8" x 10" oil on board
Saturday, June 3, 2017
River Pine Grove II
11" x 14" oil on board
Sorry about the glare in the upper right corner.
Monday, February 6, 2017
Copper Cup with Apple and Grapes
8" x 10" oil on board
I couldn't bear to watch the inauguration, so I painted instead. This painting and my last still life feel like breakthrough paintings. Every now and then I take what feels like a permanent step forward. One choice I made with this painting was to replace what were, in reality, cool highlights on the grapes and apple that came from the window to my left, with warm highlights that pulled the copper color from the cup into the foreground.
Sunday, January 15, 2017
Green Apple with Enameled Cup
8" x 10" oil on board
I painted over an old painting for this one, which I love doing because the surface is nice and slick, so the paint spreads on easily. However, the smart thing to do would have been to sand the old painting down a little first. You can see the ridges on the left side from the original. I guess it kind of makes it look old or something. I also used a mixture of equal amounts ivory black and titanium white as a grey in this painting, which is something I think I'll continue to do. The premixed grey made it quicker and easier to tone down colors straight from the tube.
I'm going to experiment with mixing the leftover paint on my palette and priming some new white boards with it to see if I can get the same, slick painting surface. Despite the ridges, I'm really happy with this one.
Green Tea with Honey and Lemon
8" x 10" oil on board
I almost gave up on this one because, as I was painting it, I started to think about the importance of correctly representing objects that people are familiar with such as green tea sleeves and plastic bottles of honey. However, I saw it through, not because I felt like I was doing such a wonderful job of representing these objects but because, if there's one thing I've learned from painting, it's that they have a way of turning out better than you think they will. The one thing I do like is the way the lines of the bag and reflection lead the viewer through the painting, which was purposeful.
Friday, December 23, 2016
Rockfish Valley
8" x 10" oil on HD Canvas
This is a semi-imaginary scene from Nelson County, VA on the Bold Rock Cider Property in Nellysford, VA. I used a reference photo, but I changed up the color scheme big time and added some embellishments such as the river, snaking off into the distance. Here's the reference photo:
Saturday, November 19, 2016
Drift Rose Study II
5" x 7" oil on board
Sold
The second of my election day drift rose studies. I painted these under a combination of natural, north light and three overhead 60 watt GE bulbs, trying to keep the shapes as simple as possible.
Drift Rose Study
5" x 7" oil on board
Sold
After voting on election day, I painted flowers, secure in the notion that our country was headed in the right direction...I'm happy with the results of my paintings; the election, not so much.
Lily Study
5" x 7" oil on board
Anything in a glass jar might be my new favorite subject to paint. The light shines in my "studio" window from the north and creates all sorts of nice, cool, pastely colors in the glass. As usual, I've had a hell of a time getting a good photo - my iPhone actually gives the truest representation of the color, but despite editing, it looks better in person.
Sunday, November 13, 2016
Fruit Basket with Kosher Salt and Wine
16" x 20" oil on board
I painted this sometime over the summer and just never posted it. I had woken up around 3am and couldn't go back to sleep, so I just got up. Then I got the urge to paint. I really like the looseness and the abstract shapes in the background that are actually kitchen appliances and cabinets. I think what made me want to paint was that that the arrangement was just there, prearranged, and I like it when I don't have to artificially pose objects to create a composition.
Historic Sycamores - Harpers Ferry, WV
9" x 12" oil on board
I read that sycamore trees often live up to 250 years, with some living as long as 400-500 years! So I would imagine that the massive sycamores standing in Harpers Ferry National Historical Park stood witness to the battle of Harpers Ferry, which took place in 1852. That blows my mind. It was fun painting them.
Saturday, November 12, 2016
Camellia Flowers
8" x 10" oil on board
Sold
After voting, I spent the rest of election day painting flowers to increase my inventory for the Sodexo craft show coming up on December 2nd. As usual, this painting is much prettier in person.
Saturday, November 5, 2016
Monocacy Island
8" x 10" oil on board
The photo and the name of this painting - not so great. However, I think this is one of my best plein air paintings. I got it down quickly, and it's accurate. I like the little reflection of sky in the lower left. I caught no fish on this day because the river was up, but I had a great time painting.
9" x 12" oil on board
As usual, I've been experimenting with paint palettes and approaches. I painted over a pre-existing painting for this one, so there are some nice textures, and I didn't draw it out beforehand. I just picked up my brush and started painting. That could be why it's a little more centered than I'd like it to be. However, it's interesting, and I like the colors.
Audubon Park Stoop
16" x 12" oil on board
I took the reference photo for this painting several years ago during a visit to New Orleans. I wish I could grow oranges on my stoop...
Ellie and Mo
8" x 10" oil on board
Commissioned
I hate to say it, but I dislike painting people's pets. It's tedious and stressful because it involves hours of staring at the computer screen, trying not to screw up a member of someone's family. That said, Ellie and Mo turned alright, and if you want to pay me, I'll paint your animal even though I don't really want to.
Winter's Coming
8" x 10" Oil on Board
The next few posts are going to be a bit of a blog dump. Obviously, I haven't posted in months, mostly due to lack of time. However, I have been painting. I have a show coming up in December, so I'm getting everything up to date.
Monday, March 21, 2016
Ginger-ale Studies
5" x 7" oil on gesso board
My camera over saturates colors and enhances shadows, but I'm usually able to adjust once I get them uploaded so that they're close to reality. However, My wife installed a bunch of updates to the Mac today, including a new version of i-photo, which I haven't quite gotten the hang of. As a result, these photos are a little less true than usual.
The ginger-ale was sitting on a little table at my back door, and it was early morning,
so I had to paint quickly (30 minutes each) to keep up with the changing light. Hence, the looseness of these paintings. I guess light always changes at the same rate, but the variance in warmth and intensity per half hour stretch seems to be greater in the morning than in the hours before and after mid-day.
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