Another One Down!

Finished this, this morning:

Daniel, America Series, © 2019, work in progress (click on image for larger view)

Two Down!

I've gotten this painting as far as I can take it at this point in time; truth is, I could probably do what's called another "pass" and that would take another year... But I'm calling it done (for now— unless I decide to repaint the woman's hand three weeks from now). I am breathing a heavy sigh of relief.

The Gauntlet, © 2019, work in progress (click on image for larger view)

And I finished the hands and knees on Grace! So now that's done, too— 

Grace, America Series, © 2019, work in progress (click on image for larger view)

Some Yellow

There were a number of spots in this one that needed a light lemon yellow, most of them behind the bottles in the light tower. A few are highlights on the fake rocks.

Tuesday, © 2019, work in progress (click on image for larger view)

Grace Looks To The Finish Line

Another one from the America series that's almost done! Most of what's left to do is the hands and legs.

Grace, America Series, © 2019, work in progress (click on image for larger view)

Daniel Moves Forward

This is another painting that's on the verge of being done. I worked on the eyes, and while he still has a bit of a stare, instead of the relaxed appearance in the photo reference, at least he looks better. Also painted the shirt and apron, paying special attention to the form-creating shadow areas.

Daniel, America Series, © 2019, work in progress (click on image for larger view)

Close To Done

All that's left is a few reflections on the shop window.

The Gauntlet, © 2019, work in progress (click on image for larger view)

A Shaky Hand And A Soft Brush

Shouldn't have had that second cup of coffee just before working on an architectural painting. And before the arrival of the new Snap! brushes, which hold a line better than the very soft one I was using. Darkened the wall at right and added a lot of shadows to the windows, pillars, and other places. And put in some more time on the grass, though I still don't have a handle on it.

L'Auberge Provençale, © 2019, work in progress (click on image for larger view)

Moved along to a piece that I had thought I'd finished. But I caught a glimpse of it and decided I was wrong; completely repainted the face.

Katie, America Series, © 2019, work in progress (click on image for larger view)

 

Last but not least: after letting the paint dry for at least two weeks, detailed some of the darker wave colors:

Coming Of Age In The Year 2018, © 2019, work in progress (click on image for larger view)

 

It looks darker than usual because now that the sun's setting before I finish working, I have to use interior lighting for the photos. Also, there's a lot of glare from the room light on the right side.

 

 

Almost Done

I might just use this entry as a temporary place marker, as I hope to get back to working on the hands today. If I do, this piece will be finished! I painted in all of the reflections on the right side, and they're quite wet, but they shouldn't get in the way of doing the hands. Off to have breakfast now.

The Gauntlet, © 2019, work in progress (click on image for larger view)

Chugging Along

The preparations for the Thanksgiving dinner are going well, and most of the domestic chores have been completed, so I actually had an hour to work on this today. Cleaned up some details that were unfinished; repainted the face (again!) and finished the mannequins' necks. This will really be done before mid-December!

The Gauntlet, © 2019, work in progress (click on image for larger view)

Not A Good Week For Creativity

Since Thanksgiving is Thursday, and we have folks coming for dinner, there's a lot of housecleaning and food shopping and cooking to do, so I am having to swap my brushes for the vacuum hose and the duster.

I'll be lucky if I get time to work on anything other than this:

Île Flottante, Guilty Pleasures Series, © 2019, work in progress (click on image for larger view)

The Pigment Disappointment

I am trying not to be too negative today, but the pinks and purples I have available are not doing the job. If you could see how the reference photo looks on my screen, you'd know what I mean; those colors are bright and hot, hot, hot; and all I'm getting out of the tube paints is dull, greyed-down hues. I'm going to have to look at different manufacturers from the ones I normally use and see if anybody has something more like neon.

All of the work on this one today has been on the light tower, the bottles, and the stacked-upside-down tumblers on the right side.

Tuesday, © 2019, work in progress (click on image for larger view)

Porch And Pillars

The architectural paintings are always a pain in the neck. A lot of artists say, "well, I'm never going to get the line straight anyway, so I might as well just put it down in a sketchy manner," and go their way. Why it's important to me to make the line straight as possible, I don't know, but there it is. So I struggled today with the lines of the windows and ceiling and door on the porch as well as the pillars (which, besides needing straight edges, also taper from top to bottom). Though the painting looks like it's done, it's not. Much more to do.

L'Auberge Provençale, © 2019, work in progress (click on image for larger view)

 I also attacked the grassy front lawn, if attacked is the right word. Here I'm taking some pointers from my abstractist friends and laying the paint down in brushy layers.

Utilizing The Fan Brush

Last week I watched a video of watercolor artist Judy Wengrovitz painting a scene that looked like it was set in the Rocky Mountains. She used a fan brush to create grasses in the foreground, and she held the brush vertically, not horizontally. This should not have been a revelation to me, but it was; I'm not always the brightest bulb on the string.

Anyway, this morning I decided to use a small, rather stiff fan brush on the wood grain below (holding it on the diagonal, of course):

Cherry Cobbler, © 2019, work in progress (click on image for larger view)

Earlier I used the same palette as in Hot Fudge Sundae II to work on the wood grain here: 

Hot Fudge Sundae I, © 2019, work in progress (click on image for larger view)