Painting a nocturne

Fresh paint - just finished

Painting a nocturne is a challenging proposition for the oil painter who is used to painting realistically. The problem arises with the fact that things are dark at night and therefore making it virtually impossible to get usable reference. And even if you manage to get reference through long exposures or some other means, representing it in a painting that's meant to portray the night accurately would result in a painting with very little details.  It would necessarily need to be predominantly black or very nearly so.

So, the reality is, lighting and details in nocturnes aren't exactly natural.  However, successful nocturnes are believable because our minds imagine the moonlight to be much brighter than it could ever be (I think I read somewhere that moonlight is something like 20,000 times weaker than sunlight).  That reality aside, if we start with a reference with strong overhead lighting (like mid-day), and paint it with a darker sky and less contrast, we can trick the mind into substituting the sun with the moon since we tend to think of the moon as shining directly from the middle of the sky. Of course, we also have to create an overall bluish hue as we tend to think of nighttime as being cooler than daylight.  I've found a great way to do this is through the use of glazes (that's right, it's plural, glazes, usually more than one).  You can get an overview of how I do that by watching the short YouTube video below.

The full project is included in my Advanced Oil Painting Techniques and Tactics course, found here.

I also have the full project broken out of the course in case you're interested in the step-by-step project alone. It can be found here.

A complete listing of all the courses I currently have available can be found at simpleapproachoilpainting.com

"Midnight Snack"
Oil on Canvas
28"x22"
Available

Art and Life 02

Art and Life 02

In this episode, I discuss underpainting with flake white and then later, take time to enjoy a Friday night fire pit with my wife...

"SUNSET ON LIBERTY" new oil painting by Mike Callahan

"Sunset on Liberty"

Oil on Canvas

12"x 16"

While the title of this painting could be considered a commentary on the current state of things in this country, it's not meant to be. I've tried to remain apolitical in my posts and focus on painting and this is not a departure from my policy.  This cityscape is a view of Liberty Street in Reno looking West at sundown.  Cityscapes have and continue to be a challenge to me; I haven't fully landed on a means of employing my style to my satisfaction and therefore will be challenging myself with more cityscapes in the future...

"ART AND LIFE 01" video log by Mike Callahan

Art and Life 01

I'm trying something new this year; from time to time I'm going to post a minimally edited video where I'll talk about my ideas and biases regarding art, painting and life in general.  This is the introductory one.  I hope you enjoy it!  Mike

"DEEP ROOTS" New Oil Painting by Mike Callahan

"Deep Roots"

Oil on Arches Paper

18"x 24"

There was a time a few years ago when I was a "Daily Painter". That is, I painted one small painting every day. Such an endeavor is a great discipline and I recommend any serious painter try it for 30 days at least. It gives you much more confidence and directness in your painting and it forces you to become very efficient in your execution. This translates to larger work after the discipline has been established and you will be amazed at how quickly and efficiently you are able to produce paintings.

However, once you have attained that, it is an equally beneficial discipline to slow yourself down and create a "slow painting" once in a while. That is to say, take your time, make sure your composition works, observe your subject, look for subtleties, tackle a difficult lighting situation and focus on light values, ponder each stroke, scumble, glaze and enjoy the process. You will probably be very pleased with the result!

The two final paintings in my Pacific coast series

"The Coast is Clear"

Oil on Paper

18" x 24"

This my fifth Pacific coast painting...and here is the sixth:

"Crash"

Oil on Paper

18" x 24"

These paintings will be exhibited soon and I'll let you know the details in a future blog post...

(click their titles to view these at a larger size) 

"JOHN YOUSSI" New Original Oil Painting by Mike Callahan

"John Youssi"

Oil on Canvas Panel

16" x 12"

Every now and then the light catches my eye in such a way that I am compelled to paint it. That's how it was earlier this summer when my good friend John Youssi came out to pizza with my wife and me. The sun was hitting his face just so that I knew it would make a great painting so I pulled out the old smart phone and snapped a couple of reference shots saying, "nevermind me, keep talking" so as to maintain as natural and candid pose as possible... 

"THE MEETING PLACE" New, Original Oil Painting by Mike Callahan

"The Meeting Place"

Oil on Paper

22" x 30"

This my fourth Pacific coast in a series of six I have planned and I've called it "The Meeting Place" not because I or anyone I know have met anyone there but because to me it seems so representative of the concept of the Land meeting the Sea... 

"RHYTHM OF THE SEA" New Original Oil Painting by Mike Callahan

"Rhythm of the Sea"

Oil on Paper

18" x 24"

I'm really loving the surface properties of the Arches Oil Paper and I've painted another Pacific coast piece.  I've titled it so because as I was painting it, I realized that I was applying my strokes rhythmically and the result was a feel of movement in the water (or so it seems to me anyway)... 

"ANXIOUS" New Original Oil Painting by Mike Callahan

"Anxious"

Oil on Linen

24" x 30"

I've been working on this one on and off for a while.  I painted most of it last November, but have been fussing with the perspective a bit.  I wanted to paint a figurative piece with a bit more narrative than works done in the past.  We had a beautiful model pose for our painting group last summer and I shot some photos, but I had to find background reference and a public bench reference and then was challenged with making it look like nighttime...blah, blah, blah...anyway, here's the final piece... 

"PACIFIC CLIFFS" New Original Oil Painting by Mike Callahan

"Pacific Cliffs"

Oil on Paper

22" x 30"

Back in April my wife and I took a short trip up the California coast. We were lucky this time of year to get some absolutely wonderful weather, sunshine and no fog. As a result I was able to get some great photo reference for painting and this is my first painting from that trip; I call it "Pacific Cliffs" shot near The Sea Ranch. I've been wanting to try Canson's new Arches Oil Paper which is primed to accept oil so no gesso is required. I quite like it and am pleased with the results. Let me know what you think... 

"NEAR THE SUMMIT" New Original Oil Painting by Mike Callahan

"Near the Summit"

Oil on Canvas

18" x 24"

Here is my latest piece painted from reference shot in the fall near the Mt. Rose summit late in the day. I was really captivated by the late afternoon light hitting the tops of the trees as well as the subtle ambient light on the shaded rocks and snow... 

"WINTER CREEK" New Original Oil Painting by Mike Callahan

"Winter Creek"

Oil on Canvas

20" x 16"

Just thought I'd keep the Winter theme going a bit longer... I know, like you I'm getting antsy for Spring...it's coming! 

"WINTER MORNING SUNRISE" New, Original Oil Painting by Mike Callahan

"Winter Morning Sunrise"

Oil on Canvas

18" x 24"

When in doubt, make it up...sort of! This is one of the many awesome sunrises I get to see when I actually look outside in the morning when I get up to paint. The photo just doesn't do it justice in the least so I decided to try to capture the wonder of it on canvas. As you can see however, an awesome sunrise isn't going to translate all that well with my side fence and barbeque grill in the foreground. I wanted to balance the sky drama with a little something in the foreground albeit a very dark value. I decided to just wing it on my canvas without any reference. I was able to easily place a stream and some brush in the foreground on account there wouldn't be much detail required due to the subdued lighting, however, I wasn't able to pull off a very realistic reflection at first. I went online and did an image search of streams and rivers to observe how low light actually reflects. I didn't find anything too close to what I intended, however, just studying reflections in general gave me enough understanding to pull off the one I made up in my painting.

SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT

I have a very special announcement and I'm asking for your help. In return for your help I have some awesome original art for you! Many of you have been asking for online video training and I'm in the process of making that happen. As many of you know I started the High Sierra Art Academy in Reno this year, but that still leaves many people out who live far away or have schedules that won't permit them to attend, so I have decided to take all the content from my academy courses plus much more and put them into a first-rate, affordable and convenient membership web site. I have found a great team of people to work with to get the framework in place and the only thing I need is a bit more time and a bit more money! The time I can come up with easily, the money will be a little harder to come up with - but that's where you can help. I've started a crowdfunding project on indiegogo and if you can afford to contribute as little as $10, I have some great perks to offer you! And if you can't afford to contribute monitarily, you can still help by sharing my project with all of your art-loving friends via email, facebook and twitter! Please take a look at my project video and details found here:

igg.me/at/simpleapproachart

or by clicking the video below

I'm offering some of my original oil paintings as perks, so if you ever wanted to own an original of mine here's your chance to get one for WAY less than retail, but hurry, perks are given on a first pledge, first reward basis! Click the link or video above now!

Thank you sincerely,

Mike

"SPRING FALLS" New Original Oil Painting by Mike Callahan

"Spring Falls"

Oil on Canvas

32" x 16"

When the  snow begins to melt in the Sierras and spring finally asserts a dominance over winter the runoff oftentimes creates some very dramatic waterfalls.  They say spring is coming early this year...let's hope so!

"SYCAMORE" New Original Oil Painting by Mike Callahan

"Sycamore"

Oil on Canvas

20" x 24"

I have always been intrigued by the warm winter light low on the horizon as it strikes the sycamore trees in their winter state bereft of leaves, so I thought I would challenge myself to paint one...

"AGAINST THE WALL" New Original Oil Painting by Mike Callahan

"Against the Wall"

Oil on Canvas

30" x 24"

This past summer my beautiful daughter Bri modeled for an open painting session at my art academy.  Prior to the session I asked her to pose for some photography in the alley behind the academy from which I would create a painting at a later date.  This is the result...

"BUT, I'M NOT FLYING" New Original Oil Painting by Mike Callahan

"...But, I'm Not Flying"

Oil on Linen

24" x 18"

My granddaughter is so darn cute! She's only three and she and her grandma had picked out some fairy wings on the Internet for her. She waited anxiously for them to arrive asking if they came yet each time she came to visit. The finally arrived and she was so excited to try them out. Her grandma helped her put them on and she immediately began to run around the house, then she stopped, twisted herself trying to see them and asked her grandma if they were on all the way. Her grandma said, yes, they are on all the way. To which she looked at her grandma puzzled and said, "...but, I'm not flying!"

Her auntie got a shot of her with her i-phone right at that moment and it was such an adorable shot I asked her if I could paint it. She agreed and here is my effort.

p.s. her hair really is that long!

"EVENTIDE" - New Original Oil Painting by Mike Callahan

"Eventide"

Oil on Linen

24" x 20"

I've been looking a lot lately at the works of William Adolphe Bouguereau and how he was able to portray such luminous skin.  I had this nice pose from a model so I decided to see if I could approximate something akin to Bouguereau.  I'm quite sure I have fallen far short of that objective, but here is my attempt.