the same techniques, the paintings won't be the same. Artists put themselves in the painting. I think forgers are fascinating not because they are so closely able to emulate masterwork but because they are able to keep their own selves out of the finished painting.

In keeping with the 30 Paintings in 30 Days project I'm showing my work. This painting may take a few days so you'll be able to see a real transition.

 "Hexidecimal dream f" in progress, 30x40, oil on linen, ©VP Miller

 Thinned oil washes were put down all over the canvas. The face was fleshed out a bit. Some parts of the layered image in the foreground (the man) were filled out a bit.

Click to see the first day of this painting.

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30 Paintings in 30 Days - Day 12

The project has evolved from painting 30 paintings in 30 days, to painting daily for 30 days in January (except I just took the weekend off). 

I'm also not always going to do one painting per day. I think in the future if planning for another 30 days/30 paintings I would have preplanned. (cough) I highly recommend not only planning out ideas for paintings for the entire month, but also planning out a few weeks of easy meals. Yesterday, I managed to plan out the next two weeks of meals and half will be some sort of crock pot miracle. 

I would plan ideas/objects for daily paintings for still life and also locations with time of day, for plein air. Not that you have to stick with the plan, but it sure is handy when it's 2:00 in the afternoon and you haven't figured out what to start next for the day.

Today, I started on a large painting. This is one that I've wanted to tackle literally for years, but I had serious blocks when approaching it. This is a do-over. I've already painted this subject. But the (not quite) finished painting was stolen. It's a long story, and really not all that important. The main point is that I'm no longer giving the pain of having it taken from me any more energy. I plan on painting a better painting than it's last iteration.

Here's the beginning. The last time I painstakingly sketched on canvas and then discovered what happens when you apply thinned oils over it (it smears and you can no longer see your marks). This time I used odorless mineral spirit thinned oils to get the proportions down on canvas. It also allows you to make corrections on the fly by blotting and reapplying.

Beginning of "Hexidecimal Dream f", 30x40", oil on linen, ©VP Miller

Tomorrow I start laying in the color field.

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30 Paintings in 30 Days - Day 9

"Bang", 12x16", Silver metal and oil paint, ©VP Miller

I'm really enjoying experimenting in combining metal leaf materials, in this case silver, with oil paint.

Bang. It is a fun toy trick pistol. 

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30 Paintings in 30 Days - Day 8

"Rooster 2", 8x10", Acrylic metal gild and oil on canvas, ©VP Miller

I have had so much fun with these two paintings "Rooster 1" and "Rooster 2". They were experiments for me using acrylic and gold metal gilding over which I applied oil paint. I am really happy with the way they turned out.

Here they are side by side as the finished set:

"Rooster 1" and "Rooster 2", ©VP Miller

I'm glad that the 30 Paintings in 30 Days has challenged me to try different techniques and to "just do it"!

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30 Paintings in 30 Days - Day 7

"Rooster 1", 8x10", Acrylic metal gild and oil on canvas, ©VP Miller 

And now for something completely different.

I've had this concept in mind for some time and decided that this 30 paintings in 30 days project would be perfect for experimentation.

I used acrylics, and gold metal gilding and painted with oils over it. I love how the composition really stands out with the gold gilding. My rooster boy really shines!

This is the first painting in a two painting set, they are meant to be hung side by side. I will feature the second painting tomorrow.

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30 Paintings in 30 Days - Day 6

"Job Well Done", 18x24", Oil on linen, ©VP Miller

This is a homecoming. A private moment. I'm proud to know this couple and the sacrifices they have made for their country. They are wonderful, funny, loving people. They have a beautiful family. Too many times they were service separated. They know it's part of the job. This fleeting moment of being together after so long apart and it's rush of emotions, is suspended in time. 

I've been wanting to do this painting for a couple of years. I started it in watercolor two years ago, but I didn't like how it was proceeding and I put it aside. Then I started painting in oils, and knew that I'd want to do this in that medium but I wanted to make sure that I could do it justice before starting. So I painted other things, with this always in the back of my mind. Sometimes plans change like that. 

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30 Paintings in 30 Days - Day 5

I can't rush the process and some paintings will take longer than 24 hours. I already love this painting even in it's early stages. I would give a sneak peek, but I'm trying to surprise some folks with the finished product.

I'm one who likes surprises, without any hints. I want to feel the full surprise effect, not a watered down version because someone likes to tease with dropped hints. So you'll understand if I keep this one a secret. :-)

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30 Paintings in 30 Days - Day 4

"Joker's Wild", 5x5", Linen on board, ©VP Miller

Fond memories of playing poker while my opponent was playing the "knife game". There's something inherently dangerous and sexy about poker, even if you are playing for change.

On a side note, Happy Birthday to my sweet cousin Jen!! She gets younger every year. I have a cheese ball and a wine bottle ready for a visit. xoxo

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30 Paintings in 30 Days - Day 3

"Subdivisions", 12x16", Oil on board, ©VP Miller

A young girl reaches on her tiptoes to touch a green heart painted in the middle of a graffiti-ed wall. Nations, countries, states, neighborhoods and other boundaries are represented by the heavily outlined shapes on the street wall. All colors, sizes and shapes are interlocked forming a rich pattern until about mid-wall. Underneath the graffiti the facade shows, with a few lettered handles signifying something, maybe fame, to the artists.  Will it remain, or be painted over?

The wall is painted more tightly and realistically than the girl. Her stance is indicated with thick brush strokes, her hair a wild riot of color. She is anchored to the wall by shadow, which melts into the dirty facade. It is a rich visual language, playing symbolism against literalism.

Or it's simply a painting about choosing love.

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30 Paintings in 30 Days - Day 2

"Lost and Found", 11x14", oil on board, ©VP Miller

Day 2 of my 30 day painting challenge. I found this little horse in an antique shop in Grabill, Indiana while hunting around with my friend Beth during the summer. We were giggling like a couple of kids at some of the finds that we didn't take home. Some are still posted in Instagram.

"Lost and Found" and the carousel horse refer to our childhood selves and dreams. Those things that seem lost or forgotten.

Like Anahitaparsa said...

If you had never jumped from one couch to the other to save yourself from the lava, you did not have a childhood.

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30 Paintings in 30 Days - Day 1

"All the World's A Stage", 24x36", Oil on canvas, ©Victoria Page Miller

Happy 2015! New year and a happy new beginning! I am excited to begin a 30 Paintings in 30 days project. It coincides perfectly with my goal to create a fresh new series of paintings. I plan on challenging myself and not limiting myself with any preconceived ideas about what I can accomplish. I have a general direction in where I want to go, but I'm also open to surprises.

I hadn't posted this painting yet, and it's perfect to kick off the series. The painting addresses a few things. "All the World's a Stage" alludes to the famous passage in Shakespeare's As You Like It. It also has to do with youth, the power of friendship and the yearning to transform oneself with costume and play.

The carnival holds particular allure, in that it is here today, gone tomorrow. Elusiveness, mystery and the passage of time are all important themes.

The background has passages of thin washes, and also heavy impasto brush strokes in the inky night. The girls are absolutely confident in character and brimming with optimism.

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"Minecraft Cow" Original Oil Daily Painting

Busy day! I prepped a bunch of new substrates so that I could do my daily painting without running out. This time, I cut out foam core in 4 x 6 and 4 x 5 inch sizes. Then I covered them with a thin film of hide glue and positioned Claessan's Belgium linen over them. I smoothed them out and covered them with heavy weights. They have to sit this way for 24 hours. Then I can see if there are any delaminated spots, or if they are ready to paint.

Then, I started my next daily painting. I have been wanting to do a series on the video game "Minecraft". When I first saw this game, I thought I was back in the 80's with it's heavy pixelated and blocky textured look. The huge difference is that you get a 3d view of the game space. Players can create anything within Minecraft, only their imagination providing the limit. I just picked up a small manual on Redstone so I'm looking forward to learning about it. I'm not a player, because I know that it 's very addictive and I'd spend too much time on it if I started. My daughter is a Minecraft player though, and I like seeing it's world through her eyes.

"Minecraft Cow", 2.5 x 3.5 in., oil on canvas/SOLD ©Victoria Page Miller

This painting is an ACEO. ACEO stands for Art Card Originals and Editions. They are kin to ATC or Artist Trading Cards and share the requirement of being 2.5 x 3.5 inches, or the same size as a standard playing card. This is the first in my series on Minecraft.

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"Brown Bear, what do you see?" Original oil painting

Brown Bear, what do you see?

"Brown Bear, what do you see?", 5 x 5", oil on linen/SOLD ©VP Miller

"Brown bear, brown bear what do you see?

I see a red bird looking at me...."

- Eric Carle

This bear was playing in the water and absolutely enjoying himself. It was amazing to see such a powerful animal engaged in play. 

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"You've Got a Friend in Me" Cat Oil Painting

You've Got a Friend in Me

"You've got a friend in me
 You've got a friend in me
 You got troubles. I got 'em too
 There isn't anything I wouldn't do for you
 If we stick together we can see it through
 'Cause you've got a friend in me
 Yeah, you've got a friend in me" - Randy Newman

Everyone needs to know that someone is there for us, through thick and thin. This pair of cats, one real and one a stuffed animal, are inseparable friends.

The rough in stage of the painting

The color blocking in phase of the painting

"You've Got a Friend in Me", 5 x 5", oil on  linen/available ©VP Miller

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Caramel Apple Original Oil Painting

In case you have decided to roast your own beets, like I did yesterday, there's a few things you should know. First, take a head of garlic slice off the top and drizzle it with olive oil. Wrap aluminum foil around it and roast it along with the beets. You might as well, it's the same temp and time (400 deg F for 1 hour). You can then smush some of the garlic heads out since they are nice and soft, and use it in your sauteed beet greens. It makes a world of difference. Also, after you've tasted the earthy beet flavor and enjoyed their gorgeous claret red color, er, um fair warning that you will probably see that red again, and again, the next day. Nothing to be alarmed by and no reason to call your doctor! Just a public service announcement for any other fresh beet newbies out there.

Now on to today's painting. Fall. Autumn. This may be very early (especially for those of you in the South), but caramel apples are reminiscent of county fairs, crisp evenings and of course, Halloween.

Caramel apple, getting the center of interest down on the canvas

The beginning of the painting. Shadows down first, then the background behind the apple.

Caramel apple, blocking in the background

The background is mostly in. I like to brush into a wet background, when blocking in my center of interest. It's better than doing a lot of work on an object, and then having to paint the background in afterwards and try to avoid messing up what you've already done.

Caramel apple, rough block in with light and dark side

Here the apple is filled with two shades of brown, a light and shadow side. I learned that I could have gone darker with the dark shade but it was corrected later. The previous me would have tried drawing the peanuts in first and painted around them. Why? Because a) I didn't know better and b) I like to draw. I've learned from David Leffel, that although you may want to draw with your paint, you must paint instead.

Nothing delights a student more than to draw with a paintbrush - the more minute the detail, the better. Avoid doing this. Instead, paint with your brush; think in terms of dimension. Instead of individual hairs, for example, paint hair thickness or dimension; paint the light on the hair.

Caramel apple, peanuts painted in but without highlights or accents

The concept of the painting was it's shape. The shape of the caramel apple combined with it's shadow makes for an interesting positive and negative space. The darkest areas are in shadow behind the stick and below the apple. Each area has the lightest light next to it. I put in the highlights on certain peanuts and knew something was missing. It was the accents - dark spots. You can't have light without equally dark areas in value.

"Caramel Apple", 5 x 5", oil on linen/SOLD ©VP Miller

The finished caramel apple painting. I adjusted the main shadow and added final highlights and accents. I didn't overwork it and it was fun to paint.

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Beets with Wine Bottle Original Oil Painting

Beets with Wine Bottle

"Beets with Wine Bottle", 5 x 5", oil on linen/SOLD ©VP Miller

I set up a triangular composition of three beets, their greens and a wine bottle. My intention was to make the leftmost beet the center of interest, followed closely by the wine bottle highlight. The greens would boomerang your eye around, effectively keeping your eye from leaving the painting. 

I'm still learning and focusing on the concept of massing - keeping darks together or whites together to form continuity. The darkest dark on the beet is next to the lightest light. That is mirrored in the wine bottle. The greens are mid-values. Their focal point is color, although nothing to light in hue that would rival the highlights. I learned a great deal about paint handling into wet dark values.

Tonight, I'm enjoying roasted beets with olive oil and salt (for the first time), and having the sauteed beet greens on the side.

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Still Life "Grapes with Pear" Original Oil Painting

Grapes with Pear

"Grapes with Pear", 5 x 5", oil on linen/SOLD ©VP Miller

This painting is about studying massing and edges. Massing is keeping your darks together and your lights together. The grapes, their shadows, the pear's shadow and it's darkest area are all connected. By edges, I mean I am working on found (sharp) and lost (soft) edges within a painting. The sides of the pears are almost completely lost in the background, yet you still feel it's mass. The edge of the grape stem that connects with the center of the pear (and it's lightest part) is also a hard edge, which should lead your eye there.

 It's also a just a pretty good representation of grapes and a pear. I am channeling David Leffel, of course. I'm not really channeling him (he's alive, thankfully). I am learning from him in an old book called "Oil Painting Secrets from a Master". Hopefully as I progress through his lessons and apply what I've learned, you will see a progression in ability too.

You should know, this was terribly fun to paint.

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"Never Forget" Yellow Rose with American Flag Original Oil Painting

Never Forget

"Yellow Rose with American Flag", 5 x 5", oil on linen/SOLD ©VP Miller

This is a tribute to the military, fire fighters, police, EMTs and other first responders of 9/11. May we never forget how we came together as a nation after tragedy. The yellow rose is a nod to the military tradition of tying a yellow ribbon around a tree to remember and support those who are far away in service. The American Flag is a symbol of unity and strength. 

God Bless the USA!

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