Tag Archives: Daily Journal

A Man on the Corner

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Watercolor Painting, A Corner on Haight

Brian Bailey, A Corner on Haight, 10″ x 8″, © 2015

I noticed a man on the corner, just outside the shadows of Haight Street. Like many others, his large backpack was laying on the sidewalk behind him. I’ve wanted to incorporate more people into my paintings for a while and have been doing lots of gesture drawings to help make this happen.  Shadows still catch my eye every time I walk around the city and are always working their way into my paintings.

I’m still putting my work on Etsy at ArtFromBrian and appreciate the recent boost from visitors coming over from this blog.  Thank you for taking the time to check out my store.  And please check back to see what’s new!

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Cold

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Watercolor Painting, Overcast

Brian Bailey, Overcast, Watercolor, 8″ x 10″, © 2015

I started another painting outside today and finished it this evening.  It was a colder day and I used a lot of ultramarine blue and burnt umber to reflect the “greyness.”

Knowing When to Stop

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Watercolor Painting, A Minute Outside

Brian Bailey, A Minute Outside, Watercolor, 4″ x 4″, © 2015

When pulling together the shapes and lines that make up a composition it can be challenging to determine how much information is enough.  Some of my favorite drawings and paintings exhibit a very economical approach to line, saying just enough to let the viewer see what the artist sees.  In recent weeks, I’ve been doing many gesture drawings, as I’ve mentioned before, and I’m trying to let my paintings be, somewhat, more gestural.  I started my painting today outside with lots of light and finished it at home by bumping up the shadows and contrast.  I’m really trying to stop myself from overworking each painting and I’m pretty happy with how this one looks.  If you have the time, let me know what you think.

Order and Balance

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Watercolor Painting, The Corner on Cole

Brian Bailey, The Corner on Cole, Watercolor, 4″ x 4″, © 2015

It seems that when I look upon a building, landscape, or any other thing I see and want record with a drawing or painting, I am feeling some relation to the order and balance of it.  It comes to life in the process of reordering the elements on paper and trying regain the memory of the thing, even as it’s right in front of me.  The process and the memory of that moment when all that was in front of me was in perfect order, combine and have personal meaning.  The crucial part in drawing and painting seems to be in the beginning.  If the objects are out of alignment from the start, the rest of the work can feel like a chase for something just out of reach.  Some works become truly special and others are abandoned.  I like the process of keeping this blog as a journal of each day’s small success or failure.  I don’t hold back works and some are better than others but it feels good to see them all together.

Wires In the Sky

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Wired Sky, Watercolor Painting

Brian Bailey, Wired Sky, Watercolor and Ink on Yupo, 4″ x 4″, © 2015

If you’ve been to San Francisco, you may have noticed that there are power lines everywhere.  And while they could be thought of as an eyesore, I tend to think of them as an integral part of the city’s character.  They transmit electricity, communications, and the MUNI buses are powered by some of them.  The lines and shapes formed overhead create a framework for viewing parts of the city. This one’s on Yupo, which is quickly becoming one of my favorite surfaces to paint on.  It’s durable, washable, and really makes colors glow. I’m sure I will post more paintings on Yupo in the future.