Napa Lowlands Progress

Here's where the Napa painting stands— It still needs more details, and I'm not happy about the bright green color, but it's coming along OK.

Napa Lowlands, © 2016, work in progress

Moving Back to the Studio

In the winter, the studio tends to be cold and dark, so I prefer to paint upstairs. Actually, I'd be upstairs all of the time if I could, but it does make sense to have everything in one place, so two days ago I moved all of the materials and the paintings I've been working on recently back to the dungeon. (I should mention that there's no comfy place to sit down there, either, just a wooden stool at the easel, a reminder of art school days.)

Having everything immediately at hand is a good thing. And I've made some progress on a couple of paintings that I've neglected for months, as well as finishing Endangered Species, in an earlier entry below.

So here's A Woman in a Red Hat, © 2016, work in progress:

More to come.

At Long Last

Done.

Endangered Species, © 2016

Paying Attention

It's hard sometimes to gauge the values in a painting, and I usually err on the side of light and intensity of color. Today I put my reference photo and my last version of Palatka side by side on the desktop to see how they differed, and tried to reconcile them. Also, I darkened in those tree areas that I'd added color to last time. So here's where things stand today:

Palatka, oil version, © 2016, work in progress

I added some grey to the water and then smudged the cloud reflections in a wet-on-wet technique.

Purchasing Artwork on Etsy

I've had a few original pieces on the Saatchi website for a while, but now I think it's time to start concentrating on giclees on both Saatchi and Etsy, so I'm opening an Etsy shop soon. Stay tuned.

Napa Lowlands

Took a few days off from painting to work in the yard, but today it's cold and damp. Snow was predicted, but there's been nada, good thing considering the fact that the daffodils are in full bloom.

Here's what I worked on today:

Marsh with Low Hills, Napa, work in progress, © 2016

Details in the Trees

When I take a close look at the reference photo for Palatka, I can see a lot going on in the woods that rim the body of water. The colors, while dark, are interesting shades of violet, green, blue and brown. I'll probably knock them back with dark greys once the paint dries so they won't be too chaotic and distracting. But here's today's work:

Palatka, oil version, work in progress, © 2016

Tuesday Daffodils

Worked mostly on the oak table and the curtain today.

An Embarrassment of Riches, work in progress, © 2016

Starting the Week

Two pieces worked on on this dreary day: the Whole Foods painting— mostly the second panel of the storefront— and something entirely new.

Whole Foods, work in progress, © 2016


Years ago, on a train trip across the country, I took about a thousand photos. I've always wanted to do something with them. This one is a view from the train window of the sleepy low hills of the Napa region in Northern California. There are several images that could make a nice series, and I plan to do them in a sketchy style.

Marsh with Low Hills, Napa, work in progress, © 2016

Pastel Version of Palatka, Done!

 Now I can get on to other things.

Palatka Series, Pastel Version, © 2016

Daffodils Today

Bright sunshine and 70 degree weather today. The first daffodil is about to break in the yard, so it felt right to work on this one.

An Embarrassment of Riches, work in progress, © 2016

Palatka and Birds, Part 2

Seems I used the title "Palatka and Birds" a little while ago. Today (so far, at least) I've worked on the same two paintings. So here are the updates:

Palatka, oil version, work in progress, © 2016

Waiting For The Birds To Return, work in progress, © 2016

As usual, I thought the shadowy areas on the face were darker than they appear here. Will work on those and the scarf next time. It's incredible how much time it takes to even do a small painting like this one, which is a mere 6" square.

Palatka, Pastel

The pastel version is moving apace. Still needs work, but here's where it is now:

It's been fun exploring the same scene in three different mediums.

Palatka, pastel version, © 2016

An Embarrassment of Riches

I started this one quite some time ago and then had to put it aside to work on paintings for various shows. This one was purely for my own enjoyment. Now that the first crocuses have begun to appear (despite today's pretty snowfall) I'm motivated to work on it again.

An Embarrassment of Riches, © 2016, work in progress

Apple #2

Finished the second in the series. Things get more interesting as the apple ages. Stay tuned.

The Arrow of Time,  #2, ©2016

A Little Diversion

Here's a head study I did a while ago in pastel. I put a few finishing touches on it today.

Head Study, © 2016

Still Waiting

I decided there wasn't enough contrast, or that the difference between the light and shadow areas on the coat wasn't strong enough, so I worked on this one a little more yesterday.

 Waiting For The Birds To Return, work in progress, © 2016