Luscious

Another of the "This makes me hungry" paintings:

Strawberry Shortcake, Guilty Pleasures Series, © 2020, work in progress (click on image for larger view)

Thin Line Fatigue

Painting the lines of the wood grain is a challenge. The wood is mostly a warm color, and the grain lines are very dark; then the values change depending on whether there's a cast shadow or a highlight on a water spill. I'm trying to add a little dimension to the color as well, with some orange and deeper earth tones here and there. But it's fatiguing.

Two Spoons, Guilty Pleasures Series, © 2020, work in progress (click on image for larger view)

Revisiting 4th Street

The emptiness of the right side has been bothering me, so I went back to this one after working on the Somerville painting this morning.

4th Street, San Francisco, © 2020, work in progress (click on image for larger view)

 

And I have to admit to still being flummoxed by this one. I've been studying leafy shadows for a week or so but am still unable to translate those observations into paint applications that make sense.

 

Light And Shadow, © 2020, work in progress (click on image for larger view)

 

House Painting

Painting straight lines is tedious, so I avoid them as much as possible, but today I had to bite the bullet and work on the lines of the house and the nasty picket fence. I'd rather be doing the flowers.

Somerville Roses, © 2020, work in progress (click on image for larger view)

4th Street

I know it doesn't look like much work got done on this today, but I did add a lot of form to smaller areas, mostly in the center. I like the variety of people.

4th Street, San Francisco, © 2020, work in progress (click on image for larger view)

A Good Day In The Studio

Today I felt very relaxed, calm, and able to focus without a sense of urgency. Maybe because I listened to music instead of the news?

Sara Driving Across The Desert, © 2020, work in progress (click on image for larger view)

 

All of today's work on this painting was on the left side: Sara, the view out the window behind her, and the inside of the car's roof.

The Big Repaint

I've never been satisfied with this painting, and after retrieving it from the basement and taking a hard look at it, I realized it was unfinished, anyway. So in the interest of finishing the Postcards series, I'm repainting it. There is now a wide swath of green where there used to be clouds and hills; I moved the skyline way up on the picture plane.

A Bend In The River, Postcard Series #13, © 2020, work in progress (click on image for larger view)

Gratification

There is something nice about being able to paint in a looser style, so I'm concentrating on landscapes lately. This doesn't mean I won't get back to the tighter stuff soon; that fire extinguisher is begging to be finished. But I did enjoy spotting in the yellow sunflowers this morning.

Bluemont Vineyard With Sunflowers, Virginia Vineyard Series, © 2020, work in progress (click on image for larger view)

Sunday Painter

I really felt like working this morning. I'm probably going to leave the sky alone going forward on this one; sometimes clouds are easier to paint than other times, and I think the fact that the structure is so clear in the reference photo helped a lot in this morning's session. I like the way this is shaping up, though it's a bit gloomier than the rest of the Postcards series.

Queens Cove, © 2020, work in progress (click on image for larger view)

Finishing, and Some Fun With The Palette Knife

After a two day break from painting, I got to work and finished two pieces:

Contra Costa Marshland #4, © 2020, work in progress (click on image for larger view)

 

The marshland painting finishes up the Contra Costa series, so that's one set I can check off my list.

 

L'Auberge Provençale, February, © 2020, work in progress (click on image for larger view)

 

I repainted the rabbit on the porch twice; am not 100% sure about it, so will wait a few days to decide. But otherwise, the painting's done.

 

Moving on; I played with the palette knife, trying to get the feel of it.Some angles are better than others, and it seems you have to collect the paint on the underside of the knife to apply it.

Untitled, © 2020, work in progress (click on image for larger view)

 

And last, I evened out the sky, but it did obscure the tree branches, so I'll have to plot them out again.

 

Tidal Basin, Postcards Series #15, © 2020, work in progress (click on image for larger view)

Dry Pants

It took well over a week for the waiter's pants to dry, but now that they are, I was able to get in and do some work on this one. Today I glazed a combination of warm hues over parts of the ceiling, and darkened the far wall; also the interior of the framed painting.

Specials Of The Day, © 2020, work in progress (click on image for larger view)

A Fourteen Brush Day

I decided to start with the inside left corner of the case and work from left to right, and top down, using only three colors plus white: Payne's Gray, which tends toward the blue; Ivory Black, which is supposed to be neutral but I find it to look rather warm; and Gris Froid. There's a lot of value change due to the  reflections on the glass, which required a lot of brushes. But it's moving in the right direction. This is on my list of priorities for finishing.

In Case Of Emergency, © 2020, work in progress (click on image for larger view)

I'm Just Not Sure About That Rabbit

This is about as close to being finished as it could possibly be; the only thing that looks like it's going to need touch-up is the wooden white rabbit that sticks out like a sore thumb, as we say. The rabbit is the mascot, if you will, of the inn, so it should be in the picture; but it needs to be toned down to match the atmosphere.

L'Auberge Provençale, February, © 2020, work in progress (click on image for larger view)