Feeling proud of my oil painting and also embellishing in the feelings of accomplishment, brought about by creating something...

I Was Sorting ..

Some pictures this morning and happened upon a few process pictures of an oil painting I created, called 'Glass Of Whiskey'. I didn't think that I had and progress pictures, but I did find some and thought I would share them here today. They are a little grainy and blurry. I can not remember the type of phone I was using at the time, but obviously the camera sucked! I didn't find a lot of photos, only a few. It wasn't till a short time after that I realized that I should be documenting more of the process. Better late than never.. or so 'They' say.

This is the finished painting...

This shot was actually taken not so long ago. I finally got around to sealing the painting up. I was waiting to seal it with a protective finish, because I was unsure that it was truly finished. I have a tendency to wait long periods of time before declaring creations finished. Not 100% sure why, other than I feel like I could do better. Maybe I think I will realize whats missing and add it in when I do. The problem is that that moment of realization never comes. Sometimes things just have to be finished whether they are perfect in my mind or not.

This photo was taken when I thought to myself, "the painting is finished". Then it sat here for a while longer.. haha.

You can see that the color is not as rich or vibrant. Adding the fixative sealer to the paintings, always brings out some rich tones. Now, if this is not wanted or your ideal end vision, then choose your fixatives wisely. They do have mat finish ones that will not give this glassy look to the painting. I choose to have the glossy look since the painting is dark and flat to begin with. It also helped to make my attempt at painting glass look a bit more like real glass.

Here I am applying the fixative spray. I purchase my spray at the local hobby shop

I apply several light coats at different angles. For this one I applied approximately 4 coats; left to right, up to down, corner to corner, etc. It takes about 15 minutes to fully dry, then another 24 to 48 hours to fully cure and not smell like a paint factory!

Winsor & Newton as well as Grumbacher make a good quality fixative. I did use the glossy Grumbacher spray to seal the whiskey painting. It is especially designed for oil paintings, which is what this is. I always give the painting about 30 days or so to dry before applying the fixative. Much longer if the paint is super thick, but I rarely apply my paint very thick. It's just the way I paint.

This may not be the exact type or can of fixative used, but you get the idea.

Glass Of Whiskey ..

Was painted on a piece of hardboard measuring 12 inches by 16 inches. I primed the hardboard with a gritty gesso so that the wood would not absorb the oil out of the paints or bleed through and stain my paints a different color than intended. Priming is an important step and should not be skipped, or the life of your piece will be fleeting. Just my opinion. After it was primed up and ready for paint, I applied a thin layer of Ivory Black oil paint over the entire surface.

I use my fingers as brushes, and smear the paint, working it onto the surface and into every corner. I chose to do this and use this method knowing that the entire background of the piece would be dark. The light reflecting off of the glass would make a much bolder statement this way. I think it worked out in my favor this time. I also wanted the painting to have a dark feel to it.

Next I began painting in the whiskey glass...

I lightly sketched the glass onto the painting using a number 2 pencil, then applied a light bit of white paint to highlight the areas where the glass would be reflecting the light in the room. I needed to do this step in order to make sure I knew where this painting was going. I would then paint over it and re-add the highlights later.

I didn't add to much background, as I did not want to draw to much attention away from the subjects.. the glass and the bottle. I was careful to always reference my still life set up near by. I payed attention to the fact that the light reflects, but also refracts the background, even twisting and bending it. I can't say that I mastered this technique, but I gave it a good try and am happy with the results I got.

This is the finished glass, minus any final highlights. It is all smoothed out and ready for some ice and whiskey!

I lay in a little color and try and decide how I will paint ice. I never did paint ice before this, so what the heck.. lets do this! I gave it my best shot and figured it was like painting glass, but with more reflective edges. You'll notice in the next photo that I also touched up the glass a lot. I added quite a few reflections of light to give it a good bit of depth. I think it is really beginning to pop off of the painting surface at this point. I also remember getting very excited that my little creation was coming to life.

Now that the glass was just about finished, it was time to add in the bottle. I had a still life set up in my home studio, so that I had a reference to work from. I could also pour myself a glass when things were not going my way. haha. I did not fill it with ice, so for that part I had to utilize my imagination. I also decided to add the bottle without the paper label. I like to change things around in my paintings. I don't like the restraints of trying to paint an exact replica of what I see. That is too much pressure. I put enough pressure on myself just to produce something recognizable. The exact details will just have to suffer a little.

This Is my little still life set up

Moving on! The Bottle finally ..

I added in the bottle and don't have any progress shots of that, other than the bottle mysteriously appears! hehe...

So the bottle was added and another success in my mind. The only thing left to do was to paint in a few highlights and add my signature to it. I let it sit on a wall shelf I made for drying paintings. I would periodically sit at my painting table and gaze over at it for the next two months. Like I said earlier, I often wonder what is missing. Is it too dark? Does it need more in the background or foreground? Did I do a good job on the ice? yada, yada yada... Then one day I decided that I was putting an end to the questions and it spent enough time drying.

Apply the fixative and stuff that bad boy in a frame!!

And that's exactly what I ended up doing. (then I removed it from the frame and set it aside with the rest of my creations)

I Am Glad That ..

I decided to blog about this. It's sort of closure in a way. I gave it the recognition that it deserved and I feel more complete about the process. It was nice to know I remembered to shot a few progress photos; I have that at least. It has become one of my favorite paintings, and I am content with the results. Is there room for improvement? OH YES. That just means that I have to get started on something new.

Remembering the simple feeling of being proud of my creation..

Priceless.

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Thank you for swinging by my blog and checking out the post. Have a great day!

All words, pictures and art pieces are the sole property of B D Miller Gallery, unless otherwise noted and credited, and are not to be reproduced or copied without the prior written consent of B D Miller Gallery.

About Me ~ The Artist

My art work incorporates a wide variety of subject matter, including landscape, seascape, cityscape, and still life images. My works are the product of a continuing process of exploration through which I seek to portray personal and visionary interpretations of my surroundings. My paintings are impressions of places and events from everyday life, an interpretation of my imagination, and personal responses to what I see and feel on a daily basis. More recently I have invested generous amounts of time into my landscape painting. I am surrounded by natural and man made beauty, which inherently presents itself in the tri-state area, and almost demands that I paint it.

Not everything is art. Art is not everything, but it comes close. Art is everywhere and all the time. Art makes you experience the beauty of the world, the people in it, and the places we call home. Art itself is so influential that it can tell stories, show feelings, and express passion or fury. Art exists in addition to language; expression of sensations and thoughts, revealing a way of thinking too subtle and delicate for words.

For me art requires love, honesty and perseverance. In return, it reveals some personal, non-analyzable, and creative untamed passion. For the public, art with its magnificent beauty, improves mood and health and builds better human beings and communities. It engages the intellect, softens the heart, strengthens the soul and frees the spirit.

~ B D Miller
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If Your Interested In Purchasing Any Of My Work:

They can be found for sale in

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OR

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If you don't see the piece in either shop, It may still be drying. Let me know and I can upload it as soon as possible to be available. Or you can always make me an offer (in SBD or STEEM) in the comments section of this post. If we agree on a price, I will then ship the painting to you. (shipping costs will be determined by your location).