Street Scene

The right side of this painting has been sadly neglected over time, but I got to it today.

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

And I went back to this one as well; the lower part of the light tower now has some color and detail.

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

Harder Than It Looks

It seemed to me that this was going to be relatively easy to paint, but I keep getting bogged down. Things are not where they should be, and for some reason, color mixing has been more difficult on this painting than it usually is. I plow along, though.

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

Grace

Eyes: incorrect
Smile: incorrect
Stance: better

I'll come back to this one soon.

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

One More To Finish The Day

Playing with color is always fun, and I'm experimenting with the sky and the fields. I look forward to painting an orange-y, peachy glow on the right side to contrast with the dark green of the tree line.

A Farm At Dusk, © 2019, work in progress (click on image for larger view)

More Chocolate

I really like painting the spoons on all of these little dessert paintings.

Hot Fudge Sundae II, Guilty Pleasures Series, © 2019, work in progress (click on image for larger view)

Trying To Grasp The Structure Of That Which Cannot Be Grasped

Songwriter Joni Mitchell is also an accomplished painter, and I've always felt an understanding of her song, "Both Sides Now." She sings, "I've looked at clouds from both sides now...I really don't know clouds at all." I feel the same way. I'm trying to find their structure and translate that with paint on a canvas, but it's not coming through.

Here is today's attempt at some gauzy clouds at sunset:

Sky Series, B-13, © 2019, work in progress (click on image for larger view)

 

From a distance, it doesn't look too bad, but it does need another working session.

It's Too Early In The Day For Dessert

But this is starting to make me hungry.

Hot Fudge Sundae II, Guilty Pleasures Series, © 2019, work in progress (click on image for larger view)

Last Night's Work

I made a few changes to this one last night before watching Game Of Thrones.

In Case of Emergency, © 2019, work in progress (click on image for larger view)

Not Yet A Likeness

For that, I'll have to go back in with a magnifier and a 000 brush, but at least he looks human.

Also worked on the back wall of the liquor cabinet, and some of the bottles.

Waiting At Le Diplomate, © 2019, work in progress (click on image for larger view)

Hitting The Light Spots

I'm trying to emphasize the lightest spots and lines in the water with a plan to go back after they dry and fill in the darks. I think the water will make a lot more sense, visually, when that's done.

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

Tornado Warnings

I was minding my own business, getting back into the groove with a painting, when my cell phone erupted with a hideous screech and an alert telling me that my area was under a tornado warning: seek shelter now. So I dropped everything and went to the basement, where my cat was already huddled in the most interior spot with wide black eyes. We waited it

out for a while but nothing happened. This is the second time in two weeks there's been an alert in this area.

I darkened a few shadows, added a couple of lines, and attempted to even out the red banding on this one:
 

In Case of Emergency, © 2019, work in progress (click on image for larger view)

Now back at the easel, but another warning is coming over the TV. Seems to be for places north of here, though.

Simulating Wood Grain

If I let the initial wash dry down for a few minutes and then drag the brush through it with horizontal stokes, the drag through the slightly dry paint creates the illusion of wood grain. I'm hoping I can maintain it through subsequent layers.

Hot Fudge Sundae II, Guilty Pleasures Series, © 2019, work in progress (click on image for larger view)

Some More

An interruption earlier in the day threw me off track for a few hours, but I really wanted to get back and darken that corner of the sky in the farm painting. If I had had my wits about me, though, I would have worked the little bits of clouds into the wet sky so they looked like they fit in. Next time. That corner may need to go darker, anyway.

A Farm At Dusk, © 2019, work in progress (click on image for larger view)

 

In case I didn't mention it, there are several paintings lying around that have elements I want to change slightly. I felt rushed getting them ready for the last show, and every time I look at them they bother me. So I'm reworking the parts that are unsatisfactory. The shirt on the lone waiter and the highlights from the lighting apparatus in the painting below are better now.

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

 

 I still want to make the red lanterns truly glow.

Last but not least— when we went to lunch with friends last week, we ordered a hot fudge sundae for dessert-to-share, with the idea that it could be part of the Guilty Pleasures series. Not only was the sundae beautiful on its own, it came with a side of chocolate sauce in a pouring container. So I have two wonderful images to work with, one with the server and one with the sauce drizzled over the ice cream.

 

Today the new panels arrived from Jerry's Artarama, so I got started a little while ago on the pencil drawing of the sundae. It has a waffle cone!

 

Hot Fudge Sundae II, Guilty Pleasures Series, © 2019, work in progress (click on image for larger view)

 

Quilt Work

Time to get back to this one; I really ought to get that likeness correct, but first the lower part of the painting needed to be darkened. It's all quilt patterns, fading into shadow.

The Promise of Evening, © 2019, work in progress (click on image for larger view)

Farm Work

I am starting to wonder if the slide of the line of cows coming home is a figment of my imagination. Maybe I never took that image; maybe I just see it so clearly in my mind's eye that I think I pressed the shutter on the camera. I've gone through nearly every possible box of old slides in the closet and I just can't find it, or anything remotely picturing the terrain in which I saw the cows.

I went online to find some reference pictures of cows coming home and am trying to piece together my own memory and the structure of their bodies as seen in various reference pics. There are a few ghostly images in the work below, but I'm painting them back because they're too large.

A Farm At Dusk, © 2019, work in progress (click on image for larger view)

 

Also: that sky needs to be darkened considerably on the left side.

One Hour: One Jacket

Whew. It just took the last hour to capture every seam, every fold, every careful graduation from light to dark, every change in plane, to describe the jacket of the man sitting at the bar. I feel like I've been holding my breath forever, trying to carefully place each stroke and blend each transition. We'll see if it all worked once the paint dries down a bit.

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

Another Sky

Now that I've stepped away from this one for a break from painting, the center looks empty to me. Not quite sure what to do; I had started the session by repainting the blue background sky, and then working into it, wet on wet. I might have to start again in the center.

Sky Series, B-21, © 2019, work in progress (click on image for larger view)

Is This Better?

I'm trying to find the structure of the clouds at the same time I'm attempting to work with a looser, brushier style.

Sky Series, B-13, © 2019, work in progress (click on image for larger view)

The Repaint Continues

Working on the two faces today; I think they look better.

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

Chocolate

There does seem to be a chocolate theme running through most of these desserts.

Pot de Crème, Guilty Pleasures Series, © 2019, work in progress (click on image for larger view)

Two Americans

Cheyenne told me her name derives from the fact that she has Native American ancestry. Reference photo was taken indoors; lots of blue light coming from the high windows.

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

Grace is much prettier than this; I still have work to do to get a likeness. 

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

Four Tiny Faces

I'm using the smallest brush I have on the faces of the people standing on the street, but it's very difficult work. I probably should have decided on a larger panel size. Painted three of the women in the center, and the woman on the right.

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

 

Meanwhile:

 

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

Monday Morning

Working through this one; there are unexpected colors in the whipped cream and on the plate.

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

Little To Report

I've worked on a number of small repaints of old pieces in the last few days, as well as some painting tonight on the right side edge of Tuesday, but other than that, here's the only one with some real progress:

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

A Trip To DC

I brought two paintings in to the Susan Calloway Gallery this morning, then met some friends for lunch. I ordered dessert and got a splendid new image for the Guilty Pleasures Series: a hot fudge sundae.

Here is a shot of the Potomac River from the Key Bridge, coming home this afternoon. I'm listening to the news reporting of the Mueller report now, and plan to spend the evening reading the released copy.

So, The Impessionist Thing Isn't Working Out Too Well...

At least, not on this one.

Sky Series, B-13, © 2019, work in progress (click on image for larger view)

 I don't know why I can't get the painting to look right.

Meanwhile, I did some repainting on this earlier piece:

Counterpoint, © 2017,  (click on image for larger view)

I darkened the wall shadows and took a large black slash area out of one of the abstract paintings; it was too distracting.

Coffee And Cows

Have been having an interesting time mixing the color on the surface of the coffee; turns out it combines the colors of the beverage itself with white and the blue of the window light.

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

Now, however, I plan to search for a slide photo I took years ago. We were out in the country and driving home around sunset when we passed a farm. A single-file line of cows was making its way home to the  barn for the evening, and the procession was led by a cow wearing a bell, which you could hear from where we were, away in the distance.

In the last couple of days I've been looking at the painting of the farm at dusk, and it seemed to me that something was needed to balance out the barn. It's like the focal point of the lower part of the piece is pushed all the way over to the right; sometimes I get so wrapped up in presenting what was in the original photo that I forget about good composition. 

A Farm At Dusk, © 2019, work in progress (click on image for larger view)

I didn't want to just wipe out the barn and move the buildings to the center; that was just too boring an idea. It needed a line of something along the horizon. Then I thought of those cows, long ago meandering home. At dusk! It seems like the perfect marriage— I've had that image of the cows in my head for a long time and wanted to paint it, but now I have to find the slide, somewhere among the thousands of them that I've taken over the years.

Two Spoons

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

More Goodies

The little dessert paintings are fun to work on right now, and fairly easy at this point.

Pot de Crème, Guilty Pleasures Series, © 2019, work in progress (click on image for larger view)

Off To A Good Start

Two pieces this morning:

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

 

Happy for the fact that the above contains some colorful areas. The series so far looks rather monochromatic.

 

And:

 

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

 

The Last Painting Of The Week

Tonight I'm going to settle in, pick up the crocheting, and watch the first episode of the final season of "Game Of Thrones." But here is the last painting of the day. And week.

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

The Terror Of Painting The Straight Line

Even though I taped off the line on the right side of the cabinet, it was a tricky thing to paint. I did the "Ace" type freehand, just eyeballing it; will have to go back when the black paint dries and clean up some of the edges.

In Case Of Emergency, © 2019, work in progress (click on image for larger view)

A Sunday Morning Treat

This is making me hungry.

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

It was fun working on the spoon this morning.

Tiles

I was cruising along in the zone on this one, giving each tile its own subtle individuality when I got interrupted; the interruption extended itself, and when I got back to the painting I had lost my focus. Now I'm trying to regroup and start something else before I ruin this one. The white grid lines that I'd painted in several days ago are holding the tiles in place just the way I'd wanted them to, and when I paint over them they stay barely visible. Eventually I'll even them out.

Waiting At Le Diplomate, © 2019, work in progress (click on image for larger view)

I Don't Know If This Was A Good Idea

So I've been looking at this painting from a distance down the hall, and the first thing that has been coming to mind when I look at it is that the central figure's face should really be the highlight of the painting. I figured her skin tone needed to be lighter to draw the eye to that spot and make it stand out against the background. Okay; the other thing, though, was that when I look at the thumbnail of the reference photo, it has this lovely warm orange-y cast to the ceiling area.

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

I decided to put a wash of thinned-out Cad Orange across the upper left-to-center area on the ceiling; this required some courage, but I was convinced it was going to be wonderful. After a few minutes I wiped it back. Now I'm debating whether it was better the old way— but when I look at the previous version, that area seems visually cluttered to me.

I guess I'll have to live with it for a few days. I can always paint it back, thank heaven; that's why I work in oil paint!

Katie

Here's Katie; the skin colors are done, I think, so next time I'll add the slogan on her t-shirt, which says, "Relax, It's Art".

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

Daniel The Waiter

It seemed like an opportune time to utilize one of the skin color palettes from those online tutorials I've been watching. I think I went a little dark on the beard and mustache, but the skin looks alright to me.

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

 

And yes, this is the waiter from the previous painting.

This Is A Sorry Mess Right Now

...But it will improve over time. I wanted to get the tile grid in place before I start the glazing process. I'm feeling much better about it than I had been. Next time I'll mark off the floor tiles.

Waiting At Le Diplomate, © 2019, work in progress (click on image for larger view)

This morning I worked on this piece while on the phone with an old friend.

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

Bluebells

A week ago we ventured forth to Riverbend Park, but the flowers weren't open yet. Today we tried again, though it was a busy day and we could have just stayed home... But I'm so glad we made the effort!