J. Richard Secor

PLEIN AIR

2011-03-27T10:14:00.000-07:00

The weather in Santa Fe New Mexico is starting to warm up and spring is in the air. However this area is well know for its ability to get snow into and through the month of April. Being a person who loves the warm weather, I need to wait until the end of May before heading out for some Plein Air work. I love to go up into the Sangre de Christo mountains up to about 9,000 feet above sea level and paint the aspens. The mountain has 10's of thousands and they are beautiful in all seasons.

I also venture up to Llano de San Juan off the high road to Taos, which is pretty much a desserted town with perhaps 10 or so families living there. It is an old farming town with some farming still going on but those who have left have left behind their homes which are falling victim to time and neglect. A wonderful area for all types of artists with many artistic creating opportunities.

Further up the high road to Taos there are many other artistic opportunities with little hamlets and old churches and pretty much 100's of other sights to catch the artistic eye.

Just beyond Taos is the little town of Arroyo Secco and from the name you can just imagine the artistic opportunities awaiting the artistic eye.

Well,..............the end of May is not far off.

2 Guilty - 2 Innocent - 1 Undecided

2011-03-24T07:52:00.000-07:00

I have not painted for over a month as we were on vacation in La Paz Mexico. When I do not paint for this long of a time, I seem to become timid with my application of paint and the spontaneous freedom of motion is lacking. This is a quick painting to un-due the timid application and get back into my normal painting mode.

My wife has been selected for jury duty and that prompted the vision of this painting:

12 x 24 Chroma Interactive Acrylics on heavy linen canvas paper wet into wet alla prima.

"2 GUILTY - 2 INNOCENT - 1 UNDECIDED"

First I draw the approximate shapes of the pears:

Next I apply some dark paint in order to eliminate the bright white of the linen paper

The next step is to apply some color wet into wet - all aprima with a large brush as an underpainting to provide a "road map" for the progression of the piece,

I let this dry overnight and then apply color with a palette knife wet into wet alla prima. I also put in the background and foreground and touch up the pears if needed.

FINI

DETAIL

ARTICLES ON ACRYLIC PAINTING I AUTHORED

2011-03-20T19:28:00.000-07:00

Following is a link to articles I've written about acrylic painting. My choice of paint is Professional Chroma Interactive Acrylic and these articles reflect the use of this paint. For all you acrylic painters out there I can recommend this site as a source of some very good information, ideas and a valuable source of painting tips.

http://acrylicpaintreview.com/tag/j-richard-secor/

Check it out and I hope you find it a valuable source of information.

LIVING ON THE EDGE

2011-01-29T11:59:00.000-08:00

16x20 Chroma Interactive Acrylics - alla prima - big brush - wet into wet - with a lot of blending of color directly on the surface - heavy linen canvas paper.

FINI

ALMOST OVER THE EDGE

2011-01-27T14:53:00.000-08:00

16 x 20 Chroma Interactive Acrylics done alla prima this morning with large brush on heavy linen canvas paper - I had the pear for my lunch which proves my theory that a still life artist who paints fruit will never starve :>)

FINI

Up and Down Pair - A DEMO

2011-01-25T11:44:00.000-08:00

Chroma Interactive Acrylics with big brush - wet into wet - alla prima on heavy linen canvas paper. These photos will show the process I go through to develop a painting.

FINI :>)

The Blues To The Power Of Three - A Demo

2011-01-09T18:40:00.000-08:00

Every once in a while I awaken very early in the morning - like 1:30 or so, with words that are stuck in my mind and I always try to relate those words to a future painting. The other morning at 1:45 this happened and the words stuck in my mind were The Blues. Following is a demo of the painting that deveolped because of this awakening:

18 x 24 on heavy linen canvas paper with Chroma Interactive Acrylics

The Blues To The Power Of Three

FINISHED PAINTING

The Dawn Of Dusk

2011-01-01T18:19:00.000-08:00

18 x 24 Chroma Interactive Acrylics on heavy linen canvas paper. I wanted to end 2010 with an experiment in painting. So in a very spontaneous and perhaps spastic manner, I started applying paint every which way and in every possible direction. I used a big brush and worked very quickly wet into wet, alla prima, with no pre-planning or defined objective. At one point I was using a brush in both hands just have a lot of fun. The result after 30 minutes of this is "The Dawn Of Dusk." YES, I was quite sober as the only beverage I drink is diet A&W root beer. It was a very liberating experience and I must say the most fun I've had in a painting session.

3 In-Twined Bosc

2010-12-02T09:44:00.000-08:00

24 x 18 Professional Chroma Interactive Acrylics on gessoed 1/4 inch MDF panel - Alla Prima - wet into wet. Panel was sanded & gessoed using a sponge roller with NO sanding inbetween coats in order to give the painting surface some tooth and texture. I love texture although this is a fairly "smooth" painting for me. I was going to paint it with only a palette knife, but when I threw some color around to generate a "road map, it started to look real good and my brush said "Don't you dare put me down!" Yes brushes talk and have minds of their own! :>)

I never answered my brushes until a few weeks ago!!! Now they won't shut up!

THE INFLUENCE OF MUSIC

2010-09-01T08:41:00.000-07:00

When I am painting in the studio, music plays a key role in how the style of the painting I’m working on emerges. When I paint to the lively and dramatic guitar music of Ottmar Liebert, Esteban, Govi and Manzanares as well as the lively - bouncy French Cafe' music from Putumayo, my pieces have a variety of brush and palette knife strokes, much color and lots of action. When I paint to the mellow Native American flute of R. Carlos Nakai, and Jesse Kalu the result is a calmer and more serene painting.

I hope you enjoy the following links as all my paintings are influenced in many ways by each one of these musical artists:

http://www.estebanmusic.com/

http://www.ottmarliebert.com/diary/
http://www.govimusic.com/

http://www.manzanaresysol.com/

http://www.putumayo.com/

http://www.rcarlosnakai.com/

http://www.friendsoffreedom.com/Friends/Jesse_Kalu/Jesse.html

THE OLD & THE NEW

2010-09-01T08:22:00.000-07:00

24 x 30 on gessoed 1/4" MDF panel - this is a larger format than my recent pot paintings which have been 18 x 24 - Chroma Interactive Acrylics wet into wet with a lot of blending of color - The development of the aged texture on the antique pot with decoration was accomplished with a dry brush process. The seed pot (black pot) I recently purchased for my pot collection directly from the potter on the Santa Clara Pueblo in NM.

The concept of a seed pot goes back quite far into the history of the Native American Indians and was and still is used on the pueblos to protect their crop seeds from rodents, insects and mildew. There is a very small diameter hole in the top of the pot through which the seeds are dropped into the pot.

The antique pot with decoration is circa 1910 - artist unknown - origin determined to be the San Ildefonso Pueblo in NM.

The wall behind the pots is an impressionistic rendering of aged plaster.

C&C's if the spirit moves Ya'all

DETAIL OF POT

HOPI - TEWA POT WITH DECORATION - DEMO

2010-07-26T08:55:00.000-07:00

The Hopi-Tewa are a Tewa Pueblo group residing in the eastern part of the Hopi Reservation on The First Mesa in Northeastern Arizona. My wife and I went there several years ago and spent 2 nights on the First Mesa. This adventure had to be one of the most memorable experiences we have ever had. Some of the people who live on the First & Second Mesas have never left the Mesa - a few have left as children to go to the Indian School in Phoenix and then returned to stay. I would love to go back there and live on the Mesa for one full year and paint every day.

The following photos will show the process I used in the creation of this painting:
16 x 20 on canvas panel using Chroma Interactive Acrylics wet into wet with lots of color blending.

"Hopi-Tewa Pot With Decoration"

Antique Native American Pot with Decoration

2010-06-25T07:21:00.000-07:00

I normally work with palette knives, but felt this subject needed the softness of brush work with a lot of color blending. My hand cramps up with arthritis, so it took four days of off and on work to complete this, with resting of the hand to let the cramping subside.

The following photos will show the creation process starting with drawing out the pot with brush after which

the development of color and detail takes place, as well as the decorative portion, the background and the foreground.

The finished painting 18 x 24 on 1/4 inch triple gessoed MDF panel

POTS WITH NEW HISTORY - PAINTING DEMO

2010-06-16T07:53:00.000-07:00

30 x 24 gessoed 1/4 inch MDF panel - Chroma Interactive Acryic using a palette knife wet into wet. First I draw the shape of the pot with my palete knife and lay in some color to get an idea where I'm going,

Next I lay in some darker color on the shadow side as well as refine the entire pot at the same time

I keep laying in color and adding more texture to the pot with my palette knife

The color is added wet into wet utilizing the great blending capabilites of Chroma Interactives. Color and texture are but someof the reasons why I paint - I love to build on the texture with layers of blended color

I start defining the BG and the FG, which I always do last as I want the center of interest to project (in thickness of applied paint) from the BG and yet have the reflections of color in the BG and FG. Based on the thickness of the paint applied to the C of I, I can better determine the intensity of the palette knife strokes to use in the BG & FG.

The painting is 99% completed and I'll sit it in my viewing corner for two weeks while the paint cures and if necessary make some needed tweaks to it

Detail of palette knife strokes

Old Native American Pot - PAINTING DEMO

2010-06-09T09:19:00.000-07:00

Normally I work with a palette knife due to arthritis in my hands but on occasion I work through the cramps and pain to paint with a large brush as I enjoy the process. 24 x 30 Chroma Interactive Acrylics wet into wet on gessoed MDF panel.

First I paint the shape of the pot using unbleached titanium white.
Then I start pushing some color around to get an idea of where I'm going with this piece

Next I start adding more color to the rest of the pot to define the shadow side and texture on the pot. I also start to further define the chips and cracks

Now I start to develop the BG/FG and more definition on the overall pot

Detail of chip in pot

Finished painting

The Guardians - Painting Process start - finish

2010-06-05T12:37:00.000-07:00

20 x 16 drawn with palette knife and super heavy gesso on gessoed 1/4 inch MDF panel. Painted wet into wet with some brush work and mostly palette knife work. Done in an Impressionistic style with a hint of semi abstract.

Step 1 (above) draw in shapes of aspens with super heavy gesso and palette knife

Step 2: Paint in BG & FG with palette knife and some large brush work (wet into wet) - see above

Step 3: Finish up FG and adjustments to BG & MG wet into wet blending of color - see above

Finish aspens with palette knife wet into wet and make necessary adjustment within the painting.

This was painted alla prima

Beginning of a New Painting - Pots with New History

2010-05-25T11:20:00.000-07:00

I've been working on a collection of paintings titled "Pots with History." These are old, weathered, tattered, cracked and chip pots with very evident history. I am now working on a new collection of paintings titled "Pots with New History." These conversely are new pots just starting on their adventure into history. Following is the steps taken in the creation of the first piece and as it proceeds I will add to this until the finished painting is posted. J. Richard Secor

The first step was to cut a piece of 1/4 inch MDF to a size of H-30 x W-24 - sand it and apply a coat of liquid gesso. After that dried, using a palette knife with Super Heavy Gesso I drew in the rough shape of the Pot and a textured back ground and foreground. (see photo above)

The next step was to create some color within the shape of the pot - this was done using a palatte knife. (see photo above)

This is a photo of some of the detail applied with the palette knife - this is a very "textured" painting due to the application of Super Heavy Gesso and the use of a lot of paint palette knife applied. (see photo above)

The next step was to apply additional color for the shadow areas using lots of paint with the palette knife

(see photo above)

I next added some more color and texture to the body of the pot and I started to develop the base the pot is sitting on which is a round cut out from a large diameter tree trunk. (see photo above)

I next added some wall color as well as the indication of a low side shelf to the viewers right.

The last step in the painting process was to finish the background and the curved face of the tree trunk stand the pot is sitting on. After finishing a painting I make it take 10!! 10 days that is- in the "viewing corner" where I will check it out off and on to see if any refinements are needed. During this time the paint cures - however this painting will take about a month to cure as the paint application with the palette knife is quite heavy.

After it has cured and any and all final adjustments are made and cured I will put several isolation coats on the surface and once dry I will follow with two coats of varnish.

COMPLETED

Winter in the Sangres $550 plus S&H, 36 x 24 x 1.5 Acrylic on Gallery-wrapped Canvas, Palette Knife Application, Unframed

2010-03-14T11:48:00.001-07:00

One is the Loneliest Number $95 plus S&H - 10 x 8 on Linen Panel - palette knife & brush - Unframed

2010-03-14T11:24:00.002-07:00

New Mexico State Flag $295 plus S&H - 16 x 20 - canvas panel - bright, bold, repica of New Mexico State Flag - Unframed

2010-03-14T11:24:00.000-07:00

Chardonnay Today - $195 plus S&H - 16 x 12 - bright-bold-color Unframed

2010-03-14T11:23:00.001-07:00

Antique Bean Pot & Red Pears $395 plus S&H - 18 x 24 brush- canvas on stretcher bars - Framed

2010-03-14T11:22:00.001-07:00

Pear No. II, $425, 24 x 36 x 1.5, gallery-wrapped canvas, palette knife and brush

2010-03-14T11:21:00.001-07:00

Orange You An Apple? $85 unframed, 12 x 16 on heavy duty linen paper,palette knife and brush

2010-03-14T11:20:00.000-07:00

Three Baked Pears $125 Plus S&H - 12 x 16 palette knife on Linen panel- bright-bold-sassy color semi abstract - Unframed

2010-03-11T10:41:00.001-08:00

Poire et Pomme

2010-03-11T10:40:00.003-08:00

My Country Tis Of Thee $495 Plus S&H 18 x 24 Flag of the United States on Linen Panel semi-abstract with palette knife Framed

2010-03-11T10:40:00.001-08:00

Joined at the Hip $175 Plus S&H 12 x 9 bright - bold and realistic bark of aspen trees Framed

2010-03-11T10:39:00.007-08:00

Into The Woods $625 Plus S&H 48 x 30 palette knife and brush on 1.5 inch deep gallery wrapped canvas Unframed

2010-03-11T10:39:00.005-08:00

Identity Crisis $550 Plus S&H 30 x 48 on 1.5 inch deep gallery wrapped canvas bright bold sassy color palette knife and brush Unframed

2010-03-11T10:39:00.001-08:00

Forgotten Homestead $125 Plus S&H 12 x 16 palette knife on Belgian Linen Canvas Unframed

2010-03-11T10:38:00.005-08:00

Dancing Light $325 Plus S&H 24 x 18 Aspens & Pines in the Sangre de Christo mountains Santa Fe NM palette knife and brush Unframed

2010-03-11T10:38:00.001-08:00

Autumn Road Llano de San Juan New Mexico $125 Plus S&H 12 x 16 bright bold sassy color on canvas panel with palette knife Unframed

2010-03-11T10:37:00.003-08:00

Aspens & Pines In Shades Of Black & White $550 Plus S&H 48 x 30 on 1.5 inch deep gallery wrapped canvas Unframed

2010-03-11T10:37:00.001-08:00

Antique Gravy Boat and Oranges $375 Plus S&H 12 x 16 on canvas panel soft yet bright color palette knife & brush Framed

2010-03-11T10:36:00.001-08:00

Reflections of Oak Creek Canyon Sedona AZ $450 Plus S&H 18 x 24 bright bold color semi abstract palette knife and brush on Belgian Linen panel Framed

2010-03-11T10:31:00.001-08:00

A Happy Francais Poire $95 plus S&H - 12 x 9- Bright-Bold-Sassy color with a touch of French Impressionisim - palette knife - Unframed

2010-03-11T10:30:00.001-08:00

DEUX POIRES et UNE POMME $550 plus S&H 30 x 48 Acrylic on 1.5 inch deep gallery wrapped canvas. Palette knife appliction bright bold sassy color Unframed

2010-03-10T13:30:00.000-08:00