A Few Abstracts

May 25, 2022 | twodoves blog

This group of abstracts are geometrics. “Flat Earth Proof” is about tangents. “Nautilus” and “Out to Sea” are based on the Golden Ratio.

“Flat Earth Proof”

John says:

In Geometric paintings I like to design in pencil and then ‘dam off’ areas using thick masking fluid applied with a ruling pen. This creates areas where I can work in very wet and let the pigments find their own art. I get them wet to a flow state, drop in pigment, and use gravity and time to influence the result.

“Nautilus”

“Out to Sea”

Cindy says:

John likes math. He likes to apply it to practical things, constantly seeking. I’m liking that his math skills (and passion for it) found a way into his art.

See more Abstracts

The Plot

May 8, 2022 | twodoves blog

“The Plot”, is a series of paintings with a familiar subject in John’s art: old men.

Cindy liked the ‘unfinished’ look of this one and framed it before John knew it, resulting in the Original “Plot”. John wasn’t so sure about that idea, so he tried some different approaches.

“Number Two”

Watercolor with fully completed background

“Number Three”

Pastel sketch with some ‘unfinished’ areas

Back to Watercolor

Number 4 incorporates John’s ‘frisket-signature’ for the first time in his watercolors. Number 5 and 6 are the results of practicing to complete the scene within an hour.

“Number 4”

“Number 5”

“Number 6”

“The Final Plot”

Watercolor by John McLaren
Art 9×7 | Matted 14×11

Presented at the Murray Art Guild Monster Draw, September 2019

The seventh, and ‘Final Plot’ was presented to the holder of the raffle ticket with John’s number on it. Both John and Cindy participated in this community art celebration in support of Murray Art Guild.

Cindy says: We like to practice and it is the ‘practice’ that we love.

The Space Between Us

Apr 24, 2022 | twodoves blog

A look at the development of “The Space Between Us”.

Anyone that knows my work, knows that I like to do pieces that show people in a way that makes the viewer wonder about the situation. In “The Space Between Us”, I wanted to show some obvious tension between a couple. I started with the man, and experimented with background shapes, and styles. I had just finished another painting of a “Man Without a Chair”, so I decided to leave it off here as well.

“Focal Point”

Watercolor, Art 17×24
September 2020

Someone asked, “Is that you in the painting?” Maaaybe.. (photo circa 1977)

Experimenting with

“Mac’s Gray”

March 2021

At this point in my watercolor evolution I was playing with a couple things – 1) a transparent black I had developed – I call it ‘Mac’s Gray’, and 2) using masking to develop a painting through multiple value layers. So, the next stage of this painting used both of these to first produce a monochromatic version.

I added the woman and devised some different background elements. The floor to be disjointed to emphasize the tension. I experimented with a dyad of turquoise and crimson applied over the grays. I wasn’t pleased with the result, so I stretched another sheet and started again.

See how to mix this gray on John’s Blog by clicking the button below.

Many Ways to Gray Part 5: Mac's Gray

A new sheet, first mask, first wash

In the final version, I repeated the use of frisket to develop three different value layers, but instead of layering with gray, I used Phthalo Turquoise and Quinacridone Rose – with just a splash of Quinacridone Gold for the first layer. The colors were kept separated as much as possible for the figures and the table, but allowed to merge in other areas to produce bluish gray.

“The Space Between Us”

Watercolor by John McLaren
Art 20 x 26

“Best of Show”

Woman’s Club of Paducah 85th Annual Art Show

April, 2022

Framed Painting, 30×37
Available for purchase: $1750