Margaret Aycock Representational Oil Painting in Oklahoma

Welcome to my art blog where I post recent photos of my work and journal about my life as an artist. Although I spent my early childhood in the Catskill Mountains or New York, I now live and work in Tulsa Oklahoma. It is from my early life in the mountains that I developed a love of the natural world which now includes vast prairies and endless skies. My goal is to see and respond to the beauty that I find around me with a paint brush, paint and canvas.

Thursday, September 23, 2010

Bouguereau w an Oklahoma Twist

I teach oil painting to adults and every semester we pick a master to play around with. Last semester it was a young girl painted by Bouguereau. I teach demonstration style and so it is a great tool to have a photo of a beautiful face to work from when teaching the glazing process. By trade, I paint more in the style of the post impressionists and you can probably see that influence in this painting as well. I used the face as a jumping off point, added my new scarf, put her in an Oklahoma prairie and put a red ribbon in her hair. I have several of these demonstration pieces in my ebay gallery and this piece is on auction this week ( soon to be over ) Check them out here... http://midwest-fine-art.com

You may also visit my blog for more about me and my work or to purchase my teaching videos or my new book on oil painting. http://margaretaycock.blogspot.com

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Art Student Supply List

Supplies are as follows: Oil Paints: Specifically Windsor Newton brand Winton 200 ML size. Student grade is preferable and if it says ‘hue’ after the color that is fine, and preferable too; Alizarin Crimson, Cad. Red, Cad. Orange, Cad. Yellow Light, Yellow Ochre, Cerulean Blue, Sap Green, Ultramarine Blue, Titanium white, Burnt Sienna.

Assortment of boar bristle brushes from ¼” to 1: (feel free to get the cheap ones,) I like filberts but flats are ok too.

canvas : depends on what we are painting. Usually no larger than 16x20

Pallet; either purchase large pallet or 12 x 16 cardboard cover with freezer paper purchase Reynolds freezer paper in the grocery store where plastic wraps, foil are found.

A pallet box is optional but saves money in the long run.

I will supply easel, spirits, rags

Step by Step Still Life

Notice, no detail till nearly finished. Start with blocking in main color areas, make sure to cover every inch of the canvas with something. Also notice you don't have to paint everything in in perfect detail. We paint how the eye sees.... When you are looking at one specific thing, everything else looses its detail. I like to pick an area or two where I paint a flower or flowers in well and let the viewer make up the rest with their own eyes. If I paint one cherry blossom well, the viewer now knows that all those other white, flowery things are cherry blossoms, for example.

Painting the Impressionist Still Life with Margaret Aycock

"Our greatest fear is not that we are inadequate, but that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that frightens us. We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, handsome, talented, and fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We were born to make manifest the glory of God within us. It is not just in some; it is in everyone. And, as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our fear, our presence automatically liberates others." - Marianne Williamson from "Reflections on a Course in Miracles" My hope is that my painting will be that shining light.

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Thursday, September 23, 2010

Bouguereau w an Oklahoma Twist