Summer Exhibition by Lyme Art Association (2008)

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Lyme Art Association
Lyme Art Gallery,
Old Lyme, Connecticut

The Summer Exhibition by Lyme Art Association was my second group exhibition. This significantly boosted my confidence because I was a newcomer to the Connecticut art scene. All of this was new to me, and I would be lying if I didn’t admit I was very nervous. Therefore, I was grateful to have Jennifer at my side, encouraging me.

Opening Reception (6-27-2008) – Summer Exhibition

The Summer Exhibition by Lyme Art Association held the opening reception on the 27th of June, 2008, from 6:00-8:00 PM, and over 200 guests attended the reception. Jennifer and I had the opportunity to meet and talk with David Leffel and his wife, Sherri McGraw. Specifically, we discussed my painting that they accepted into the exhibition.

The Field's Edge
“The Field’s Edge” by John O’Keefe Jr.

“Excellent graphics. I love the contrast between light and dark. Unanimously accepted.” ~ David Leffel

Meeting other Artists – Summer Exhibition

Later, I met Graham Scott, Photographer, and Advertising Director for ‘The Art Guide.’ Graham was the one who directed me to the Lyme Art Association after viewing my work several weeks ago, and his compliments and encouragement led me to join the association as an Associate Member. Thereafter, he introduced Jennifer and me to Diane Aeschliman (Elected Member and Board of Directors). Also, Anna Grenier congratulated me on being accepted into the exhibition. Anna is the Managing Director of the Lyme Art Gallery. Additionally, she said, “This was a tough show to get in. Out of more than 200 submitted paintings, the number accepted was 60.”

Jennifer and I met Barbara Lussier (Elected Member and Vice President of the Board of Directors). And before the reception ended, we had an opportunity to meet ‘Smiling’ Don, a lovely older gentleman who had previously modeled for artists. We had a friendly conversation about our previous careers (before art), and he wished us success on this adventure.

Lastly, we met the Director of Sculpture for the Hudson Valley Art Association. Subsequently, We discussed the steps required to become an elected member, and he said he would help start me on that process.

Overall the evening was inspiring and fun, and I received many commendations for my work. And people said they looked forward to seeing more of me and my paintings.

About the Judges – Summer Exhibition

David Leffel publicity photograph
David Leffel

David A. Leffel has been internationally recognized as a “20th Century Old Master,” an honor that very few living American artists achieve. If we travel back to the 17th century Dutch Masters, most notably Rembrandt, who casts a powerful shadow on Leffel’s work, not only the shades of history but the artist’s immediacy that awakens us to his brilliance. Leffel is said to be a true master of chiaroscuro, not only with his shadow and light but with brilliant visual concepts. David Leffel is highly sought after not only as an artist but highly respected as an “Artist who Teaches.” Lyme Art Association is proud to welcome Mr. Leffel. 1, 2

Sherri McGraw publicity photograph
Sherri McGraw

Sherri McGraw is a highly accomplished artist who firmly believes in developing as an artist through observation. She doesn’t encourage any mechanical means, such as measuring systems, to provide the artists to capture a likeness or the essence of an object. The artist must observe through visual relationships for creative expression. Ms. McGraw was born in Wichita, Kansas, and raised in Ponca City, Oklahoma. She is considered a highly accomplished painter and master draughtsman. Her serious art studies took place at the famous Art Students League in N.Y.C. after five years of college. She is also a practitioner of Chiaroscuro’s “way of seeing.” She has exhibited both nationally and internationally. Also, she is the author of “The Language of Drawing from an Artist viewpoint.” The Lyme Art Association welcomes Sherri McGraw. 3, 4

Footnotes:

  1. Image of David Leffel from www.oldmastersmaroger.com.
  2. Bio information for David Leffel as printed on Lyme Art Association’s 2008 Summer Exhibit event brochure.
  3. Image of Sherri McGraw from www.oldmastersmaroger.com.
  4. Bio information for Sherri McGraw as printed on Lyme Art Association’s 2008 Summer Exhibit event brochure.

Annual Visual Arts Exhibit by Cheshire Art League (2008)

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2008 Annual Visual Arts Exhibit by Cheshire Art League at Cheshire Public Library.
Cheshire Public Library,
Cheshire, Connecticut

The 2008 Annual Visual Arts Exhibit by Cheshire Art League was my first art show. The exhibit was held at the Cheshire Public Library in a dedicated space.

Even Literature – Annual Visual Arts Exhibit

2008 Annual Visual Arts Exhibit event literature by the Cheshire Art League.
Event Brochure

Hanging and Receiving (4-2-2008) – Annual Visual Arts Exhibit

I volunteered to help hang the exhibit. In addition, my family, wife, and children also assisted with the hanging process. During the hanging, I met several artists I would get to know better in the coming years.

Annual Visual Arts Exhibit, Member artists hanging artwork for exhibit
Hanging
Annual Visual Arts Exhibit, Member artists hanging artwork for exhibit - group pose
Hanging Team
(from left to right)
Paul Miller, John MacKay, Jennifer O’Keefe,
John O’Keefe, Dale Spaner, Danielle O’Keefe,
Angela Orsene, Joan Shackford,
and Joshua O’Keefe (taking the picture)

Award Ceremony and Reception (4-9-2008) – Annual Visual Arts Exhibit

With great excitement and anticipation, we arrived early for the award ceremony and reception. There were about 40 people in attendance. As a result, I met and talked with many people, including some artists in the exhibit. During the evening, I received an award and cash prize for my painting, “River Through the Adirondacks.” My family and I had a good time at the 2008 Annual Visual Arts Exhibit by Cheshire Art League.

'River Through the Adirondacks' by John O’Keefe Jr
“River Through the Adirondacks” by John O’Keefe Jr.
Annual Visual Arts Exhibit, John posing with award next to wining painting
John O’Keefe Jr. and “River Through the Adirondack’s”

Meet the Judge (4-30-2008) – Annual Visual Arts Exhibit

John O'Keefe and Dianne Gorrick
John O’Keefe Jr. and Dianne Gorrick

“Technique and brushwork with attention to detail outstanding. The use of the difficult color green is well executed. Distance – good 3D effect. Hudson River School quality.” ~ Dianne Gorrick

About the Judge – Visual Arts Exhibit

Professional artist Dianne Gorrick
Dianne Gorrick

Artist Dianne Gorrick’s formal education in the visual arts includes a Bachelor’s Degree from Purdue University and a Master’s Degree from Wesleyan University.

She is the recipient of two National Endowment Fellowships; a research grant concerning the Hudson River School of Painters and a fellowship to attend Dartmouth College, where she studied the art and culture of New England.

A painter and teacher with over thirty years of experience in the visual arts, Ms. Gorrick is represented in many private and public collections, including a prestigious sculpture installation for the Russell Library in Middletown, Ct. A lengthy exhibition history includes the Wadsworth Athenaeum, the New Britain Museum, the Slater Museum, and the Ward-Nasse Gallery, SoHo, N.Y.C.

Ms. Gorrick is an elected artist at the Mystic Art Center and the Essex Art Association. She is a member of the Ct. Plein Air Painters Society and the Lyme Art Association. Working in oils and watercolors, landscapes are the artist’s favorite subject matter. 1

Footnotes:

  1. Biography information for Dianne Gorrick from her website.

Tutorial “Old Olive Tree Path” by John O’Keefe Jr.

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Old Olive Tree Path by John O'Keefe Jr.

This was my 11th painting. This painting was a direct study of an old Victorian engraving. It had been several weeks since I last painted, and I wanted a miniature warm-up painting. Trees have been a little difficult for me until now, so I decided this study would be about trees. Please enjoy my tutorial “Old Olive Tree Path” by John O’Keefe Jr.

Composition and Materials – “Old Olive Tree Path”

Old Olive Tree Path, Victorian engraving

When I came across the Victorian engraving below, I knew it was the scene I wanted to paint. I researched the Internet for color photographs of olive trees for a good color reference. The clouds I used are from a photograph that Jennifer had taken one afternoon in our neighborhood. The painting is relatively small at 8 x 10 inches.

  • Support: Pre-Stretched & Mounted Medium Textured Cotton Canvas (Acrylic Primed)
  • Size: 8 x 10 inch
  • Medium: Winsor & Newton Artist Oils Professional Grade Oil Paints
    (Ivory Black, Titanium White, French Ultramarine Blue, Sap Green, Raw Sienna, and Burnt Sienna)
  • Finish: Winsor & Newton Dammar varnish.

Step-By-Step Tutorial – “Old Olive Tree Path”

Day 1

Old Olive Tree Path - Day 1

I always begin a landscape painting with the sky. I knew a large group of trees would be on the right side of this scene, so as you can notice, I did not paint any clouds in that area; only the blue sky is visible on the right. After the sky and clouds looked complete, I blocked in the foreground the large body of water and the remote peninsula.

Day 2

Old Olive Tree Path - Day 2

Once satisfied with the background elements of the painting, I started adding the trees and shadows.

Day 3

Old Olive Tree Path - Day 3

Now I’m focused on painting the trees. I was attempting to follow the engraving as closely as possible. The Victorian engraving was perfect for the Hudson River School style of painting that I’m trying to develop.

Day 4

Old Olive Tree Path - Day 4

The distant tree on the right was painted darker so there would be a noticeable contrast between it and the closest tree. I think the effect was working nicely at this point.

Day 5 (Digital Edits)

Old Olive Tree Path - Day 5 digital edits

Using my computer, I created this digital update. Seeing minor changes on the computer is faster and less risky than updating the actual painting. The distant shoreline is more defined, the horizontal plane of the coastline now carries out into the ocean, and the forward right tree trunk now has more highlights so that it pops. More sunlight also passes through the tree leaves and branches, making a beautiful array of shadows on the ground.

Day 6

Old Olive Tree Path - Day 6

Day 6 was about implementing the digital edits from the previous day.

Finished Painting – “Old Olive Tree Path”

Old Olive Tree Path by John O'Keefe Jr., Framed
Old Olive Tree Path by John O'Keefe Jr., Displayed

I hope you enjoyed my tutorial “Old Olive Tree Path” by John O’Keefe Jr.

Tutorial “The Field’s Edge” by John O’Keefe Jr.

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The Field's Edge by John O'Keefe Jr.

“The Field’s Edge” was a milestone painting for me and my 10th painting. A professional artist once told me I should see a noticeable improvement in my ability after every ten paintings. He must have been right because this painting was the 10th oil painting I ever completed. Another factor that might have been at play was my daughter was seriously ill at the time with a life-threatening blood infection, and I might have been releasing all that stress and anxiety into the painting. Please enjoy this tutorial “The Field’s Edge” by John O’Keefe Jr.

Composition and Materials – “The Field’s Edge”

Painting tutorial for 'The Field's Edge' by John O'Keefe Jr. - reference material - cloud photograph by Jennifer O'Keefe

I’m a big fan of the Hudson River School painters, and because of this, I have been trying to develop similar skills in landscape painting. Also, the clouds in this scene are from my wife’s photograph and a picture from the wetcanvas.com reference library for the field and trees, and these combined to make a good composition for me.

I switched from Winsor & Newton Winton to Winsor & Newton Artist Oil Color and experienced a big difference in colors, mixing, and how the paint goes onto the canvas. Professional-grade oil paints are preferred over student-grade paints. I limited myself to a six-color pallet (see below) and used NO mediums; the paint was straight out of the tubes. The green of choice was Sap Green mixed with Titanium White or Ivory Black. Added to this was a little Raw Umber or Raw Sienna to add some earthy tones. Also, I added the sap green straight onto the canvas in the grass running across the middle of the painting. Of course, it had blended a little as I was painting wet on wet.

I put about 25 hours into this painting spread over five days: about 5 hours daily, including prep and clean up. Also worth mentioning is that I painted sitting under a 60-watt incandescent light bulb with not much natural outside light shining on the canvas as I worked.

  • Support: Pre-Stretched & Mounted Medium Textured Cotton Canvas (Acrylic Primed)
  • Size: 12 x 16 inch
  • Medium: Winsor & Newton Artist Oils Professional Grade Oil Paints
    (Sky/Clouds: Titanium White, Ivory Black, and Ultramarine Blue)
    (Landscape: Titanium White, Ivory Black, Sap Green, Raw Umber, Raw Sienna, Alizarin Crimson, and Napals Yellow)
  • Finish: Winsor & Newton Dammar varnish

Step-By-Step Tutorial – “The Field’s Edge”

Day 1

The Field's Edge - Day 1

I began this painting with the most distant objects: the sky and clouds. These were aggressive clouds that were very busy.

Day 2

The Field's Edge - Day 2

The clouds needed refinement, so I kept working with a blending brush until they flowed smoothly and improved the contrast between light and dark areas. However, at this point, things looked a little stormy.

Day 3

The Field's Edge - Day 3

Notice the final white highlights added to the clouds, removing the dark feel from Day 2. It now looks like a bright sunny day. I also added the ground and the beginning of the tree line, and I intended to have a powerful contrast between light and dark. Notice its effect when comparing the ground objects against the sky.

Day 4

The Field's Edge - Day 4

The big tree is complete, and now it’s time to work on the tree line to the right. I slightly modified each tree’s colors to make the multiple trees stand apart, and I added green to some and brown and red to others. The overall effect is to give a sense of many trees growing together. Adding the right amount of darkness to areas proved more difficult than I initially thought. I continued to make adjustments by increasing darker areas, such as under the trees.

Day 5

The Field's Edge - Day 5

It was a perfect sunny day. The puffy clouds and the darker patches are nothing more than deep shadows. There was not a drop of rain in the sky that day. Furthermore, I have been working on achieving the correct/accurate balance between light and dark areas in my landscape paintings, and it’s incredible how much of both are present even on a very sunny day. When I would sit at the end of the day and review my painting against the reference photo, I noticed how much lighter my painting seemed. I had not put enough contrast between light and dark objects.

The painting became more realistic as I continued to retouch those lighter areas by adding more shadows. Also, I have seen many paintings that do not have enough contrast between objects, and these paintings always seem to be missing something to me; they lose depth and appear flat. For example: Instead of using darker green for shadows under the trees, I saw a more realistic painting emerge when I painted straight black into those areas. I’m learning not to be so afraid of using darks.

Finished Painting – “The Field’s Edge”

The Field's Edge by John O'Keefe Jr., Framed
The Field's Edge by John O'Keefe Jr., Displayed

I hope you enjoyed this tutorial “The Field’s Edge” by John O’Keefe Jr.

Tutorial “Peaceful Connecticut Valley in Autumn” by John O’Keefe Jr.

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Peaceful Connecticut Valley in Autumn by John O'Keefe Jr.

This was my fourth oil painting and first original composition. Using pencil and paper, I roughed out this simple sketch. I decided to use a canvas size of 12×16. Before this painting, I would select colors from a large pallet of oil paints in my studio and do a little mixing of colors. However, this painting was my first time using a limited color pallet. Please enjoy my tutorial “Peaceful Connecticut Valley in Autumn” by John O’Keefe Jr.

Composition and Materials – “Peaceful Connecticut Valley in Autumn”

Peaceful Connecticut Valley in Autumn, Composition Sketch
Composition sketch
  • Support: Pre-Stretched & Mounted Medium Textured Cotton Canvas (Acrylic Primed)
  • Size: 12 x 16 inch
  • Medium: Winsor & Newton Winton Student Grade Oil Paints
    (Ultramarine Blue, Viridian, Cadmium Yellow Deep, Titanium White, Raw Umber, Cadmium Red, and Lemon Yellow)
  • Finish: Winsor & Newton Dammar varnish

Step-By-Step Tutorial – “Peaceful Connecticut Valley in Autumn”

(Note: The progress photos are not the best quality concerning accurate color representation. However, the finished painting photos represent the actual colors.)

Day 1

Peaceful Connecticut Valley in Autumn - Day 1

Using a medium-sized brush, I blocked in the sky, distant land features, near land features, and the initial layer of the dirt road.

Day 2

Peaceful Connecticut Valley in Autumn - Day 2

The painting had too many blues, so I changed the sky colors, distant left features, and the field. I blocked in, using raw umber, my hills to the left and right, and added details to the dirt road, such as the wagon tracks. Finally, I began to add lighting and shadows across the field and the road.

Day 3

Peaceful Connecticut Valley in Autumn - Day 3

It was time to add the house and the smaller trees next to it. In front of a large field was the house. To the left and right are small trees and shrubs.

Day 4: Composition Ideas for Adding Trees

I originally intended to add trees to this painting; however, after the trial runs, I was unsure about adding them. The final oil painting does not have trees. One day (If I do not varnish the painting first), I may add trees when I feel more comfortable creating them.

Peaceful Connecticut Valley in Autumn - John's composition ideas 1
Computer experimentation with trees
Peaceful Connecticut Valley in Autumn - John's composition ideas 2
Painted glass overlay with trees.

Day 4: Lighting Adjustments

I changed the field beyond the house to a body of water and added light and shadow along the road, envisioning the sun setting and casting long shadows. I painted the shoreline along the far side to make the water look believable.

However, after looking at this painting for a while, I was not pleased with the lighting along the sides. Using my computer, I played around with various lighting changes. I wanted to get the setting sun reflected in the foreground hills to the left and right. My final concept is with a before (Day 4 painting) / after (Day 4 digital edits) image.

Peaceful Connecticut Valley in Autumn - Day 4 animation
Before/After Animation.

Day 5

Peaceful Connecticut Valley in Autumn - Day 5

The changes from Day 4 are in this final picture.


Finished Painting – “Peaceful Connecticut Valley in Autumn”

Peaceful Connecticut Valley in Autumn, Framed
Peaceful Connecticut Valley in Autumn, Desplayed

I hope you enjoyed my tutorial “Peaceful Connecticut Valley in Autumn” by John O’Keefe Jr.