Work-in-Progress | Beverly Shipko, Artist

Day 26. Christo in Central Park

September 29, 2015 by Beverly

I’m still working on my Day 26 painting, Christo in Central Park.

Maybe I was overconfident after yesterday’s terrific success, 1959 Dodge Custom Royal Lancer (Day 25). And perhaps I was impatient to get onto the next painting.

Last night, I developed a good plan for my Day 26 painting of Christo’s Gates in Central Park, featuring the King Jagiello Monument which is prominently located at the top of a hill near Belvedere Castle. Sketch, put in a light blue acrylic underpainting, lay some of the the dark brown foreground in, and let it dry overnight before putting in all those tiny little branches and shrubbery.

So far, so good, so I thought.

This morning I took up where I left off, but didn’t stick to the plan, making several unworkable mistakes – at least for now. Right away I realized two things needed to be corrected: the blue underpainting was too light and the dark brown should have been black.

Instead of darkening the blue background first, I impulsively got out my black paint (which takes a while to dry) and repainted some of the trees. Then I worked on the sky, which is now too blue, and ended up nicking the wet black oil paint in a few spots.

After I put in some of the foreground color (too much of it, nicking another black tree along the way), I decided that I liked this painting better without the color, but I can’t take it out yet since the strong, wet colors are bleeding into each other.

So it’s time to stop, let this dry, regroup and move on. Next week, I’ll come back to this after the Challenge is over. Right now I am thinking this would make a great sketch.

Hope you stop by to see the final work.

Day 24. Salmon in Red, White & Black

September 27, 2015 by Beverly

Day 24 marked another first in the Challege: my first entrée ever, salmon.

The full title of this painting is Salmon in Red, White and Black, since the colors are such a big part of this piece. (I’ve got Whistler’s Mother on the brain, which he formally titled Arrangement in Grey and Black.)

“Salmon in Red, White and Black” by Beverly Shipko, Oil painting on cradled wood panel, 5 x 7 inches

This past February, I was having lunch with my college friend, Lynn Hilkene, who still lives in Ann Arbor and goes to all the Michigan football games. (One day I’m going to go with her!) We met for a long lunch at the Beverly Hills Grill in Southfield, MI, where we sat for hours chatting a mile a minute.

I remember this particular lunch because we talked about the Challenge, when resulted in my Top 10 Lessons Learned post. After taking our obligatory photos, we ordered our favorite foods. In my case, it’s the salmon.

When my meal came, I was struck by the strong graphic quality of the composition on the table before me – the squares of the plate and napkins softened by the the circles of the glass and dressing cup and saucer, and the dramatic contrast of darks and lights. I considered the side views through the camera LED screen, but they didn’t look as compelling to me.

This was an ambitious choice because it was an entrée, which included a glass with ice cubes and a submerged spoon, either of which could have been a subject on its own. Here I was trying try to limit myself to simple paintings, and then I do the exact opposite.

The evolution of Salmon in Red, White and Black is rather interesting and I’ll show you why. I started with a detailed drawing, put in the background and shadows, and used a red background more evocative of the mahogany table appearing black in the photo. My intention was to darken the red with a deep brown. At this point, I actually thought about turning this into a gresaille painting (all greys to imitate sculpture, except for the crimson). I’m still wondering how it would have looked in greytones. What do you think?

Then I went back with the original plan and started adding in color beginning with the lemons and salmon.

I didn’t finish this in one day (probably shouldn’t have taken that hour off yesterday), and here’s what greeted me this morning. For a few hours, I worked on the glass, cup and spoon, and brought the color intensity of the salmon and vegetables up to the level of the lemons (which is more evident in person). My last step was to add the highlights to the green beans and deepen the shadows.

I have to stop to get ready for a RiverArts fund-raising party where my Oreo Mandala print is being auctioned off today. This is probably a good thing since the painting looks fresh and lively.

While I am still several days behind schedule, I am very happy with my first entrée of plated food, potentially opening a new door for a series. As with many of my paintings this Challenge, they look better in person, and this one does too. So stop by and see for yourself.

Later today, I’ll be working on another painting inspired by a Michigan trip. Until tomorrow.

Day 23. Star Tart

September 26, 2015 by Beverly

I love the patterns of the blueberries, strawberries and kiwi on Star Tart, which somehow reminds me of folk art quilts.

The real fruit tart is from our favorite bakery, Riviera Bake House here in Ardsley. I have painted various versions of tarts before, but never one straight on, from the top down like this one.

“Star Tart”, by Beverly Shipko, Oil painting on cradled wood panel, 6 x 6 inches

Maybe I got inspired by similar views from previous paintings – Day 11 Pomegranate Half, Day 6 Crumbs Praline Cupcake, and Day 5 M&M Cupcake, which are also top down views. Apparently I like painting circular compositions on square panels.

Today’s challenge was to capture the dimensional quality of the tart that is implicitly built into angled side views, which are easier to paint in some respects. That’s probably why I had this old photo lying around for 12 years (taken with my first digital camera) and never did anything with it until now.

I started with the background and the crust, and then moved progressively inward, as you can see in these photos. The order of the colors mirrors the physical construction of the tart, almost as if I was the baker. First you start with the tart crust and the filling, then you add the kiwi, followed by the strawberries, and finally a mass of blueberries. For some reason, my favorite part was painting the kiwi seeds. I don’t know why they were just fun to paint, maybe simply because they brought the kiwi slices to life.

My plan of attack also took into account the bleeding color factor, and started with the colors that bleed the least (white, blue, ochre, green) and end with colors that bleed the most (red and indigo blue). Being a daily painting, I proceeded slowly and methodically since there was little room for error. At the end, I went back to tighten some areas up, darken the shadows, and add the highlights to make the glaze shine.

Now that my dessert craving is temporarily satisfied, I’ll look elsewhere tomorrow. Any suggestions?

Thanks for stopping by.

Day 20 of 30. Cheesecake Sampler

September 20, 2015 by Beverly

Cheesecake Sampler is still a work in progress.

We’re off to a wedding shortly, which is maybe a good thing in this case. That way I can come back later with a fresh eye and develop a plan for finishing this – with your help.

The challenge here is to add enough details to the cheesecake slices without overworking the piece and keeping it fresh. Right now I like the openness and airiness of the designs, and am concerned if I keep going too far, it will start feeling dense. I’m having a good time channeling Jackson Pollock in this food painting.

I will clean up the edges of the swirls on the cake, and maybe the knife. Maybe make the red darker in spots. At the moment, the neutral grey acrylic underpainting is the background. It’s smooth and unobtrusive, so perhaps I’ll leave it, but I’m not sure. (Excuse the cast shadow along the bottom from the easel.)

What would you do next on this painting, especially with the background? Thanks for your help.

Day 7 of 30 – Vending Machine

September 7, 2015 by Beverly

There are a lot of firsts in this painting.

This is my first vending machine painting, my first food related painting on a black background (a color I rarely), the first work where my subject is half-submerged in shadows – and my first unfinished painting for the Challenge.

“Vending Machine” by Beverly Shipko, Oil sketch on wood panel, 5 x 7 inches

Vending Machine is also the first wrapped candy painting of this Challenge, a potential series I have been thinking of about since I did a Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup during the January Challenge. I’ve had a Twix Bar lying around since Halloween, which I intended to paint since it was my account at DMB&B Advertising in my previous life. You can read more about my sentimental attachment to the candy industry here.

The choice of subject was actually inspired by a detour at the Metropolitan Museum of Art to a student show, where Jay and I saw a drawing of a whole vending machine. And that was the ahah! moment right before we moved on to the John Singer Sargent exhibit, our intended destination. Afterwards, the search for the right vending machine began. I never realized that all vending machines aren’t created equally. Jay found this one with the most iconic candy brands lined up all in a row, which is exactly what I was looking for.

Getting the initial sketch right was critical, so I studied many photos and actually packages, taking extra care setting up the structure and putting in the details.

I painted from the inside out, starting with the vibrant colors that brought the iconic logos to life, minimizing the chance of colors bleeding into one another. Then I put in the black rings, followed by the black background, which changes everything so it’s important not to wait too long.

There were so many details in those logos and wrappers that by mid-afternoon I was thinking maybe I bit off more than I could chew, that this was at least a 2-3 day painting, and I must have been crazy not to practice on a simpler vending machine painting with just one bar, like the Twix photo I was using as a reference. I even considered just doing a Twix drawing (which I used to call dinner during those late office nights) and just calling it a day.

But the 4-bar composition intrigued me from the moment I took the photos of our old office vending machine. The repetition of the circular wires holding the candies add a rhythm with their cast shadows and provide a unifying pattern – so I kept going. I drew on some lessons learned from my first Challenge:

Stay calm
Simplify the details
Focus on the net impression; don’t look at every crooked line
Plan a strategy,
Be bold not timid
Just hunker down to pull the painting off
Put aside your skepticism

This was one of the pivotal decisions I faced: Do I paint the bars as if they completely lit in the foreground, or stick to my original vision and put in shadows so they recede and are dramatically lit, which seemed to be more difficult than I had time for? I decided to go for the drama – and it’s drama that I got for the next few hours as I experimented with one color after another… after another…. for the shadows (while secretly wishing I had bought that metallic oil paint for the Twix wrapper.)

The question for all you artists out there: What would you have done? In retrospect, I was in a pretty good place at this point, but maybe didn’t know it. Perhaps I should have skipped the shadows or changed the background and the bottom strip colors to charcoal grey. I would appreciate the feedback.

Here’s where I was when I got up the next morning. The Reese’s was still muddy and the Twix was just sitting there.

I spent a few more hours experimenting with the shadows, and decided to call it a day since I was jeopardizing my next painting. At this point, the paint was too thick and wet, and I wasn’t adding any value.

I wish I had more time on this painting so I could have let it dry before reworking it right away (so what else is new), and kept the painting surface smoother. But then I wouldn’t have learned as much as I did about what I’m capable of under pressure (self-imposed, I admit) – something to keep in mind when I get my next commission. Full disclosure: I plan on trying this one again as a 2-day painting with a less severe background after the Challenge is over.

I’m proud of how I moved ahead and didn’t give up – and then wondered what would have happened. Bonnie would call this a learning experience. That’s what I’ll remember when I look at Vending Icons.

What do you see you looking at this one?

Day 2 of the 30/30 Challenge – Oreo in 3 Pieces

September 2, 2015 by Beverly

Don’t you just love the icing on Oreo Cookies?

That’s what inspired me to paint this Oreo, creatively bitten by my friend Eva Suchow. The white icing is just begging to be licked off!

“Eva’s Oreo Cookie in 3 Pieces” by Beverly Shipko, Oil on cradled wood panel, 6 x 6 inches.

Compositionally, the icing provides a strong contrast to the broken pieces of the cookie. I wonder how Eva bit the top part of the cookie and not the bottom. Certainly there was no other entry quite like it.

Here is Eva just a few moments before participating in my Oreo Cookie Contest, and earning her spot as a finalist. Eva is the lady on the far right in the black sweater, with her husband Steve on the far left, and their friends, Gerri and Stan, from Australia (winning my award for traveling the farthest to attend my Open Studio!).

Yesterday’s Oreo Cookie painting came so easily that I expected the same things to happen today – but somehow it didn’t. That’s why painting is an art and not a science.

Today I started with the same size 6 x 6 wood panel, sketched in the cookie, and used a similar light pink acrylic ground to dull the white primer.

Then I struggled for a few hours applying oil paint – except when I brought out my old bristle brushes for the background, which gave the paint more texture. Maybe I’m simply more tired today. In this photo, I’m working on one of the parts that I labored over – the grooves going around the entire edge of the cookie.

While I’m happy with today’s Oreo painting, I wonder what the day will be like tomorrow. Perhaps Marli’s Oreo Cookie in 4 Pieces from Day 1 came together rather effortlessly because of the graphic quality of the four pieces, all of which conveniently broke into equal sized triangles. It’s something to consider as I move forward and choose subjects for the rest of the Challenge.

Any thoughts? Maybe there’s something I’m missing here. Sometimes we can’t see what’s right in front of us.

Thanks for your help and see you tomorrow!

Day 21 of the 30/30 Challenge – Plate of Oreos

January 21, 2015 by Beverly

9am on Wednesday, January 21st. When I last did a drawing rather than a painting because I was short on time, I choose Cathedral Rock and felt a little guilty, like I was cheating. Looking back, my Cathedral Rock drawing was done quickly and accomplished the goal of getting me out the door to the New York Philharmonic and two museums. It didn’t quite work the same way with this drawing.

I was too ambitious. My perfectionist streak came out. If I had just wanted to save time, I would have picked something even simpler. With only one Oreo, I could have completed this drawing last night, and enjoyed my whole day off from the Challenge today.

Instead, I didn’t take the easy way out. I had to try my first plate packed full of Oreos to see if the composition might work as a painting. Graham’s Plate of Oreo Cookie was a wonderful learning experience that remained unfinished when I left this morning (continuing my unfinished streak from yesterday’s Sunset).

Day 21. “Graham’s Plate of Oreo Cookies” by Beverly Shipko, Unfinished pencil drawing on bristol board, 6 x 6 inches.

You might remember seeing a photo of this plate on Day 3 when I talked about the annual tradition of Oreo Cookie Parties that Graham, his brothers and I have established. If memory serves me correctly, little brother Marsh also contributed a few cookies to this endeavor.

The tops of the Oreo cookies need definition and darkening, which will give this much contrast and depth – right? Just maybe I’ll get to it before I leave for the Merry Widow HD movies tonight. Maybe not.

So have an Oreo on me. That means one less logo to draw later.

Update at 11:30pm on January 21st. I did get to work on this today in the afternoon between appointments and later after coming home from the movie. You can see for yourself what a difference a few hours made on this drawing (a scan vs. photo helped capture the details).

End of Day 21. “Graham’s Plate of Oreos” by Beverly Shipko, Drawing on bristol board, 6 x 6 inches.

Do you think I should paint this? It would require a heavy time commitment once I get larger than this 6 x 6 drawing.

Thanks for coming by and giving me your comments.

Day 18 of the 30/30 Challenge – Mustang

January 19, 2015 by Beverly

This Mustang oil painting was inspired by the Detroit Woodward Dream Cruise, and by high school memories of all those cool Mustangs racing down Woodward on a Saturday night. The Ford Mustang car, now in its sixth generation, is a true classic – with a capital “C’. I hope you weren’t expecting to see a painting of the whole car…

Day 18. “Mustang” by Beverly Shipko, Oil painting on cradled panel, 5 x 7 inches.

Originally the plan was to paint this yesterday, following on the wings of the Chevy Phoenix Vintage Hood Ornament from Day 16. However, it was a busy day, and I knew I had to start this iconic logo in the morning, when I was fresh, since it would take the whole day to capture the reflections with precision. There wasn’t much room for error with this daily painting, so I needed a day without interruptions. And the weather was so awful here in New York that I knew that was the perfect day.

Having the Day 16 hood ornament painting under my belt helped me approach this more complex image with confidence. I was very happy with the metallic rendering of the phoenix. When I look at the painting, I think how much I like it and not about fixing anything (a welcome change). From that painting, I developed some techniques that I knew would be helpful here (think Q-tips for brushes).

This sketch was done two days ago. So I was ready to paint after breakfast.

I started by applying a thin wash of red acrylic using wet paper towel (no pink allowed with this masculine color palette!). Then I painted the black middle stripe in the background, but not the red. I wanted to leave the bottom part of the panel blank so I could rest my pinkie on it to brace my hand. Inevitably, I do that without intending to, and nick the paint. Red is a particularly unforgiving color when it’s nicked, and it bleeds easily into other colors, which is hard to undo without letting the paint dry overnight.

In the middle of the day, I noticed something new. The blue sky was reflecting on the horse, as you can see above. It’s funny how long you can look at something and never really see it. So I mixed a good blue that worked and put it on sparingly.

Now it was time to decide on the predominant red color for the background since it was reflecting into the metallic logo. I found the perfect cadmium red in my paint box.

The next step was to add in the red reflections in the horse, before moving on to the faint reflection on red of the mustang underneath. I worked slowly and deliberately, using separate brushes for each color, and wiping the brush after each stroke. Now you can understand why it was slow going.

It was an intense day at times, but very satisfying from all perspectives, everything from the process to the result. When looked at my pictures for the day, I was surprised to see how closely the painting resembled the original photo.

The only thing I was having trouble with was photographing this piece at night. The black reflected every little brush mark creating unwanted hotspots. I’ll try again tomorrow.

Reluctantly, I think this is my last Dream Cruise painting for this challenge, although it’s tempting to keep going. There are other images that I want to try, both food and non-food. I expect to come back to this subject again in the future. Maybe I’ll even include more of a car (anyone up for Bel-Air fins?).

Thanks for stopping by to follow my progress. See you tomorrow!

Day 16 of the 30/30 Painting Challenge – Hood Ornament

January 17, 2015 by Beverly

Today I went back to the hood in more ways than one. This painting of a 1930’s Chevy Vintage Phoenix Hood Ornament came from a 2010 photo that I took at the Woodward Dream Cruise, an annual event that is held in my native city of Detroit. My best guess is that it’s from 1934 or 1935.

Day 15. “Chevy Vintage Phoenix Hood Oranament” by Beverly Shipko, Oil painting on cradled panel, 5 x 7 inches

I love going to the Woodward Dream Cruise (as do a million other people!) every August to see the classic cars. It’s really amazing how much design work went into the old cars (the same thought I had about the Art of the Motorcycle Exhibit at the Guggenheim in 1998). Driving up and down Woodward Avenue in the Cruise brings back so many memories of my teenage years when that was the highlight of the weekend.

Many years ago I just happened to be in Detroit visiting my mother during the Dream Cruise and went because I was curious about it. I was hooked! For the record, my kids aren’t but they go to humor me. Now I try to be there every year. Recently I started taking photos of hood ornaments, which are really truly elegant works of art.

I started this painting by making a sketch directly on the panel, using my photo as a reference.

I could see faint pink reflections in the hood ornament and decided to use a pink ground, which you can see here defining the shape of the phoenix. After painting the blue background, I felt was too opaque and heavy looking. I used a large brush to soften it, taking off some of the paint to allow the pink ground to peek through and warm up the sky in the final painting. My other secret weapon for taking unwanted paint off panel is the lowly Q-tip, which came in handy several times. The important thing is to look closely at the subject and capture the sharp juxtapositions between the darkest and lightest surfaces, and the highlights – which kicked this painting up a notch.

I had wanted to paint this for a long time, both because the stylized design is striking and it’s metal. Lately I have been trying to push myself to paint subjects made from different materials.

Tomorrow I’m going to get started early so I can be finished by lunch, when I have to leave. At least that’s the plan.

Thanks for stopping by today and coming along for the ride.

Day 8 of the 30/30 Challenge – Box of Donuts

January 9, 2015 by Beverly

Before I tell you about Day 8, I would like to take a moment and celebrate the end of Week 1 of the 30 Paintings in 30 Days Challenge. This morning I lined all the sketches on my storage area (aka piano), and I couldn’t help but feel proud!

The End of Week 1 – 30 Paintings in 30 Days.

Later, Bonnie came home and commented that she really likes having this little paintings. I know exactly what she means, although I am hard pressed to articulate it at midnight (may have to finish this post tomorrow). As a group, they are impactful (more so in real life). Thank you, Bonnie, for coming up with a solution to my easel problem for the next few day by suggesting that we move the Lion King creatures off the the music stand and use that.

Here’s the final oil painting for today. (Jay, was that you who snuck a doughnut?) Since I am posting after midnight, you may have guessed that today was difficult. This was an ambitious painting that I started painting too late in the day, and then took a long break for a visit with a fellow artist (which I needed badly).

Day 8, ” Box of Dunkin’ Donut’s” by Beverly Shipko, Oil sketch on panel, 5 x 7 inches

I almost lost the whole painting since there was just too much pink and purple. This was one case where the selection of a pink acrylic underpainting was not optimal. Things would have gone a lot easier with a yellow ochre ground for the table, and maybe part of the box too.

You can see the some of the changes I made when you compare the photo and the painting. The turning point in the whole day was at 6pm when I painted the left strip yellow (a complementary color to the purples and pinks) and the orangey cake color on the donuts. After that, I focused on just bringing as much color variety into the final piece as possible.

Of all the paintings I have completed so far, this one has the most details in it that I would want to fix. I won’t, but I do reserve the right to finish the chocolate frosting stripes on the donut, which I simply forgot to come back to (looking a little ragged), and put a little shadow in the lower right hand corner of the box (where I put a line to remind me).

As I think about tomorrow’s painting, I know that I have to choose something simpler and less complex. I will be delivering a painting for an exhibit in the morning, and then we’re going to see the Holiday Train Show at the NY Botannical Gardens in the evening. That leaves about 5 hours in the middle of the day, if I’m lucky.

One thing you can be sure of – I’m not painting doughnuts. Until then.

Day 7 of the 30/30 Challenge – Dunkin’ Donuts

January 8, 2015 by Beverly

It’s almost 11pm and I’m just finishing up. This is the latest I have posted so far. As a result, I am the 412th artist to post on the 30/30 Challenge blog for Day 7 (a few hundred off from my goal).

The day was challenging, both because life intervened and I got started late, and I was struggling with the background and the sprinkles since the paint was so wet (which made it hard to photograph). Here’s the final product.

Day 7. Beverly Shipko, “Two Dunkin’ Donuts”, Oil sketch on panel, 6 x 6 inches

I continue to work from photographs. As you can see, I saved the hardest part of this painting for last – the sprinkles on the white icing. In this case, that decision probably cost me a lot of time.

When I added in the white icing, it soon became apparent that the top donut was blending with the light background and the cup. The dark underpainting had good contrast and threw me off. If I had started with the white icing, I could have addressed the issue earlier and it would have been a much easier fix, maybe with a different outcome.

I have this nagging thought that the sprinkles might have helped the donut pop, but I didn’t wait to find out. I added some rose to the background, which I would soften if I had another day. Then I started painting sprinkles, one at a time, using a new brush for each color – blue, green, red, orange, pink and yellow. It got interesting when I ran out of small brushes… A lot of brush and hand cleaning took place today.

In retrospect, I wish I had done the white icing during the day. I use a full spectrum light in the studio at night, but it’s not the same as natural light.

The first thing I have to do tomorrow is find a safe place for the donut painting to dry – not to mention the other 23 daily paintings… I’m am running out of space on the piano and small easels. I am surprised by how good these small painting look together, and plan to hang them all together for this year’s RiverArts Studio Tour in April.

I learned a lot about painting donuts today in this format and on this timetable. I will use this newfound knowledge on my next donut painting, which may or may not be tomorrow. I haven’t decided yet. Maybe I need a donut break.

See you tomorrow!

Day 6 of the 30/30 Challenge – Boston Cream Pie

January 6, 2015 by Beverly

Today was a very satisfying day. I am happy, both with the painting itself and that fact I finished in time to leave for the New York Philharmonic tonight. I even fit dinner in beforehand.

Day 6. “Boston Cream Pie”, by Beverly Shipko, Oil on panel (smooth finish), 5 x 7 inches.

I believe this painting worked out well for a few reasons. My husband says he likes it Boston Cream Pie because the chocolate glistens and looks like it is actually dripping down the cake. The cake itself has interesting patterns from the flowing chocolate.

Since this subject was more complex than in previous days, last night I spent more time planning, sketching in details, and painting some of the darks to establish the structure (up too late again!). Also, I was using the smooth panel finish that I had in 5 x 7 inches (my 6 x 6 order is on the way) which gave me more control while painting the details.

This morning I had a clear sense of how to approach the painting and accomplish what I needed to do in a limited amount of time. After two hours, I started feeling more confident, like I just might complete this work within the time constraints. I still had a ways to go.

Since there were a lot of warm tones in this Boston Creme Pie, I incorporated cool background tones, and was careful to use different brushes for every color – and wiped them off frequently – so the paint stayed fresh and didn’t get muddy. I admit this was getting harder to do as my work space got messier. Somehow I ended up with two palettes. I need to spend some time cleaning tubes, putting caps back on, and organizing the tubes by color – which will save time in the long run.

As I think about tomorrow, I realize the Boston Cream Pie is a tough act to follow. I am feeling like now is a good time to take a break from desserts and switch to an orchid or Western landscape. However, being a practical person, I recognize that the colors leftover on this palette are perfect for a Dunkin’ Donut painting that I already sketched.

So doughnuts it is for Day 7.

Hope to see you tomorrow. If you are interested in purchasing the Boston Cream Pie, please contact the artist directly at info@beverlyshipko.com.

Day 2 of the 30/30 Challenge – Devil’s Food Cupcake

January 3, 2015 by Beverly

I decided to stick with the dessert theme and another Crumbs Bake Shop cupcake, but from a completely different perspective.

While yesterday I painted a more graphic top-down view of a Milkshake cupcake in a square format, today I opted for a classic horizontal side view of the Crumbs Devil’s Food cupcake. This time I chose to crop the bottom off this cupcake – another first for me. Often my compositions are more traditional and include the whole cupcake, but if there is ever a time to experiment, this challenge is it. Here is the “finished” painting.

Day 2. “Crumbs Devil’s Food Cupcake” by Beverly Shipko, Oil on panel, 5 x 7 inches.

I used the word “finished” in quotes, because a part of me still doesn’t believe this is complete. There are a lot of small details in this sketch, so I’m seeing more things that I want to change than yesterday, even though I know deep down that these changes won’t do much to improve the overall painting. I want to maintain the loose quality to the paint application that is appealing. The incremental benefits of working on this longer are small, and the risks of overworking this sketch are great. So it’s time to stop and start thinking about tomorrow. This is such good practice for me!

Here’s the photograph I was working with, and the panel as it looked around noon. Since I discovered yesterday that I liked using a color underpainting, I decided to apply a more intense pink this time, using acrylic paint that dries in minutes unlike oil that takes weeks (especially since I am using an extremely rich but slow drying titanium white).

After the pink dried, I sketched in the details with a pencil, and then started painting the darks in with brown oil paint to establish the structure and 3-D feeling early on.

I spent most of the afternoon working on the top of the cupcake before moving into the wrapper, again starting with the darks. Looking at this photo, I realize I miss some of the pink you see here in the preliminary wrapper. The pink undertones peeking through liven up this almost monochromatic image, something to keep in mind for the future.

It’s good for me to be writing this blog and reflect back on the progress I made in a short period of time. The realization that the very flat pink cupcake above has somehow magically transformed itself into a real, live cupcake in a few hours brings a smile to my face.

All in all, it was another great day. I gained more confidence since this subject was more complex, containing many more details in the dripping chocolate and accordion-pleated wrapper. Yet I was able to complete the painting earlier than on Day 1.

I’ll have some time to mull over my subject for tomorrow while I clean the dozen brushes that are still sitting in my studio. Sometimes I procrastinate since it’s a messy job, but someone has to do it. It would help if I wake up early tomorrow and start painting right away (even though I am a night person and my body rebels against the thought). The days are so short that I need all the natural light I can get, and paintings generally photograph better in natural light.

I am looking forward to Day 3 and whatever it brings. Should you be interested in buying this painting, please contact me directly at info@beverlyshipko.com.

The New Year’s Challenge

January 1, 2015 by Beverly

It’s New Years Day, and today is the day I am taking action instead of giving lip service to my resolutions.

Every year I enthusiastically make of list of resolutions with the best of intentions, only to watch my commitment gradually decline over time. This year is going to be different. It’s time to live up to the spirit of my Bev’s Bites of Life blog and take a bite (at least start with a nibble…). So I signed up for the 30/30 Challenge starting today, when I will return to as I finish writing this post.

The 30/30 Challenge stands for 30 Paintings in 30 Days, which is hosted by Leslie Saeta. I intend to do a small painting a day, and started my first one this morning on Day 1.

A creative top-down view taken by my webmaster, and daughter, Laura Sloofman. January 1, 2015.

After finishing each painting, I’ll post my work along with other participating artists (over 800 registered from all over the world) on Leslie’s blog. It will be interesting to see how many other artists post, and what they are doing. The challenge is very exciting and a bit intimidating at the same time, since I tend to work methodically. In fact, at first didn’t even want to tell anyone I was doing this challenge, but now I’m going public.

I realized the 30/30 Challenge is a wonderful opportunity to explore new paths and to pursue the many things I have been thinking about painting for years, both in the food arena and beyond. Over the years, I took photos of everything from orchids to Sedona red rocks to classic cars, which are accumulating way too quickly on my computer (Oh, did I mention desserts?). Clearly I am a digital photo junkie who needs to buy another external backup drive just for photos, which are coming in handy now as I contemplate what to paint. Suggestions are always welcome, and would be especially timely right now.

The other day I was actually thinking that I should try painting healthy vegetables, perish the thought! While I won’t know what I am going to actually paint each day, I do know that I will be pushing myself out of my comfort zone, which is a good thing to do once in a while.

As I prepared for this painting adventure last week, I spoke with my artist friend Cristine Kossow, the pastel artist who introduced me to the challenge (thanks Cris!), and I realized that I needed different materials. The very nature of the challenge requires that you work small and quickly (unless you’re Picasso…). I decided to use small gesso panels, both 6 x 6″ and 5 x 7″ formats, with a smooth surface instead of using my usual stretched canvases, so I wouldn’t have to fight the “tooth” or texture of the canvas each day. I wanted the paint to glide on the surface effortlessly (like icing on a cake) like it does when I use lead-primed linen canvas, without the expense.

Three problems emerged:

1. I needed 30 small gesso panels.

2. Since I paint standing up, it was important to find a way to mount these small boards, so they would stay still on my large easels.

3. The “lip” of my easel covered 1/4″ on the top and bottom of each panel. I needed easy and unencumbered access to the entire painting surface.

Off I went to AI Friedman in Port Chester, NY to use the gift card that I won as August Artist of the Month, and was lucky that Tony, the art supplies manager and talented artist in his own right, was there. He is a creative thinker who always helps come up with solutions to any painting dilemma. When I got to this panel aisle, I was overwhelmed with all the choices. That’s when Tony came to the rescue.

He helped guide me to these cradled panels, which can be hung as they are, and best met my needs.

Together Tony and I devised a system for mounting the panel, using a velcro and/or adhesive putty, to a larger masonite board which the easels could securely hold securely. Here’s what the solution looks like. Now I am good to go.

I plan on posting my work here so you can follow my progress – and root me to the finish line! As I embark on this new challenge, somehow I feel like a pioneer exploring the new frontier. Cristine assures me I will be a better artist for it. I am confident that this is worth the effort and commitment, otherwise I wouldn’t be doing it.

I believe my painting will evolve in some positive way, and I will learn something about myself along the way. If nothing else, I will feel what it’s like to be more free in my approach, which is a wonderful thing. I am open to whatever comes – which is what taking that first bite out of life is all about. And what better time to start than January 1st.

Wish me luck!

The Sheer Joy of “Just Desserts”

October 5, 2014 by Beverly

I recently rediscovered a part of myself when I gave my “Just Desserts” painting demonstration and art marketing talk to the Scarsdale Art Association.

The experience of speaking about art was so much fun that it took me back to my life as an Art History Teaching Fellow at the University of Michigan. I loved it then, and as I found out, I love it now.

The difference was that this time I was speaking from an artist’s perspective, rather than an artist historian. This was a major shift as I found out years ago from many art students in my art history class, who groaned loudly every time I began talking about any topic from ancient to medieval art.

My original plan had been to be an artist and to support myself as an art history professor. That was before a depression hit Detroit in the 70s and art funding dried up, so I went back to the drawing board to sketch out a new marketing career. With this lecture, I came full circle.

The challenging part of this particular presentation was the painting demonstration, which meant I had to talk and paint at the same time (think of President Gerry Ford, also from Michigan, who reportedly found it hard to walk and chew gum at the same time…).

Since I usually paint while listening to classical music by my favorite composer Aaron Copland, it took some adjustment to painting while answering many thought provoking questions from an enthusiastic audience. I was up to the challenge and thoroughly enjoyed the whole experience.

For all you artists out there looking to exhibit and sell your work, I offered up a few art marketing tips – definitely a subject for a separate blog post. For now, the best advice I can give would be to start by picking something you love as your subject, with a personal story behind it that is easily communicated, and focus on getting a cohesive body of work together that is linked visually or conceptually before going to galleries or other organizations. Becoming an expert in that area and developing a niche that is distinctive and memorable is a good thing.

And how did the afternoon end? With desserts, of course.

Thank you to the Scarsdale Art Association for inviting me to speak on “Just Desserts” (and for helping me revisit the Fountain of Youth for one afternoon). Thanks to everyone who came out and supported this event, and to Jackie Lupo of the Rivertowns Enterprise for this terrific article.

I got a kick out of the first line: “Breaking into the art gallery world is no piece of cake.” So true.

In the future, I want to pursue lecturing about art, and capturing the joy that goes into it. I hope to see you all again soon at my next talk – wherever and whenever the opportunity presents itself.