John Stuart Pryce - Pryce Studios

"Ask John" - The Power of Negative Painting

2011-04-07T07:54:00.000-04:00

Marilyn from Nelson, B.C. Canada asks about the March 29th Pryce Studios newsletter regarding mixing the underpainting colors with subsequent layers of paint.

"Does this work with acrylic paint, as it dries so quickly and therefore doesn't blend like oils."

Thank you for a good question Marilyn.
As we all know, acrylics are much quicker drying than oils and do not blend with the underpainting as readily. However, there is a way to obtain some blending and soft edges with the use of acrylic retarder. I am showing in these photos how I obtain some soft areas in the background with the use of retarder.

When the retarder is used it also gives you the chance to "pick up", or "remove" some pigment before it dries. I have shown how I apply the underpainting, remove some pigment and then apply the heavier layers of paint. I call this "The power of Negative Painting" because I am working a lot of negative painting into the soft neutral areas of the background, and the higher value and higher chroma areas in the foreground.

The orange and Burnt Sienna underpainting gives a color harmony, as well as setting up a good background for the higher value and heavier pigment at the last part of the painting.

I hope that this example answers your question and is helpful to you.
Best Regards,

John

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"Ask John" - Red Underpainting

2011-04-02T01:57:00.000-04:00

Artist Gerry from Sayward B.C. writes:

Hi John

"I have tried underpainting quite a few times, and I find that I paint over the color completely as I go! How do you choose which "red" to leave and which to color over?
Thanks. Gerry"

Hi Gerry;

In regards to which underpainting should be left and which should be covered, there is no absolute or correct method. The one thing that I have noticed is that oils are able to pick up some of the underpainting and creates, in some cases, neutrals. I say this because I use relatively dark purples and reds behind my dark greens. e.g. a clump of evergreens. They are somewhat complimentary in the colour sequence hence they mix to make nice nuetrals and a great background for higher value and higher chroma greens.

As far as what to leave and what to cover, there are no real guidelines. It always comes down to: "If it looks right, it is right". Remember, in oils we are working from dark to light. In my video called "Transitions" you can see at least one example of how the deep red underpainting works with dark green trees.

I hope that this helps clarify a rather complex part of a painting.

Best Regards.
John.

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Gestalt Painting

2011-03-20T11:15:00.000-04:00

The word Gestalt has its origins in the world of psychology and philosophy. Sometimes it's described as "essence or shape of an entity's complete form." In visual art, the word Gestalt can be used to describe the wholeness or unity of a painting. The Wikipedia encyclopedia uses the phrase "The whole is greater than the sum of its parts" to explain the word Gestalt. Colour harmony is an important element in achieving unity in a painting. One way to obtain a degree of harmony is to allow the under-painting colour to permeate through and around shapes. Some early Canadian impressionist plein-air painters used pine panels that were varnished. The golden wood colour of the panels was sometimes left around brushstrokes giving the paintings a wonderful harmony.

There is no single solution to achieve that wholeness in a painting and the use of colour is just one important element. Each subject and each season has to be dealt with accordingly. I am sending an example of a quick plein-air painting of a summer scene in Gibson's B.C. using a warm red under-painting that permeates throughout the painting giving a form of harmony.

Looking at the big shapes first and dealing with the smaller detail later helps to overcome the urge to pick away at an area and not to see the whole picture. To have one colour dominant also helps to achieve unity.

This letter was originally published on Robert Genn's "The Painter's Keys" web site.

SOYRA Demo & Workshops

2011-02-08T14:38:00.005-05:00

Hi All;

Tonight I have the pleasure of meeting about 40 or 50 fellow members of Soyra; the Society of York Region Artists. I will be sharing with them some of my painting experience, and we will be discussing the subtle differences in the choice of colours that we need to better express the changing seasons in our paintings. It seems appropriate to deal with the very Canadian landscape that we experience during the Winter months. I will discuss the need to be aware of the temperature of colours and how we apply them; the different design and fibre of brushes, and the uses of each type will also be discussed during the demo and following weeks of workshops. I am posting some sequential images and photos of winter scenes that you can download. I look forward to being in Aurora tonight and over the following weeks with my fellow artists.

Best regards; John.

Original Photo of Bark lake

Original Photo of Kirkup's Farm

"Ask John" - Glowing Under-painting

2011-01-29T13:28:00.004-05:00

Artist Carol Kairis writes...

Hello John

Great to find your new Blog site. Appreciating the glow you achieve with your under-painting, I’m hopeful you may help me with a oil painting I’m working on. It is a painting of the amber glow across the Tyrrhenian Sea (Ansedonia , Italy) at Sunset. The glow holds hues of gold, (little orange and red undertones). I really want to play up the amber glow with just a hint of the orange and red. What color for the under painting should I use? Then which glaze would compliment that to obtain the best results?

Thank You. Carol

Hi Carol;

I am attaching three paintings of sunsets I have done in oils, as examples of how I approach the task.

The under-painting in this lake scene sketch was a yellow ochre. It was done very quickly as the sun was changing as I watched.

The same conditions applied when I painted the rose coloured sunset in the Canadian Arctic. I had only a few minutes to apply the rose under-painting and add the dark mountains and yellows in the sky, as the ship I was on was moving at the time.

This winter scene above was done in the studio with a yellow under-painting. The violets provided a nice complimentary colour to the golds. Basically, I like to choose a under-painting colour that provides an overall harmony. The use of complimentaries adds some drama to the painting.

I hope that this is of help. Please keep in touch and thank you for your question.
Best Regards. John.

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"Ask John" - Water Soluble Oils

2011-01-26T08:34:00.006-05:00

Artist Andy Basacchi of Toronto writes...

Hi John:

I have been using artist quality oil paints for some time and understand that there are water soluble oils. Can you provide me with your opinion on using water soluble versus oil?

Thanks. Andy Basacchi

Hi Andy;

My experience with W/S oils is that they do have some advantages, particularly if you have a negative reaction to some of the oil solvents, (even the so called odorless solvents). When I went to the Arctic in 2006 I decided to take my W/S oils as we had no guarantee that we could find solvents when we arrived, and we could not carry them on the plane. I found them quite similar to regular oils with some slight differences. They felt slightly less 'movable,' (with the exception of the Holbein "Duo" product), and they were much dryer coming out of the tube. and needed some lubrication to make them more fluid. For me, the use of the medium was not as successful as I'd like, and I had to be careful not to add too much water. The cleaning process was obviously simpler with just water. I am adding a couple of images with me painting on board the Academik Ioffe with my W/S oils.

In my video "Delphiniums", I do a small demonstration on using water soluble oil paints.

I hope that this answers your question about W/S oils.
Best Regards. John.

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New Feature - "Ask John!"

2011-01-23T15:54:00.006-05:00

Hello Fellow Artists!

Over the years, I've received countless requests for painting advice and to critique student's paintings.

Now, I'm launching our new "Ask John" blog feature, and I'll be responding to those many letters, and you can also submit your art questions or samples for tips and pointers directly to me. As well, you can join in the discussion with the artist community in the comments section, with your own responses and comments.

You can submit anything you like: queries for tips on how to make your painting work the way you want, personal stories and ideas, and samples of your paintings for feedback.

Each week I will be posting my responses to your letters on my web site and here on my blog.

So feel free to e-mail them in, and I look forward to hearing from you.

John.

Click the logo to send your questions to John!

Painting en Plein Air in Tuscany - April Workshop

2010-12-09T11:44:00.004-05:00

Hi All!
I've got a Plein Air painting workshop coming up in glorious Tuscany, Italy!!
Spaces still available.
Photos and all info for the workshop is available on my web site.
Hope you can join me!!
http://www.prycestudios.com/workshops.htm


Scenes of Cortona, Italy.

Thanks, John.

Holiday Art Show

2010-12-01T08:20:00.001-05:00

I am pleased to announce that I am part of a high quality art show in Toronto. The details are shown on the invitation and I look forward to seeing as many of you as possible. By the way, it is tomorrow night!! thanks john.

Haliburton

2010-09-09T11:52:00.002-04:00

A week of teaching in beautiful Gibson's B.C. followed by a week of painting with some of North America's finest plein-air painters in Door County Wisconsin. What more could you ask? Well how about a week of teaching and painting in Haliburton, Ontario. I have to thank Rob Mathers, one of my students for the use of his cottage near Haliburton. I was fascinated with the view from the dock which allowed you to see into the water where there was a dark reflection or shadow. I did a number of these studies and will continue to do more of the same.

"Through the looking glass" 12" x 16" Plein-air Oil.

Gibson's B.C. Workshop - July 2010

2010-08-26T05:01:00.001-04:00

Here we are in Gibson's B.C. near the ocean.

Hi all, it has been far too long since I posted a blog. I have been away teaching and painting and would like to share some of these experiences with you. On July 11, I flew to British Columbia to spend a week conducting a plein-air workshop in the beautiful coastal town of Gibson's. I had no idea what to expect but it didn't take long to realize that this was indeed a special place. Here are some photos of where we painted and a couple of examples of my demos.

This the great view from our vantage point.

I decided to have a bright red ground in this particular painting.

The finished demo

I have to thank all of the participants in this workshop and in particular Vicki, Isobel and Louisa for their time and attention to make my visit very special.

Here we are at Georgia Beach.

Here is the final stages.
I did embellish the flowers on the rocks to establish a point of interest.

Now on YouTube - Parts 1 - 4 of "Delphiniums" - Art Instruction Video

2010-06-29T13:01:00.004-04:00

I hope you enjoy. :-)

Click here for a larger view.

The Gallery Painting Group Workshop.

2010-06-07T21:47:00.006-04:00

This past weekend I was in London, Ontario sharing my painting techniques and experience with a wonderful group of 20 artists. The artists were part of The Gallery Painting Group celebrating it's 60th year. Amelia Husnik organized the workshop at the beautiful Raleigh Estate of Sue Langdon in London. The weather was threatening but we managed to get two great days of painting in between evening storms.

The following sequentials show the second days demo of some lily pads.

Plein Air Odyssey - Just Released!

2010-06-03T18:00:00.005-04:00

Plein Air Odyssey by John Stuart Pryce
(19 page sample shown - best viewed fullscreen)

"The Biography of Plein Air Artist John Stuart Pryce.

An account of John's journey as an artist, from his early artistic inspirations as a child in Birmingham, England, through his career as an architectural illustrator in the United States, to his long exploration of the craft of plein air painting at locations throughout the world"

Now available at Blurb.com!

Viewfinder

2010-05-01T13:27:00.005-04:00

I am posting this letter to help those enrolled in upcoming workshops show up better prepared. I use a viewfinder for most of my Plein Air painting. It is a very simple but effective way to compose your painting and help eliminate confusion. To make your own viewfinder, simply cut out the center of a piece of cardboard proportionate to whichever panel you are using. e.g. 12" x 16" panel = 3 to 4 ratio. The opening could be approximately 6" x 8" with a 2" border. I suggest making a few to accommodate your different size canvasses. I will be giving more information on helpful additions to your equipment in my "Plein Air Odyssey" series of books, soon to be available.

New "Delphiniums" Instructional Video - Part 1

2010-04-13T00:51:00.012-04:00

Click here for larger view

New Book "Plein Air Odyssey" Coming Soon!

2010-03-29T16:44:00.002-04:00

In the next few months, I'll be releasing my first book entitled "Plein Air Odyssey".

For more details, please click the link to my site:
http://www.prycestudios.com/book.htm
John

Bark Lake 2010

2010-02-16T15:42:00.018-05:00

Bark Lake Press coverage.

Thanks to the local Newspaper, The Haliburton County Echo and roving reporter Angelica Blenich, we made the big time. Angelica found a few of us that actually lacked the good sense to stay indoors and paint. We all managed a frozen smile as we continued with our plein-air paintings. Here are the photos of the three of us that they actually found alive.

Bark Lake 2010

I thought that the last trip to Bark Lake was a cold weekend. It was back in 2006 and my blog "Bark lake revisited" records some of those days. This time it was even more frigid. I was pleased to share some of my painting experience with the ECOAA group on the Friday night of January 29.

The following morning a couple of us went out to paint en Plein-Air. Why not, it was sunny and clear. After wandering around for awhile we found a nice spot and proceeded to paint. It didn't seem so bad until we were finishing the paintings and we both felt physically sick. After a warm lunch we went back and did the same thing again. This time it only took about one hour to get the same symptoms and we packed up and went back to the warmth of the lodge. Speaking to the more sane painters who stayed in the studio to paint we found out that the temperature in the morning was -30 but it warmed up to a balmy -18 or so later. It is something to remember and I probably will think twice about painting in such fridgid temperatures again, although we are Plein-Air painters after all. Special thanks to Lucy Manley for organizing this memorable trip.

New "Arctic Quest" Presentation

2010-01-16T05:02:00.010-05:00

Part 1

Part 2

For Wide Screen Format please visit my YouTube channel:

Family Collection - Part 3

2010-01-15T16:33:00.003-05:00

To continue my story about that memorable Thansgiving weekend with the family, I cannot forget the "Little One" as her Dad, John called her when she was smaller. The youngest of the three grand-daughters, Chantal. As Chantal was just a baby at that time I will select a painting that I did at their home around the same time. It is called appropriately, "Sweet Pea" It is very suitable for the sweet lovable personality that she has. This one's for you Chantal. Thanks to all of "The Girls" as we call them, for their love and affection, Love Nanna and Dadda.

"Sweet Pea" 12" x 16" plein-air oil on panel.

Those Special Paintings - Part 2

2010-01-10T21:23:00.002-05:00

Untitled. 12" x 16" Plein-air oil on panel.

To follow up on my comments about those "Special Paintings" I will continue with the story about the Thanksgiving weekend that Marg and I spent with Carla, Johnny and the Grandchildren at Rice Lake. I had done the first painting on the Saturday and have set that painting aside for Courtney. The following day I walked across the ridge overlooking Rice Lake and found a place to set up and paint. The wind had picked up considerably from the previous day so I was fortunate to be able to get a spot that had a bit of a windbreak. That day Brittany the oldest sister, accompanied me and helped choose the location and subject. Brittany stayed for awhile and then left soon to return with some leftovers that we ate together. This painting, of course will be given Brittany at some special time in her life.

Those Special Paintings - Part 1

2010-01-07T08:46:00.005-05:00

The question has been asked. Do you have some paintings that you will not sell.? the answer is. Yes! I am going to post a few of my "Artists Collection" or rather "Family Collection" Each will have the story attached.

"Thanksgiving Day." 12" x 16" Oil. (For Courtney)

It was on Thanksgiving day some years ago that I decided to set up my easel and paint the view from the home of our Son Johnny, his wife Carla and their three lovely daughter's. The view is spectacular overlooking Rice Lake. Part way through the painting Courtney, the middle child, came over and brought me some hot chocolate and cookies and watched me for awhile. I have kept that painting and will give it to her on some special occasion when she is older.

Christmas Greetings

2009-12-24T11:36:00.002-05:00

This is the time of year that we celebrate Christmas. The frozen Earth is covered with a blanket of snow. The Sun is already starting to move slowly higher in the sky as the Winter Solstice is days past. This late afternoon Sunset shows the wonderful palette of warms and cools produced by the low Sun. I would like to share this moment with you and take this opportunity to wish you all a very

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

"While Earth Sleeps" - Oil on canvas. 36" x 48"

Bark Lake Revisited

2009-12-14T09:13:00.016-05:00

Hello all, well we really are in Winter now. We did have a reprieve in November and I'm thankful for it.

Thinking about winter and painting in the snow reminds me about my last trip to Bark Lake about 4 years ago. I can thank my friend Jamie McGill for the warm and very stylish hat you see. The origin of the fur is in question, but I was very grateful as the temperature was hovering about zero Farenheit. I will be revisiting this wonderful area at the end of January, as I have been asked by the ECOAA to share some of my experience at the January event. I thought that it might be appropriate to show some of my paintings from the last trip, and show the different ways to paint the same subject.

This a close up of the painting. I added the footprints for drama and interest.

(click images for a larger view)

This is what we saw as we walked from our cabins to the cafeteria for breakfast. The temperature was around -10 F and no time to set up and paint as the Sun was moving rather quickly and the shadows changing. Only time for a few quick photos. Go to "Read More" below, for some paintings of this subject.

Below are a few examples of how to change a colour palette and still retain the feeling of the cold by using only relatively cool colours. The only indication of warmth would come from objects touched by the sun's rays.

I hope that you enjoyed this edition and I look forward to seeing many of you at Bark Lake in January.

John.

The Flaherty House

2009-12-07T09:47:00.005-05:00

It was a bright cool morning in October 2009 as Jamie McGill and I came upon this wonderful old house adjacent to the Black River. A lady walking with her Granddaughter along the road, stopped and chatted and was kind enough to give us a brief history of this old home and the name of the family that lived there.

First stage of Oil painting, "The Flaherty House"

A quick transparent underpainting of warm colours, yellow ochre, alizarin crimson and cobalt blue.

Using similar colours, I drew in the basic shapes of the old building and some entourage.

At this stage of the painting I am adjusting the drawing and looking for the large shapes and establishing the shadows before they change.

This is a closer look at this stage of the painting.

This the final plein-air painting and I am probably not going to "pimp it up" in the studio.

I hope that you enjoyed this visit to the "Flaherty House"

The Barrens Plein-Air Painting.

2009-12-01T19:52:00.014-05:00

This day was one to remember. It was around the second weekend of November. Sunny and warm. No bugs and good company. We painted in a area of Ontario that is unique because it is so barren, hence the name "The Barrens" It has a beauty of it's own with little topsoil the trees are relatively small. The colours were beautifully muted with a wonderful warmth to the undergrowth yellow ochres, burnt sienna and some reds. I decided to push the background hills back with cooler colours, lower chroma, value and softer edges. The Blue of the water was quite intense but I decided not to paint it as I saw it.

This is the photo of the scene with no feeling of distance.

This shows the first stage of my block-in. Simple large shapes

with some minor revisions to the composition as I saw it.

This stage of the block in has more of a feeling of distance as I
used lower chroma, values, cooler colours and softer edges to
attain the feeling of distance.

This is the final Plein-Air 16" x 20" oil painting.

I have since done this 16" x 20"acrylic studio painting of the Barrens I decided to get rid of the purple in the foreground rocks, soften the background hills even more, reduce the intensity of the blue water and add more warm colours in the middle ground.

Check back often for more of my future painting trips!

John Stuart Pryce.

"Plein Air Odysseys - Dorset Rockface" Instructional Video

2009-11-03T11:29:00.002-05:00

Society of York Region Artists Show

2009-10-25T06:27:00.002-04:00

"A Break in the Weather"
By John Stuart Pryce
First Prize in Oils - Society of York Region Artists
St. Andrews GCC Show - October 2009

New Video Clip - Transitions: In progress of my plein air paintings

2009-10-12T12:54:00.004-04:00

Here's a quick clip showing the in-progress stages of a few of my plein air paintings.

Enjoy. :-)

New prycestudios.com Launched!

2009-10-06T07:42:00.002-04:00

Check out the new & improved www.prycestudios.com

Coming Soon - New Pryce Studios Videos

2009-09-30T19:45:00.004-04:00