That Deep Blue Sky

After working on 16 separate paintings last week, I had planned to take the weekend off and actually leave the house to go to a local park, and, oh I don't know; breathe air that doesn't contain a whiff of mineral spirits, talk to other human beings, etc. But it's raining, and the rain's not supposed to let up until Monday. The shopping mall is likely to be extremely crowded in the Christmas shopping rush, so that doesn't really appeal, either. And despite the fact that Hollywood is releasing its contenders for the Oscars, there aren't any comedies in the bunch and that's what we all need right now. No apocalyptic stuff, please.

So, when I discovered that the paint on this one was dry enough for me to work, I got to it and added some purples, yellows, and deepened the post-sunset sky:

Farm At Dusk, © 2018 (click on image for larger view)

Everything else is either too wet to work or unappealing (example: In Case Of Emergency). Maybe I'll go to the public library.

Sheep!

I'm excited to see the sheep pop into view on this one. Today is very grey here, so the sunny hillside brings a note of cheer.

Sheep In The Meadow, © 2018, work in progress (click on image for larger view)

Tiled Out

It's Friday, so I'm trying to wrap things up for the week. I've been working on the tiles off and on for the last three hours, and it's time to go on to something else. But the wall looks much more coherent to me today.

Waiting At Le Diplomate, © 2018, work in progress (click on image for larger view)

Work On Wigs

Mostly I deepened the background colors on this one yesterday; things got busy in the afternoon and I forgot to post it.

Wigs And Shades, © 2018, work in progress (click on image for larger view)

I Know I'm Bad

I should finish something, anything, before starting another new painting. But this one is a personal piece that I need to hang alongside the others in the series. There's a blank spot on my wall where it needs to go. And there's no rush to finish it; I can just pick it up when everything else is too wet to work on.

Variations On A Theme #5, © 2018 (click on image for larger view)

Too Wet To Work

I get excited about the beginnings of paintings and want to put as much information on the canvas as possible early on. But yesterday's washes are still either wet or sticky, so I'll just have to wait. This image has a magnificent sky, and the yellows created by the setting sun warm up the clouds and the landscape. If I can pull it off, it'll be a beautiful painting.

Farm At Dusk, © 2018 (click on image for larger view)

Shirt Tales

Most of this afternoon's work has been on the blouse, especially the left side sleeve. I've always marveled at the way the old masters painted such precise and beautiful folds in garments; a couple of years ago, I visited a show of work by students and contemporaries of Michelangelo, and it was a surprise to find out that the masters dipped the clothing in some sort of stiffener to preserve the folds for painting. I can't do that, but photography provides a useful means for doing the same thing. Now the trick is to very carefully observe the way light helps to model the fabric.

The Promise Of Evening, © 2018, work in progress (click on image for larger view)

Something New

I sincerely hope that this one will go more quickly than the usual one year plus on most of my paintings.

Farm At Dusk, © 2018 (click on image for larger view)

Daniel

Establishing the shadow areas and working a bit on the facial planes this morning:

Daniel, America Series, © 2018, work in progress (click on image for larger view)

Late Afternoon Painting

Cheyenne, America Series, © 2018, work in progress (click on image for larger view)

And one more:

Grace, America Series, © 2018, work in progress (click on image for larger view)

Swimming

Had to take some time off this afternoon to run a few errands, but I got some paint on this aluminum panel.

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

Two People

When I take the photos of the models for the America series, I never ask anyone to smile. I've been a little surprised to note that so many of them automatically do smile. Anyway, here's the work for today (so far).

Katie, America Series, © 2018, work in progress (click on image for larger view)

Craig, America Series, © 2018, work in progress (click on image for larger view)

Blue Hair And Sheep

More work on the wigs; this time on the blue and purple haired mannequins. It does take multiple layers of paint to get the hair to look like hair.

Wigs And Shades, © 2018, work in progress (click on image for larger view)

 

And the start of a little R&R piece: a perfectly pleasant pastoral painting to include sheep. And puffy clouds on the horizon.

 

Sheep In The Meadow, © 2018, work in progress (click on image for larger view)