Rocks!

 I worked on the rocks today, and darkened the earthy area in the bottom right. It's coming together. All that's left is cleaning up the water and its reflections in the bottom half of the painting.

 

                                                       Resting Place, work in progress, (click on image for larger view)                   
 

3:51

Here is the most recent work on 3:51. I've got to figure out something to do with that leftmost window, it needs a figure of some sort.

                                         3:51, Mulberry Street, work in progress, (click on image for larger view)                   

Night Work, Second Pass

So, having put paint on nearly every square inch of the panel, it's time to do the second layer. This one is intended to correct mistakes in drawing, value, placement, etc. I got pretty far with it last night— working from the top down on the left half— but there's more to do. I feel like the careful prep work will pay off when I get to the color stage. 

                                          The Happy Hour, work in progress, (click on image for larger view)                   
 

A Respite From Reality

 Let me know when it's safe to watch the news again. I've been avoiding it for 2-1/2 weeks.

Back in studio time, I worked on a few pieces today but was agitated the whole time; as a result: messiness and frustration.

 I don't like the profile on this, but i did put down a base color for the skin.

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

Below: More foliage.           

                                                 The Pond In The Woods, work in progress, (click on image for larger view)                  

Below: tree work.

                                                    3:51, Mulberry Street, work in progress, (click on image for larger view)     

Below: sanded off a lot of bumpy, thick paint in the water.            

 

                                            Resting Place, work in progress, (click on image for larger view)                  

 

I Hate Deadlines

 There's no actual deadline on this one, but I have been advised to finish it before a prospective buyer loses interest. What I don't like about situations like this is I worry that I'm rushing to completion, and won't take some places as far as I think they need to go. Oil painting takes a lot of time, and realism just magnifies the process.

Anyway; I did put some more work into the bread station and the chairs at lower right, which really need a LOT more work.

                                               Daily Bread, work in progress, (click on image for larger view)                 

A Little Mystery

 ...is what I'm going for here. I used some glazes, mostly in violet-blue, on the clouds, dry brushed some edges, added some cloud highlights and made the edging more distinct on the trees.

                                        Transitional Moment, work in progress, (click on image for larger view)                   
 

Finished, Maybe?

The decision I made last session to wash over the water with a thin glaze of green was a good one. It sets the girl apart from the waves, allowing her to stand out.

Struggled for quite a while with the face today, rubbed it out, donned my magnifier thingy and used the tiniest brush I have. It looks pretty good. Of course, since it's on canvas, there's a huge bump right where the nose is. But I think this might be done.

                                        Girl In Water, work in progress, (click on image for larger view)                 

Irresistible Weather

 The temps have been in the pleasant 70s lately, daytime, and it's hard not to spend some time with a little liquid refreshment on the porch. But here's today's work, at least so far...

                                         Daily Bread, work in progress, (click on image for larger view)                 
 

                                           'S Nice, work in progress, (click on image for larger view)                 

Running Around Town

 Many different interruptions yesterday, and today is not looking so good for painting, either. But I did work on the face a bit yesterday.

                                                            Ivy Arbor, work in progress, (click on image for larger view)                   

Autumn Foliage

 The trees have mostly given up their leaves, right on time. While there's still a little color out there to inspire me, I thought I'd move forward on the foliage in this little piece.

                                                    The Pond In The Woods, work in progress, (click on image for larger view)                 
 

A Tree Grows In SoHo

So, I've started plotting the points for the tree, and it's taking forever. It's very confusing to try to figure out where a branch goes on the grid. But the tree is just what this painting needs, composition-wise, to rescue it from the very mechanical feel.

I also worked the right side, where the chef is in the window.Now I need to balance things out by putting some area of interest on the left.

                                                         3:51, Mulberry Street, work in progress, (click on image for larger view)    

             
 

A Quick Watery Glaze

 After the last session on this, I thought the water highlights looked too light, too stark, so I just washed a bluish-greenish glaze over the water.

                                                             Girl In Water, work in progress, (click on image for larger view)