A New Way to Think About Painting Still Life

"Moonshell" (c) Mary Hubley

Still Life = Boring?

Still life means Still. Dull. Mundane. A bowl of boring fruit... A vase of dead flowers. Sigh. Poor still life. What a wretched reputation.

But I still believe. I hope my still lifes accomplish energy. I try to animate the still objects that I pick up on the beach. Seashells are energized with light and color. Flowers are explosions of composition, mood, and light.


Here's how I switch the mundane still life to extraordinary:  

• Connect with the subject. I paint things that mean something. Combine Grammy's old bowls and fresh cut oranges. Those oranges smell great. Happy. Paint the memories. 
• Treasure hunt. Go to the beach and find a pocket of the shells, stones, and sea glass. Get in the car on Saturday for a couple hours of garage sales.
• Set it up. Experiment. Move things around for an hour or two before you get started. Go for unusual angles. Make objects go off the page. View from above or underneath.
• Contrast. Use strong lights and shadows. Place a shiny object next to something furry; something organic against something man-made. Place patterns in the background.
• Practice, huh? Getting good means you need to do it. Jump in.

This painting is available - please contact Mary Hubley for details.
 
Genre: Still Life
Painting Name: Moonshell
Size: 6" x 6"
Media: Oil on Canvas


Mary Hubley
www.maryhubley.com

The Challenges of Painting Butterflies

Butterfly (c) Mary Hubley

White Butterfly Paintings

Butterfly and Lavender (c) Mary Hubley

The Florida marshes hold many small treasures -- lovely creatures like these white cabbage butterflies. Sweet insects with white fairy wings.

Trying to paint a butterfly is impossible. They move too quickly.

To get them, I'll do plein air sketches. I'll sit in the middle of flowers and draw. I'll watch them as they move around. I'll do a few quick gestural drawings. I may pull out my colored pencils to grab some of the color.

White butterflies aren't white - there are many colors. Lots of reflected color - notably green in a green field. But also the flower colors they are surrounded by - yellow,  purple or red..

Before I leave, I'll take photos so I can do the actual work of painting in my studio. While my studio isn't as gorgeous as being in a field of flowers with butterflies surrounding me, I draw from my experience of the day to create the memory.

Genre: Animals
Painting Name: Butterfly
Size: 6" x 6"
Media: Oil on Canvas



Genre: Animals
Painting Name: Butterfly and Lavender
Size: 6" x 6"
Media: Oil on Canvas


 -- Mary Hubley

White Pelican Painting

White Pelican (c) Mary Hubley

White Pelican Oil Painting

The Florida landscape enjoys its pelicans, flying down the beach in formation, dipping into the surf to catch a fish, and sitting around the boat yard looking for handouts from fishermen who bring their catch ashore. This pelican was perched on a dock piling, waiting for the days' catch to appear.

This pelican painting almost painted itself - the sky was a perfect dark ultramarine blue, which made the whites in the pelican and the clouds stand out.

Genre: Animals
Painting Name: White Pelican
Size: 6" x 6"
Media: Oil on Canvas


-- Mary Hubley

Scallop Shell Painting

Soft Shell (c) Mary Hubley

The Scallop

Seafood! Cooked to perfection, scallops are my favorite food. They also make good paintings. This is what they look like on the beach. This scallop is a small painting I just finished, based on a prize scallop shell I found on the beach.

Scallops in Art

In ancient art, scallop shells often symbolized the feminine. Venus was often painted with a scallop shell in the painting to identify her, as in Botticelli's The Birth of Venus.

Genre: Still Life
Painting Name: Soft Shell
Size: 6" x 6"
Media: Oil on Canvas


--Mary Hubley

Cockle Shell Beach Seashell

Shell - a Cockle Shell (c) Mary Hubley

Cockle Shell

This is a little cockle shell that I found in my pocket. Cockles are quite common in Florida beaches. You can find them strewn up and down the shoreline. Remember the nursery rhyme?


"Mary, Mary, quite contrary,
How does your garden grow?
With silver bells, and cockle shells,
And pretty maids all in a row."

What is a Cockle?

My name is Mary, and I got this rhyme quite a bit when I was a child.

Genre: Still Life
Painting Name: Shell
Size: 6" x 6"
Media: Oil on Canvas


-- Mary Hubley

Moon Shell Seashell Painting

Dark Moonshell (c) Mary Hubley

Moonshell

Occasionally I find a nice dark moonshell at my beach. I found this early in the morning, before the other beachcombers arrived. I tried to capture the shiny reflection.

Genre: Still Life
Painting Name: Dark Moonshell
Size: 6" x 6"
Media: Oil on Canvas


-- Mary Hubley

Beach Whelk Sea Shell Painting

Seashell Beach Whelk Painting (c) Mary Hubley

Beach Shell Paintings

I walk to the beach from where I live. I go to experience the changing sky, waves, and the people and animals busy in the sand. I go for the shells yet to find. Small gifts of tiny whelks waiting to be taken home and painted.

Genre: Still Life
Painting Name: Beach Whelk 3
Size: 6" x 6"
Media: Oil on Canvas



--Mary Hubley

Black Cats - Shadow and Magic

Shadow and Magic (c) Mary Hubley

This painting of two black cats is based on a photo by my brother, Robert. Here's what he says about them:

"Shadow is on the left. You can't see it in this, but he has a blue collar. He is my all-time favorite! He's about 10 years old . .  . Magic is on the right with the red collar and he is about 1 year old. He and Shadow are buddies, as you can see!"

They peer out the back windows, watching squirrels run about the garden.

Genre: Animals
Painting Name: Shadow and Magic
Size: 6" x 6"
Media: Oil on Canvas


-- Mary Hubley

Sand Art

Playing in the sand is what kids love to do at the beach. This little girl is creating a sand castle. I've tried to capture the feel of the day - sun drenched, relaxing, and this little girl totally concentrating on the task at hand. She's creating a sand castle just because she can, not because there are dealines or obligations. The fun is in the creation.

Sea Birds - Ibis Painting

Ibis in the Surf (c) Mary Hubley

I often see remarkable wildlife at the beach. The white ibis in Florida usually hang out in the quiet marshes, but occasionally make their way to the beach to grab little fish from the surf.

The problem with painting beach critters is that they don't stand still long enough for you to paint them. In addition, it's kind of hard doing a painting while sitting in the waves.

So, while I love to do plein air painting, sometimes it just makes sense to take some snapshots, do a few color sketches, and then go back to the studio to complete a painting.

That's how I did this new beach bird painting, "Ibis in the Surf". I relied on photos and color sketches. While the photo references capture the shapes of the birds quite well, they don't see color like my own eyes do. Thus, colored pencil sketches are essential.

To paint these birds, I first did a quick paint sketch on a white canvas, using the photos as a reference for the shapes. Then, I changed to my pencil sketches as reference for color and feel. I completed the painting using bold strokes of sea greens, whites, and finished with orange/red for the bird parts.


--Mary Hubley

Painting a Dragonfly

Summer Dragonfly (c) Mary Hubley

This beautiful blue dragonfly was sitting, resting on the grass reeds near my home. The dragonfly is such a sweet little insect, colorful, zen, and complex.

They're not easy to paint, as the wings are practially transparent, yet they have delicate structure that must be somehow captured. How to paint a dragonfly? Every artist uses a different technique.

I started my little dragonfly painting by doing a quick painted outline of the creature in my first paint layer, with thin paint. As I paint layers of color, my background emerges, and I use the background color to fill in the wings little by little, mixing a bit of white into the paint to make the wings a bit lighter so they look almost transparent. Once the rest is fairly dry, I finish my painting by using a small brush to draw suggestions of the intricate wing structure.

A suggestion of the structure is all that's needed, because painting the intricacy of each individual line would be too much detail, too realistic. I don't want to create a realistic painting; I go for impressionistic. My paintings concentrate on great shape, good compostion, and beautiful color. I also try to find shimmer and sizzle.

--Mary Hubley

Sandpiper Run

Sandpiper Run (c) Mary Hubley

One of my new beach paintings is a little beach scene showing sandpipers running along the edge of the water. Pipers live at the waves' edge, ebbing and flowing, running up and down the beach with the action of the waves.

Of course, a Florida artist is often at the beach, and these little pipers are certainly an inspiration for many of my beach paintings.

I've done several sandpiper paintings over the years. Pipers are a constant in my life, I watch them all the time on my beach walks. They're sometimes the only living thing in sight when I'm walking a remote beach. This painting, "Sandpiper Run" shows their activity running away from a wave. The light is pale yellow, as it's during the early morning, when the sand and the water reflect golden light.

--Mary Hubley

St. Augustine Artwalk at GNG Gallery

Some of my artwalk minis at GNG Gallery

Every month, St. Augustine, Florida rolls out its big artwalk event -- on the first friday of every month -- and the locals come out to party. The newest hotspot for this artwalk is downtown, in the historic district, on Avilles Street, a quaint old world alleyway, marked by an ancient cobblestone street, old Colonial Spanish-style  buildings, with galleries and outdoor cafes. 

The party starts at 5 p.m. and the locals flock to view the new art, and enjoy free beverages and great hoer doervs. Artwalk is the one time in the month where the artists are in residence -- you can meet and chat with the artists who have their work hanging in the galleries. 

The artists welcome the evening -- of course, artists love to parties, just like the rest of us! We love it when something sells, too. We've had artwalks where large pieces of art are sold, and a few where almost nothing sells. But even on occasions where sales are thin, we are successful in our marketing efforts -- showcasing the local art scene, which is vibrant and exciting.

Tonight is one of our artwalks -- I'll be at the GNG Gallery on Avilles street. We have the best snacks in town -- not just the typical fare -- smoked chicken, a cake, and a few new surprises. Food is surely one of the biggest draw of a great party!

Painting the Beach

"Lightning Whelk" 6 x 6

When I introduce myself as a visual artist, the first thing I'm always asked is, "What do you paint?"

I'm not sure why I always have to stop and think about this one -- I guess because I live in the moment, and the only answer I immediately come up with is, "whatever I'm thinking about"... But of course, this isn't what they want to know. The answer has to be something, well, visual. Something the person can understand.

So, the real answer is, I paint what's around me -- where I live -- and that's the beach. I paint the shoreline, the marshes, and the creatures that inhabit them. I paint the boats. I paint children playing on the beach and the birds that follow the shoreline in search of their next meal. My subject matter is all around me, because I live at the beach.

I often walk along the shoreline, just like the sandpipers, looking down, searching for my next beach treasure. I find shells and artifacts, seaglass, and chunks of coquina (rock that's made up of sedimentary seashells). I follow the sand.

And then, there it is: I stop and gaze at something at the beach, whether it's the skyline, beachline, a child building a sandcastle, or something at my toes. That's my next painting. My toescapes (what I see at my feet) are among my most popular paintings -- they're all about seeing my world in micro view -- a painting of the sand and shells at my feet.

Selling a Beloved Painting

Whenever I sell a painting, I celebrate! I love to see my little creations leave home, but it's bittersweet. I've always endeavored to create the best of what I can, I give a painting my wholehearted effort. I love creating them, but it's labor, not play. I celebrate when they are sold, but I am also sad to see them leave. It's a little like a teenager who leaves for college. I know they'r going to a good home, but I also will miss my lovely paintings.

So, I've recently sold three of my paintings, and I celebrate them -- I have loved these paintings! I so wish the best for their new places in someone's home. I know that other people love my creations, and that's why they buy them. I wish the new owners lots of love. Thank you!

SOLD "Pastel Morning"

SOLD "Gypsy's Robe" SOLD "The Castle"

Making Still Life Dance

"Green Apples and Grapes" (c) Mary Hubley 6 x 6

Still life paintings are, well, still. The subject matter is calm, still, serene, and, well, maybe a bit dull. 

Don't get me wrong -- I love a beautiful table arrangement, but jeez... after a while of seeing them, they can be a bit boring. I mean, just take a walk through a gallery full of paintings with fruit in a bowl on a white tablecloth and background drapes. How long will you want to linger on each one?

As a painter, my job is to get people to linger over my art. Subject matter shouldn't matter -- I find the duller the better, because that's my chance to jazz things up!

The way to make people notice your work is to play a bit -- break away from how you think you should paint and try something new sometimes. Here are a few things to try:

• Get looser. 
• Play with giving round shapes squared edges, or square edges round ones. 
• Paint with very large brushes, or very small brushes. 
• Bump up the color vibrancy or reduce the whole thing to a monotone. 
• Play with composition -- make objects dance off the page or lay on a small space on the edge of it. 
• Dump realism and make it abstract.
• Go for too-high contrasts and too-deep shadows.

The point is, try something quite different -- it doesn't matter what the end result will be. It doesn't matter if the result will be gallery-worthy. The point is to play and expand your world with fresh ideas in how to approach a subject. The objective, of course, is to make your paintings fresh and alive. There's really no risk to trying something new; the up-side is that you might be surprised at how it can improve your work.

--- Mary Hubley

Mary Hubley Pears

My small pear series -- these are just 6 x 6 inch little paintings. My work is much freer when I paint a contemporary painting. They focus on lines, colors, shapes. Exploring not just the impression of an item, but abstracting it, too.

"Pears and Caper Jar"	"Pears and Spice Jar"
"Pears on a Plate"

Sand Play

SOLD "Sand Play" (c) Mary Hubley

Here's a new small oil painting I created -- a small girl playing on the beach in my home town, St. Augustine, Florida.

I paint lots of children playing on the beach -- they remind me of days gone by, when I would spend hours digging, running, and just wallowing in the sand and salt water.

Oblivious of anyone else or the hours spent just doing nothing, children have the ability to create new worlds and adventure from seashells, sand castles, and water buckets. Hopefully we all have such stunning memories of childhood.

Painting Through a Slump

I'm painting like crazy again! You never know when you're going to hit a dead wall. Other things in life start to take over, and before you know it, it's weeks since you touched your last paintbrush.

SOLD "Beach Day" 6 x 6

I've just gone through a dry spell. One where I did paint every week, but without much enthusiasm. I've been involved elsewhere, and I've been a bit lazy. 

I look on these times not with frustration, but with a sense of rest. I take rests occasionally from my work. And it's OK. I don't mind at all. It gives me a time out. A respite from having to push. I allow myself this.

Then, as quickly as the desire to paint has left me, it comes again. This time, I was inspired by a recent trip to Savannah. The galleries there are wonderful, and the owners of many of the galleries were the painters displayed, and many were there at their galleries, so I could talk to them. We went on a ghost tour, played by the river walk, and ate glorious Southern food. 

The paintings there reminded me there was world-class art around. And I am once again painting. I've become more interested in children again, and people playing at the beach. That's where my energies are going, at least for now.

The Scallop

SOLD The Scallop, 6 x 6 oil on canvas by Mary Hubley

My paintings sell well. Lately, it's the seashells, lily pads, frogs, and butterflies. Beach things are especially wanted . . . of course . . . I live at the beach and this is what the galleries here sell. Take a little piece of the beach home.

Just as much as I enjoy the process of brushing the buttery colors onto a canvas, I enjoy living with a painting before showing it. I hang it in my living room for a season. Eventually, I move on. Eventually, my paintings make their way to one of my galleries, and from there, they're whisked away to live with someone else. All my paintings remain with me, though, as part of my life's travels, a memory everlasting.