"La Gelateria" 24" X 18" fluid acrylic

In Situ Image includes: La Gelateria,
Percussion: A Serious Business, and A Better View

"I always think of shade as being full of light. That is why I like to use the word shade rather than light and shadow. Shade seems to play over the thing, envelop it, better define it, while shadow seems to fall on the thing and stain the surface with darks." -John Sloan

La Gelateria by April M Rimpo

La Gelateria
24" X 18" fluid acrylic
Varnished and Framed
in a Silver Wooden Frame 
$1700


Click here to Contact April if you are interested in purchasing this painting.

Exhibited in a Baltimore Watercolor Society Member Show at Quiet Waters Park, receiving a Signature Member Honorable Mention Award.

La Gelatoria celebrates New Orleans and all the great hidden away spots throughout the French Quarter. It is a study of light from bright direct light to subtle variations in the shade. It was interesting to see how the people walking down the bright street had their heads down, trying to keep the sun out of their eyes, which those in the shade sat quietly enjoying a cup or gelato from the local shop. 

I particularly love the cast shadows from the stairs above, plus the bits of shine on the French Quarter's cast iron railings that pick up pale reflected color from their surroundings.

Learn more about the other paintings shown in the inset:

• Percussions: A Serious Business
• A Better View

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.

"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.

"Champagne for Lunch" 20" X 36" watercolor

Champagne for Lunch by April M Rimpo

Champagne for Lunch

Watercolor

20 X 36" image
29" X 44" with white mat and golden metal frame

$3400   SOLD

Lunch with Champagne or Champagne for Lunch: I keep changing my mind what to call this painting. It must have something to do with how much Champagne to drink. Regardless which title, this painting is a celebration of light: direct light from the windows, the glow of chandeliers, the reflections on champagne bottles, reflections on the interior windows, and the shadowed area through the distant door that hides mysteries of more amazing art sequestered in the restaurant at Musee D'Orsay. It's a wonderful place to enjoy the amazing art on display, including sculpture and ornate murals on the walls and ceiling. This restaurant hummed with activity and definitely hit the spot from a culinary perspective as well.  Of course what else would you expect in Paris.  

This painting was also included in the 2017 Baltimore Watercolor Society's Mid-Atlantic Regional Exhibition. Then in 2018 it found its way into Splash 19, North Light Publishers' the 2018 Edition of their Best of Watercolor book series. I consider this publication nirvana in the world of watercolor. I was one of 126 artists selected for the publications from a field of over 1700. I feel giddy, like maybe I've been drinking too much Champagne.

Now I'm delighted it will grace a new home, having been purchased through HorseSpirit Arts Gallery.  I hope to be able to obtain a photograph of "Champagne for Lunch" in their home.

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.

#hocoarts #amrart #aprilrmpo #hocoartist #Paris #museedorsay #Splash19

Living Life, 24" X 18" watercolor

Living Life by April M Rimpo

Living Life

watercolor

24" X 18"

I've been painting a lot with fluid acrylic for the last year, but when I started in on Living Life I decided to start with watercolor thinking that at some point I would switch to fluid acrylic. However it was fun to be working in watercolor for a change and I ended up doing the entire painting in watercolor. Building up his beard was the most fun, since I had never painted a beard before.

I did use some of the techniques I had tried out with fluid acrylic during the 30 day challenge, intermixed of course with lots of techniques I've learned over the years from a myriad of great watercolor artists.  Layering color to build rich dark colors was a major take-away from a workshop I took from Paul Jackson on painting glass.  Obviously no hard edged shapes here, but the richness of color you get from layering colors is always phenomenal.

I used a pretty limited palette in this painting, Daniel Smith Quinacridone Coral, Quinacridone Burnt Sienna, and French Ultramarine. A little bit of Holbien Cerulean and a small amount of Da Vinci Indigo. I love when the colors flow throughout the shapes creating a cohesive flow.

I'd love to hear your thoughts on this painting.

"Fresh Snow" 24 X 24" watercolor and fluid acrylic

Fresh Snow by April M Rimpo

Fresh Snow

Watercolor and Acrylic

24" X 24" varnished and gallery wrapped paper

Available on my website

I've always found snow scenes intimidating, but decided to rise to the challenge this year and give it a try.  A fresh snow gives me a sense of calm, provided it is not so deep that I have to go out and shovel it for hours.  I thought back to all the lovely colors I'd been using this year and selected some that I thought had a calming effect on me and thought about which ones would be a good way to capture the light.  

Much of painting snow is really capturing the light since the snow is "white" and is a perfect surface to allow you to see it. Currently we have no snow on the ground so I went back through photographs I have taken the morning after a snow fall and really concentrated on the colors in the snow.  And there they were pale yellows, lavenders, and warm blues.

About a week after completing this painting I was fortunate to attend a talk by Lee Boyton, who studied painting the light with Henry Hensche at the Cape School of Art in Provincetown, MA. According the Lee's bio "Henry opened Lee's eyes to the poetry of using color to capture the subtle and ever-changing effects of light." During Lee's demonstration I found out that what I had stumbled upon in this painting was part of the philosophy of the American Impressionists and what was taught at the Cape School of Art.  I think the concept Lee portrayed in his demonstration is one I am innately drawn to and will definitely pursue this more in my work. 

"Struggles in the Sourthwest", 24" X 34" gallery wrapped fluid acrylic on paper

Struggles in the Southwest by April M. Rimpo

You may remember my June blog post called Pouring Paint, about a workshop I had taken from Linda Baker.  During that workshop I painted Harder Times which was a close up of one grave in Mission Tumacácori.  I designed Struggles in the Southwest earlier but decided it was too much to tackle in a workshop and went with the simpler version. I visited Mission Tumacácori sometime in the 1980s as part of my explorations of Arizona. After moving to Arizona in 1980, my husband and I continued to explore many National sites with Indian ruins during our 17 years in the state.  One of my interests, in fact my initial major in college, was archaeology, so visiting these sites allowed me to catch a glimpse of the past.  To learn more about this Mission visit the National Park Service site.

Like Harder Times this painting was poured, but with fluid acrylic instead of watercolor. Below are a few images showing steps in creating this painting.

Value Sketch

I generally start each painting with a drawing of the outlines of the shapes in the painting, but this one was complex enough that I decided to do a value sketch. The purpose of a value sketch is to work out the darks, mid-value, and lights in the painting. I admit I went beyond a value sketch and toward a much more complete drawing. However this was done on tracing paper to allow me to more easily transfer the drawing to watercolor paper.

The image at right shows the result of the first pouring of acrylic paint.  The acrylic was poured after I transferred the drawing, then masked areas I wanted to keep white. The first pouring uses the lightest colors in the painting, filling the role of the lightest mid-tone.  To accomplish this with acrylic, the pigments are very diluted with water.



When the first layer dries, more masking fluid is added to some areas where I want the lightest mid-tone.  A second pouring is done that has nearly the same amount of water mixed with the paint. Since it is on top of the first layer of color, it looks darker.  I added more blues to the second pour allowing them to mix with the Quinacridone Coral pigment to create lovely lavender shades in areas where there are shadows.

In this third process photograph I have added a few darker areas and, when the paint dried, I removed the masking.  

Notice the golden tan stripe along the left edge.  After I gallery wrap the painting over a stretcher frame, the stripe will be on the edge of the painting. Sometimes I run the image around the edge and sometimes I use color stripes.

    

This last photo was taken after several touch-up sessions. A variety of dark colors is added in the darkest shadows under the rocks and more color to the crosses. A great deal of work was done on the rocks to blend some of the dark edges and to emphasize the twigs and grasses in the sand around the stones.

There was a small amount of additional touch-up to finish the painting after this image was taken.  The finished painting in the top image shows just the front of the painting after gallery wrapping. 

Country Tour - more bikes

Country Tour, 20" X 36" varnished acrylic on paper, varnished

Country Tour

fluid acrylic

20" X 26" image

shipped within the United States*

Available to purchase here

Every year there is a bike race that is routed through our town.  Many years I had errands to run on the day of the race and was unable to get photographs of the racers.  This year I put the race on my calendar so I could be sure I'd have time to get some new reference material.  I took countless photographs that day; I believe I watched the race from the arrival of the earliest riders to the last to make it through town.  I combined three of my photographs to develop this design and took liberties with the colors of the buildings but believe I stayed true to the spirit of the day.

The riders were the inspiration, but including the police who helped direct traffic and the volunteer with the flag who helped direct the riders through the turn were important elements of the occasion.  

You can see some of April's other bike paintings by following the links below:

• Aerial Bikes II - (SOLD)
• Bike Ride
• Bike Trip I and II
• Bicycle Series
• Missing You

You can see more "Traffic Jam" paintings at these links:

• Traffic Jam at the Concert - Concert goes waiting on the ticket takers (SOLD)
• Rush Hour - Enjoy the view when trying to get home
• Traffic Jam III - Cyclists backed up at a crossing (SOLD)
• Full to the Limit - An overloaded canal (SOLD)
• Thoroughfare - Amsterdam: More bikes and trikes than you can believe
• On the Fjord - No spot at the port for the incoming boat
• Traffic Jam - Sometimes it doesn't take much  (SOLD)
• Trapped - Traffic congestion in a tunnel

* For purchase outside the United States, contact April regarding shipping costs

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.

Pouring Paint

Back to the Barn, watercolor by April M Rimpo

Harder Times 19” X 15” watercolor by April M Rimpo

In the past I've done a couple paintings where I poured the watercolor paint to minimize the amount of time a brush actually touches the paper.  This approach to watercolor is unpredictable and definitely for those who are willing to let the painting tell them what to do next, but can result in the most amazing glowing paintings.  I love to watch the paint flow and respond as needed, so this technique is great for me.

This week I took a workshop from Linda Baker, who uses pouring in all her work.  I decided it was time to take a class from an expert since my previous forays into this technique had been based on reading books and trying it on my own.  I've included images in this post of one older poured painting and the one I created this week.

Although both exhibit beautiful blends of color, the new painting Harder Times glows more than Back to the Barn.  Partially this is due to the pigment choices.  Linda Baker is an amazing teacher and filled my head with so much great information I'm sure my work will take another step up as a result of this workshop.   Since this approach is so compatible with my painting style I'm sure I'll use it in much of my work.  I even plan to give it a whirl when I use fluid acrylics.  I'll let you know how that turns out.

"Plein Air Artist" 10" X 8" acrylic

Plein Air Artist by April M Rimpo

Plein Air Artist

by April M Rimpo

10" X 8"

acrylic on gallery wrapped canvas

SOLD at HorseSpirit Arts Gallery 

Plein Air Artist is painted in acrylic on canvas. Plein air is a French term used for painting done outdoors.  Many of my friends enjoy painting on location.  I have ventured out on occasion, but most of my work is done in the studio where I can more easily control the water content.  Since I like having textural effects in my work, I find it difficult to accomplish these when working plein air since the amount of water is critical to many of the techniques I use. You have to learn to work differently since the sun and breezes dry the water before you know it.

I really appreciate artists who can create successful paintings en plein air. Being on site they are able to capture the light while it is happening. We studio painters tend to work a lot from memory (or invent what we wish was there) since photographs seldom capture the light as it really is.

Interested to see other paintings of people by April?  Check out these other blog posts and April's website:

• Having Fun with Portraits
• Sometimes it's the details
• April's figure gallery

If you have questions ask April here. 

Copyright April M Rimpo All Rights Reserved.

"Shadows on the Path" 8" X 10" acrylic on canvas

Shadows on the Path by April M Rimpo

"Shadows on the Path"

by April M Rimpo

8" X 10"

acrylic on gallery wrapped canvas

$200 includes shipping and handling with US

On a trip to the Hudson River Valley a few years about, my husband and I visited a few wineries in the area. We arrived at one winery about an hour before the tour was to start so we wandered around the grounds.  It was mid-morning but the light in October on the Hudson Rive is essentially early morning light;  there were great shadows and lights.  As you all know by now, I am drawn to scenes with great shadows and lights, so I took many photographs to help me remember the mood of the scene.

A couple days later, my husband, brother, a friend and I attended a Levon Helm "Midnight Ramble" concert at his studio home in Woodstock, New York.  We loved the concert and were so happy we got to see Levon one more time before his death the following year.  He and his band were truly amazing.  This painting brings back all these memories for me.  I'm sure you too have seen places like this and I hope this painting brings back equally good memories for you.

"A Spot of Color", 8" X 10" acrylic on canvas block

A Spot of Color by April M. Rimpo

Every Fall I walk around our neighborhood talking photographs of the trees and the beautiful colors of the fall foliage.  Unfortunately this year there were not many colors to be found.  Apparently the weather conditions weren't conducive to leaf color change, so most leaves had changed directly from green to brown and fallen.  There was one very small tree nestled among the larger ones that had turned red, gold, and orange. The sun lit this tree so it glowed, jumping out from the shadows.

A good friend and I decided to have a paint-in one wet day, so we huddled in her studio and worked on our own creations.  It seemed like a good opportunity for me to work from the photos I had taken of the little tree. I wanted to share the beautiful lights and shadows of that day, so A Spot of Color was born.  This painting is acrylic on a gallery wrapped canvas board.  I plan to include this little painting in an exhibit held each year during the first couple weeks of December at a local art center.  The exhibit is called "Singular Sensations" where local artists can share some lower priced original art to the public. See the variety of art produced in the area is always great fun. 

"A Spot of Color"

by April M Rimpo

8" X 10"

acrylic on gallery wrapped canvas

$200 includes shipping and handling within US

"Ponte Vecchio" watercolor 10.5” X 22”

Ponte Vecchio by April M. Rimpo

In 1994 we took a trip to Europe, stopping in many cities in Italy.  One of my favorite cities was Florence, where we got to see Michelangelo’s David at Accademia Gallery.  Shortly after visiting the gallery we were delighted to see Ponte Vecchio, the oldest bridge in Florence.  With a little research I learned the Old Bridge at this location was the only bridge across the Arno in Florence until 1218.  The current bridge, the subject of my painting, was rebuilt after a flood in 1345.  During its history is has housed many different types of shops but now is dedicated to goldsmith and jeweler shops.  What a wonderful day.

Ponte Vecchio

watercolor

10.5" X 22" watercolor

16" X 28" brushed silver frame

$700 within the United States *

Original SOLD at HorseSpirit Arts Gallery
info@horsespiritartsgallery.com 

410-461-3505  

Prints Available Here

When I took the photograph in 1994 I thought I would someday paint the scene.  All the little shops hanging off the bridge fascinate me.  Each was a little different, built individually so they don't quite align even though their design is similar.  19 years later Ponte Vecchio has finally come back to life for me in my painting.  One of my favorite quotes, which I first heard last year from Frank Web, is one by John Burke who said,

“Time spent in a painting is very much like going there again on vacation. And when the painting is done, I have seen every detail and nuance so thoroughly, that a glance at the completed work is sufficient for a short visit.”

I feel this way about many of my paintings, but somehow this is especially true of this one.  Perhaps because this trip was my first to Europe and because this view of the shops on the bridge was something I had never seen before.  When searching the Internet to learn more I did an image search using the photograph I had taken and found many people had taken almost the exact same shot, so I hope this scene will bring back memories of others’ vacations as well.

For other European landscapes by April follow these links.

• Morning in Provence
• Vineyard Life
• Venice III

* Contact April regarding purchase outside the United States

To see prints of April's paintings check her store.If you want a print of a painting that you don't see in the store ask me; I don't have all prints on display.

Morning in Provence

The soft glow of morning light is the subject of Morning in Provence.  I had always heard the light in Provence was different from anywhere else and wondered if it was just hype.  Well after visiting Provence I found out it really was true. There is something very dreamy in the atmosphere.  The morning light is very soft, filled with lovely pastels.  Sunsets are clear and dramatic.  I have seen some amazing sunsets in Arizona where the colors just fill the sky like fire, but the mornings are not the same.  I suspect the air is much cleaner in Provence, but there must also be just the right touch of humidity in the air because it is just wonderful.  No wonder so many artists have gravitated to Provence.

Morning in Provence

watercolor

14.5" X 22" image

20" X 28" brushed silver frame

$795 

Price:

Original Framed $795.00 USD

I enjoyed Provence in 2004 when I attended a Plein Air workshop held by Tony van Hasselt.  My plein air work generally never sees the light of day once I come inside, but the photographs I take continue to inspire me.  They never look quite as I remember, so I get to apply my artist's view and bring back my memory.  That was my goal in Morning in Provence.

I did paint this location one morning while in Provence.  I went out early to catch the light before meeting up with the group for the day's demo and painting time.   At the afternoon critique I brought this painting and whatever else I had done that day.  I had gone with big bold oranges.  I remember Tony trying to be very polite about its boldness.  That painting sits in my studio and has been calling my name recently telling me to give it another try.  I liked the interesting angles in the old Roman town of Vaisson la Romaine with its stone houses, narrow cobblestone streets, and lavender colored shutters. It is a dreamy spot and one I'd always hoped to share.   Morning in Provence is the result of my second attempt at sharing this spot.  I am delighted with the result and hope Tony will be proud, too.  By the way, he is headed back to Provence this year for his eighth workshop.  

April's other paintings of Europe include:

• Ponte Vecchio
• Vineyard Life
• Venice III
• At One with their Gondolas

To see prints of April's paintings check her store.If you want a print of a painting that you don't see in the store ask me; I don't have all prints on display.