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I was not abducted by aliens!
January 18, 2019

Hello!

* The importance of the gray layer

* The life of an artist.

Here's your latest edition of Easy Oils Blast! A blast of new information, paintings and demonstrations in oil painting.

The gray layer.

Recently, I made an attempt in skipping the gray layer. In some paintings, I can get away with it, and head into the work with a more direct approach.

Sometimes it is due to the subject matter and details required, and sometimes it is in the colors. But usually, if it aien't workin, it simply aien't workin! Pardon the grammar.

In my short film clip, you see I have started with a yellow underpainting. Thinking this would boost my yellows and make it easier for me to complete the work. (The dahlias have lots of golden and yellow colors within them)

Here's a link to the video on YouTube:

Things went much smoother after this change, and here are the results of the gray layer.

The thing that I found that was difficult to create prior to the gray layer was simply the modeling. I just couldn't capture the range on value with the yellows and reds on their own. With the underlying guide of the gray layer, things looked much better.

The completed painting can be found on my fine art site: Fine Art of Delmus Phelps I talk a little bit about the creative process from finding these gorgeous blossoms, (which started out last October with a visit with family in Munich Germany!)

To get more information on the gray layer, and how it is used in the Flemish Method of painting, click here: Gray Layer And a few more examples with other paintings: Still life onion demo part2 gray layer

The Life of an artist!

So, let me fill you in on whats been happening here in Virginia! It's been raining, and snowing. But last May, we had torrential rains that flooded a family members home, and threatened to wash my studio down the hill!

After many hours of digging new footer drain/weep tile drains, and waterproofing the exterior basement walls, future flooding will be eliminated. (We've already had an equal amount of rain fall (5-6 inches in 2 hour period) with a still dry basement!

I even got to use a jack hammer to install a drain on a patio next to the back door. In 90 degree plus heat, that was something to experience. I shed a few pounds too.

On our own property, we had to rebuild a 35 year old front porch, and install "French Drains" around 50% of the property. It too functioned like a dream during the huge downpours a few months later. It's amazing to see a 12 inch deep, 6 foot wide river flow by and under my studio. It's even better to see when it happened again, the river simply disappeared in a ditch of gravel and pipe, and never reached my studio steps again!

So don't despair, I wasn't abducted by aliens, I was only working in home construction and repair for a while. The studio is back up and running like a well oiled machine!

Follow me on INSTAGRAM "@delmus_phelps_fine_art" to see some of those pictures as I work.

Sorry for all the underscores. I'm a baby boomer, and once I set up the account, my kids reminded me of what a pain it is to add those underscores to find me. I then reminded them they hey, follow me, and you won't have to keep typing that mess in. I'll just appear in your feed.

They were impressed.

Who said you can't teach an ol dog new tricks?

Delmus Phelps Fine Art site

My New FaceBook page! Pinterest?, Facebook? Twitter? and all that jazz!

I've created a new Facebook Page! Would you come and see it? It's all about my new paintings and my travels in creating them. I hope you will join me! Just "like" the page to have my new works added to your Facebook timeline or news-feed.

This really is a great resource, as I find new techniques and other interesting art, I will post them to the Facebook Page. And of course, more of my hillbilly humor is thrown in for free!

Delmus Phelps Fine Art facebook page

What are they all about? This is a social media site similar to facebook, or tweeter, but it's based on images only. This is an artist's dream! Soooo many pictures, but not enough time to see them all.

The buttons above send you to my page, but once your registered, you'll have your own page to set up and start collecting your favorite images!

If you really like a painting or image found on the site (Easy Oil Techniques), feel free to push that little button underneath the image!

It will post the image to the Pinterest site. You do need to go through a simple registration process, but you will not be disappointed. The pictures available are simple amazing and will truly get your creative juices flowing with ideas for your next painting project!

Facebook Like it please!

Don't forget the great addition to the site is the Facebook application!

If you're a Facebook Fan, then you'll appreciate this. You can "like" a page, and comment on it's contents so your Facebook friends can see what all the hub-bub is about, and where you spend your valuable hours learning on how to paint great things!

Spread the word! Click on the like buttons and give me your comments on the site! You don't even have to leave the site, it's all right there for your convenience.

And our readers love 'em!

Also, in the upper right hand corner of most pages, you can find my Facebook page, and follow along activities that I post in-between ezine issues.

I'm now on Twitter! I find that if you reply to me rather then direct message (DM), I'll be able to find you easier. I get so much spam these days, I rarely check my direct messages in twitter any longer.

You can follow me, and I'll follow you back, but do reply to me that you are following so's I can follow you back! just tweet an "@delmus" in your tweet box!

Follow me on Twitter

Well I hope the information was useful to you. Future ezines will be in a similar format, just different information.

Let me know what you think! Have I helped you in any way?Twitter me, or drop me an email. I would love to see some of your work!

Till next time!

This is Delmus Phelps wishing you a happy painting day!