Bridges Florence July 24, 2008

Acrylic on Canvas 20” x 16”

This is the final stage of the under painting. Finishing the lower shops was a lot of work, but I enjoyed exploring all the details of the interior views of the windows with the shutters open. I found architectural details such as walls and stairways as well as drapes, lights and even a view all the way through to the store window in the front of the shop.

With this last section completed I went back over most of the piece with washes to adjust tones and color and refined several details. Many people have mentioned how much they like the sepia toned paintings, so I am going to do a print of this stage before I start adding color.

Hope you enjoy the process.

Bridges Florence July 22, 2008

Acrylic on Canvas 20” x 16”

I have now finished the under painting on the roof of the bridge and the upper shop windows and walls. Again, paying close attention to the individual shutters, tiles and porch details. The different colorations on the shutters are in anticipation of their final colors. Working on this picture has caused me to start seeing more details in the construction of the early turn of the century buildings in our area.

Well, one more row of windows to paint them I’m on to adding color.

“Garlic Scape, Allium Sativum”

Acrylic on Gessoed Paper 5”x7” $95
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Rick@BulmanFineArt.com

Even with all the different flowers blooming in the garden I am still fascinated by the garlic.

We grow several different types including this subspecies: Ophioscorodon, with its wonderful, characteristic 270 degree curl. It’s a very useful plant with its attractive blue green foliage, unusual flower spikes and edible bulbs and flower tops or scapes.

It is also an insect repellent so we grow it all over the gar5den. One of my favorites is a “top setting” variety that produces small cloves instead of flowers; these can be picked and broadcast over wide areas. Interestingly, the cloves are not true bulbs, but clusters of leaves. Another oddity is that they are planted in late fall for harvest the next summer.

We’re working on reaching garlic self sufficiency but we use so much it’s hard to do. We use the dried cloves in many dishes and put the scapes in the blender with olive oil for use in cooking or whatever. One of my favorites is a piece of toasted sour dough bread with a little olive oil and butter rubbed with a fresh clove of garlic; the bread acts like a grater and it produces the wonderful garlic bread.

“Orange Nasturtium, Tropaeolium”

Acrylic on Gessoed Paper 6”x6” $95
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Rick@BulmanFineArt.com

I’m happy to be back to painting after a very busy week. I worked on a 3 day show at a park about an hour south of here, completed 4 new pastels for a plein-air invitational show and packed and sent 50 pieces to a new gallery in Atlanta and also had a dear friend from Alaska come and spend a few days!

Everywhere you look in the garden now there is something blooming. This week there are lots of shades of purple, red and pink in the flowers of the Rose Campion, Lambs Ear, Astilbe and the elegant Clematis vines.

The nasturtiums are growing and blooming profusely in a variety of colors. A cheerful looking plant originally from South America, the make a good cut flower and young leaves, flowers and unripe seed pods add a peppery flavor and beautiful color to salads.

“Orange Asiatic Lily”

Acrylic on Gessoed Paper 6”x6” $95
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Rick@BulmanFineArt.com

It is a warm and misty day with a soft rain falling off and on since the big thunder storm last night. This will be good for the garden after our stretch of warm weather.

This lily is the same one that I painted last time but after doing a similar painting in white I added color washes heightened with translucent white. This layering of the colors produces some wonderfully rich color and depth. I use the same technique in a lot of my paintings usually starting with a sepia under painting to build the black and white layer on.

As I have mentioned before, the deer love to eat the lilies; but fortunately we have enough in the garden for both the deer and us to eat as well as some for cutting. The thick, succulent petals have a sweet, nutty flavor and are exceptional in salads. They are also interesting with pasta and mushrooms. Some folks use the 2-3 inch long flower buds of daylilies as a substitute for asparagus.

“Black and White Asiatic Lily”

Acrylic on Gessoed Paper 7”x5” $95
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Rick@BulmanFineArt.com

A bright orange Asiatic lily, it is one of the easiest to grow and earliest to bloom. We grow three or four different types successfully. Unfortunately the deer love the blossoms so depending on their activity we sometimes miss many of the blossoms. One large pregnant doe has recently been regularly moseying through the garden just eating flowers and strawberries. Some years they never touch the lilies, some years they eat them all!

I used a couple of small brushes and a semi-transparent white paint, applying it thicker for the highlights and thinned down for the shadow areas leaving the black background for the darkest lines. The thick petals are sprinkled with an elegant pattern of small black spots.

“Big Leaf Maple Seeds”

Acrylic, Pen and Ink on Rag Paper 5”x8” $95
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Rick@BulmanFineArt.com

These are the green seeds of our native Big Leaf Maple, a deciduous tree that grows all around the area. It has beautiful large leaves in summer some 15” wide or larger. It has spectacular fall color and in winter the bare silvery branches contrast with the evergreen firs and cedars. The tawny winged seeds hang in long chainlike clusters and fall spiraling to the ground in fall and early winter.

These were fun to draw and paint because of the unusual angular stems. I rarely get an opportunity to draw any straight lines or hard angles when working with plants. We are having warm and sunny days and the spring blooming plants are all setting seeds and the summer blooms are starting up in force.

Happy Summer

“Pastel Bearded Iris”

Acrylic on Rag Paper 7”x5” $95
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Rick@BulmanFineArt.com

I found this iris growing under some raspberry bushes while doing cleanup recently. Because it had grown in shade it had these amazing subtle pastel tones and large delicate petals. The opalescent effect was stunning. Many of the iris we grow have been bred and developed by local growers who pass the plants down through generations of gardeners.

The iris laevigata are blooming like crazy now, but most of the bearded iris have been done for more than a week so this was an exciting find.

“Golden Sage”

Acrylic on Gessoed Paper 7”x5” $95
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Rick@BulmanFineArt.com

This is a very hardy bush that has grown in the garden for many years. It seems never to be affected by the weather; neither hot dry spells nor cold heavy snow. The flower clusters look like several snap dragon blooms forming a ball. They are a bright yellow tinged with ocher, darkening to a rich golden tone as they age. Some have a thin light pink petal emerging from the “mouth” of the dragon. The thick sage green leaves have a distinctive fold near the end. It makes a great cut flower with the flowers lasting a week or more.

“Love In A Mist” - Nigella damascene

Acrylic on Gessoed Paper 7”x5” $95
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Rick@BulmanFineArt.com

This is the blue version of this species which is a Mediterranean native with 1-1 ½” blooms in pink, white and blue. The fine threadlike leaves cover the foot tall plant and form a collar under the flowers, making the “mist”. It the fall it forms a large paper like, balloon shaped seed pod topped with five curling horns. It always gets lots of comments from visitors to the garden. This is an old fashioned favorite that grows in almost any climate and has seeded itself all over the yard.

This was a very complex flower so I did a study of the petals, about 24, the unusual center with the horns and the small pollen holders that are suspended from thin lines originating at the center of the flower. I then did a detailed drawing with a hard lead pencil before starting painting. The blue flowers range in shade from light to dark blue to a purple tone and I used ultramarine blue with a violet wash, lightly touched with white to capture the unique color of this bloom.

Happy Summer Solstice!

Bridges Florence - June 18th, 2008

Acrylic on Canvas 20” x 16”

At this point I have added another layer of paint to the stonework on the Ponte Vecchio. Although everything is in dark shade I have paid attention to the details in the stone and the support beams for authenticity.

These dark areas framed the scene below and gave me a nice tone to work from as I adjusted the light and dark areas on the rest of the picture. This has really given the bridges more structure and much more texture to the bank areas.

I’m excited about starting work on detailing the shops with their unique features and details.

Bridges Florence - Ponte Vecchio

Acrylic on Canvas 20” x 16”

This picture shows the laying in of the stones on the Ponte Vecchio, the first bridge in the picture. On closer examination of the reference photo I noticed more detail in the stones and several support beams for the overhanging shops. Although they will be in dark shadow I wanted to include them for authenticity and detail. As soon as I finished working on the stones I noticed changes that needed to be made to the lower bridges and water so I worked over them adding more tone and detail. At this stage I am mostly painting with 1/8-1/16” wide round brushes and using the tip of an exacto knife to pick out crisp edges and bright highlights. It’s a technique I borrowed from watercolor painting and is a good way to achieve these effects without the use of white paint. My friends sometimes tease me about having spent hours putting paint on the canvas and then scraping it all off but it is really only the small highlighted areas. The painting is coming along great but I can see that I will need to add more paint to the stones because I want the bridge to act as a frame for the river scene.

Bridges Florence - Bridges and River Underpainting

Acrylic on Canvas 20” x 16”

This shows the lower bridges and river under painting mostly finished. I used the same mix of blue and brown paints with three or four sizes of small brushes. Next, I’ll finish the under painting on the upper bridge and, then go back and touch up the lower section. I’m very pleased with how the reflections are turning out.

Purple Oriental Iris

Acrylic on Gessoed Paper 7”x5” $95
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Rick@BulmanFineArt.com

All of the irises are now blooming madly but the rain is playing havoc with them. They become so heavy with the collected water that they fall over in the slightest breeze. The combination of symmetry and asymmetry in these flowers always intrigues me; the first repetition of three petals, three falls and three yellow central stripes. All of these have slightly different forms and details. This is a species of iris, Lavigatta, which is native to China, Korea and Japan. This plant loves moist acidic soil and so does quite well in our garden.

Pencil Drawing for Bridges Florence

Acrylic on Canvas 20” x 16”

This is the finished pencil drawing on canvas ready for painting. Since it is a medium size canvas I was able to draw in a lot of the details such as the window shutters and interior views. The bridges are: Ponte Vecchio, Ponte all Grazie, Ponte San Nicolo and Ponte Giovanni da Verazano.

Study for Bridges Florence

Color Pencil on Rag Paper 10” x 8” $195

This is the finished sketch. I used blunt tipped colored pencils to add color and shadows. With sharpened tips I was able to pick out the details. I enjoyed working on the subtle colors of the weathered shop walls and the individual windows with their green shutters. The perspective and atmosphere on the receding bridges was difficult to capture. I’m glad I worked things out with this drawing; it is going to be very helpful with the larger painting.

Study for Bridges Florence in progress

Color Pencil on Rag Paper 10” x 8”
Photo (June 02, 2008)

This in progress drawing is a study for an acrylic painting of the same subject. At this point I have the major shapes sketched in and have added color to the bridges and landscape. Next I will add more detail, shadows and more color. I started the piece with a graphite pencil sketch on buff rag paper and am using prismacolors to add the color. I like to do preliminary sketches for paintings; everything from thumb nails to pieces the same size as the painting. They really help me work out composition, color relationships and details for the final piece.

Florence, Italy and the Bridges

I am excited about working on this piece. It’s a fun composition with lots of depth; the elegant arches on the bridges and all the shop windows with their unique character are only a small part of this. I have drawn and painted “Ponte Vecchio” ( the oldest and most famous bridge in Florence, Italy spanning the Arno River) a few times before which is nice because I have some familiarity with its shapes and amazingly subtle colors. None of the other pieces were this large so it’s also nice to be exploring more details such as the window shutters and the soft blending of the wall colors.

You usually see views of this bridge from the side roads and the bridges on either side of it. I wanted a view from the river bank. Searching for a way down I saw that there was a very small bank and no access. Suddenly, I spotted a young couple having breakfast at a spot with enough room for just one table. I searched the storefronts but could not find any sign of a restaurant. About to give up, I spotted the same couple leaving through a small non-descript doorway. I peered in and found a beautiful old building with wonderful carpets and grand old woodwork. Walking in, I found that it was the Florence Rowing Club with meeting rooms, a hallway filled with trophies and a small coffee bar and restaurant. Some of the people stopped and looked but no one said anything so I walked through to the small lawn and was able to snap just a few pictures before a nice young Italian man, after confirming that I was not a member!, escorted me out. It was a little embarrassing but well worth it for the great pictures.

Oriental Poppy

Acrylic on Linen 6” x 6” $95
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Rick@BulmanFineArt.com

This is an example of a bright red poppy that grows on the south side of the house. A native of the Caucasus, Northern Turkey and Iran, it likes a cold winter chill to enable it to grow and bloom well here. It is among the leafiest of poppies with bushy, coarsely cut, foot long leaves.

The flowers are huge, measuring 6 to 8 inches across on long strong stems with a black spot at the base of each petal. They add a pleasant Mediterranean touch to this sunny part of the garden.

Flag Iris

Acrylic on Gessoed Paper 7”x5” $95
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Rick@BulmanFineArt.com

This iris grows in the local marshes, we planted some in the garden several years ago but they grow so fast and strong that we have decided to move them “up the hill” and out of the main growing areas. They don’t seem to care about soil or water and grow to 4 or 5 feet tall wherever you plant them. The sword like leaves and bright yellow flowe4rs look elegant blowing in the breeze.

Three Sunflowers

Acrylic on Linen 6”x6” $95
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Rick@BulmanFineArt.com

I

I’ve been painting sunflowers off and on for the past 30 years and never tire of them. Each form and flower has such distinct and individual personalities and they always seem so cheerful! These three are from one of the simpler forms of Helianthus but with a velvety black center that slowly turns bright yellow as the small pollen carrying flowers open.

They make great cut flowers and I always enjoy the large bouquets we get with all the different colors, sizes and shapes.

Blue Bearded Iris

Acrylic on Linen 6”x6” $95
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Rick@BulmanFineArt.com

The unusual color and angle of this flower attracted me to it. Instead of being upright, this bloom grew more horizontally, showing the top and inside view. Another local hybrid, we chose this iris for its warm earthy tons to contrast with the blue and pastel blooms on some of the other iris. The edges of the petals are a beautiful combination of dusty rose and bronze, fading to bright white in the center. I’m very pleased by how much movement and personality these flower paintings have.

Sunlit Iris

Acrylic on Linen 6”x6” $95
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Rick@BulmanFineArt.com

This is a tall, bearded iris with light blue “standards” with dark blue “falls”. Each fall has an adornment resembling a fuzzy caterpillar. It was purchased from a long time iris grower in Deming, Washington. She opened her fields a few days a week in the spring so you could choose your bulbs from the flowering examples and pick up your bulbs for planting in the fall.

White Iris

Acrylic on Linen 6”x6” $95
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Rick@BulmanFineArt.com

I was struck by the brilliance and strong structure of this white Dutch iris blooming next to a large cedar tree in the front yard. To draw them is almost a scientific experience, detailing each of the forms and structures. The three erect inner segments are petals and the horizontal outer segments are petal-lie sepals. These usually have a yellow stop at their center.

Dutch irises acquired their name from the hybrid bulbs developed by Dutch growers using plants originally from Spain, Portugal, Sicily and Northern Africa.

Pink and White Tulip

Acrylic on Linen 6”x6” $95
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Rick@BulmanFineArt.com

I’ve been watching this tulip grow and develop for the past week or so and am always impressed by how strong the blooms are. They last through all kinds of weather becoming fuller and more colorful.

Painting anything white is always a challenge and the more you look the more subtle colors you see. In this piece I used a strong dark background to emphasize the pleasant tones in the white petals and the reddish-pink ruffled edges. At only 2” tall I still found it to be a fascinating subject to paint.

Sunlit Iris

Acrylic on Linen 6”x6” $95
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Rick@BulmanFineArt.com

After 3 days of temperatures in the 80’s, very unusual for this area, the yard is a riot of spring colors. The Japanese, Dutch and bearded iris are beginning to bloom with their showy and complex structures. The flowers have fascinating shapes and colors and their translucent quality adds to some complex plays of light and shadow. This flower was an amazing color combination of mauve and ultramarine blue. I set it against a background of rich evergreens.

Tulip and Lilac

Acrylic on Linen 6”x6” $95
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Rick@BulmanFineArt.com

Tulips are one of the few bulbs that have managed to naturalize in our wet clay soil. We enjoy the wide variety of shapes and colors although the deer often eat many before they open!

This large yellow tulip is very distinctive with it’s brilliant red ruffled edges and full, firm petals. I particularly liked it against a background of deep purple lilacs, which is another heirloom variety we grow.

Purple and White Bachelor’s Button

Acrylic on Linen 6”x6” $95
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Rick@BulmanFineArt.com

The square format of my new linen sketch pad is leading to some interesting compositions. This purple bachelor button is a biennial in the northwest. We also grow a blue variety, both are great re-seeders. I always wondered why they are called bachelor’s buttons and recently found out that the blue varieties are a traditional favorite for boutonnieres. I did not use any white paint in this piece but used the bright canvas for highlights, a technique borrowed from watercolor and also used by the Impressionists in many of their paintings.

Pink Peony

Acrylic on Linen 6"x6" $95
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Rick@BulmanFineArt.com

This is another heirloom peony that has been passed around the county for yeqars. The spiraling petals remind me of a Mandela.

I painted this in acrylic on a Gessoed lined which takes a little longer than the watercolors but produces much richer tonalities. Viewed close up the flower is very loosely painted but viewed from a distance it becomes very three dimensional and realistic.

Quince Blossoms II

Watercolor 5”x7” $45
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Rick@BulmanFineArt.com

These are flowers from a “Smyrna” quince tree we planted in front of the house in 2003 and is now above 8’ tall, although I keep it trimmed back to about 6’.

Related to the pear, quince has been used as a food source since ancient times by many cultures and the “Smyrna” is an heirloom variety from Turkey. The twisted branches are attractive in winter followed by light green foliage and 2” wide light pink flowers in the spring. The early fall brings a crop of pear like, hard yellow fruits that are highly aromatic. We just discovered an ancient Roman recipe involving hollowing out the centers, filling it with honey and baking in a pastry shell. This Fall’s recipe.

Red Peony

Watercolor 7”x5” $45
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Rick@BulmanFineArt.com

This is an old fashioned peony that has been in my garden about 15 years. It was a gift from a friend who received the original plant from a long time local gardener. The large deep red blooms stand out nicely from the blue and yellow foliage. I used watercolor pencils for the majority of this painting with some added touches of tube and transparent watercolors.

Tulip Trio

Watercolor 7”x5” $45
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Rick@BulmanFineArt.com

These miniature tulips bloom in a warm and protected spot just outside my studio door. They have been early and strong bloomers for years and are always a bright welcome at the door. I used mostly the transparent watercolors on this to help capture the unusual and delicate color of the petals which are a combination of purples and pinks.

Purple and White Iris

Watercolor 7"x5" $45
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Rick@BulmanFineArt.com

This is one of my favorite color combinations in the “bearded” iris family. The large, lush blossoms appear in April and May and are a nice addition to the earlier bulbs. Many of my irises were bought from a woman in the county east of Bellingham. She spent many years caring for and developing her plants. This part of the Pacific Northwest is so good for growing bulbs that they export many bulbs from the area around the world.

It’s turning into a beautiful spring, but we have also set a new record for the latest snow date! Enjoy, Rick.

Bridge Arn

Hand Colored Etching #23/75 4" x 3"
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Rick@BulmanFineArt.com

This etching is based on sketches and photos I did on one of my first trips to Europe. My friends and I bought a VW van in Amsterdam and we traveled for 3 months visiting museums, towns, cities and archaeological sites. About half way through the trip we stumbled upon this charming medieval bridge on the River Art in France. Still in use carrying pedestrians and vehicles I was very impressed by how strong and well preserved it was. The well worn stone and brick were subtle shades of pink and white.

Fairhaven Firs II

Hand Colored Etching #37/125 7”x5” $125
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Rick@BulmanFineArt.com

This etching was done using a zinc plate with a photo sensitive coating, but instead of using a photo process I used my etching scribe to draw through the coating and then used an acid bath to etch the lines. This was drawn from life and the thin but strong ground gave me the opportunity to use fine flowing lined to describe the elegant forms in this old fir tree. This tree is one of several this size in a park close to my home, Fairhaven Park, established in the 1880’s.

I used transparent watercolors unique self blending quality to achieve the soft transition of colors in the sky and foliage.

Fall Day

Hand Colored Etching #28/100 10”x8” $250

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Rick@BulmanFineArt.com

It was a brisk and clear afternoon when I started this piece, a picture of a place where I used to play as a kid. It’s located in the Mojave Desert in Southern California. Our house was in a new development so two blocks away the houses and yards stopped and it turned into open desert for miles around. The poplar trees and bushes are part of a wind break for an old farm house about a quarter mile away. We build forts and tunnels and caught all kinds of snakes and lizards. There was also an amazing diversity of birds.

I used the transparent and tube watercolors and some “plate tone” to try and capture the pastel tones in the foliage and the strong shadows of the trunks and branches in the late afternoon sun.

Magnolia Trio

Watercolor 7”x5” $45
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Rick@BulmanFineArt.com

These are the classic “cup shaped” magnolias found all around the southern United States. I remember their subtle scent filling the springtime air when I traveled through that area. They are painted with the transparent watercolors only. I used a “Rose Madder” and “Wisteria Violet” to capture the beautiful tones in the petals.

This is one of my favorite trees in the neighborhood and it is blooming profusely this year. I painted these with a black background but left it white in the finished painting because of the great contrast with the intense colors.

Leaf Study

Watercolor 7”x5” $45
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Rick@BulmanFineArt.com

The strong abstract forms of this alpine poppy attracted me but I didn’t expect all the crazy, intricate twists and turns I discouvered while drawing and paintint it. I’m thinking it would make a great design for an etching. This hardy little poppy grows all over western Washington and British Columbia, Canada. It has an early and long lasting blooming season – mid April through October or November.

First Bloom

Watercolor 7”x5” $45
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Rick@BulmanFineArt.com

This was the first flower on this rose bush. A cutting from one of the oldest gardens in our little town. It bloomed after about a year! I like growing plants that have stood the test of time as we have conditions that are a real challenge to a lot of plants. Another piece with the transparent water colors with the addition of some water color pencils.

I think the light background shows off the delicate pink tones in the rose. A case of simple elegance.

Blue Ranunculus

7” x 5” $45.00
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Rick@BulmanFineArt.com

Ranunculus are an amazing plant – you would never expect such beautiful flowers could come from the dirt clod like rhizomes when you plant them! They are also a great touch of blue in the garden. A rich ultramarine blue with a touch of violet.

Indigo and Magnolias

Watercolor 8" x 5" SOLD

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Rick@BulmanFineArt.com

The magnolia trees are in full blossom now and look like big pink and white clouds floating in the garden. This it the second time I have painted their flowers and each time I see so much more subtlety in their colors. Lots of light turquoise blue, paynes gray, pinks and greens. I also noticed the strength of the stems holding up the full, heavy flowers.

I used a combination of black tube water color mixed with transparent indigo blue for the rich, dark background.

Three Sisters

Watercolor 7” x 5” $45

It wasn’t until after I finished this painting that I thought the tulips reminded me of three strong sisters sunning in the garden, each one similar but unique in their attitudes and postures. The other flowers are a white Andromeda with the red tips, grape hyacinth, and perhaps a “linum” with the yellow and black centers. I started this piece with a pretty detailed pencil drawing, drew over that with ink and then added color working from light to dark.

Spring Magnolia

Watercolor 7” x 5” $45

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Rick@BulmanFineArt.com

With the nighttime temperatures rising, the magnolias are blooming like crazy. If you stop and watch you can actually see the flowers opening. These blooms are from trees in my back garden and are surrounded by spring green garden colors. These made a great background for the painting. The flowers are hard to capture with their soft curves and opalescent colors.

Pink Calla Lily

Watercolor 7" x 5" $45

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Rick@BulmanFineArt.com

This is one of the most ‘tropical’ looking flowers we grow. With its unusually shaped and colored blossoms and lush dark foliage it always makes me think of Hawaii. The brilliant pinks in the flower were mostly done with transparent watercolors. Enjoy.

Floral Mix

Watercolor 7" x 5" $45

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Rick@BulmanFineArt.com

Combining daffodils with white and blue hyacinths gives this painting a lot of color and a variety of shapes. It is painted with a combination transparent and tube watercolors with prisma color pencils to add more color and detail.

Spring Lily II

Spring Lilly II Watercolor 7" x 5" $45

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Rick@BulmanFineArt.com

Another studyt of beautiful spring lilies, using a strong pencil line a a combination of tube and transparent watercolors.

Spring Lily I

Watercolor 7" x 5" $45

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Rick@BulmanFineArt.com

I am always excited by the shapes in lily blossoms. Their petals explode from the center of the flower in a whirlwind of color and form. They remind me also of Leonardo's studies of lilies for his painting of the Anunciation.

March Morning

Watercolor 7"x5"

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A fun combination of red, yellow and blue. I liked the contrast between the yellow sunflower and the purple-blue iris flower and also the contrast between the and the background.

The Borrowed Bouquet

Watercolor 5" x 7" $120

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This piece is a more developed version of my flower paintings and resulted from a chance encounter with a friend who showed me a mixed bouquet they just got. I was so impressed that I asked to borrow it for a day.

Andromeda

Watercolor 7" x 5" $40

Lots of things are blooming in the garden now and Andromeda is one of my favorites. It even has a beautiful name! I used a combination of tube and transparent watercolors on this piece. I am very pleased with the light and airy effect in the flowers and leaves.