Thursday, December 31, 2020

New Year's Eve

 One year ago tonight I was at this restaurant enjoying a New Year's Eve dinner. I started the painting soon after January 1st, and worked on it over the ensuing months until I got tired of it. But it's time to pull it out of the archive stack and get busy: this afternoon I worked mainly on the faces and chairs. 


Specials Of The Day,  © 2021, work in progress (click on image for larger view)    

The Color Of Her Coat

The young woman near the center of the image is wearing a burgundy coat, but it occurs to me that I have the chance to make a stronger statement if I change her coat color to something like red. Or is that too cliche? What if I made it orange, or green?


                 Spring Street, © 2021, work in progress (click on image for larger view)    

 

Getting An Early Start On The New Year

 I'm excited to be starting something new. This painting will be part of a series I plan to spend a lot of time on in 2021.

                     Spring Street,  © 2021, work in progress (click on image for larger view)   

Wednesday, December 30, 2020

Three For Today

 First off is the vineyard painting with the pink and yellow sky. I love working on this one. Today I added some middle greens to both the tree and the vines, and evened out the foreground to give the painting more of a sense of unity.

 Chrysalis Vineyards, Virginia Vineyard Series, © 2020, work in progress (click on image for larger view)    
 
And here is the pond painting. Most of the upcoming work needs to be done on the marsh grasses and the foliage at upper right: I still can't get natural-looking greens.


 Tranquil Pond,  © 2020, work in progress (click on image for larger view)    
 
And here's the reworked door panel. It's amazing how bad my math is. I think the panels are close to the right size and placement now.
 

Variations On A Theme #2a,

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


Tuesday, December 29, 2020

Some Fluff And Some Substance

 I started the day off with some easy, fun stuff, worked through a more expressionist piece, and then got down to more complicated foliage and landscape. I discovered that a mix of Permanent Green Light and Yellow Ochre creates a nice middle green.

Here's the last one of the day:

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

Just before that, I picked up a little landscape that I'd started a couple of years ago. I've changed the composition considerably since then, and feel like it's better.

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

Had some fun with the poplar and the background sky:

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

Now, the cats; one is finished, hooray, and the other? Well, this is why you're supposed to stand back every once in a while when painting. What looks pretty good close up might look like a disaster from a distance. In this case, it was the right side eye on Orson. I had found another photo of him, and since I thought the original drawing of his face was all wrong, I decided to work from the new image. It was clear that the eyes were too far apart, so I redrew them. It looked great until I stood back. I have since rubbed out the right eye and will repaint after it dries.

 
Orson, Wall O' Cats Series, © 2020 (click on image for larger view)
 
Bruce, Wall O' Cats Series, © 2020 (click on image for larger view) 

 

 

 

Monday, December 28, 2020

At Least The Sky Is Done

 I'll get back to the grassy ground areas next time, but there's not much left to do on this one.


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


In Between The Holidays

 I had hoped to finish several more pieces before the new year, but things always get hectic during the holiday season. At least I'll get a number of things done by June.

Today I did some repair work on the tabletop wood grain, and put in a lot of time on the left side spoon.

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

Wednesday, December 23, 2020

Marble-izing

 This morning I repainted the marble tabletop, which only had a layer of thin, brushy paint on it. I smoothed it out as best I could and added some strokes of darker veining. Next time I'll work on the edges of the cake and the plate.

Six Layer Indulgence, Stress Eating Series, © 2020, work in progress (click on image for larger view)


Tuesday, December 22, 2020

Veramar

 I hope I can get back to the easel this afternoon; Christmas is coming and there's a lot to do. But in the meantime, here is Veramar, with some adjustments to the vines and the far trees.

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

Dessert, A Tree, And One Handsome Cat

 All of these were worked on in the last 18 hours.

Creme Brulee, Stress Eating Series, © 2020, work in progress (click on image for larger view)
 
It's helpful to put a painting away for a while. Then when you come back to it with fresh eyes you can see the flaws quite easily. In the case of the one above, I realized the background was far too reddish, too intense, so I toned it down. I might need to do it some more.
 
Here's one of the vineyards; More foliage on the tree this time.

 Chrysalis Vineyards, Virginia Vineyard Series, © 2020, work in progress (click on image for larger view)   

And lastly, an old friend.

Max, Wall O' Cats Series, © 2020 (click on image for larger view)
 



Monday, December 21, 2020

Something Decorative

 I don't feel like this is a piece meant to be taken seriously; it's more of a fun thing that somebody might hang to brighten a wall. It's certainly fun and easy to work on. I might even put a bird in the branches.


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

Diffused Light

 This morning I softened the edges of the shadows again, using varying blends of blue, pink, and yellow. And did a little detail work on the left side shopping bag.

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


Completed! Sara Driving Across The Desert

 Finally!

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

Saturday, December 19, 2020

Saturday

 Not sure what the day will bring or how committed I'm going to be to painting, but here are two that I just did a small amount of work on so far today:

 Chrysalis Vineyards, Virginia Vineyard Series, © 2020, work in progress (click on image for larger view)   

Bruce, Wall O' Cats Series, © 2020 (click on image for larger view)
  


Friday, December 18, 2020

More Orson

 I have to check some other photos of this guy, not sure I have his chest coloring correct.

Orson, Wall O' Cats Series, (work in progress) © 2020 (click on image for larger view)

 

Two Quickies And A Finished Cat

 Painting the sprinkles is thankless work, but I plowed ahead with trying to make them dimensional. And the lace doily is no picnic, either. But here is the mousse piece:


Chocolate Mousse, Stress Eating Series, © 2020, work in progress (click on image for larger view)
 
Moving on, I used some of the earth colors that were fresh on the palette for the grassy areas and finished the silhouette of the owl at the upper left:
 

Variations On A Theme 2a, © 2020, work in progress (click on image for larger view)
 
And finally, here is my cat friend:
 

Shadow, Wall O' Cats Series, © 2020 (click on image for larger view)
 
 
 
 


Getting It Together

 Listening to the news is a creativity killer; after fretting for a while this morning I forced myself to pick up a brush. The whipped cream problem has been solved on this painting; I used a warm grey and unbleached titanium with white, and a touch of blue in some places.


Cherry Cobbler, Stress Eating Series, © 2020, work in progress (click on image for larger view)


Thursday, December 17, 2020

Still More To Go

 There's lots of tiny details left on this painting, mostly on the spoons, the lower right hand corner, the transition between the rim of the plate and the flat portion; also I want the edge smears of chocolate to be more transparent looking. Oh, and some of the whipped cream. Doubtful I'll finish before the new year, but I can hope.

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

 

Starting Something New

 I've finished enough things over the last two months that I can feel okay with starting a new piece, so here is the beginning sketch of Spring Street:

Spring Street, © 2021, work in progress (click on image for larger view) 

Wednesday, December 16, 2020

Door Adjustments

 I can't believe how much I messed up the measurements on the door. Now I'm having to re-draw the lines of the panels, and out of sheer frustration I'm covering all the mistakes with a light blue, which of course will need further adjustment down the line. Also repainted some smaller areas in the grassy bottom portion of the painting.

 
Variations On A Theme 2a, © 2020, work in progress (click on image for larger view) 

Lily Pads

 More green work; this time, the lily pads on the surface of the pond. 

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

Singular Trees

 It's snowing now, so I am excited. The flakes are lazing down from the sky so prettily I'm afraid I'll get distracted... but I've already put in an hour or so on these two:

Chrysalis Vineyards, Virginia Vineyard Series, © 2020, work in progress (click on image for larger view)     

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


Tuesday, December 15, 2020

Ground Work

 This afternoon I made some updates to the sparse grass and the bare earth just to the side of the walkway.


        Postcard 15, Tidal Basin Cherry Blossoms, © 2020, work in progress (click on image for larger view)

More Sweets

The chocolate cake layer (I guess "the sponge," if you're reading this in the U.K.) was just too flat-looking, so I added many many tiny dots of a warmer brown color to give it some texture. Also worked on making the dish more dimensional. 

Choose One, Stress Eating Series, © 2020, work in progress (click on image for larger view)

Completed! "Choose One"

 Done!

            Choose One, Stress Eating Series, © 2020, work in progress (click on image for larger view)

Monday, December 14, 2020

A Busy Day

A lot of things came up that needed attention this morning, so I didn't get to the easel until 1:30, but I did check off the three paintings that had been on my list for today. 

Hot Fudge Sundae I, Stress Eating Series, © 2020, work in progress (click on image for larger view)

 I am having a horrible time with the whipped cream.

On to the next one:

Hot Fudge Sundae II, Stress Eating Series, © 2020, work in progress (click on image for larger view)

 Same problem with the color of the shadows on the whipped cream, but not quite as bad.

 


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

 I know I said this one is finished. It is. I just needed to tweak the shadows on the skin.

Saturday, December 12, 2020

Some Progress On The Postcard Series

 Up early for a change (and on a Saturday!) and working on the cherry blossom painting.

        Postcard 15, Tidal Basin Cherry Blossoms, © 2020, work in progress (click on image for larger view)

Friday, December 11, 2020

Two Vineyards

This is all I got done today, some vines and some background trees; but the paintings look like they're shaping up.

Chrysalis Vineyards, Virginia Vineyard Series, © 2020, work in progress (click on image for larger view)    
 
Veramar Vineyard, Virginia Vineyard Series, © 2020, work in progress (click on image for larger view)    


Thursday, December 10, 2020

Noodling Around On The Foreground

 My intention today was to add the detail in the clouds, some warmish color that defied breaks between areas, that I'd decided it needed after watching some similar clouds at sunset on a recent road trip. But somehow instead I got caught in the foreground, and I ended up working solely in the bottom 4" of the painting.

There also were more interruptions and claims on my time than I want to elaborate on; suffice it to say it was not a good working day.

                 Rising Stars, Setting Sun, © 2020, work in progress (click on image for larger view)

Wednesday, December 9, 2020

Moist And Chocolate-y

 Part of the reason this looks like a chewy cake texture is the fact that I painted tiny dots of Burnt Umber, VanDyke Brown, and Blue Black into the layers. And the wet paint is picking up the light from the nearby window. Time for breakfast!

 
Six Layer Indulgence, Stress Eating Series, © 2020, work in progress (click on image for larger view)

 

Tuesday, December 8, 2020

All That's Left Is The Whipped Cream

 It will be a pleasure to have another in the dessert series finished.

Choose One, Stress Eating Series, © 2020, work in progress (click on image for larger view)

Sold!

 My painting of the Chrysler Building has been sold. I am excited! Now I can buy some more art supplies!

Chrysler Building, Dusk, © 2018 (click on image for larger view)


 

Monday, December 7, 2020

Two Cats To End The Day

 This is actually shaping up:

    Max, Wall Of Cats Series, © 2020, work in progress (click on image for larger view)

    Orson, Wall Of Cats Series, © 2020, work in progress (click on image for larger view)
 
While this one needs some work on the structure of the face, which doesn't look right to me.

 


Another Repaint Is Done

Happy to have another painting finished.

 A Bend In The Green River, Postcards Series, © 2020 (click on image for larger view)