The Last Lap Seems Like It's Longer

When I get to the end of a painting and it looks like it's done, or nearly done, it's disappointing to sit down to work on it and then realize there's a LOT more finessing to do. Such is the case with both of the paintings below. They still need much more attention to details like the floor, the figure on the right, and the hot pink shirt in Counterpoint. Reception From 5 - 9; I can't enumerate how many things need work. But I made some progress on them today.

Here's Counterpoint, © 2016, work in progress (click on image for larger view):

I really hope I'm not going to have to sand that blotchy wall area at top left and repaint...

And here's Reception From 5 - 9, © 2016, work in progress (click on image for larger view)

Tiny Faces

When I decided on the 9" high format for this particular series, I knew the faces would take a lot of time and careful painting. They're so small! And they can't be broadly painted, there's too much being expressed in some of them. I like the fact that one of the women below is smiling as she holds her hand out to test the rainfall, while the lady next to her is covering her mouth to sneeze or cough. It's a challenge, all right.

Stockton Street, © 2016, work in progress (click on image for larger view)

Panel By Panel

Whole Foods is pretty complicated, very detailed, and it's easy for me to feel overwhelmed when I'm trying to decide what to part of it to work on. So I'm thinking it makes sense to just work on individual panels. Today I worked on the third panel from the left (above the blue window area), filling in information on both the people and the background. Next sitting I think I'll do the next one to the right.

Whole Foods, © 2016, work in progress (click on image for larger view)

Another Painting Done

It's a relief to get something finished. And here's the daffodils painting—

An Embarrassment of Riches, © 2016, completed  (click on image for larger view)

I think I got those petals darkened sufficiently in the end.

What else? Worked on these today, but they still have a ways to go. I think the dark areas on the clouds are too distracting, will have to lighten them up.

Narmada, © 2016, work in progress (click on image for larger view)

 4th Street, © 2016, work in progress (click on image for larger view)

In Other News

I've been notified that I've won an award in a national competition for Three Women at the MFA, but will have to wait until I get the go-ahead to advertise it.

Sold one of the Atlantic Ocean Series paintings out at the Annapolis gallery. Waiting to hear which one.

Starting the Week Off

Yesterday, two friends and I visited the Casanel Winery and Vineyards out in Leesburg, where we had a fine time sipping wine and nibbling on various tasty food items. We sat on the patio for an hour or two in the sunshine...the weather was perfect. I took some photos of the lake and the vines up on the hill behind it, and maybe that will work its way into the Vineyards series one of these days.

This morning, I worked on the three below:

Rita's, © 2016, work in progress (click on image for larger view)   Did some very detailed work on the sign.

Bluemont, © 2016, work in progress (click on image for larger view)     Trying to pay more attention to atmospheric perspective.

Pershing Square, © 2016, work in progress (click on image for larger view)  

More Fun

After finishing The Arrow of Time yesterday, I just don't feel like working on anything that requires too much detailed painting. So I indulged myself today with Narmada, and with applying touches to the sunny areas on the table in An Embarrassment of Riches.

Narmada, © 2016, work in progress (click on image for larger view)

An Embarrassment of Riches, © 2016, work in progress (click on image for larger view)

Probably only two more sessions on this one. Mostly it's the flower detail in the upper left of the bouquet that needs work. I think the lighter color additions and the softening of some of the shadow edges helped the overall atmosphere of this sunny window-backed space.

Pushing Through

There wasn't too much left on the last three apple panels, so I decided to spend the day pushing through on them and now the darn thing is FINISHED. At least until I find some little detail that just needs to be altered a bit. Here are two views— all in a line, the way they should be displayed, and all in a square, to save space. But I must say that since I took the photos outside under a blue sky, they skew towards the blue, and I need to get more accurate pix as far as color is concerned.

But they're DONE!!!

The Arrow of Time, © 2016, completed (click on image for larger view)

Filling In

Here's this morning's work.

4th Street, © 2016, work in progress (click on image for larger view)

Fun

Landscapes are something I struggle with, but they're more fun to paint than some other subject matter. I'm trying to tone down the greens in Narmada and Bluemont without losing the brilliant feeling of the sunlight, and have been using a little burnt umber in both the sky and the foliage. I do like Winsor blue in the shady areas.

Narmada, © 2016, work in progress (click on image for larger view)

 Anyway, I worked on Narmada for a while this morning, and took a break to gesso some new canvases. That didn't go so well— used to be I'd do the stretching by hand, but several months ago I bought a stretching pliers, and one of the canvases got stretched pretty tight. As a result, the gesso application made the stretcher bars warp the canvas out of shape. I can probably take the staples out of the back and re-stretch, but what a pain in the neck that's going to be.

Next, I returned to that nasty job of the signage on Rita's. The less said the better, but eventually it'll be alright.

Greens

The greens of the Virginia countryside are luscious.
Am about to start a few new pieces; will be stretching canvas and applying gesso over the weekend.

Bluemont, © 2016, work in progress (click on image for larger view)

The News Blues

I don't think there's enough alcohol to get me from here to Election Day. I'd been so hopeful about the results until the last few days. I'm just going to stop watching the news altogether, which will be tough, because that's what I watch while I'm down in the painting studio. But it just makes me depressed. I guess I'll have to watch old movies or something; with all the channels available on cable TV, you'd think there has to be *something* of value to watch...

Today I picked up on a large canvas that I'd stopped working on months ago. But now I want to enter it into a show that has an entry final date late this month.

Fashion Forward, © 2016, work in progress (click on image for larger view)

Here's what I REALLY want to be working on— lush landscapes, bathed in lemony sunlight—

Narmada, © 2016, work in progress (click on image for larger view)

And I did a little morework on a few of the figures here:

Stockton Street, © 2016, work in progress (click on image for larger view)

Righting Some Wrongs

Those carelessly drawn lines on the pedestrian crossing in Pershing Square have been bothering me as long as the sloppy edge on the Rita's sign. I worked on both of them this morning, and they look so much better. Painting the Pershing Square piece upside down made a difference, because the very tiny edge of the paintbrush created a nice clean line from that angle.

Here's the painting on the easel:

And here it is with the pedestrian crossing done (for now)— looks a lot better!

Pershing Square, © 2016, work in progress (click on image for larger view)

And here's Rita's.  You should be able to see where the wet paint is around the top of the sign.

Rita's, © 2016, work in progress (click on image for larger view)

Vineyards

It's almost mid-September, and once the weather cools off (tomorrow the high is expected to be 94!) I'll be thinking about visiting vineyards here in the Northern Virginia region. Actually, I'm already thinking about it. Yesterday I dug up two 12" x 16" panels and started sketching images on them, and this morning I started applying color. As usual, I'm going to have to dial back on the intensity of the color, but for now here are two more in the Virginia Vineyards series.

Narmada, © 2016, work in progress (click on image for larger view)

Bluemont, © 2016, work in progress (click on image for larger view)

Also did a little work on two of the figures here:

Stockton Street, © 2016, work in progress (click on image for larger view)

Color, and More Color

This morning, an art group that I'm in had a members' get-together, which was very pleasant.There was a lot of talk about art, and sharing of information, as it was an informal meeting. The host, whose name is Libby Stevens, works in pastel, and this is what she gets to play with on a daily basis:

Makes me want to pick up on pastels agajn!

In other news, I had less studio time this afternoon because of the aforementioned meeting, so I worked on two pieces that didn't require too much time or intensity. The barmaid painting features super-hot color because of the lighting, and it makes me excited to try something so radically different from what I normally do.

Bartending, Baltimore, detail, © 2016, work in progress (click on image for larger view)

I also washed a glaze of asphaltum over the wooden table in this one, and then went back with a clean brush and picked out some lighter areas:

An Embarrassment of Riches, © 2016, work in progress (click on image for larger view)

...and added in a little more wood grain on the right side. Tonight I'll sketch in the beginnings of two more Virginia Vineyards.

Recent Work

So, here's some of what I worked on this week, despite all of the issues and the Monday holiday.

Waiting For The Birds To Return, © 2016, completed (click on image for larger view)

An Embarrassment of Riches, © 2016, work in progress (click on image for larger view)

The Arrow of Time, © 2016, work in progress (click on image for larger view)

Counterpoint, © 2016, work in progress (click on image for larger view)

Stockton Street, © 2016, work in progress (click on image for larger view)

Pershing Square, © 2016, work in progress (click on image for larger view)

A.M. Friday, and Whole House Air Duct Cleaning

Allow me to complain a bit. Yesterday and the day before, my time in the studio was shortened due to car issues. I won't go into that whole story, but suffice it to say some stupidity was involved and the whole thing was unnecessary. Now today we have someone here doing duct cleaning of the entire house. I've had to leave my studio again and am marking time until I can get back in. It just seems— often— like the Universe is conspiring against me. The constant interruptions break my train of thought and concentration, and I end up making bad decisions when painting that need to be redone. Plus, the lost time can't be gotten back again.

This morning: worked on the lower part of this one, also did some work on Robert, but don't have a photo of that.

Whole Foods, © 2016, work in progress (click on image for larger view)

A Fresh Start

It's exciting to start the color work on a new painting. I worked on this one for over an hour this morning.

4th Street, © 2016, work in progress (click on image for larger view)

Body Work

I worked on a lot of small figures today. Uploading the images is taking a long time, so I'll just post this one for now, a few more later.

Rita's, © 2016, work in progress (click on image for larger view)

Finished!

Evening Clouds, Avon, © 2016, 12"h x 18"w   (click on image for larger view)

Friday Final

It feels good to clean the brushes and put them away in anticipation of a couple of days' rest. This is a holiday weekend, of course, so I'm not sure whether I'll get back to my normal schedule on Monday morning.

Anyway, though I'm now filled with horror at the thought of further screwing up on Rita's, I did get back to the signage and the striped canopy today. Plus a few details around the air conditioning unit. I have to remember: Slow and steady wins the race.

Rita's, © 2016, work in progress (click on image for larger view)

Wiggly Lines

It was a mistake to be so cavalier about sketching in those lines on the pedestrian crosswalk, because it's taking an eternity to fix them. But the general atmosphere of the painting is coming along nicely.

Pershing Square, © 2016, work in progress (click on image for larger view)

In other work, the last three panels of the apple painting are shaping up as the apple itself shrivels up:

The Arrow of Time, Panels 7,8, and 9. © 2016, work in progress (click on image for larger view)

Robert's Shirt

When I decided to work on this series of three art patrons looking critically at the viewer (see my website for paintings of Eric and Tam), I didn't factor in the difficulty of painting one shade of grey over a large surface area. (The paintings are 36"w x48"h.) And that's what's kept me from finishing the painting of Robert— the darned shirt covers a large swath of the canvas, and using acrylic makes those careful blends and transitions on the clothing wrinkles just that much harder.

Robert, © 2016, work in progress (click on image for larger view)
 (Glare from the overhead lighting on the face)

Also, I've been flummoxed all along as to why the value suddenly breaks down the middle. Today I realized why: in the reference photo, Robert's shirttail peeks out from underneath the overshirt on the left side, and I had chosen to edit that out. It's a regular shirt that buttons down the front, and that's what's creating that break. So— do I paint the shirttail back in, or do I smooth out the overshirt?