Work-in-Progress

Sketching Outside My Comfort Zone

Today I had a little local art adventure – something new to me. I joined the Westchester Sketchers Group (no, not the shoes!) at the Neuberger Museum in Purchase, NY for an afternoon of sketching, sharing and chatting about art.

The Unexpected Sketch

I came home with this. Not at all what I anticipated going in since abstraction isn’t my thing. Quite a bit different from my typical food paintings, right? This abstract composition doesn’t even resemble any of the compositions in my Challenge paintings!

My interpretation of Louise Nevelson, 1973 at the Neuberger Museum

A Global Urban Sketchers Community

This is my second Westchester Sketchers event. The first being last week at the Hudson River Museum in Yonkers. This time around I knew what to expect. Thank you to my friend Betty for introducing me to this group, which is essentially a subsidiary of NYC Urban Sketchers and complement to NJ Sketchers. Both Urban Sketchers groups are a part of a worldwide sketching movement called Urban Sketchers. Who knew?

Their global motto is, “See the world one sketch at a time.” And maybe that’s what I’m going to do… starting by experiencing Westchester County and NYC from this new perspective.

The group meets in the lobby of the museum. Then we have about 2 1/2 hours to wander around the museum and choose something appealing to sketch, and create an image using dry materials (since we’re indoors in a museum). Afterwards, we share our work, and talk about the process.

My Process

After wandering around the museum the first time, nothing resonated with me. So I meandered through a second time. I remained undecided.

I considered these two pieces of art. Ultimately, I passed on the Richter since I thought it would do better in color (which I didn’t have). The African sculpture was still a possibility. Eventually I realized I was short on time (already lost an hour) so I better pick something and just do it!.

You can see another member of the group sketching away in front of this African sculpture.
Hans Richter, Wall Wood Relief IV, c. 1970 by Richter.

Eventually I paused at this Louis Nevelson (below) after reading the title. Even though it’s a black wooden wall relief, it is called Day/Night XX. This name intrigued me since I thought the more appropriate title would be Night, with Day being a white version of this wall relief. And Nevelson did work in white.

So I decided to sketch this as if it the original Nevelson before me was white and titled Day.

Materials

I sketched the whole drawing freehand, often standing (which I do at home when painting on an easel), using a soft graphite pencil (on the right) with a kneaded rubber eraser. (Note to self: Throw a ruler in my bag next time.) The smooth, stiff paper is called Bristol board, which I use for my 6 x 6 inch Oreo Cookie drawings. This was about 2/3 done.

Kneaded eraser, 6 x 6 inch Bristol board, and a soft artist pencil.

All of a sudden there was only 15 minutes left to add the contrasting, darker shading and small details, like the little staples holding those horizontal wires and the shadows on the horizontal molding near the bottom.

Time to stop and meet up with my fellow sketchers, uncomfortable though that is. The “final” version.

As I look at this, I realize my choice of subject was at least partially driven by my left-sided math brain, which was always drawn to geometry when I was a math major. How I always loved the challenge of solving geometric math problems! I guess I still do only in a different way.

Stretching or Sketching Outside My Comfort Zone?

Overall, today was a positive experience – even if I was uncomfortable going in. More so last week when it was my first time. Usually my paintings are carefully thought out, often ruminating in my head for weeks. Quick sketches are a radical departure for me.

However, I believe it’s a good thing to try new approaches and get out of my comfort zone. And to open myself up to different comments from other artists, as well to see how other artists approach this challenge. That’s how we all grow artistically and unlock new opportunities.

And no, the headline is not a typo. The best headline that captures the spirit of today is still Sketching Outside My Comfort Zone and not stretching – although I did a lot of both today and especially over the past few weeks.

Maybe that could be the subject of my next blog….!

Candy Anniversary Commission

For weeks I’ve had this odd feeling that there’s a special anniversary I have to remember in October. I looked it up both in my hardcopy birthday/anniversary book and digital contact file, and found… nothing.

It took a while, but last week it finally hit me. The date I was trying to remember was October 27th, and it is Debbie and Mike’s anniversary! A few years ago, Mike commissioned me to do this vending machine painting as a surprise gift to his wife on their 6th wedding anniversary – which was their candy anniversary! Who knew?


“Candy Anniversary”, Oil and acrylic on canvas, 10 x 20 inches, by Beverly Shipko

At the time, I kind of kicked myself for not knowing the 6th anniversary was the candy anniversary given my confection background in advertising (a marketing opportunity missed!) and my addiction to painting candy.

Looking at Candy Anniversary now, I am pleased with how this vending machine painting came out. Maybe it’s because I can feel all the love that went into it. There isn’t anything I would change, and I can’t say that about all my paintings. As my mother used to say, artists have high standards and are a tough bunch to please, especially when it comes to their own art.

The Process

Mike gave this painting a lot of thought.

Once we decided on the size, I ordered a specially stretched gallery wrap canvas (1 1/2 inches deep) from SoHo Art Materials in New York City since Ampersand no longer makes a 10 x 20 inch canvas. This was the first time I used a canvas stretched on aluminum stretchers (vs. the typical wood stretchers) so the panel would never warp, and framing is truly optional. A real advantage. I’ve had many a canvas warp in me through the year.

From an artist’s perspective, aluminum is much heavier than wood to carry and transport (4 of these were very heavy!), which will increase shipping costs. I don’t know what’s more expensive – the cost of a frame or the incremental cost of shipping. Fortunately Mike picked the finished work up.

His vision was to use bright, colorful candies like M&M Peanuts and Reese’s Peanut Buttercups that they both liked to eat. Then Mike focused on making it personal and meaningful by embedding their wedding date, 10/27/2012, into the vending machine visual. The prices are the same as in 2012 when they were married. Note that when I painted my first vending machine in 2015, candy bars already cost $1.25.

Sketching is a critical step in any commission since it’s easy to make changes in pencil that won’t be visible in the final painting. As you can see above, initially I put in the anniversary date in a prominent place where it was easily readable.

Mike had a different concept in mind, more of a subtle “Easter egg” that you might not notice at first. (FYI. The term “Easter egg” in this context refers to a secret message, joke or screen buried in a software application; in this case a painting.) We moved the anniversary date under the Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, where it is partially covered by the wrapper.

Once the sketch is approved, I start by painting the black acrylic background, as I have in previous vending paintings. I prefer acrylic to oil for the background since it has less texture and better simulates the smooth black metal of vending machines.

Notice that I take the painting off the easel to paint on a flat table. Usually it takes several thin layers of black acrylic paint to obliterate the texture of the canvas – and knock out those telltale little white spots that you would never find on a vending machine. This gives me more leverage to paint the details and avoids dripping onto the images.

I start with the logos in the center and move outward, defining the salient features of each bar, which also minimizes the chances of smearing the logos. The challenge is always to find a dry spot to brace my hand. That’s another advantage of using the acrylic background – it dries completely in an hour or two and offers a “safe haven” for bracing. Then I moved to the rest of the wrappers.

At this point, I’m refining the logos and doing little touchups. I like how the dimensionality of the bars comes through. Mr. Peanut M&Ms looks like he’s alive!

And here is Candy Anniversary in its new home.

Happy 9th Anniversary, Debbie and Mike! I certainly will remember the date next year. It’s forever printed on my psyche.

Hope the 9th anniversary is as sweet as the 6th. Next year your 10th anniversary is aluminum or tin. Maybe there’s a Warhol-type Campbell’s Soup Can painting in your future…

Wishing you love, laughter and happiness for many years to come.

Ringing in the New Year!

My New Years’ present to myself is to resume work on Choices, an ambitious vending machine painting that I began two years ago. While I was in the middle of it, I had to dismantle my home studio to sell the house and downsize. Then Choices went into storage for an extended period.

Vending Machine Series: Choices, by Beverly Shipko, Acrylic and Oil Painting, 30 x 30 inches, Work-in-Progress

I call this painting ambitious because it has 15 unique logo packages, plus 5 oversize vegetables, and 20 vending rings in it! I’m thinking I must have almost been insane at the time to tackle this painting. However, when I read my old blog, I seem totally rationale and approached the development of Choices very methodically.

From the outside looking in, this 3 x 3 foot painting looks finished, and my neighbors keep telling me it must be almost done. Even my youngest daughter, Bonnie, and artist friend, Linda, thought so.

But it’s not. I mistakenly bought into the party line that it was almost done. I was disappointed.

Here’s what happened.

I decided to paint the top row of chips. Often I find it’s best to work in oils from the top down so I don’t smear the paint below when I brace my hand on the canvas.

Signaling my serious commitment to painting, I put on one of my favorite CDs, Aaron Copland’s inspiring Celebration (yes, I confess I still have quite a CD collection, which is great when the power goes out.)

And I cranked my easel as low as it would go to bring the chips down to eye level. The beauty of a crankable easel is its ability to reach the tallest parts of large paintings without standing on a step stool – which resulted in several mishaps in the past, most recently January. It was the best art purchase I ever made! I would highly recommend making the investment in a easel with a crank by Mabef to all of you painters. (Tip: Find a big sale at an online art supply store.)

Alas, now that the top row of chips are at eye level, I see how rough and sketchy the chips are, especially the graphic Cheetos package. Previously, I had been looking at this painting but not seeing or processing its interim status.

Ok, I was prepared for the chips. But what I wasn’t expecting to find – under direct sunlight – was that the black acrylic background had lots of little white canvas spots peeking through everywhere at an unacceptable level. I shifted gears and spent two days repainting the black acrylic background.

After finishing the background, I had to face the unpleasant fact that the black vending rings are barely sketched in.  My eye saw the rings the way I wanted them to be, rather than how they are. Painted very tentatively and barely there. Fragile. Hardly looking like strong metal vending rings.

Unfortunately,  it had been so long that I didn’t remember if I used acrylic or oils. As I’ve mentioned in previous posts, oil-based paint and water-based acrylic don’t mix – like oil and water. Oil paint can go over acrylic, but acrylic can not be painted over oil.

I thought I could tell the medium by feeling the surface since oil has more texture, at least the way I paint.

Since I couldn’t feel much texture, I tried acrylic on the rings. Alas, the paint pooled up and I knew I guessed wrong.

At this point, my assessment is that I’m 60-70% finished. Way lower than I thought before starting.

I knew I had to paint all the rings before I could move onto color. As anyone who has tried to paint ovals and circles knows, capturing these shapes with flowing lines in the right perspective on a slight textured canvas is difficult. Even my hero, Wayne Thiebaud, slips up once in a while. Note the awkward angle of the spiral topped cake.

The rings require the most concentration.

They are such an integral part of the rhythm of composition. The rings have their own reflections, cast their own shadows on the packages, and reflect the colors.  I used to paint them last, but I learned that painting them earlier in the process – in acrylic – results in a more integrated composition. Unfortunately, one slip of the hand often means a major repair job on the oil-based package. After conquering the rings, I’m confident the rest of the painting will come more easily.

Don’t get me wrong, I can handle the rings. But I would much prefer working on paintings with one big ring per canvas as in this ongoing vending series.

Now I don’t have to wonder what I’m going to do this holiday week.

My new goal for rest of New Year’s week is to finish all 20 rings using Ivory Black and Titanium White oil paint, which will be a major accomplishment!

Of course, the rings will need additional touchups once I start applying color. That’s part of the process.

For now, it’s somewhat fitting that painting them is how I’m ringing in the New Year.

We’re coming full circle, and I hope that means much peace, joy and health for you in 2021. Happy New Year!

Vending Machine Series: Choices

With half of 2018 gone, I wish I could go back to April. I was totally focused, centered, and excited while working feverishly on my largest, most complex vending machine painting.  I called this Choices, for those of us who would need time to ponder what to buy from this fanciful machine.

Vending Machine Series: Choices, by Beverly Shipko, Oil and acrylic, 30 x 30 inches, Work in process

I spent a full week sketching the composition. First I decided on the scale and proportions of the painting, and the products to include in each row. 

Then I played with the position of each item. Would they lean left, right or stand up straight? For example, take the corn. I experimented with a few packs and took photos to get some answers. As you can see, I went with a single ear of corn with lots of silk.

Lastly, there was the pricing. I wanted to make people think about how they make food choices when faced with alternatives. I wondered: Would people ever select healthier vegetables from a vending machine? Would bargain hungers buy veggies because are larger and perceived as a good value compared to smaller, more expensive sweets?

Once I had the initial sketch, I started painting the black background using Liquitex Acrylic Heavy Body paint. I kept thinning the paint with water to avoid having little patches of black paint clump on the surface.

I commandeered the kitchen table so I could paint on a flat surface and better control my brush strokes and avoid dripping paint. I began with the sides so they could dry first, and I could easily move the painting.

Once in the kitchen, I turned the canvas to different angles to check the paint coverage. Even though the canvas came pre-primed, it frequently took 3-4 acrylic coats to cover those irritating little white spots peeking through the textured canvas.

I was so glad to be using quick-drying acrylic paint (15 minutes vs. many days for oils)! It was the best way to go to keep the background smooth, like the metal of the machines, without having to wait between painting sessions.

Since it was easier to make compositional changes at this stage, I spent an extra day or so painting in the numbers with white acrylic paint. As the black background progressed, I moved the canvas back and forth between the flat kitchen table and the vertical refrigerator – to step back and get a better idea of how the finished piece would look

I knew from past paintings that if you can get the black background right at the beginning, the rest of the painting falls into place. It almost paints itself! (OK, not quite…)

Now I was ready to move Choices back to my easel permanently and paint the products in vibrant colors using oils. I think oil paint has a richer look and distinctive texture that helps the products pop off the black acrylic background. I worked from the top down to minimize the possibility of smudging. 

The top row of chips was coming along pretty well, as were the bananas. Then I struggled with making the asparagus and broccoli distinctive, and went to the grocery store for guidance – a frequent occurrence with this painting. With two green vegetables next to each other, I had to differentiate them better using color, shadow, and texture.

I expected the carrots to be easier given their orange color, but that wasn’t the case. This was my first time painting carrots (and most other veggies), and they didn’t look convincing until I added significant texture. And similar to the green vegetables, I wanted to make the yellow banana color distinctive from the corn. Again, texture played a big role in the solution.


Finally, the veggies were finished and I cranked my easel higher so I could paint the bottom row of sweets without hunching over. I love my crackable easel!


Choices was by far the most ambitious undertaking so far in this vending series. I had painted chips before, but this painting included only 6 chip bags. The Choices composition has 5 bags, 5 vegetables and 10 candy bars – with 20 complicated logos.

“America’s Favorite Vending Chips” by Beverly Shipko, Oil painting on canvas, 20 x 20 inches

I had painted candy before too, but only 5 bars – not 10.

“Iconic Vending Candies” by Beverly Shipko, 10 x 20 inches, Oil on canvas

Last year, I even slipped in a single piece of broccoli. 

Beverly Shipko, Vending Machine Series: Super Foods II, Oil and acrylic, 11 x 14 inches

However, I had never tried them all together as I did in Choices.  When I showed this painting to a few people, they volunteered that they can see themselves standing in front of the vending machine trying to figure out what to buy. They related themselves to other indecisive people, often analytical people, weighing the pros and cons of the different eating experiences, and their relative prices. One of the neighborhood kids looked at Choices, and surprised me by picking broccoli as his favorite item! You never know…          

My frustration right now is that this painting is unfinished, and I can’t focus on it at the moment. However, since attending the Met Breur’s inaugural exhibit Unfinished, maybe that’s not such a bad thing.

When I do complete this, you’ll be the first to know!

A Fun Oreo Cookie Contest!

This year’s Oreo Cookie Contest started off quietly enough, with these three boys carefully plotting their strategies and taking their bites.

The contestants kept on coming, and the bitten Oreo Cookie Contest entries rapidly piled up on our kitchen table.

Then on Sunday these two biters arrived, Jill and Rick. This was Rick’s first visit to my Open Studio, and he was a willing participant. He had talked about coming since last year, so he was ready, as was Jill.

After taking a look around, Rick sat down at the table and started chomping down, holding his plate under his chin to catch the crumbs. (Notice he didn’t have an audience yet…)

He was so disappointed in his first entry, that we encouraged him to try again. He got fancy with this cookie, and basically crushed it… and let all the crumbs fall out of his mouth. Clearly he knew I liked crumbs.

As Rick was assessing his entry, and writing his name on the plate so I would know which bite was his (as if I could forget!), he described his entry as regurgitated crumbs (spoken like a true doctor!).

The regurgitation comment really caught us by surprise. You can see his wife Jill laughing hysterically in the background at that comment.

It was a very funny moment that had us all belly laughing, including Rick.

Bonnie was having a hard time holding it together at the other end of the table.

All of this biting worked up Rick’s appetite for carrot cake, and he suggested I sponsor a second contest…

Rick certainly has a knack for biting Oreo Cookies, which you can see here (maybe carrot cake not so much…). How he got all that icing to hang out is a mystery to me. So to Blake, the 2015 Oreo Cookie Contest Winner, I say, “Watch out!”

I’m definitely not declaring this cookie the winner – especially since I haven’t painted any of the Oreos yet. I am suggesting that it’s interesting, along with entries from many other contestants. It was a good contest and I am inspired to get to work.

However, I will say that Rick won my Funniest Contest Participant Award! And for that, there wasn’t even a close second.

Rick, you should be proud!

Day 30. Super Foods

What’s your first thought when you look at this? What would you name this painting?

“Super Foods” by Beverly Shipko, Oil on cradled wood panel, 5 x 7 inches

Seriously, I would love to hear from you. So please jot down your initial thoughts about this image before you read the rest of this blog and you’re biased by my perspective.

Of course, I’m sensitized to vending images since I’ve painted quite a few, such as Icons of the Chip World and Icons of the Candy World. Then there’s my single candy bar vending series of five 20 x 10 inch paintings – so far.

And to think these paintings were inspired by my first vending machine painting during the September 2015 Challenge. If you read the original blog post about the process, you’ll see how difficult the first one was and how conflicted I felt about using so much black. I wrote about my lessons learned from that long, frustrating day. I’ve come a long way.

Did I ever mention that my husband Jay’s first marketing job was in the Food Service Division of Kraft General Foods, where he worked on… vending? Then he went to Pepsi and where he was in charge of several vending initiatives.

Back to the painting itself. Super Foods is a working title. At first I was just going to call this Broccoli, setting up different expectations. Then I tried include the word vending. Webmaster Laura came up with More Green Makes Cents. Very clever but not me.

I wanted to capture the conflicting emotions a person might feel when confronted by these vending choices in real life. How would you feel? Maybe:

  • Disgust at the thought of eating broccoli at all.
  • Guilt at choosing candy over healthy food.
  • Giddiness at the absurdity of it all.
  • Happiness at saving 25¢ by passing up sugary candy in favor of a healthy super food, which no kid would do in their right mind (unless they’re a vegetarian or never had candy in their life!).

Last year I came across a poorly stocked vending machine and took photos of the empty rows. I used one as my base. Then I bought a stalk of broccoli, took more photos, and made a little collage – which goes to show how low tech I am. Luckily I prepared everything in December since this was time consuming.

I began with a detailed drawing, eliminated the white labels, and decided on a broccoli price. (Is price an indicator of quality here?) Then I painted the background black.

The masonite board on my easel looked a little different this time. It included larger broccoli shots and my first vending painting as reference materials.

Good thing I saved this painting until the last day. I suspected it was a 2 day painting. Here’s where I stood at the end of yesterday (with an eye doctor’s appointment! No dilation after all).

Today I got a late start since I had a haircut in the morning (my lady is taking a 3 week vacation). Real life is now officially interfering with my painting life. The M&Ms wrapper took a long time with all the detail and variety of colors (translation: lots of brush cleaning to keep the colors clean). I earned my dinner break.

There were little kinks along the way, like the Twix metallic paint dried unexpectedly fast while I was eating, so I had to repaint areas. Getting the rings right was hard since they were so thin. A moment of unsteadiness would turn into 20 minutes of repairing a misstep.

While some of you may have been expecting me to end the Challenge with a gooey cake, this choice feels right to me. In a way, I came full circle. Yet I feel like Super Foods opened up potential new conceptual avenues to explore, which is one of my objectives for this Challenge.

Certainly Super Foods moves you away from the nostalgia of an Oreo Cookie. I’m not sure if that’s good or bad. Thoughts?

Tomorrow I’ll be putting together a collage of all 30 Challenge paintings. Hope you stop by to see it. It’s almost a piece of artwork in its own right.

Day 17. Lobster

Continuing with the water theme from yesterday’s Lotus and Koi (Day 15) with its intense orange red color, I bring you Lobster. Only this is edible.

This past summer we went to Maine, where Jay pursued his passion for eating lobster. My role was to document his search for the perfect lobster since I’m allergic to shellfish. One day we took a boat ride from Northeast Harbor in Acadia to Little Cranberry Island.

We encountered today’s lobster at Little Cranberry Lobster right at the end of the dock (nice to have sign photo to remind you).

Doesn’t look like this lobster tank has painting possibilities, does it?

But it does. I just had to squat down to find this lobster resting against the glass. I got a kick out of this image for a few reasons. First, it’s an unusual view but still telegraphs “lobster.”. Second, the tight composition captures the trapped feeling of a lobster in a cage (as if lobster have feelings!), reinforced by the turquoise jail bars in the upper right.

Before starting, I realized I didn’t understand the anatomy of this lobster. There were little claws, legs and antennas seemingly coming out of nowhere. Were they part of this lobster, or others in the tank? Who has ever studied the bottom of a lobster?

I brought out the big guns for this one – my iPad, magnifying glass, and I made a large 8 1/2 and 11 inch print.

I taped all the photos to one of my easels since I was incorporating elements from each one. They especially came in handy for the little teeny baby claws that I never knew existed before on lobsters (did you?), in addition to the big claws typically associated with lobsters.

Early on I switched rubber band colors from yellow to the turquoise and lavender combination from Thurston’s Lobster (upper left lobster in the pot) to add interest.

When I discovered the yellow ones were Little Cranbery Lobster branded rubber bands, I felt badly for a moment. Almost guilty, like I was doing a documentary and got my facts wrong. Ultimately I got past this by keeping creative license in mind.

Here is where I stopped last night since my brushes were getting very muddy, and I wanted to keep the colors clean and bright.

I finished up this morning, mortgaging two hours of Day 16’s painting time, but it worth was it. (I say that now; talk to me later…)

Time to start Day 17. Feeling a little bit of self-imposed pressure today. I better put on some relaxing music. Thanks for coming by!

Day 15. Koi

I bring you my very first fish picture with Koi. 

When I look that this painting, I just grin. It makes me happy.

That’s the most important thing for you to know about Koi. So is this blog post finished? Or maybe that would be unfair since this is unlike anything I have ever done in my lifetime – or ever would without the Challenge – and deserves more. Besides, Koi sparks joy just writing about it.

Like many things in life, this seems like it came out of nowhere. However, it’s been years in the making – in my head. I am fond of Asian art, especially Japanese woodcuts, where I first discovered images of intriguingly patterned carp, first bred in Japan for color in the 1820s according to Wikipedia. For years I have been taking photos of ponds to capture the fish, their bubbles, and reflections. It’s kind of like a crap shoot.

This particular composition was inspired by a trip to the Marie Selby Botanical Gardens in Sarasota, Florida last winter. I started with the long views to shoot the reflections, and then moved in closer.

I love these little mouths. Either these fish like attention, or were hungry since followed us although we didn’t have any food.

This was the winner. It felt like the little guy was speaking to me.


After 14 Challenge paintings, I finally got up the courage to try this dramatically cropped composition with intense red color. I zoomed in closer and added some bubbles to provide interest and balance. Bubbles are fun to paint, which I found out when painting Double Yolk Eggs Raw.

After working with blue bowl in Niçoise Salad, I knew that cobalt blue would give me the color intensity I wanted.

That’s where I began. I painted in the color and when used a giant flat brush to smooth out the brush strokes so the bubbles would pop.

Then I went for the hot red colors to give the forms definition.

I ended with the highlights and eyes, which really brought Koi to life.

Of all the paintings I did so far, I had the most fun painting and writing about this one.  I hope you enjoyed it too.

Day 10. Strawberry Blueberry Tart

Keeping with the Grand Central inspired dessert theme (Day 9. Cranberry Cheesecake and Day 7. Rugelach), here’s a Strawberry Blueberry Tart from Financier Patisserie that I have been wanting to paint for a long time.

A few years back, I did this 3 x 4 food oil painting of Financier’s pastry display.

I always thought the heroes of this work were the brilliantly colored tarts. Painting a single strawberry tart was on my mind for a few years. This was my chance. Can you tell which one I was inspired to paint?

Although today’s tart painting turned out pretty good, most of the day was a painting fail. I was going to use the word “disaster” but it sounded too Trumpian.

The plan was to do a piece of key lime pie on a plate with a fork. However, I started putting paint on the 5 x 7 inch panel sketch before realizing the plate in my sketch looked distorted. I tried different lines, colors and backgrounds to camouflage it, but the painting couldn’t be saved. The structural problem might have been solved if I cropped the composition in a square format.

In previous blogs, you’ve heard me talk about paintings that I thought were lost, but were saved after I kept going. This time I decided I didn’t want to save this one. It wasn’t worth it when I had another painting sketched and ready to go.

Now I had 16 brushes to clean, and not a painting to show for it!

At 7pm after a dinner break, I refined the sketch, added a blueberry in the center, and fixed structural issues before putting paint to the panel (yes, I can learn from my mistakes!) I stopped painting at around 1am, satisfied that I had saved the day with a valiant if not rushed effort, and I could rest easy.

I picked up the painting again this morning on 6 hours sleep and spent over hours (my time limit) adding the seeds, completing the strawberries, and putting shadows on the pastry. Done. Proud.

This was a humbling experience, and a reminder not to get too cocky after having a good, relatively easy first week.

Sometimes failure is good, as long as it doesn’t happen too many times during the Challenge…

Day 1. Apples and Honey

“Apples and Honey” by Beverly Shipko, Oil painting on cradled wood panel, 5 x 7 inches

I thought I would kick off the New Year with one of my favorite snacks, Apples and Honey. This tasty treat happens to be healthy and fits with one of my New Year’s resolutions to take care of myself.

This painting came easily, at least partly because I had been staring at the drawing and internalizing it so long that I had a clear vision in my head.

I started painting last week so I could take my time – but not too much time since it runs the risk of being overworked. One of the reasons I do the Challenge is to practice capturing the essence of a subject and stopping while the work still looks fresh.

It also helped that I bought a tube of turquoise oil paint, a vibrant color that I found almost impossible to mix with any consistency. And  Bonnie’s friend, Christina, gave her this jar of honey with the wand as a bridal shower favor, which I kept close by. The wand with the dripping honey is my favorite part of the painting.

I hope you and your family all have a sweet New Year! I wish you much health, happiness and peace.

New Year’s Painting Challenge, 2017

A few weeks ago, I decided to participate in the January 30 Paintings in 30 Days Challenge (aka 30/30 Challenge), sponsored by Leslie Saeta.

My first Challenge was exactly 2 years ago. Some of my friends say I’m a glutton for punishment to do it again. I think I just love to paint, and am looking forward to creating art without distraction and the opportunity to explore new subjects.

I started preparing in December 1st by going through my photo archive (100,000 photos and growing rapidly) looking for a theme. So technically it takes at least 2 days per painting when you include all the prep time.

Of course, I thought about sticking exclusively with some aspect of food. I also considered travel, nature, sea shells, every day objects, and using old postcards (I have my mother’s collection that includes a dirigible!) or famous artists as inspiration.

This process took way more time than expected. I have more unfinished blogs in my head than ever before!

In the end, I didn’t settle on a single theme, as you can see from this table of prints in our family room. I am simply choosing subjects that spark joy. Sound familiar?

It’s a good thing I started early since most of my compositions are horizontal, and I’m short on 5 x 7 rectangular panels (vs. 6 x 6 square). Since my go-to art store, A.I. Friedman in Port Chester, is out of stock on this item, I just ordered 20 Ampersand Primed Smooth cradled wood panels from www.jerrysartarama, and velcro to keep the panels from moving (or falling off!) my large easels.

I also bought a few tubes of acrylic and oil paints.

Today my framer, Joe at Artistic services, cut some thicker, flatter wood strips to raise the panels higher off the easel. Thank you Joe for the quick turnaround! Now I can easily reach the bottom of the panels (to sign, and to photograph without pesky shadows from the “lip” of the easel.)

A brand new memory card just found its way into my camera, along with a fully charged battery.

Of course, no challenge would be complete without some technical glitches. This time it was my main email address, which is working again after spending a few hours deleting several thousand emails, with more to go tomorrow morning. Webmaster Laura is working feverishly on a mobile friendly version of this blog and website that downloads faster.

Tonight I’ll start organizing my studio between painting and watching the Fiesta Bowl (aka Playstation Fiesta Bowl but that’s not rolling off my tongue…). Ohio State is playing Clemson and I’m conflicted about who to root for since the Big Ten Buckeyes are arch rivals of my beloved Michigan Wolverines… So whatever you’re doing tonight, I wish you a….

P.S. Thank you Bonnie and Laura for creating my Bitmoji! Do you think it looks like me?

Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup

I just had to rip open this package and paint America’s iconic #1 candy, Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup. 

"Reese's Peanut Butter Cup" painting by Beverly Shipko, Oil on cradled wood panel, 8 x 10 inches

“Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup” painting by Beverly Shipko, Oil on cradled wood panel, 8 x 10 inches

That’s what happens after looking at unopened vending machine candy for a few weeks.

This painting marks my return to wood panels after working on canvas for a while, quite a change. Canvas moves while wood is rock solid, requiring a lighter touch.  Paint glides on wood since it’s smooth. It also glides off at the slightest touch, sometimes a scary thought as you’re close to finishing.

My initial concept using a double Reese’s package didn’t work at the photography stage. Neither did a single pack with a bite taken out of the chocolate. I ended up with a single Reese’s, in tact, coming out of the wrapper, similar to a small Reese’s painting from the 2015 Challenge, but different in feeling and proportion.

After taking many photos with various light sources, I made a composite of two photos, which you can see here. I know, I know, I could have done this in Photoshop (one day…). In fact, it was much easier to just whip out a pair of scissors and tape the two images together.

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You would have thought I would have learned from experience. First, I forgot to velcro the wood panel to the masonite so it would sit solidly on the easel.

Second, I knew the logo process would be easier by starting in the middle of the logo with the yellow, and working outward. But no, I decided to start with the logo outline. Why? Bad idea.

It’s funny how something just gets stuck in your brain. When I re-read my old blog post which describes my history with Reese’s, I did the same thing last time. Maybe I just wanted to see quick results.

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This was supposed to be a relatively quick painting and take 2+ days. However, on the second day I was eating breakfast and broke a tooth. So much for painting. I ended up at the dentist for several hours while he made a temporary crown (my second in a month, not good).

The next day, I painted the chocolate disk, a very strong shape. I struggled with the shadows, which were rather blue during the early stages (and cost me an extra day) but more dramatic. Maybe I miss the drama a bit in the final version. Do you?

I like the painting, but can’t help wondering what it would look like in a square format with a rip right through the logo… As a former brand manger, I just couldn’t bring myself to do it. Next time.

After working on this painting, I ordered a few long horizontal wood panels online in atypical shapes so I can try a row of vending candy bars on wood.

In the meantime, I sketched some single vending bars on canvas using a vertical format. Quite a change. To be continued…

Icons of the Chip World

I’ll always remember the Blizzard of 2016 as the day I finished my first potato chip painting, America’s Favorite Chips: Vending Machine.

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“America’s Favorite Chips: Vending Machine” by Beverly Shipko, Oil on canvas painting, 20 x 20 inches

This is my second full-size vending machine painting. While it took longer than expected, some things are worth the wait – and the patience.

Here’s the original photo. I started by cutting off the top row of healthy snacks!

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Then I cut the photo in half and flipped the top and bottom rows to put the visually lighter bags on top (no Photoshop for me… yet) before doing this detailed drawing. I spent a lot of time on the structure, establishing the round shapes since there’s little room for error once painting begins.

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I worked from the top down to avoid smearing the oil paint, which takes days to dry (sometimes weeks if I use titanium white). I tend to brace my hand on the canvas when doing precise logo work.

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It was unexpectedly satisfying to complete the first chip bag, even though there was was a steep learning curve. If I had been doing a painting a day, this would have been the first of 6 different small paintings. But you know that old tagline, Bet you can’t eat just one? Well, I couldn’t paint just one.

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The Mini-Tootsie Roll with Bag experience from the September Challenge helped prepare me for painting chip bags. Kit Kat and America’s Favorite Candy Bars also paved the way for this ambitious undertaking, pushing me out of my comfort zone.

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I underestimated the complexity of each bag. The Cheetos bag was by far the most difficult with the Chester Cheetah character and strong reflections against all those floating Cheetos. It was challenging to find those subtle shades of orange and red.

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I left the Doritos bags for last since the logos seemed pretty straightforward. However, that was not the case with its subtle nuances (little flame-like shapes) that only a logo designer would pay attention to. Being a marketing person, I can only image the tens of thousands (if not hundreds or millions!) of dollars spent on logo development.

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It was so important to lay in the dark background early in the process since the colors resonant differently again light colors. I wanted to avoid repainting anything on this complex composition. At the halfway mark, I seriously considered the possibility that I was finished and should stop (see Done?)

But I powered on and started laying in the dark background around the bottom bags, still struggling with the nuances of different blacks and greys (which I ultimately rejected).

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At this point, I had firmly decided to stick with the initial 6-bag concept.

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Yesterday’s blizzard actually helped keep me focused so I could finish the little details.

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I am happy with this painting, and can’t wait to see it framed next month.

Now I have to figure out my next painting. Stay tuned.

Done?

Here’re my newest vending machine painting, America’s Favorite Chips: Vending Machine.

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“America’s Favorite Chips: Vending Machine”, Work-in-progress, by Beverly Shipko, Oil on canvas

Or so you thought… It’s only half of the painting!

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At this point, this feels done to me. I wish I could just cut this off and call it a day. (Had the same thought with just the Ruffles bag).

However, I feel like I should see this through and finish the painting. I have a frame ready and waiting for it so I can hang it at my April Open Studio (coming up fast the weekend of April 16th & 17th).

DSCN9834What would you do now? Am I done? Thanks for the feedback.

Icons of the Candy World

I am proud to show you my first painting of 2016, America’s Favorite Candy Bars: Vending Machine.

It’s also the first painting of my own personal art challenge to kick off the new year (which you can read about here.) The idea was to push myself during the month of January, yet give myself the flexibility to spend as much (or as little) time as I need on each painting.

"Iconic Vending Candies" by Beverly Shipko, 10 x 20 inches, Oil on canvas

“America’s Favorite Candy Bars: Vending Machine” painting by Beverly Shipko, 10 x 20 inches, Oil on canvas

America’s Favorite Candy Bars: Vending Machine is a direct descendant of my first small 5 x 7 inch Vending Machine painting from the recent September 30 Paintings in 30 Days Challenge. It’s also a nod to my former advertising days on the M&M Mars account at DMMB in Manhattan – and the countless competitive analyses I did on these 5 brands!

There are some major differences between the two works. At 10 x 20 inches, this is much larger and took a week (vs. one day) simply to apply the paint, not including sketch time. It’s more finely painted, mirroring the smoothness of the candy wrappers.

With longer proportions, the composition includes 5 candy bars (vs. 4). It’s painted on canvas rather than wood, a smooth surface that I missed when painting the sharp edged logos.

This is the original photo I took of the vending machine at the White Plains, NY train station.

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Unexpectedly, I practically ran into it (literally) in my rush to catch a train to Grand Central Station in Manhattan. Having practiced my photo skills previously on many local vending machines, I quickly whipped out my camera (a Pavlovian response), took a bunch of shots, and still made my train.

I started with this detailed sketch to establish the structure of the painting and emphasize the rhymic quality of the rings.

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Since there were so many colors and many “moving parts”, I tried a new approach. Here I am in the kitchen painting logos in water-based acrylic paint. My original intent was to let the acrylic paint show through the oil, but I wasn’t happy with the richness of the colors in comparison to oil.

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Eventually I repainted everything in oil, which worked out well. It was much easier the second time around, and those annoying little white spots from the textured canvas were already covered and not poking through. Hurrah!

After playing with various permutations of yellow ochres for the Twix Bar, I went to A.I. Friedman to buy my first tube of metallic oil paint.

As a former Twix Cookie Bar Account Executive, I had to get the color right! Then I went back to painting numbers and prices, a time consuming endeavor requiring a lot of patience and soothing music.

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One evening when Laura was home for the holidays, she took some photos for this post. When she told me not to laugh, this is what happened.


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I was nearly finished. The next day I turned the painting on its side to make refinements to the logos and descriptions, a good idea that gave me much more control.

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Perhaps I’m just a glutton for punishment, but I’m already working on another painting with more logos, hopefully as iconic as these.

Can you can guess the subject? Let me know what your first thought is. What is iconic to me may not be to you.

Thank you – and come back soon to see the next work in the series.