New painting – Winged Horse

I’ve taken a long break from painting since the holidays and I needed to get back to my regular routine again. I wasn’t thrilled with the painting that was sitting on my easel as something that could get me back in the groove so I selected my Pegasus, or Winged Horse painting, which has been sitting on the side for quite awhile, as the painting that could get me started.

I thought the painting session went pretty well. All was good until I finished cleaning up and then I saw a text message from my daughter in California and she texted me that Kobe Bryant and his daughter had died. That was a shocking news for me because I’m a big Laker fan and a big Kobe fan all those years that he played.

So in giving a name for this painting I thought of some oddball title like some artists do. I thought of naming this painting: The Day Kobe Died. But I changed my mind out of respect for Kobe. I’ll probably just name it Winged Horse, or Pegasus.

Miniature Paintings – 12/2/18

Tags

Fish painting, miniature painting, sea horse painting

When the sister of a next door neighbor found out I was an artist she came and gave me a several small picture frames for my own use. I accepted them but at that time I didn’t find any need for them because I didn’t plan on painting small. Eventually I gave them to another friend . That was about ten years ago. I’m now regretting giving them away because I could now use those frames since I’m in a little bit of a roll painting on small size canvas boards and panels.

This weekend I did three more 8″ x 10″ small paintings of fishes and seahorses. I think I’ll spend a couple more weekends painting small and then go back and continue on my larger paintings.

Below are the ones I did this weekend.

Miniature Art – Seahorses

Tags

miniature painting, oil painting

I did more miniature paintings; all at 5″ x 7″ size. Seahorse have always fascinated me and I thought they’d be a good subject matter for miniature painting.

I think what miniature painting does for me is that it makes me more painterly. I tend to work with thicker paint and just be a lot looser in my brushwork.

Here are two samples that I did today.

To see more of my miniature paintings please go to http://www.cletocriste.com/miniature-paintings/

Miniature Art – 11/24/18

Tags

Fish painting, miniature painting

I’ve been encouraged a few times to take part in miniature art shows that take place around this time of the year. I took part in one for the past two years but painting small canvases or panels didn’t really appeal to me. The minimum size for one show allowed you to paint on an 8″ x 10″ panel (not including the frame), and another show had a smaller requirement of around 5″ x 7″ without the frame.

Part of the problem may have been that I didn’t really know what to paint at those sizes. I prefer to paint at larger sizes around the neighborhood of 32″ x 44″ and 18″ x 24″. But about three weeks ago I did a painting of fishes at around 12″ x 18″ that I thought would translate well at miniature sizes. Below is the painting:

I had several 8″ x 10″ blank canvases, which I primed first with a red-orange color underpainting. The next Saturday I banged out 5 paintings and I had fun doing it. Below are the paintings.

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I’ve just prepped a dozen 5″ x 7″ canvas boards and about 4 more 8″ x 10″ and will try to do more of these type of painting. I’ll try to be loose and painterly and be creative as much as possible. I think I’ve got it now.

To see more of my artwork, please go to www.cletocriste.com

Life Drawing Workshop – 10/21/18

Tags

charcoal drawing, Figure Drawing, life drawing, life drawing workshop

I think I must have missed about 2 months of life drawing workshop due to health issues.  If it wasn’t gout, it was a sore back that I aggravated. I’m still trying to figure out what I did to hurt my back again after so many years of being pain free.

I was well enough today, though, to make that long drive to the university. It was good to draw from a model again. Might have been a little rusty but I managed to get at least one drawing that I was happy with because I felt I really did capture her look. There are times that although I might have done a nice rendering, I failed to capture “the look” of the model. It’s the image I hold of that person in my mind, how that person looks to me when I imagine him/her.

Below is a 20 minute, two-color drawing (black & white) on toned paper.

To see more of my artwork, please go to www.cletocriste.com.

Pamana Art Exhibit 2018

Tags

Filipino-American artists, Honolulu Hale Courtyard, Pamana Art Show

The annual Filipino-American art exhibit at Honolulu Hale in Honolulu, Hawaii is now being held till October 10, 2018. The opening reception was on Thursday, September 27.

The show is not only for Filipino-American artists but is open to other artists in the community.

Below are the paintings I have in the show.

Below are photos of the Honolulu Hale courtyard and the opening of the reception.

Life Drawing Workshop – 8/12/18

Tags

charcoal drawing, charcoal figure drawing, profile drawings, three color chalk drawing

We had a great model today. The great thing for us is that he is able to maintain his pose for much longer periods of time. So whenever he poses for us, he’ll pose for 30 minutes instead of the usual 20 minutes.

Below is a 30 minute drawing done on tone paper with black, white, and sanguine charcoal pencils.

To see more of my artwork, please go to www.cletocriste.com.

Life Drawing Workshop – 7/22/18

Tags

charcoal drawing, life drawing, life drawing workshop, portraits

Finally was able to go back to the life drawing workshop this weekend. It turned out pretty well. After using graphite pencil for about a month I decided to go back to charcoal. I think for me to use graphite pencil it would be best to use at least a 2 hour sitting. That way I can really work the crosshatching at a better advantage. For shorter sittings like 20 minutes charcoal might be better for me.

Below are three 20 minute charcoal drawings done on tone paper.

To see more of my artwork, please go to www.cletocriste.com.

National Oceans Month Exhibit 2018

Tags

Ka 'ike o ka Moana: The Knowledge of the Ocean, National Oceans Month

In celebration of National Oceans Month an exhibit was held at the Honolulu Hale Courtyard from May 24 – June 15, 2018. The name of this exhibit is Ka ‘ike o ka Moana: The Knowledge of the Ocean. Our Sunday figure drawing group at Manoa, was invited to participate with ocean related artworks. Others involved were the Hawaii Watercolor Society, Waikiki Aquarium, NOAA and the Mayor’s Office of Culture & the Arts.

I submitted an oil painting of a mahimahi (dolphinfish).

The opening reception was held on Thursday, May 31, 2018.

We’ve had this show in past years, except for last year, and I hope we have it again in 2019. It’s always nice to have a place to exhibit your artwork.

Life Drawing Workshop – 5/6/18

Tags

graphite pencil drawing, life drawing workshop, toned paper drawings

At today’s life drawing workshop I came to the realization that I need to wear my eyeglasses when drawing. I didn’t want it to have to come to that but I found myself straining to see the marks I was making on the paper. I guess I have to accept the fact that I’m getting old and my eyesight is not like what it used to be.

But other than that it was a good drawing session. The model had many interesting muscle definition and character that could make a drawing interesting.

Below is my drawing of the day. It was a 20 minute pose but I found the next pose uninteresting so I skipped that and continued working on this drawing for another 20 minutes.

I used graphite pencils (mechanical and wooden) including white highlights on tone paper.

To see more of my drawings please go to www.cletocriste.com.