Tony Conner Artists Blog

"Watering Cans"

This is a quick sketch of two of my wife’s watering cans done as a demo for a recent class.  The cans sit on a table top and were catching the bright late summer light.  The pattern of light and shadows caught the eye of one of the students  so we used it as the subject for the day.   The color scheme is nearly mono-chromatic, using a limited palette of cobalt and ultramarine blue, burnt sienna, raw sienna, and some quinacridone burnt scarlet.

It is large for a sketch, nearly filling a quarter sheet (11″ x 15″) paper.  The subject was sketched in 2B pencil on the paper first, large washes were placed on the cans first, the main shadow on the table surface was added next.  Once dry, shadows were added on the spout and side of the large can and on the underside of the handle on the small can.  The work was finished up with some glazes of blue and raw sienna on the cans to produce some 3 dimensional modeling and ambient light effects on the shaded side of the cans.

Family takes  priority during family vacations, so I sketched and painted less than I might have.  Still, I was able to get some work done on our recent trip to Hilton Head.   Living in New England means that I have very little opportunity to see and paint trees from the southeast.   Trees are a favorite subject of mine and are often featured in my paintings.  It was pleasing to be able to see and paint trees from a new area.  Obviously, palm trees don’t grow in the forests of the northeast.  The two sketches below are of a palm located in the courtyard of the condo complex where we stayed for the week.  The pencil sketch captures the reality of the tree, while the watercolor sketch is a study in color, light and shade.

By the time I did this watercolor sketch, I had adjusted my color mixtures to be more representative of the colors of the plants and foliage in the Hilton Head area.   My initial works lacked a bit of authenticity since I was using colors – particularly greens – that are more like those found in New England.  The sketch below of a beach and salt marsh near where we stayed shows the difference.  The green areas in the fore and middle ground are tall marsh grasses.  As sketched, the green is more like the green of a grassy field in the northeast.  Marsh grasses in this are tend to be a somewhat more intense yellow green than as depicted.

Port Royal Sound marsh & sky - Hilton Head Island

On this particular morning, the sky was overcast.  I was pleased to find that my favorite combination of cerulean blue and cadmium red did work well to capture the look of the sky.

"Early November"

Vermont’s natural scenic beauty is enhanced each spring when the work of Vermont artists and craftspeople can be seen firsthand during Vermont’s 17th annual Open Studio Weekend May 23-24.

My studio will be open from 10am – 5pm both Saturday and Sunday, May 23 & 24.  I’m looking forward to again  welcoming visitors my studio, showing new works and discussing my work, materials, processes etc.

Open Studio Weekend is a statewide celebration of the visual arts and the creative process. Bennington County, Vermont is home to many fine artists and artisans including the other members of The Artisans of Southern Vermont. The other twenty-nine members of the group will also have their studios open this weekend.  The fine work represented by this group includes other paintings, jewelery, pottery, furniture, sculpture, and more.

Take the Artisans of Vermont Open Studio Driving Tour and be eligible to win a $150 gift certificate to the artist’s studio of your choice. Simply visit at least 8 of the 30 Artisans of Southern Vermont studios, get the artists signature and then leave the form at one of the open studio locations. Drawing to be held on June 15, 2009.  Open Studio Driving Tour map, instructions and “Studio Sleuth” form downloadable here.

OK – this is my last winter painting for the year.   This one, titled “Late Winter” is one of what I call my metaphoricalpaintings.  The location is real, from White Creek, NY and was drawn in a sketchbook some years ago – I’m not sure how long ago since the sketch is not dated.    But the work itself was created by drawing on my own consciousness.   In this case, the conscious feeling that this winter seemed particularly long and dark.  By the time March rolls around, nearly everyone in these parts – even those who are fans of the season – is ready for the end of winter.   Generally, March is the time when fields begin to emerge from under the melting snow, creeks and streams begin to thaw and flow.  The sky is also usually lighter and has fewer clouds while the sun brightens.

"Late Winter" - Watercolor landscape - 13" x 17"

The color scheme in this work carries the emotional content of the painting.  The composition is very like the original pencil sketch, which is shown below.   Since the sketch carried no color notes,  I was able to pour in colors that seemed to fit the mood more than reality.   Blue color dominates the painting as a metaphor on the end of winter “blues”.   The light and warm sky as it appears in the top of the work and as reflected in the bit of stream is the growing optimism in the knowledge that the snow will disappear as spring arrives with warmth and is promise of summer.

The original sketch is shown below.

Pencil sketch for "Late Winter"

Interested in this painting or any of my other work – contact me via email – mail@tonyconner.com; or by phone – 802-753-1156

My artists website - www.tonyconner.com My artists blog – http://tonyconner.wordpress.com/

My architectural illustration website – www.tc-ai.com My house portrait website – www.houseportraits.biz

"Early November"

A depiction of the light of early November on the leafless and wizend tree.  Trees, particularly weathered old trees are always inspiring to me. This work is a cousin of several other of my recent works, all of which are the genesis of two sketches – one in pencil and one in watercolor – done on Boston Common in June of 2003.

This painting began, as many of my paintings do, while perusing old sketchbooks.    While paging through, I again came across the pencil sketch from my trip to Boston.  As usual for me, the rugged, weathered look of the trunk was attractive.  The sort of tripod form of the main branches as they grow up and away along with the sense of the main trunk twisting over itself also caught my eye.

Often, upon finding an inspiring sketch, I’ll begin composing a new painting. In this case, I decided to create another pencil sketch using this sketch as the model for the new drawing.

This was last November.  I am very attracted to the quality of light in November.  It is clear and bright and yet is also obviously fading.  The shadows cast on a sunny November day are sharp but seem to have a transparency that is different from other times of the year. In the painting, I wanted to capture the sense of November light as well as the character of this old tree.

The new pencil sketch is shown below.

In the sketch, I tried to create a new tree, but wanted to retain the sense of twisting trunk and the tripod form of the  main branches.   Once complete, the sketch remained near my easel for some time while I considered  it’s possibilities as a finished painting.  Obviously, the sketch was turned into a painting, the one featured on this post.

As I mentioned, this work is the cousin of several others.  One in particular , “Prairie Oak“, has had particular success in juried exhibits – it is shown below.

“Prairie Oak“

Interested in either of these paintings or any of my other works – contact me via email – mail@tonyconner.com; or by phone – 802-753-1156

My artists website - www.tonyconner.com

My architectural illustration website – www.tc-ai.com My house portrait website – www.houseportraits.biz

“Equinox Road“

20″ x 27″

My painting, “Equinox Road” has been accepted into the 11th Biennial North American Open Exhibition of the New England Watercolor Society.  There were 418 works submitted by watermedia artists from all over the United States.  One hundred works were accepted.  It is a thrill to be included in this prestigious show.

The exhibit will be open from September 19 through November 2 at the South Shore Art Center, 119 Ripley Road, Cohasset, Massachusetts. The public is invited to the Opening Reception & Awards Ceremony which will be held on Friday, September 19 from 6:00 to 8:00pm.

I wrote about the process of creating this painting back in April of this year.  That post can be seen here. It includes information on the germination of the idea, exploration of compositions and the final creation of the actual work.

Vermont Crafts Council Open Studio Weekend - Memorial Day Weekend, May 24 & 25 – 10am – 5pm

Once again, my studio along with more than 280 others will be open to the public on Memorial Day Weekend. This is my third year participating in this event. I look forward to hosting old and new friends along with meeting new people who visit over the course of these two days.

This year I’ll be showing many new works that have been completed over the fall and winter along with other recent work – and a few of my favorite older ones.

The studio has been spruced up and is ready for guests. If you don’t already know where it is, there are a number of ways to find the studio:

Looking for the big yellow signs with studio #58 on them

Print out a Vermont Crafts Council map and artists info for all participating Bennington County artists and crafters

Open this Google Map of my studio location and get directions from your location to the studio

Call me in the studio – 802-753-1156- or email me mail@tonyconner.com

Look forward to seeing you on Memorial Day weekend.