Robie Benve Art

Here is another version of the 4-leaf-clover from the last post. "Lucky" 6"x 6" Paper and Acrylic on panel See on my website I started this one with way more paper than the previous, and at times it was hard to cover the starting ground with extra layers because I really liked some parts of how it looks in the beginning stages. First, I used some red tissue paper, and then I covered that with some fibrous green paper that I got from the art store. Then, I cut shapes out of another special paper (that I bought from the art store as well) all along using soft acrylic gel medium as gluing agent. After this, it was layers upon layers of acrylic paint, trying to keep it transparent in some places, so that you could still see what was underneath. A fun challenge!

"Hopes and Smiles" 12'x12" Oil on  linen panel in floater frame Sold Another en plein air landscape painting of the Park of Roses, in Clintonville, OH. I did this one day after the previous post. I really loved that tall tree with cool colors, and I enjoyed the challenge of painting it, as well as the sprinkles of the fountain.

"New Buds of Joy" Oil on linen panel in floater frame 9"x12" Sold A Plein air landscape painting of the Park of Roses in Clintonville, OH. The roses were blooming that week, and the whole experience of being at the park was really joyful. I had a lot of fun painting with palette knives. It creates a nice texture, and it keeps me out of the temptation of adding too many details.

Ahhh, Spring! I hadn't painted outdoors in a while!! (I'm a little late posting this, but it has been a busy few weeks)  Spring in Ohio is crazy, you never know what you are going to get, one day it may be in the 70s and the day after it may snow. Planning an outdoors painting session is always risky. First Pein Air Outing: Pickerington Ponds Metro Park My first day of plein air painting in 2018 was on March 29, very early on the calendar, and I was a little worried about it; you are very likely to get a snow blizzard in Ohio at the end of March. However, it turned out to be a gray and rainy day, but not too cold. I met with a group of eager artists, lead by the awesome teacher: Joseph Lombardo, in Pinkerington Ponds Metro Park. Joe always does a demo at the beginning of class, then the group breaks out and we each start our own painting.  Since I've taken Joe's plein air classes several times now, I decided to paint along during the demo, instead of sitti...

  "Triad at Three Creeks Metro Park" 12"x12" Oil on masonite panel On Thursday we had another thunder-stormy and very wet day on our Plein Air outing. (At this point we look at each other and laugh "It must be Thursday!" lol)  The challenge of the day was to create a painting with a specific color scheme, and here is my painting using of a triadic color scheme: red orange, blue-violet, and yellow-green. Great exercise! Thanks Joe Lombardo for the inspiration!  To lift our spiri ts up, we were joined by a lively and excited group of graduates that were celebrating their academic successes under the same shelter that was keeping us dry.  The sun came out, and I made it out of there before a football hit my easel, and without getting soaked by water weapons. Another success story! wewwww!

"A Stroke of Spring" Oil on masonite board Ready to pop into a 9"x12" frame Available Spring seemed to come and go this year in Oh io .  A few days of warmth, and nature was rejoicing, tender green leaves were sprouting everywhere.  Then winter seemed to come back, and it got freezing cold again, like on this c-c-cold day when I painted at Pickerington Ponds Metro Park.  But the signs of spring were there to cheer me up , and I enjo ed every minute of it. : )

"Cloud Study with Mowed Field" Daily Painting Oil on panel, 9"x12" Here is another study of clouds, this time a little bigger (9"x12"). I kept the same palette of colors as the previous one, I figured if they came out well they'd look good next to each other. :) I made this a few days ago, then fell behind with the postings. I am also falling behind with the daily paintings, but I have this grand plan of catching up at some point this month.

"Bright Rainy Day" 9"x12" Oil on board, unframed What do you do when you get a gray, rainy day? I try to make it colorful. This was my intent with this painting. It was such a dull day that I took it upon myself to put some color into it. I started by toning the board red, and that really gave a popping start to the composition. I also kept the greens brighter than what I saw. Overall I think that I succeeded making it look like there was no sun, but without the typical grayish colors of an overcast day. Some days that's exactly what we need to do.  Keep the smile on our lips and the love in our hearts, even if life is not smiling back at us. I painted this at Scioto Park in Dublin, OH, which happens to be one of my favorite outdoors painting locations. It's right on the banks of the Scioto river, and that offers so many opportunities for painting inspirations. I do prefer when it's sunny, though, when I can get out from under the shelt...

"After the Rain" 8"x10" Oil and acrylic on canvas Available Sometimes if I am driving home and I see a nice sunset I make a stop at the park to have a clear vision of the sky, across the large green area. If I am lucky enough I get decent photos from the view. This was one of those times. I started the painting in acrylics, and actually meant to finish with acrylics, but then decided that it needed some of the buttery consistence of oil paint, and covered most of it with a layer of oil paint, though some of the acrylic colors are still visible. At this point it's impossible even for me to know which is which. “The purpose of learning is growth,  and our minds, unlike our bodies,  can continue growing as long as we live.” ~ Mortimer Adler

"Just Mowed" 6"x6" Oil on board Available Sometimes, when I go out and paint on location with a group, other painters are surprised at the small size of my board. A 6"x6" looks quite small on an easel (and even off the easel, lol) But painting small is a wonderful way to give myself the opportunity to finish the painting in one sitting, on location, taking fully advantage of the limited time available. I usually am productive for a couple of hours tops, then I need to take a break. If I'm with a group I love to walk around to see what everyone else is painting. That gives me an extra boost, because I have some excellent painting companions, and their work can be very inspirational. After two hours a 6"x6" is very close to completion. So the break provides a "fresh view"upon my return, and I am able to better see what's needed as far as finishing touches. If I paint a bigger size board I often end up going home wit...