Ugh, I'm sick of working on the tiny details on the bottles and the beer dispenser. At least the top rack is done. I figure this one will be completed by the end of 2021!
I don't know what the title of this piece is going to be. There will be a figure on the right at some point; I've approached three people about posing for it but so far haven't heard from anyone. I don't want to obscure the ivy that will be on the right side nook too much, either. Lots to work out.
Untitled Mulberry Street Piece, © 2021, work in progress (click on image for larger view)
It's been a while since I worked on this. I'm going to prioritize this series in the next few months.This morning I sharpened up the foliage and added a lot of detail in blue areas.
Here's this morning's work. I got started an hour early.
Late this afternoon I found a really scruffy brush and used it on the distant tree line. The splayed hairs made painting the foliage easy. I started with a fuzzy sort of violet mix, then switched over to Terra Verte, which I've used maybe half a dozen times in my painting career, to cool it down, then went back with some dark greens.
And then while listening to the news, I tried to (yet again) refine the wood grain on the tabletop:
I worked quickly on this one, trying to catch the essence of the cat, but it feels like I'm just daubing without a real understanding of the form. This cat really has bedroom eyes, and that's not coming across, either. I have two reference photos, so it should be easy. At least there's some improvement, even if it's minor.
Working, despite my concerns about the next ten days.
Variations On A Theme #2a,
© 2021, work in progress (click on image for larger view)
At the eleventh hour I've realized that there are visible grapes on the vines in this painting, so I've spent the last half hour adding some juicy purple dots here and there. What's left? Some definition on the tree limbs and branches, and maybe some more sky holes in the tree leaves. It's a good feeling to have yet another piece close to being done.
At this point, I only have to paint the butterfly pattern on the shopping bag on the right.
So, my painting "Conversation" sold over the weekend to a wonderful couple who have apparently had their eyes on it for some time. We met in a parking lot on a cold day, and I only wish the circumstances would have permitted us to go and have coffee after the sale, as they were really a delight to talk with.
Now it's Monday morning, and I've managed to put the final touches on one of the vineyard paintings:
I'm going to pack it in for the rest of the afternoon; the news is just too distracting and I can't focus on painting tiny details. But I'm narrowing the coat color choices down to yellow green and orange. I'll probably go with orange.
Having a little fun today:
Well, the events at the nation's Capitol have kept me glued to the TV for the last couple of days. I was in the middle of working on the Le Diplomate painting for the first time in a long while when the news started to turn bad; I put my brushes down and in the upper left corner of the top bar shelf you can see how far I got:
My ancient version of Dreamweaver, which I used every day to update my regular website, finally gave up the ghost, and since the recent art supply bill was unusually high, I'm having to do the updates in HTML through Text Edit. It's a chore. It takes a long time and that's time away from painting, so I'm annoyed. But I did make some headway on three paintings today:
Not really: I just needed to paint the lower part of the sky so it would be consistent all the way across; I'll paint the tree trunk in once it dries.
Of course, after declaring that the sky was done after the last sitting, I realized I needed to brighten up some of the clouds. So This afternoon I added a lot of highlights but now when I look at them, they need to be transitioned into the neighboring blues. And there are some small areas that could use a second look.
868 Vineyard, Virginia Vineyard Series, © 2020, work in progress (click on image for larger view)
This, at least, has some promise.
I think the right side eye needs to be bigger. And I still haven't caught the essence of this guy's personality. I'm disappointed with this morning's work. This cat really has what are called "bedroom eyes."
I'm trying to fill in some more of the marsh grass; there actually should be quite a lot of it. And I added some lily pads, too, and gave them a bit more color.
This is Max The Cat, otherwise known as MaxiCat, or Max-a-Million, whose parentage apparently included some Maine Coon. I can see that I have to redraw the eye on the right side of the canvas to better match its mate. Painting him is fun.
That's all that's left. I might need to darken the shadow areas on the legs and try to make the large calf muscle more visible. The shopping bags need more work; I've got to bring out the butterfly pattern on the one on the right and then decide whether the one on the left needs a motif of its own or whether that would make the painting too busy. The shoes need a little more detail, too. But: close to done!
During the time of the pandemic the days slide into each other anyway, but the combination of the New Year's Day holiday and the weekend has got me really confused; I keep thinking it's Monday and I should be at the easel instead of taking care of domestic chores. Plus my email service is out. But I wanted to block in some color on this new piece, so here it is:
Happy New Year to all!
