Oct 22, 2016

Stripes




"Pumpkin Stripes" 8"X8" ©MargaretFarrellBruno



The latest GJWP  challenge was Stripes. So with Halloween just around the corner and pumpkins in abundance, I thought it would be fun to add stripes to a white pumpkin and then do a still life painting of said pumpkin on a striped piece of cloth. What possessed me to use a white striped cloth when I chose white pumpkins. What was I thinking? White on white...it was a challenge. I added the black cloth to create an additional dark contrasting stripe and which, along with the cloths stripes, leads the eye back in space. 

And speaking of GJWP, we will be at the Community Center in Hingham for the Annual Arts Walk
Stop on in, we would love to see you. We'll all be there with paints and paintings in hand. 


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Sep 12, 2016

Cape Path


Cape Path 6X6 Oil  

30in30 Day 12

Working on subtleties in landscape area and true sky colors. 

Sep 11, 2016

Maine Island


Maine Island 6"X6" Oil Painting 
30 in 30 Day 11
This spot in Maine is one of my favorite to paint. There is something about the light and color that refracts in the water in this spot. Changes is seconds and unexpected. The future will hold a really large painting as there was this really neat green color appearing in the water this day which I could not, in all honesty, figure out how it was occurring and I am really challenged to see if I can paint it in a large studio piece. 

I am doing a demo Tuesday, Sept 13, 2016 at the Dedham Art Center. It will be a pastel demo. 7pm-9pm- details at Dedham Art Assoc. Hope to see you there. 

PS. Most of these paintings will be available on my Etsy Site soon. Details posted soon.  




Sep 10, 2016

Summer Clouds


6"X6" Oil on Panel

Okay, so I have to play catch up. Day 10. Life got in the way. Sometimes it has a way of sneaking in and doing that. 

Sep 5, 2016

Rose of Sharon


"Rose of Sharon" 5"X7" Pastel MFBruno

30 in 30 
Day 5
I found this Rose of Sharon bush growing between the limbs of my butterfly bush. What a nice surprise since I did not plant it. Now my dilemma is how to remove and replant it without harming it. 

Sep 4, 2016


Dusk - Pastel on canvas paper MFBruno

30 in 30 day 4
I was playing with some canvas paper I had in my flat file. I found I didn't really like the paper for painting with oils.  So I was trying out how the pastel may work on it. It wasn't too bad, although a little slick. I had toned it a gray color. Overall I probably won't use it again, but you never know what results you may have unless you experiment. 



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Morning-Watercolor MFBruno
30 in 30 
Posting a little late. Holiday weekend and family is all home celebrating so sneaking up to the computer to post this when I have a second. 


Sep 2, 2016

Lighthouse Beach, Eastham


Lighthouse Beach, Eastham Pastel 7X13.5

Day 2 Painting Challenge. (Lost the light to photograph this so I will rephotograph tomorrow and replace this image as it came out a little dark when I photographed.) 

Sep 1, 2016

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"Save The Monarch's Habitat" 7.5X15.5 Pastel with underpainting by MFBruno

The is my first painting in a 30 in 30 painting challenge sponsored by artist Leslie Saeta. It is also the GJWP monthly challenge- "Save". Now an explanation of the painting. The monarch butterfly population has decreased 90% over 20 years and their loss of habitat from herbicides, like Monsanto's Roundup, is a major factor. Learn how you can help at the Sierra Club.
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Feb 2, 2016

The Golden Ratio



The “Girls Just Wanna Paint” Challenge this month was The Golden Ratio or The Golden Means. 
Here is a somewhat easy description of The Golden Ratio. Historically it is believed that many artists, including Leonardo Da Vinci and Michaelangelo employed the Golden Ratio in their compositions. 
I often wonder how many artists intuitively use the practice without realizing it. I often purposely use a  simpler form, the rule of thirds, when designing my compositions. And out of curiosity, I did look at some of my past paintings to see if they fell within the rules and was surprised at how many did or came close. 

Although I didn’t think I would enjoy this challenge, it was good practice to plot out my composition to the max. And it ended up being fun. I have to admit, I did not use a ruler to take exact mathematical measurements. 


Above is one Golden Ratio template. Also, if you look at the wine glass and  bottle of wine, the liquids within are in approximate thirds and the smallest book is tipped at a height down from the tallest book in approximately 1/3. 


Jan 24, 2016

Home Made Brush Carrier

Home Made Brush Carrier

When Plein Air painting, at the end of the session because I keep all my brushes in one holder in my backpack, I sometimes cannot recall which are the clean and which are the dirty brushes since they have become mixed up. I know I end up cleaning brushes that are actually clean. I have tried taking the dirty brushes and putting them in the tube of my paper towels for the ride home, but they sometimes become loose and the hairs of the brush can end up bent.
This prompted me to make a simple, very inexpensive, lightweight carrier that fits in my backpack to place the dirty brushes. I bought all the materials at Lowes. 

Materials Needed:
1) 16" PVC Double Ended Extension Tube Kit - $4.19
    They also make a 12" Tube kit, but I like the longer size as some of my larger bigger brushes are      long handled. 
     (the kit comes with washers, but I did not use them)
2) Rubber Packing Sheet - $1.99 (Also found in plumbing aisle)
3) Glue - I used Gorilla Glue, but you can use any glue that works on plastic and rubber. If you don't have it on hand, get the tiniest bottle you can. 
4) Scissors 


Step 1 - I am creating a top and bottom solid cap with the "Nuts". (There are no solid caps that I could find in the plumbing section that go over the ends of the tubing and this makes sense as in plumbing they want open ends for water to flow.) I used a sharpie and the Extension Tube Nut to make a guide to cut the rubber sheet. I added about 3/16" outside of the guide all around so the rubber goes to the edge of the the inside of the nut. Scissors easily cut through the rubber and there is plenty of left over. (If you happen to own a compass that has an exacto-knife attachment, you can use it to easily make your circle cut on the rubber to the exact size of the inside of the nut.) 
                                                                            Step 1



Step 2 - Using the Gorilla Glue, I placed a few dabs within the edge of the nut and then pushed the rubber circle down tight. The rubber circle does stay in tight without the glue, but placing the glue insures it won't fall out when on location. Make sure you do this step on newspaper as Gorilla Glue does stain. Let caps sit and allow glue to harden for around 2 hours before screwing on the top and bottom caps you created so any residual glue won't inadvertently glue your tube shut and not allow you to unscrew your caps. Once dry, easily place your new caps on the end of the tubes. I used a marker after and place a T on the top of one end, so I know which side to keep up when placing in my backpack so hairs of the brush do not end up getting bent. I like the rubber ends as there is some give when the carrier is in my backpack

                                                                          Step 2



Final Lightweight Inexpensive Slim Wet Brush Carrier