Copyright April M Rimpo

Visit April's website www.amrart.org
Copyright April M Rimpo All Rights Reserved. You may share my work with attribution and a link to this source site, but all other uses are prohibited.

Friday, March 16, 2018

Inspirations through Travel : Near and Far

I'm often asked where I get my inspirations for my paintings and whether I ever struggle with what to paint.  Ideas for paintings have never been a problem for me because I am so fascinated by the world around me. Landscapes, Cityscapes, and figures captured during everyday observation help tell the story of a place.  I have learned that I love sharing these stories.  Even if you see a very different story in my painting, that is great too. My story may have been my inspiration, but your story is what really matters. 

Recently I became aware of Jen Reviews' blog that includes the 100 Best Things to Do in Maryland.  Reading the list I thought the places I've visited might be an interesting example of the variety of places that compel me to paint. Don't miss the link to Jen Reviews' link near the end of this post.


Egrets' Haven by April M Rimpo
7" X 5" Acrylic on Aquabord
Some have been as far away as New Zealand, Guatemala, France, Norway, and others right here in Maryland, where I live.  My little painting on Aquabord, titled Egrets' Haven was inspired by a visit to, Assateague State Parkwhich is quite close to Ocean City, Maryland.

You've likely hear of Assateague because of the wild horses that live there. I was lucky to get photographs of the horses while there and am sure that one of these days they will appear in a painting.



Tall Ship Gloria by April M Rimpo



Even this painting of the Colombian tall ship, Gloria, was inspired here in Maryland at the Baltimore Inner Harbor, during Sailibration, an event held annually to commemorate the War of 1812. More than 40 tall ships visit the Inner Harbor to participate in the celebration. In the lower left of this painting, near the bow of the ship, you get a sense of the crowds that come to visit these beautiful ships each year.

Tall Ship
Watercolor
23" X 10"
in a 29" X 16" frame with a white mat







B & O Caboose by April M Rimpo
Historic Ellicott City, sometimes called simply Old Ellicott City, is a quaint town that preserves its history down to the color of paint used on the buildings in town. This painting is a view down Main Street showing the clock by the Train Station Museum, where a B & O caboose is on display. The real caboose no longer rides the rails, but it seemed only fitting to transport it back in history.



B & O Caboose
Original Sold, but
Prints Available at
HorseSpirit Arts Gallery, 8090 Main Street, Ellicott City, Maryland

Spring by the River by April M Rimpo


A little over 20 miles from Ellicott City is the Brighton Dam Azalea Garden in Brookeville, MD 20833. Nestled on a hill adjacent to a reservoir is this garden that comes to life each Spring, just in time for Mother's Day. I visit it every few years to capture the gorgeous blooms in a wide variety of color. 




Spring by the River
Fluid Acrylic
24" X 36"
Original Sold



A Clutter of Kayaks by April M Rimpo

Traveling toward Annapolis, the capital of Maryland, you come across many waterways and small parks where you can sit and relax or meet up with friends to kayak on the river.

A Clutter of Kayaks
Fluid Acrylic
20" X 36"


Summer Breezes by April M Rimpo

Summer Breezes
is inspired by the Annapolis City Dock, which is located near the Annapolis capitol building and not far from the Naval Academy.  As the name implies, this is a nice place to sit on a bench to relax and take in the sights.



Summer Breezes
Fluid Acrylic
11" X 14"

I hope you enjoyed this small tour, through my eyes and art, of just a few of the places you can visit in Maryland.  

If you are interested in learning about more places to visit, take a look at this Jen Reviews article, 100 Best Things to Do in Maryland.  I've only been to a few of these locations, but agree they deserve to be included.  This list now has me intrigued to explore other regions of Maryland to check out more places to see and enjoy; and just maybe paint. 



Interested in learning more about April's art inspirations, tips about her painting process, or art business tidbits? Want to know when her art is in exhibits? Consider joining her friends and collectors by signing up for her twice-monthly email.


Copyright April M Rimpo All Rights Reserved. You may share my work with attribution and a link to this source site, but all other uses are prohibited.

Friday, March 9, 2018

"Percussions: A Serious Business" 20" X 24" painting by April M Rimpo

Percussion: A Serious Business by April M Rimpo

Percussion: A Serious Business
Watercolor

20" X 24" painting
Approx 27" X 31" Brushed Silver Frame with White Mat



The parade for the French Quarter Jazz Fest in New Orleans was full of musicians from young school bands likely in one of their first parades to sage professionals like the members of the Society Brass Band.  This percussion crew has no doubt marched in thousands of parades, yet their level of concentration looked intense. Not a smile to be found. Given the excitement of the crowds and the joyous prancing of others in the parade, the contrast of these men made me grin, which is all it takes to make me want to share the story a painting. 

Exhibited in the Southern Watercolor Society's 
41st Southern Watercolor 
Society Annual Juried Exhibition
ArtCenter Manatee, Bradenton, FL

where it received an Award 
Click here to Contact April

Interested in learning more about April's art inspirations, tips about her painting process, or art business tidbits? Want to know when her art is in exhibits? Consider joining her friends and collectors by signing up for her twice-monthly email.

Copyright April M Rimpo All Rights Reserved. You may share my work with attribution and a link to this source site, but all other uses are prohibited.

Saturday, March 3, 2018

"Illumination" 36" X 20" Watercolor and Fluid Acrylic

The development of a painting can take a variety of paths. I generally have a mood I want to communicate which leads me to how I approach the work. However, many things can influence the approach you take to create a piece:
  • A workshop you have taken may affect color choices, 
  • An experimental painting you've finished gives you new ideas, or 
  • A painting video you watched provides a new interesting way to create textures in the background and sparks an idea
Any of these can impact how you tackle a painting you've been planning for a long time but didn't know where to start. 
After Steps 1 and 2
I think all of these events initially impacted how I approached Illumination. With so many different ideas floating in my head I decided to put off the painting for a short time to see what bubbled up as the most important of these inspirations. I have to admit that I decided to discard the video idea for now until I try the approach on a few smaller works. However, some new color possibilities and recent experiments definitely came out to play while I created this painting.

At left is the result of the first two steps of the painting. Step 1 was applying mask over some highlight areas and the background wash.  I applied the colors in a swirly motion so they could create their own fantastic blends and resulted in color "stripes" in the shapes of the structure in which the woman is standing. I worked on her face and some clothing shadows during Step 2. My goal was to establish the focal point and work out the value range for the figure. 
                                                                        
Step 3 of Illumination
Step 4 of Illumination
In Step 3 I developed the lower shaded areas using a color combination I experimented with recently. The color triad for the darks is three grayed mixtures of Alizarin Crimson Permanent, Indigo, and Raw Sienna. Each gray uses one of these colors as the dominant color and the other two were used in small portions to just calm down the blend.

In Step 4, the mass of branches on the right side were fully developed by layering more of the gray blends and a nearly black blend.


Step 5 of Illumination
Although it was another hour and a half of work, Step 5 might look very much like Step 4. In it I added shadows under all the highly lit branches  and more dark shadows in the upper left and upper right. Also completed in Step 5 were the hands of the figure and some more darks on her face. 
Step 6 of Illumination

Step 6 is shown at right.
The painting is nearly complete, except for the branches across the bottom. They need soft transitions between the highlights and the shadows under the branches.











Below is the completed painting, Illumination.  Please share your feedback in the comments below.
Illumination by April M Rimpo



Click here to Contact April

Interested in learning more about April's art inspirations, tips about her painting process, or art business tidbits? Want to know when her art is in exhibits? Consider joining her friends and collectors by signing up for her twice-monthly email.

Copyright April M Rimpo All Rights Reserved. You may share my work with attribution and a link to this source site, but all other uses are prohibited.

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