Sunday, August 30, 2015

Cantaloupe II

Cantaloupe II
5" x 7" oil on board
Sold

I had a lot of paint left over after I did finished the 8" x 10" (previous post), so I did this little one really quickly.  I like it.  The best thing about these paintings is the details that I left out.  For example, the plants on my patio and in my kitchen.

Cantaloupe I

Cantaloupe I
8" x 10" oil on board


From this painting, I learned how to spell cantaloupe.

Window Peaches

Window Peaches
8" x 10" oil on board


Some peaches in manganese violette, viridian, and cadmium yellow light.

Monocacy River Train Bridge

Monocacy River Train Bridge
8" x 10" oil on board
$70 plus shipping

Sadly, I am writing this post on the final day of summer vacation before I return to teaching and the stress of the school year. Summer photos have been uploaded and now it's time to scroll, achingly back through the wonderful experiences that I shared this summer and reassure myself that good times will return.

This painting is a reminder of one such experience. I was allowed out of the house for a day of fishing and painting, so I chose the Monocacy River, never having fished it before.  The Monocacy is beautiful and filled with fish.  I paddled upriver for a mile or so, casting along the way and catching tons of decent sized smallmouth bass. Once prime fishing hours had passed, I set up my easel in front of this train bridge and did my best. Amtrak passenger trains rumbled by occasionally as I painted, and when I was finished, I took a swim.

Thursday, August 20, 2015

Crabtree Falls Trail

Crabtree Falls Trail
8" x 10" oil on board


My wife and I hiked Crabtree Falls trail the final morning of our wedding anniversary weekend in the mountains south of Charlottesville. It's a beautiful hike and it's popular, especially in October, so you have to get there early to avoid the crowds.

I went with manganese violet, viridian green, and yellow for this one. The sun was just coming up over the ridge in front of us, and I tried to capture the differences in color temperature from foreground to background and left to right.

Green Apple

Green Apple
6" x 6" oil on board
$40 plus shipping
Getting bored of the blue, red, yellow color scheme, so I'm trying out some new ones.  I think I used dioxazine purple, viridian green, and cadmium yellow light for this one.  I think.