A Blog About Oil Painting
Welcome to my blog. Here you'll find me rambling on 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.
Pasture Fed
by Simon Bland / 12 Aug 2013
I found some holstein cown just across the river in Maryland, but they were not at all cooperative about having their picture taken. So I stuck with the herd that I found earlier in the summer and made a painting from the photos I took at the side of the road in Purcellville. I've offered this...
Another Small Sketch
by Simon Bland / 03 Jul 2013
Rock Hill Window. Approx 4"x7", oil on linen. 2013 A small sketch done in the studio: I wanted to take a simple subject and paint it well. Most of my attention was given to paint thickness and edge work but there is also some color and temperature variation in the wall. The whites have a...
Painting at Faraway Farm
by Simon Bland / 02 Jul 2013
Faraway Farm 2. Oil on linen, approx. 5" X 8". 2013. As you may know, I'm a member of Loudoun Sketch Club. This plein air painting group visits some of the best farms, estates and other scenic places in the area, most of which are privately owned and I wouldn't otherwise be able to paint. This...
Portrait of Zeke
by Simon Bland / 23 Jun 2013
Zeke. Oil on linen 14" x 24". 2013 I knew as soon as I had finished taking some photographs of him how I would approach the painting of Zeke (at least as far the background was concerned) and finding the right canvas size was straighforward once I did a couple of small sketches. Putting ...
Tips for Taking Better Photographs of Your Dog
by Simon Bland / 18 Jun 2013
The biggest limitations to using a customer's own photos as a reference for a painting are usually quantity and quality. Here are some suggestions for taking better photos of your favorite family members....
Another Plein Air Study
by Simon Bland / 16 Jun 2013
Silo at Little Fiddler's Green. 5x7 oil on linen. 2013 Here's another small sketch I did on location, this one at Little Fiddler's Green. It's less finished than the one shown in the previous post. More than anything else I was trying to capture the color of the shadow areas of the barn ...
Painting Plein Air at Yellow Wood
by Simon Bland / 16 Jun 2013
Yellow Wood Sketch. Approx 5x7 oil on linen. 2013 Earlier in the spring I made a resolution that I would try to get more out of visiting plein air painting locations by trying to do less; following the advice of Hawthorne I decided to focus on quick studies and sketches rather than fully...
A Portrait in Pencil
by Simon Bland / 09 Jun 2013
This is my latest portrait, a rescued German Shepherd called Nick. I do pencil sketches all the time as studies or as preparatory drawings for my portraits and landscapes, but it's been a while since my last formal portrait in pencil. I used a full sheet of Arches hot press watercolor paper - ...
Getting Ready for Upperville
by Simon Bland / 23 May 2013
Nocturne, Oil on panel 12 1/2 x 16 3/4 This weekend I will be setting up my display tent in the grounds of Upperville Trinity Church as part of the Upperville Stable Tour. I've been gettng ready for the past couple of days and spent last night getting the remainder of my finished paintings fra...