A Blog About Oil Painting
Welcome to my blog. Here you'll find me rambling on, unassisted by AI, about all sorts of things related to art in general and oil painting in particular. There's even a recipe for dog cookies hidden away somewhere.
Like the rest of the site, this section is still a work in progress and I will be making it tider and easier to navigate in time. There is a lot of content, so using the buttons below may help you to get around. Newest posts are shown first.
Sketch Marathon Day 22: Listening to Obscure Podcasts
by Simon Bland / 27 May 2016
Ascent. 6x9, oil on linen panel. 2016 It was interesting to find how little color was needed to make this sketch work. I was expecting my palette to look like a peacock, but it ended up being full of grayed-out and browned-out piles of paint. The value range is just two or three value steps, I ...
Sketch Marathon Day 21: Chickening Out
by Simon Bland / 26 May 2016
Looking Back. 8x8, oil on linen panel. 2016 I've been working intensely over the past three weeks to develop ideas for new paintings and most of these have been landscapes or seascapes. For a change, I decided to spend today on a sketch for a chicken painting that I've been meaning to do for a while...
Sketch Marathon Day 20: Painting in the Sand Dunes
by Simon Bland / 25 May 2016
In the Dunes (plein air). 7x11, oil on linen panel. 2016 Continuing in my quest to develop ideas for new paintings, I worked outside at Golden Gardens Beach today. The light and sky were basically the same as they were in winter, but the temperature was much more pleasant. I found a great place to p...
Sketch Marathon Day 19: Lupins
by Simon Bland / 24 May 2016
Lupin Meadow. 5x7, oil on linen panel. 2016 I walked past this meadow yesterday and made a few notan sketches. In the studio this morning I worked up a sketch on a scraped down panel....
Sketch Marathon Day 18: A Long Walk
by Simon Bland / 23 May 2016
Field Study: Lighthouse Keeper's Cottage 6x9, oil on linen panel. 2016 To paint this sketch I had to walk the three mile round trip to the beach while carrying all my painting gear. I've been trekking increasingly further distances this past month and I think I've pared down my supplies and equipmen...
Sketch Marathon Day 17: Hillside
by Simon Bland / 21 May 2016
Hillside. 5x7, oil on linen panel. 2016 This sketch is based on a notan study that was done on location. Painting with some separation from the spring greens allows me to be much more creative with the color choices. This isn't the first time in 17 days that a sketch didn't survive the morning after...
Sketch Marathon Day 16: In and Out
by Simon Bland / 20 May 2016
Field Study - Discovery Park 052016. 7x11, oil on linen panel. 2016 A productive day, with studies done both in the the studio and out in the field. This is the afternoon's effort, done en plein air. I spent a lot of time squinting at the scene to help me reduce the detail to a manageable amoun...
Sketch Marathon Day 15: On the Back Trails
by Simon Bland / 18 May 2016
Back Trail. 7x5, oil on linen panel. 2016 Just a small sketch out at Discovery Park today. I walked into the center section on one of the back trails. There was no one else around. It's easy to get carried away when I'm outside painting. I have to constantly remind myself that the reason I'm there i...
Sketch Marathon Day 14: Back Outside
by Simon Bland / 17 May 2016
Edge of the Sound (plein air). 9x12, oil on linen panel. 2016 Back outside today to paint at Discovery Park. I first developed a handful of notan sketches using a marker pen. I chose my favorite of these and used it as the basis for the block in, then took the painting to completion from life. I mad...