Gifts of Asia

Posted on August 25, 2023

“When the peonies bloomed, It seemed as though there were no flowers around them.”

— Kiitsu

A few of my favorite things . . . peonies, a blue willow dish, and a beautiful fan. I love how the composition spills from the back to front with a staccato note of red.

Gifts of Asia
Framed painting: $1,200 plus shipping
(12 x 16 inches, oil on panel)

The Art of a Brushstroke

Posted on July 18, 2023

Detail: Prayers for Ukraine, oil 8 x 10.

A brushstroke is a splotch of paint, but it also shows the personality and thought process of the artist. Have you ever wished you could follow along with an artist in their studio? Investigate the brushstrokes of a master painting and it is like seeing the footsteps and movements of a dancer . . . each movement created for a specific reason. Thick and thin, energetic and calm, all of these strokes can establish not only the foundation of a painting but set the mood as well.

 

Detail: The Japanese Vase, oil 8 x 10.

8 tips for better brushstrokes:

1. Use more paint. Load the brush to allow the juicy paint to show–especially in the focal area. Often when first learning to paint artists are too miserly with the amount of paint that they mix and place on the brush.

Pansies, 6 x 6, oil on panel.

2. Create contrast with thin paint. Use thin paint in the background or in other areas to create polarity and interest by  juxtaposing thick and thin passages. Drippy paint thinned with Gamsol can create some interesting effects.

3. Start with a big brush. Lay the foundation by starting with the largest brush. This will help to nail down the big picture (foundation) and delay the details. Starting a painting is like building a home. The foundation must happen first before picking out the details or the house will not be built with integrity. Start painting the large shapes with large brushes and then use smaller brushes to add more nuances. (Try this painting exercise: force yourself to use the biggest brush you can to start with.)

4. Use a variety of brushes. Learn and experiment with different types of bristles and shapes: synthetics, natural fibers, stiff ones (hog hair), soft ones (sable), flats, filberts, new brushes, and even old battered brushes. Experiment with them all and get to know what you can do with them. An old, splayed out brush can make some interesting marks!

5. Use different directions. Don’t apply all the brushstrokes in one direction . . .altering the direction will add interest. For example: vertical, horizontal, following with the form or not.

6. Use the sides and tops of your brush. Using the top edge or the side of a brush can give the stroke a different look when using the same brush. For example, flat brushes can give you thin lines if you use the top edge to apply paint. Filbert brushes have the advantage of being both a flat and a round brush depending on how you angle the brush.

7. Make each stroke count. Look twice and put once. Think about what you are trying to convey with the paint before you put it down. Master painters of the past have often been described as holding their brushes above the canvas and pausing before placing the stroke.

8. Put it and leave it. Don’t kill the paint but allow it to sing! A bad stroke applied with confidence will look better than noodling or licking the canvas (going over the same area and messing with it.) Either leave the stroke or scrape it off with a knife and then reapply.

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Try this for a practice Idea: Create a small painting as you normally would. Then paint it again on another canvas (same size) but this time think about density, opacity, shape, size, energy, three-dimensionality, visual direction (with the form or not), and varying the force used to apply the paint. Create polarity between the focal area and the background by adding more interest in the focal point with thicker paint application and make the background thinner and more subtle.

Pink Profusion

Posted on June 27, 2023

The coneflower (echinacea) is a summer garden favorite and comes in a variety of colors. This daisy-like flower attracts butterflies and birds with its seeded dome-like center. Echinacea comes from the Greek word ekhinos, which means sea urchin or hedgehog.

If you have a sunny spot, they are easy to grow and will provide cheery blooms from June through fall. I love having them in my garden and I let some of the flowers go to seed to provide a snack for the goldfinches.

Pink Profusion
● Sold  (11 x 14 inches, oil on panel)

May Blossoms

Posted on May 13, 2023

“The flower offers a removed beauty that exists only for beauty, more abstract than it can be in the human being, even more exquisite. One may begin with the human figure at the logical and realistic, but in painting the flower one must even begin at the exquisite and distinguished.”

—Maria Oakey Dewing

 

After the dreary colorless winter, I too am a “ garden thirsty soul.”

May brings its own exquisite beauty in the garden. I love how my little corner of earth bursts forth with a riot of color and a profusion of subtle scents. The roses first bloom happen all at once and they are untouched from any Japanese Beetles. The peonies add to the marvelous chorus of blooms and their round blossoms are a fascination. Each flower in my garden in May seems to be a little diva demanding my attention!

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May Blossoms
(16 x 20 inches, oil on panel, collection of the artist.)

Keeping a Sketchbook

Posted on April 25, 2023

In January of this year, I joined other artists in participating in the Strada Easel 31-day Challenge of creating from life. This time I wanted to have some fun with watercolor. I love the fluid and freeing nature of this medium and I often take advantage of some of the spontaneous “accidents” that add beauty to a work.

Keeping a sketchbook is a great way to explore ideas and different media as an artist. It can also capture thumbnails and color schemes to help solve problems before painting a larger piece. Working every day, even for minutes, can help pay dividends as an artist. There is always something more to learn and explore!

Below is a sampling of some of the floral creations I created in watercolor for the Strada Easel Challenge.

 

Art in Bloom

Posted on March 22, 2023

 I am excited to share that juror Glen Kessler awarded Summer Symphony third place in the Art in Bloom show at the Martha Spak Gallery.

This wonderful floral inspired show runs from March 22 to April 30th and coincides with the Cherry Blossom Festival in Downtown D. C.

Martha Spak Gallery
The Wharf, 60 District Square, SW, Washington, DC 20024Summer Symphony
(16 x 20 inches, oil on panel)

 

Romance

Posted on February 14, 2023

Roses are the perfect gift to say “I love you!”

These blooms seem extravagant due to their fleeting nature and the soft petals and subtle scent just hint of romance. According to mythology, Aphrodite’s beauty was so intoxicating that roses sprang up where ever she walked.

Romance
● Sold  (12 x 12 inches, oil on panel)

January Strada Easel Challenge

Posted on January 1, 2023

One of my new year’s resolutions is to keep a daily sketchbook. I signed up for the January 2023  Strada Easel Challenge and this will help me to stay on track!

For each day in the month of January artists are to create in any medium working from life (no photos, computer screens or zoom) and post the image to instagram.  And the added bonus is, if an artist completes all the days in the challenge, he or she is entered into a drawing to win a Strada Easel.

For day one, I chose white carnations because they represent hope and renewal. If you would life to follow along check out my new instagram account at: @jillbrabantartist

 

Winter Walk

Posted on December 24, 2022

“Snow was falling so much like stars,
filling the dark trees, one could easily imagine that its reason for being was nothing more than prettiness.”

— Mary Oliver

Wishing you a peaceful and blessed Christmas season! May His light shine through and bring you renewal and happiness in the new year!

Winter Walk
● Sold (11 x 14 inches, pastel on panel)

 

Sunflowers and Carnations

Posted on November 16, 2022

“And the yellow sunflower by the brook,
in autumn beauty stood.”

— William Cullen Bryant

Sunflowers symbolize gratitude and are the perfect flower of autumn. The burgundy carnations pulled out some of the darker color notes I found in the Sunflowers and added a bit of contrast.

This November, I am thankful for family, friends and all of you who appreciate my humble art!

Sunflowers and Carnations
Framed painting: $1,100 plus shipping
(12 x 20 inches, oil on panel)