Gail Niebrugge's Blog
I’m gaining on this canvas, it is slowly being conquered. Just a few tiny white flecks of white canvas are showing at this point. The paint is beginning to adhere. Interesting dilemma. This brand of canvas is the same as the previous four I’ve painted and none of the others resisted acrylic paint like this [...]
This painting is a battle between me and and the paint adhering to this stubborn little canvas. I’m diligently layering dots on top of dots, some adhere and others bead up and dry leaving zillions of little white spaces of canvas showing. Grrrrr…… But, I’m gaining on it. Slowly. Close-up detail of my war with [...]
This miniature canvas is smaller (5″ x 7″) than the last few I’ve painted in this “Big Alaskan Boys in Miniature” series, and unlike the other grounds, this one has been treated with something that is resisting acrylic paint. Recently I’ve been applying a thin acrylic wash as a base, but maddeningly the paint is [...]
“Wolf Stalking” acrylic on canvas 6″ x 8″ ©Gail Niebrugge. To purchase call for price and availability. Pointillism was set aside on the figure of the wolf, and some linear strokes of a #1 brush were added to the foreground. The surrounding negative space is made up of layers of dots. These mini’s are studies, [...]
At this point in the painting I’ve layered multi-colored green dots around the wolf figure and began shaping the animal with different blends and values of yellow ochre, burnt umber, burnt sienna, napthol crimson, and titanium white. This series of “Big Alaskan Boys in Miniature” is enjoyable, and painting small a challenge. Gail Niebrugge, Alaska [...]
I spent a great deal of time with this wolf during my 2009 artist residency in Denali National Park, Alaska. He stalked me while I was in the field doing research, after observing me for a few moments he abandoned the stalk, changed direction hunting something else. During the day he appeared several times at [...]
“Snow Bear” acrylic on canvas 6″x 8″ ©Gail Niebrugge. Call for price and availability. I had to abandon pointillism while completing detail on the bear image, and used short strokes with a #1 brush. Fond memories of our trip to Denali National Park, Alaska, during a snow storm. These mini’s are studies, an up-close look [...]
At this phase of the “Snow Bear” painting I am using a #3 brush, but it is difficult to work this small using the technique of dots. This photo shows the small brush and part of the grizzly bear image on the 6″ x 8″ canvas. Gail Niebrugge, Alaska wildlife artist
Sorting through my research files I ran across photos and my journal written during a trip to Denali National Park one September when we were caught on the west end of the Denali Road during a snow storm. We spent quite a bit of time watching this beautiful grizzly bear as he easily traveled through [...]
“Clamming” ©Gail Niebrugge, 8″x10″ acrylic on canvas. Call for price and availability. I’ve used many more short strokes and lines with a #1 brush to finish this mini, and am not satisfied to create the entire painting with dots. I like a little more detail and this small format is a challenge. These mini’s are [...]
I’m creating depth with dots of acrylic paint by changing values, in the distance colors are closer in value, the foreground has more contrast. I’m using short strokes to define the three year old grizzly bear, the seagull has very little paint at the moment. Gail Niebrugge, Alaska painter
I had the opportunity to observe many grizzly bears digging for clams at low tide along the Lake Clark National Park, Alaska, shoreline last year and enjoyed watching this youngster working away oblivious to the scavenger birds who were feasting on the scraps. I’m not sure I can have the detail I want and do [...]
I’ve been adding a variety of colored dots to the background and foreground, the moose figure remains unchanged at this stage. This is a close up of the multi colored dots just above the antlers. Dots on top of dots. Fun stuff. Up close it is amazing how much color is used, but from a [...]
Now I’m layering dots with very dark values in the background to establish the contrasts in this study. Although the background looks black it is made up of many different shades of color. Gail Niebrugge, Alaska wildlife artist
During this phase I’m establishing the darkest and lightest areas in the composition. A transparent wash of acrylic is applied to the dark and mid tones on the body of the moose. Light colored dots are applied to the landscape around the lower half of the painting. This study is a miniature 8″ x 10″ [...]
Another in my series of small miniature studies of the big boys in Alaska. I was fortunate to be able to research bull moose in the rut one year in Denali National Park in early September, and watched some of the largest bull moose sparring with smaller challengers. This was one of the really big [...]
Yes, I sort of like the addition of the white space along the top third of the canvas, it helps silhouette the antlers and gives depth to the scene. The dot work is progressing on the caribou, I’m using a #1 brush, very tiny and hard to control when my hand keeps falling asleep. I [...]
At this point in the painting I’m evaluating the composition. It is pretty basic, one object in the center of the picture plane. Not too challenging, but this is a study of a caribou I remind myself. It is easy to get lost in the dots and overwork the painting at this stage, it is [...]
Now the layering of dots begins in earnest. I’ve already painted new colors over the top of previous dots to adjust value, this process will continue until I’m satisfied that the exact feeling, values, and punch are achieved. I did not under paint the caribou in order to help me see the sketch and facilitate [...]
Finally, a day free of business responsibilities, taxes, correspondence, volunteer commitments, and pain from my healing shoulder, a day to finally paint after four plus months! Where to begin? I thumbed through my research files for subject matter, sorted through storage filled with various papers, rag boards, canvas, Sintra, and Masonite panels, opened sticky lids [...]
Gail Niebrugge (Knee-brew-ghe) born and raised in California has pursued art since childhood, winning a poster contest on the Johnny Jet television show at the age of twelve. Gail began her career as an illustrator for the US Navy and Marines in San Diego, and later established the Instructional Media Center for the Grossmont High School District in La Mesa, California. The Niebrugge family fell in love with Alaska while on vacation in 1976 and never returned home, instead they established a residence and studio in the remote interior settlement of Copper Center where the artist painted … [Read More...]
Wikipedia defines pointillism as; "a style of painting in which small distinct points of primary colors create the impression of a wide selection of secondary and intermediate colors." It goes on to say that the mind and the eye mix the color spots into a full range of tones and that it is closely related to Divisionism. Divisionism was practiced by Georges Seurat during the Neo-Impressionism period. He broke his color into basic elements and painted very small and regular dots. His dots are carefully placed as to not touch each other, so the white under painted canvas shows around all of the dots. I call my painting technique pointillism, but technically it is incorrect according to Wikipedia. The difference between my technique and true pointillism is that I use … [Read More...]