Bob Introduces The NEW 'Painting Glass' Studio Chart!

Introducing the latest Burridge Studio Chart: Painting the Illusion of Glass Vessels. Imagine having all on one page, every reference you’ll need to help or remind you how to convincingly paint wine glasses, cocktails, tumblers, flower vases and wine bottles. It’s the perfect companion to other three Burridge Studio Charts: Goof-Proof Color Wheel, Colorful Composition Chart and Rembrandt-Style Lighting & Value Chart. Made in the USA.

How I Start my Day in the Studio

I’m often asked, “How do you start?” The first thing I do after a brief walk to my Studio is prepare the place to be productive. Anything that does not serve me for the day’s painting assignments is put away out of sight. I prefer an organized studio when I create. The painting tables are covered with polyethylene and become my painting palettes. Next, Sirius Radio or Pandora sets the music atmosphere. Music helps me focus on the task at hand.

Always with me is my sketchbook with notes and painting assignments. Some mornings I play my electric drum set in the corner of the studio. It’s my “stretching exercise.” After an hour, I’m ready to paint. It’s 8:30am… like a real job!



Before painting, I journal in my sketchbook. I journal my dreams and thoughts to get them out of my head. My sketchbook is my toolbox of ideas. This becomes my “job description” and includes my daily four Cs. What’s the CONCEPT? The big idea. What’s the COLOR combination? Following my color wheel, I squeeze 4 tubes of predetermined colors, plus black and white right on the table. What’s the COMPOSITION? I have twelve to choose from. And the last C is a no-brainer - COMMITMENT to the concept. I’m a painter and I’m committed to the task at hand.



I start with small 6x9 inch warmup paint sketching consisting of a themed series. It’s my goofing around time - my play-in-the-sandbox -time. After an hour or so, it’s time to get into my purpose of the day - the larger body of work I’ve been painting for awhile, such as an exhibit series, my museum show or the Sausalito Art Festival. Once I start painting, I am all about production and flow, which lasts all day, uninterrupted. I paint without stopping this flow of “creative automatism.”

When I am invited to teach my “Loosen Up” painting workshops this is exactly how we begin everyday!

Fix and Finish

Our Colorwheels are Made in America

Pears

Circus Birds

My Circus Birds were created on 300 lb Fabriano Artistico watercolor paper with Holbein Acryla acrylic paints. My "collage glue" is gel medium. I also painted some Circus Birds on canvas - 12 x12 canvases from Cheap Joe's.



Demo of my "Circus Birds" at a very recent workshop in Upland, California at the Art Box Studio!
Watch the movie to see the technique.

This Month is Landscapes!

I was out the other week picking up wine from our local winery. We’re members of their “Club” which means we receive a case of their favorite handpicked wine every month. This gave me a new idea! How about “The Burridge Painting of the Month Club.” You get an original painting every month!

I paints many original warmup paintings everyday, so we thought why not make them available to our friends first? Here’s the deal: When you join the Burridge Painting of the Month Club, you will begin receiving an original Burridge 6x9 inch painting (matted, with a foam board back and sleeve) every month!

Each painting is completely painted and hand-selected by Robert Burridge, signed and dated. Each month will be a different subject matter, including still lifes, abstract, landscapes, figures, etc. and represents what he is currently working on in his studio. Each month you can expect high quality paint on professional quality watercolor paper. 6x9 inch paintings matted on a 12x16 inch presentation.

Last month's was Pears - this month is Landscapes!

Gold Coast Art Reception

Gold Coast Art had an reception last Sunday in Santa Maria, CA. Great to see artists and friends!

Gary Brandes has been my framer for many years. He opened a new storefront, this time with a gallery - each artist has a wall! So happy that I have a local place to show work. This time Kate and I decided to do a Floral Theme!
Thanks for all the great comments and well wishes! We had a fun time.


Bob, Jill Targer and Dr. Dennis Shepard
Bob and Jill Targer
Bob, Claudia Mapes and Jill Targer
Jill Targer's Wall

Announcing my Art Museum Show!

Derwent's Inktense Pencils

In the February issue of our ArtsyFartsy newsletter, I reviewed Derwent’s Inktense Pencils. There were so many comments about these pencils - I decided to do a follow-up demo. Inktense pencils are watersoluble and they dry permanent. I paint and draw simultaneously while making a painting and this is the stick I use for drawing. They are brilliant and intense.

Here are 6 small drawings I did with Inktense pencils. They act like watersoluble pencils but with very intense colors. I’ve tried them all - this Inktense pencil I love!

Inktense Pencils - up to 72 colors

I draw with a dry pencil then...

Wet with a watercolor brush. It will look like Bombay India ink and have the feel of sumi ink.

Or... wet the paper first. Then draw with the pencil. It bleeds! Cool!

Messy Studio!

Messy Studio!
In between workshops - got home from Palm Desert workshop at the Art Colony and getting ready for an Abstract Painting & Collage Workshop in Chico, California at Butte College. I know it looks like my studio exploded, but laying everything out is the best way for me to get it all re-organized!
Many projects everywhere. I continue to work on my Circus series - it is fun and people like the bright colors. I am also working on more purely abstract pieces to continue my "No Full Disclosure" theme - you can see some of those in progress on the back wall. Pear warm-ups, landscapes and "making a mess" under paintings for classroom assignments. It's not a pretty site, but it's my studio!

Reigning Cats and Dogs

I was recently invited to submit a painting for a group show entitled "Raining Cats & Dogs." Visual puns are cheap and immature and that's why I like puns!

I called this painting "Reigning Cats in Dogs." My original idea was to submit a "heavy on the collage" visual statement.
Afterwards, I felt the painting needed… well, painting!

Color was added only as a translucent - so as not to lose the image underneath. I prefer the texture of added collage paper and make no attempt to hide the fact that I'm working with torn pieces of paper. It reveals the hand-built quality of making this collage form of art.
For me, collage is another form of telling a story!

"Raining Cats & Dogs" is on exhibit at the Studios on the Park in Paso Robles, California, March 18-April 11, 2010. Studios Atrium.

Loosen Up with Aquamedia Painting Workshops

I have quite of few of these workshops scheduled this year! I call it my flagship workshop because it is a good starting off point for loosening up your painting style, no matter what your subject or materials. My Loosen Up Workshop is technique-based rather than materials-based and we have a lot of fun doing many different assignments. The posting below shows samples of the different days.
Interested in attending a Loosen Up Workshop?
Go to my website for the contact information -

March 29-April 2, 2010
Loosen Up with Aquamedia Painting
5-day Workshop (Monday-Friday)
Kudzu Art Zone, Norcross, GA

May 3-7, 2010
Loosen Up with Aquamedia Painting
5-day Workshop (Monday-Friday)
Hot Springs Gallery, Hot Springs, AR

May 17-21, 2010
Loosen Up with Aquamedia Painting
5-day Workshop (Monday-Friday)
Art Box Studio, Upland, CA

May 24-28, 2010
Loosen Up with Aquamedia Painting
5-day Workshop (Monday-Friday)
Sedona Arts Center, Sedona, AZ

June 1-4, 2010
Loosen Up With Aquamedia Painting
4-day Workshop (Tuesday-Friday)
Leading Edge Art Workshops, Calgary, Alberta, Canada

June 21-25, 2010
Loosen Up with Aquamedia Painting
5-day Workshop (Monday-Friday)
LaConner Art Workshop, Mt. Vernon, WA

August 9-13, 2010
Loosen Up with Aquamedia Painting
5-day Workshop (Monday-Friday)
Jerry’s Artarama, Raleigh, NC

September 13-17, 2010
Loosen Up with Aquamedia Painting
5-day Workshop (Monday-Friday)
Paletteers Art Club, Westminster, CO

Circus Girls

My Sedona Loosen Up Workshop, May 24-28 features all my Loosen Up techniques and favorite color combinations.

In our Loosen Up workshop we play off of the figure image in some of our paintings. Our own version of the figure is not only part of the design, it becomes the Focal Point in the painting. Then we paint a series of the same subject over and over. The paintings become looser and bolder. This “Circus Girls” painting is one of many, many paintings based on the same theme.

By repeating and practicing, we gain incredible confidence and creativity. Paintings pour out of you when you think of a single theme you have always wanted to do. In my workshop, we start off with that.


Much of my new work is looser, more suggestive and painted with a specific limited palette of colors. My painting themes tend to either be a single subject - like a pear or a storytelling tale from personal stuff - like circus, magic, landscapes and dreams.

Plaza

My Sedona Loosen Up Workshop, May 24-28 features all my Loosen Up techniques and favorite color combinations.

“Plaza” was one of thirty paintings from my solo exhibit last year at Butte College in California. The theme and title was called “No Full Disclosure.” This painting was to draw your attention more to the corners and not so much to the center. With no movement in the center, your eyes move around the perimeter, searching for something to focus in on.

Much of my new work is looser, more suggestive and painted with a specific limited palette of colors. Most are based on themes and contemporary nonacademic painting techniques.

Morning Light and Soft Day

My Sedona Loosen Up Workshop, May 24-28 features all my Loosen Up techniques and favorite color combinations.

Painting a flower never interested me. However, flowers in a painting do interest me! I am more interested in the immediate graphic impact the painting has first and then you see a painting of “flowers in a vase.” I usually start off abstractly - loose, color splattering and water everywhere begins the day in my studio. My workshops begin the same way.

Much of my new work is looser, more suggestive and painted with a specific limited palette of colors. My painting themes tend to either be a single subject - like a pear or a storytelling tale from personal stuff - like circus, magic, landscapes and dreams.

Amber Pear

My Sedona Loosen Up Workshop, May 24-28 features all my Loosen Up techniques and favorite color combinations.

Many of my early paintings were a single subject inspired while buying fruits and vegetables from our local farmers’ market. I just had to paint them one by one. My favorite single paintings were pears, avocados, bananas, navel oranges, cantaloupes, celery, zucchini and eggplants. In fact, my first gallery giclée was titled “Farmers’ Market.” Twenty years later. I still practice painting the single subject everyday in my morning warmups. It’s a great way to get started!

This pear painting was created with splashing colors, alcohol and CitraSolv-treated tissue paper collage.

Much of my new work is looser, more suggestive and painted with a specific limited palette of colors. My painting themes tend to either be a single subject - like a pear or a storytelling tale from personal stuff - like circus, magic, landscapes and dreams.

New Kid in Town

My Sedona Loosen Up Workshop, May 24-28 features all my Loosen Up techniques and favorite color combinations.

“New Kid in Town” was a painting demo of turning loose colorful drips and splashes into a painting of trees. This painting demonstrated my “negative shapes” painting technique. Using an opaque color, I painted in the sky and the spaces between the tree trunks giving the illusion of a row of trees without actually painting the individual trees. Later, one tree became the Focal Point when I added more red splashes in a concentrated spot.

Much of my new work is looser, more suggestive and painted with a specific limited palette of colors. My painting themes tend to either be a single subject - like a pear or a storytelling tale from personal stuff - like circus, magic, landscapes and dreams.

October 2009 Artsy Fartsy Newsletter Released!

Interested in tips, how-to advice, and reviews on products and media? Check out the Newsletter!

http://www.robertburridge.com/newsletter/artsyfartsy_oct09/

September 2009 ArtsyFartsy Newsletter!

Check it out at my website: http://www.robertburridge.com/newsletter/artsyfartsy_sept09/