Crafting a CD Album Cover

Recording with me and my 5-string electric Cherry cello

Life is funny. I am on a journey that I would have never even imagined or purposefully created if I had even thought to try. I am going to tell the full story here so pull up a chair and a good cup of tea, or beverage of choice, and read on. 
When I was almost nine years old, I wanted to play the banjo. I was entranced by Roy Clark's mastery of the instrument. He was a fantastic musician, in spite of the goofing around on TV. My wonderful, supportive parents did their best to locate a banjo and lessons for me. The local guitar making shop told them I should learn the guitar first (ha!) and sold them a small classical guitar. I got that guitar and lessons for my birthday. I accepted that I had to learn to play the guitar first. As an adult, I suspect the shop wanted to sell my folks a guitar. So I learned to play the classical guitar. I will admit, my heart was never in it. I never did learn to play the banjo and I played a final performance with my guitar in a community musical at the age of 24 and then hung it up for good.

My wonderful mate, Bob, plays the trumpet and cornet (which looks a lot like a trumpet) and has played since he was nine years old. He is quite good now since he has never stopped playing. In my late thirties, I got the itch to play music again. Maybe it was all the concerts I attended to watch my mate play. This time, I got to pick my own instrument to learn. I fell in love with the cello and with the support of my husband, got a rental and lessons.
The cello is not the easiest instrument to learn to play, let alone play, specially as an adult. My love of the instrument kept me going even though I wasn't sure exactly how and where I wanted to go with it.
Life shifted, as it has a way of doing, and I had to put the cello down for a few years. We made a major life change, sold our house, moved to Oregon, went to art school, and ended up here in this wonderful coastal community entirely unexpectedly.
The winters here are long, dark, and stormy. After the tourist season, this artistic community gets busy. There are always concerts, music, readings, writings, and volunteer opportunities to be had and there is plenty of time to practice an instrument. I decided to pull my cello out again and we started going to a local jam session. There we met Sedona and Michael in their musical capacity, then working as Sedona Fire. They are both very accomplished musicians and songwriters. They liked Bob's playing and asked him to join up with them as they were expanding their band. Now, I am going to be honest here, I had just picked up the cello again and was more or less back to beginning level. In spite of that, out of politeness or kindness, they included me in the invitation. I know they had no idea how I was going to fit in and neither did I but I was willing to work hard to find out!

Gradually, and ever so painfully, my cello skills have improved ( I still have along way to go). I have Bob to thank for that as I am doing this all on my own and lessons are a luxury that I can't afford at this time. It isn't always easy working with a spouse who doesn't play the same instrument or even one in the same family. My mate knows his music though and is a published composer himself. He and his skills have been a tremendous help and inspiration.

To wrap this all up, and get to the art stuff, two years later I suddenly find myself participating in the recording of a new CD for our band AND painting the CD cover as well as designing the whole package! Like I said, I would have never even envisioned this let alone expect this to happen. Life can be good that way. I should also mention that I will soon be 52. I have to say life after 50 is grand and one should never believe they are too old to start something new!

So, here is the brief evolution of creating the CD cover. As I have mentioned many times, I paint from life, plein air studies, and visual memory. This project required some imagination too. First I sketched out a few designs and did a bit of research on album covers. My first design was way too complex so I changed and simplified it. Once the design was decided I set up what amounts to a still life for part of it. The final painting incorporates symbols that represent several of the songs. Here is what the set-up looks like:

Pages of the Mind album set up.

Although I thought I documented the steps of the painting, apparently I didn't do it as well as I would have liked. I was under a deadline on top of spending many late nights recording or rehearsing. So here is the almost final painting:

© 2014, R.L. Delight, Pages of the Mind, 12"x12", oil on gessobord

I got to this point and now need to let it dry before putting a few subtle finishing touches. The CD artwork could not wait though and it finished enough for the cover. Here is what the final cover art looks like:

© 2014 R.L. Delight, The Sedona Fire Band, CD cover art.

It has been an incredible learning experience and I am excited, and tired! We had a final listen to the finished mock up of the cd. The music sounds fantastic. We are all excited and pleased. The music is original with the exception of the final song which is an old traditional one. No worries, I will be announcing when it comes out and where it could be sampled and purchased it one is so inclined. The release is due out in April, knock on wood. It has been a long and tiring process for us all.
Phew! That is all for now. If you have read this whole thing, thank you! I hope everyone realizes that it is almost never too late in life to start a new journey. I will never reach the level of Yo Yo Ma in my cello playing but I will get good enough to have a lot of fun playing music with my band mates. That is worth it.
So, get out those hidden dreams and go for it!
-Renee

Painting on a Beautiful Spring Day

© 2014 R.L. Delight, Short Sands Plein Air WIP, Oil on gessobord, 11"x14"

Today was a stunningly beautiful spring day. I have been spending a lot of time painting in the studio recently for a project that will soon be revealed. The warm sunshine beckoned and I grabbed my gear and went out to Short Sands Beach to paint. This is a larger canvas than I usually use when painting out en plein air, 11"x14". I wanted to try painting a bit larger. I started this painting several weeks ago and decided to wait to go back out to try to finish it rather than finish it in the studio from memory. I am glad I did. This was the first time I tried this approach. There still needs a bit of work done. There are a few spots I am not happy with and the waves are still just blocked in. I worked on painting more of the rocks and trees today.
I am considering this a study as I am trying a few new things here. It is very much a learning piece. I am having a lot of fun painting it though!
Here is a parting picture from this afternoon. I am off to practice my cello now!

Short Sands painting on a beautiful spring day.

 -Renee

Petunia

@2014 R.L. Delight, Petunia, 6"x8", oil on canvas panel

As a rule, I don't use photo references to paint from. However, sometimes a painting needs to be created and the rules must be ignored.
When my dog Twill crossed over the bridge, I wanted something physical to remember her by. I searched around until one day, on Facebook, one of the animal rescue groups I follow posted a beautiful piece of dichroic jewelry that contained a tiny bit of the ashes of one of their beloved dogs. It was lovingly made by the creative and talented Carolyn whose company is called Sacred Embers.
I knew I found my keepsake. I contacted her and saved up the cost of my own keepsake for Twill. When the time came to order, I found out that Carolyn had lost her beautiful and beloved cat of many years, that very day. To make a long story short in the process of her making my keepsake, I offered to paint a portrait of her kitty. Her name is Petunia.

I have never painted a pet portrait before so this was new territory for me. The following pictures are of the work in progress. I did not use any single photo but combined a couple to achieve the end result. The background in the painting was inspired by a beautiful wall hanging in one of the photos I was sent. Here is the process:

Petunia, sketch

Petunia, block-in

Petunia, adding detail

Petunia was a bittersweet joy to paint. I swear I could hear her purring as she came to life in the painting.
In other areas of my life, I had an unexpected milestone. I found myself, for the first time ever, recording music for a new CD with the band I am in. Here is a parting picture of me and a band mate laying down a cello track. It also serves as a hint for what is hitting the canvas next!

Recording a cello track for The Sedona Fire Band

And yes, the plein air painting has been going on too. More on that later!

-Renee

Climbing Up a Learning Curve

Indian Beach, Ecola State Park, 4:30 pm

I am working on a few specific things in my painting technique and process at once. I might need to narrow it a bit as I occasionally slip down that learning curve! The sun is back so I went up to Ecola State Park to paint today at Indian Beach. The tide was just coming in to high tide so there wasn't much beach to paint on. I was perched high on a bank of cobbles.
I am trying to refine a process approach to painting. I have been studying and trying to take more care in the composition I choose, create a thumbnail, do a quick drawing and block in, etc.
Well, it was a struggle today. I also added painting a larger size to the mix. I wanted to give up several times and, after looking at the time, kept on painting until the light was just too challenging.
The light was indeed challenging. When I started the sun was well hidden behind clouds but was shining brightly through thin cracks in the cloud. I figured it would come out eventually, and it did.
Unfortunately for me, I didn't realize that the low hanging winter sun this far north would burst out and shine directly in my eyes from behind my painting. The sun is still pretty low on the horizon this time of year and the colors, while beautiful, make it hard too see anything. I just couldn't see the colors accurately. It looked like my painting was in silhouette.  
I painted nearly two and a half hours before deciding to stop. I also decided to wipe the painting off. I rarely do this, preferring to keep the studies to learn from. I thought this time I would take a picture and wipe and reuse the panel.
So here is what I painted today on 11"x14" gessobord panel. A bit larger than my usual 6"x8" size.

Ecola State park plein air, Indian Beach. 11"x14", oil on gessobord.

In spite of wiping the painting away, there are a few things I was happy with. I liked the composition. I put some thought and care into selecting what and where to paint. Believe me, there is a life-time of painting on this beach to be done and it was challenging to choose! I simplified some of what I saw and included the smoke from a campfire. There were a lot of surfers in this spot today, being a weekend and having calm weather. I felt the smoke (blocked in on the far left of the painting) added a timeless element.
The painting was at the block in stage with a few details started. I am still struggling a bit with getting it all blocked in properly before adding details. Some I had to add as they were changing second by second but then I would forget to pull back to the block in. This picture was taken at an angle due to the sun.
The first photo is a parting shot from the upper parking lot and picnic area. The clouds are all but gone and the sky really was that amazing blue!
Tomorrow I plan to head back to Short Sands to paint. I bet there will be plenty of surfers in spite of the Super Bowl. High tide is at 1:30 pm. A bit of an awkward time for painting but I am just going to roll with it!
I will try the 11"x14" panel again and keep hammering away at those skills.
-Renee

Wave Study #71

Our glorious weather continues! It is a little eerie to have warm sunshine and no wind instead of our usual cold, wind, rain, and stormy weather. Usually I am wearing several layers to go outside this time of year. Now, just a coat and hat over my usual clothes. I will take it, for now!
I decided on my morning beach walk to head to Short Sands Beach again to paint.
The beautiful weather and holiday weekend has its drawbacks. Today I constantly had people standing around me. Maybe that is why I like to paint in the wild weather, I am usually guaranteed privacy then!
 It was so warm on the beach that worked without even a coat!  I was actually hot in the sun. Thankfully I put on sunscreen and wore my painting hat. Here is part of the view of my office from Short Sands today:

© 2014, R.L. Delight, North end of Short Sands Beach.

That is the waterfall I often mention when talking about Short Sands Beach and, even though the tide was going out, the falls were cascading into the incoming waves. The scale of it is hard to tell from this photo. Perhaps I should have included some of the people in the photo, the falls is a fairly respectable size. Twill's ashes are buried nearby and today she had plenty of dogs on the beach to commune with.
In spite of the calm weather, the waves were about 10 to 12 feet. In fact, they grew larger as the tide went out. That meant they came rushing in further up the beach which gave the effect of the tide staying in the same place rather than receding. I was pleased that I had gauged the tidal reach perfectly and the water only got within a couple of feet of me at its highest point. There was one grand sneaker wave as I was leaving that came up the beach quite far. I looked back and saw the water had shot past where I was set up. Good thing I had already left. I always put my gear up higher so that I only have to worry about my easel and myself if a wave gets unruly.
I usually bring a selection of panels to paint on. Everything from my study canvas to canvas panels for finished paintings. That allows me to choose what I am going to paint based on conditions and my own state of mind. Today I decided to do a wave study with rocks. The wave conditions were different than what I usually see. Here is Wave Study #71:

© 2014, Wave Study #71, Short Sands, 6"x8", oil on canvas

I timed this one. I did a 30 minute block in, reset the timer for an hour and finished the study in that time-frame. I am trying to get a few processes in place, the block-in being one of them. I usually do the block-in and then paint the study on another panel. Today I tried it all on the same panel. At the moment, this way of working feels quite awkward. Hopefully it will smooth out with practice and then I will decide if it is a good way for me to work.
I work at the store tomorrow and Wednesday so no plein air painting. I will do a couple of block-ins of still life to get a bit of practice in. The weather outlook shows the strange warm weather to be continuing this week. I have to go up North on Thursday to stock up on groceries but will stop to paint at Hug Point, if conditions permit, on the way up.

Have a great week!
-Renee

Warm Winter Sunshine

© 2014 R.L. Delight, photo, Winter moonset as the sun rises.

The weather has been strangely warm and calm for our part of the country. Today started beautifully with the full moon setting over the ocean as the sun rose in the east.

 Breathtaking.

I have been getting out to paint. I basically dropped everything indoors in the studio for the moment, as well as housework, and other chores to spend as much time outside painting. Dinners have been a bit sketchy around here lately too!
I am out of practice with my plein air painting and yesterday was very frustrating. I knew I would be rusty so I painted studies and they were pretty bad. To add to the issue, I am trying new techniques and approaches again which always means one takes a step or two back in one's progress. Today was better but still not quite happy with the results.
I am starting off the painting day with a 30 minute block in. Then, depending on the conditions, I either do a couple of one hour studies or a 3 hour or so painting. Yesterday was one hour studies, today I decided to go for a painting as things seemed to be going fairly well.
Yesterday I was at my spot on Neahkahnie Beach, today I went up the coast to Arcadia State Park.
I saw very few people in the hours I was there. I took along a lunch to get more time in.
It was, in a word, glorious!
I got my 30 minute block in which looked like this:

© 2014, R.L. Delight, 30 minute block-in, 6"x8", oil on canvas

After I completed this I had my lunch sitting on a log facing the ocean and soaking up the sunshine and beauty. I went back to work and did a quick sketch on paper as I didn't quite have everything as I wanted. For some reason I had a hard time getting everything in the painting and in the correct positions. I had to change a few things and I made progress but I am still not entirely satisfied with the more finished result. Here is the final painting of the day:

© 2014, Winter Warmth, 6"x8", oil on linen panel

As you can see the sun had changed positions when I a laid this one in. I really tried to keep the shadow and light consistent once I got them down. By the time I finished this the tide had gone out quite a bit.
Well, I could go on about everything I don't like about this painting starting with the linen panel. I had this pack of panels for quite a while and don't like it so much. The linen has too much texture for my taste and it is double oil primed. I will spare you all the remaining list of problems. Ah well, it all goes toward experience. I will be heading out again tomorrow. Got to paint while the sun shines!
I am still on my Facebook break and, while I miss reading about what my friends and family are up to, as well as my furry friends that I follow, I am also enjoying this break. It isn't the time factor. I am usually on and off Facebook quickly, in about 5 to 10 minutes. I pop on and off 2-3 times a day, so it doesn't take that much time. It does take a lot of mental energy though. I am enjoying my time to "hear" my own thoughts and think deeply.
I will post more as time and painting allow!
-Renee

Pulling Inward

©2014 R.L. Delight, WIP detail.

I started this blog a little over four years ago, at the beginning of my art school journey. When I started, my intention was to show the building of an artist. I think I have done that and I will continue to do this. However, I have decided it is time to change things a bit.
First of all, I have decided to drop out of the 30 paintings in 30 days challenge. I did this challenge last year and did it successfully. I did indeed paint 30 paintings in 30 days. I learned a lot from it and grew from there. It doesn't fit me this year. I want to dive a bit deeper into my studies and cranking out 30 paintings just to do 30 paintings doesn't fit my needs at this time.
I am also finding I need to retreat a bit. I have become weary of constantly feeling like I need to be on the social networking circuit. Being on social media is entirely self-imposed but is also based on current art marketing beliefs. I do enjoy it but...I feel like I don't have the necessary time to go within and listen to my own voice. It feels like it is being lost in the clamor. To me, these are all signs that I need to disengage for a tiny bit and go on a mini-retreat.
I have several paintings in my head and on paper that have been bumping up against my brush hand begging to be painted for a few years now. I just might even have the skill to paint them! So, I am going to do just that. It is winter and it is the season to go within on these dark and stormy nights and tell the old (and new) stories.
My blog posts might be slowing down for a time as these paintings are larger and more detailed. I will still be getting out to paint waves and other coastal landscapes and some of them will be available for sale. I am looking into changing my website and blog up a bit too.
None of this will happen overnight. It will take a bit of time but I am hoping to have much of it done by the spring equinox.
The photo above is a small detail section of a work in progress. It has been in progress for a while and I feel it is time to get back to it. The painting is 24"x36", a bit larger than my 6"x8" size! It is nearly all blocked in.
For those folks that I am connected to on Facebook, I will be taking a break starting on 1/13/14 until the end of the month.
I have so appreciated and will continue to appreciate all of you who have read my blog posts and specially those wonderful people who even leave comments!

Until the next post,
-Renee