A Surprising Finish

 I didn't expect to finish this one today, and in fact, it's very late in the day, but here it is...

                                                                    Joan, New York City Short Stories, work in progress (click on image for larger view)

Lauren and Doug

                                                     Lauren, America Series, work in progress (click on image for larger view)
 

                                                     Doug, America Series, work in progress (click on image for larger view)
 

A Short Break

Sometimes you just need to get out of the studio and smell the roses before they fade.

Anyway; back to work today. Progress on two paintings and an excited start on a third.

                                                                            El Centro, work in progress (click on image for larger view)
 

                                                                            In The Halls Of Morpheus, work in progress (click on image for larger view)

                                                                            Untitled, work in progress (click on image for larger view)
 

This last one is on aluminum panel.

Here And There

 Worked mainly on the bicyclist; also added some touches to the tree and the car at right. 

                                                                            Elbo Room, work in progress (click on image for larger view)

The Brickwork Takes Shape

 The brick walls are beginning to have some weight, some form. I would like to find a way to put some orange and peach tones in the piece to play off the bright turquoise. But where?

                                                      In The Halls Of Morpheus, work in progress (click on image for larger view)

Also Done!

 Finally, I was able to create the proper highlight color for the clouds. This is now finished. And it looks far better in real life; the colors blend into each other better.

                                                     Saturated Sunset (Woodside Lake) (click on image for larger view)

I've Decided I Like Painting Bricks

 This was fun today! And it's speeding along at a good pace.

Besides the bricks I did some work on the figure and the interior.

                                                     El Centro, work in progress (click on image for larger view)

 
 

Completed!

 "A Rainy Evening In Alexandria," oil on hardwood panel, 16"h x 12"w

Working On The Not-So-Fun Part

 One of my least favorite things to do is draw/paint straight lines, and this painting has plenty of them in the form of brickwork. Today was rainy and grey, though, so the weather was conducive to just sitting quietly and concentrating on tedious measurement.

I did have some fun with the color, though.

                                                      In The Halls Of Morpheus, work in progress (click on image for larger view)
 

I Like This One

                                                        Elbo Room, work in progress (click on image for larger view)
 

There Will Be Sanding

 Because these are so small (6" square), every brushstroke is visible in the photos. In real life, they blend together and you can't see the individual marks unless you hold them up close; but that bothers me and so I plan to sand off some of the higher, raised ones.

Meanwhile, here's some of the smaller work from the last couple of days:

                                                                    Chat, New York City Short Stories, work in progress (click on image for larger view)
 

                                                                    Exit, New York City Short Stories, work in progress (click on image for larger view)

Last Minute Mistakes

 I've been having an awful time trying to replicate the brightest orange/magenta highlights in the clouds, and at the last minute out of frustration I drew a large soft brush across the upper left sky. Now it's a mess and I will have to go back yet again to pick out the detail.

                                                     Saturated Sunset,  work in progress (click on image for larger view)

Tentative Brushwork

 In this very early stage, I'm trying out different color mixes and trying to establish where the lights and darks are going to go. There doesn't seem to be a way to create the luminous, otherworldy turquoise that I want with the pigments I have, but I'll see if I can get something close.

                                                      In The Halls Of Morpheus, work in progress (click on image for larger view)