Tony Conner » spring

Sketch of the Day – April, 19, 2012

TC — Thu, 10 May 2012 01:51:35 +0000

"House On Orchard Street, Bennington, Vermont"

“House on Orchard Street, Bennington, VT” – This house is across the street from my kids elementary school and I used to see it often. I noticed it again on this particular warm, sunny spring day. On this day, the grass had started to green up, but the tree was still leaf-less. The bright sun was catching the fronts of the buildings. Overall a very cheery spring scene.

The sketch is about 7” x 10” and was done in my D’Arches Watercolor Book.
Contact me if you have an interest in this or any other paintings on the site. Email me at tc@tonyconner.com or by phone at 802-375-5548.

New Painting Celebrates the Change of Season

TC — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 14:09:42 +0000

This work, with its final details and adjustments made only a few days ago, represents the final statement of a series of explorations in paint. It’s title, as well as the painting itself is more metaphorical than literal. The idea began with a quick color sketch in early February. That sketch, show below, was created on the fly focusing on composition and color rather than subject.

"winter sketch" - thumbnail sketch for studio painting 3" x 4"

Although the idea was to explore a winter theme, once completed, the sketch appeared to feel more like the the time between winter and spring,

where winter hangs on in patches of snow while the brightening sun spreads warmth over the cold landscape. A few days later, after having considered the initial sketch, and mulled over the image, I created another thumbnail sketch, shown below.

winter sketch #2 for studio painting

This sketch was created specifically to explore a color scheme that would better convey the contrast between gathering warmth and retreating cold. There are more warm hues and warmer mixtures of the cool hues and a stronger play of direct light.

After completing this sketch I decided to do a larger study to help work out composition, color and color mixes. This work, shown below, is the result. It was compelling enough to be given a title. More importantly, it was invaluable in discovering where I would encounter problems and showed where the the composition would need adjustments.

"Equinox Time"

This work is available – contact me for more information

"Equinox Road"

In earlier posts I have talked about the process of creating a painting. The question is often asked and it is a struggle to answer because, for me at least, so much of the process occurs in thought and consideration rather than in action. This post includes four physical works completed between Feb. 4 and March 30 – almost two months. While these were

not the only sketches and paintings started, worked or completed in that time, the question could be asked as to whether these four couldn’t all have been completed in just a few days. The answer is both yes and no and has to do with the internal, non-linear, often wandering, parts of the process.

Thanks for taking a look at this latest work. Enjoy the coming of spring!

New Work, Think Spring

TC — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 19:59:24 +0000

March in Vermont is when you can begin to anticipate spring, although it is not guaranteed to arrive until May!. My Monday morning painting class is a group of ladies who are interested in subjects that are found in classical still life paintings – dishes, fruit, & flowers. Recently, we began painting a floral composition – partly to learn some techniques that work well for this kind of work, and partly because we are all looking forward to the coming of spring. My painting turned out surprisingly nice, considering that it was painted over the course of 4 weeks – I would work on it during our class for demonstration purposes and then put it aside until the next class. Also, it is rare for me to paint still life, particularly those that are somewhat formal in nature, like this one.

In any case, here is the finished work, aptly titled “Classroom Composition”. The work is 13 1/2″ H x 9 1/2W and currently hangs in my studio.