A Time Out

 Back again after a break. Happy to work on the four today, which are all moving in the right direction. 

Top o' the mornin'; 

                               The Happy Hour, v2.0, work in progress, (click on image for larger view)   

Filled in some blank areas; added another layer of color to the back wall. I'll be giving it some reddish tint as well.

                                                Dinner At Michael Mina, work in progress (click on image for larger view)    

 I'm enjoying the misty areas on the bowl, the kettle (or whatever the waiter's holding) and the background.

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

 Refined the detail on the statue and worked on the wall.

                                                   Bowery Graffiti Wall (Revok + Pose), work in progress, (click on image for larger view)

Bits of color change here and there, plus a little black outlining. 

 

 
 
 

People

 It was a day of working on people, after starting with Misti.

                                                  Eric F (America Series), work in progress, (click on image for larger view)

                                                  Tamara (America Series), work in progress, (click on image for larger view)

                                                  Starbucks (Homage to Hopper), work in progress, (click on image for larger view)

 

Some Late Posts

These three are from yesterday; I ran out of time last night to write about them. Catching up now, before posting the rest of today's work. I'm rather proud of the Dolcezza piece, as it took about 45 minutes to get the slight blue shadow area to work properly where the ceiling meets the back wall.

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

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

 
 I think I'm going to change the forearm on this next one; she should be holding something.

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

A Better Misti

 It's time to take a break from the more complex paintings, at least for a little while— and work on a couple of the Americans. I added a new layer of paint on this one and a now letting it dry so I can refine the nose, the cheekbones, the chin, etc.

                                                  Misti (America Series), work in progress, (click on image for larger view)

Warmer Skin Tones

 Not sure this is where I want it to be yet; I think the figure needs a little re-drawing, actually. But I did take some of the grey tones out of the skin.

                                                  I Was There Once, Too, work in progress (click on image for larger view)   
 

A Late Start

 I was pulled out of the house this morning, so am getting quite a late start on the paintings. Here is the first effort— I'm trying to keep this one loose and somewhat impressionistic—

                                                Dinner At Michael Mina, work in progress (click on image for larger view)   

 

A Respectable Amount Of Work

 Every painting day— that is, every weekday— I try to work on at least three paintings over a 3-to-five hour span. The changes are sometimes hard to see from one session to the next because I paint slowly and very carefully.

Today:

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

Concentrated on the ivy in the two alcoves. I might have to add a few brighter spots.

Next:

                                                   Bowery Graffiti Wall (Revok + Pose), work in progress, (click on image for larger view)

 I think the walking figure is easier to see now.

                               The Happy Hour, v2.0, work in progress, (click on image for larger view)   

   
 And of course, the empty areas on the one above bothered me enough that I filled in a few more spaces.
 

Can't Stay Away From It

 I love working on this one, even though it's the second time around.

                               The Happy Hour, v2.0, work in progress, (click on image for larger view)      
 

Everything's Wet

 Everything that I want to work on, that is; I guess I'll have to take tomorrow off while the paintings dry. It's been a productive week.

I started the bottle shelf that you see in the middle of the pinting; it's one of my favorite parts to work on.

                               The Happy Hour, v2.0, work in progress, (click on image for larger view)      
 

Pulling The Narrative Together

I do like longer, wider formats: they seem to tell a story as the viewer moves from left to right. Here, I enjoy finding the smaller scenes inside the building— one on the left, the other on the right. It's the one on the right that I spent the morning working on; a chef appears to be engrossed in his work while the young man passes by outside. But on the whole, this will be a much better painting once I get the tree branches established.

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

On Fire Today

 Two more! It's been a productive day.

Worked on the car across the street; usually, cars are difficult for me, but I realized it had to have all sharp, mechanical lines.

                                                 A Rainy Night In Alexandria, work in progress (click on image for larger view)   
 

Moving on, I tried to pay special attention to the way the planes of the face shift and blend into each other, and also changes in color. I fixed the unnatural jaw line as well.

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

 

And A Bit Of Lantern Work

 I love painting lighting fixtures, and these are fascinating for the way the color changes from white to intense yellow, orange, red, and warm brown. The parts of the piece that I worked on last week are still somewhat damp, though, so I've had to stop.

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

Eric F

 Spent a little time on Eric's face and shirt today, but much more to do...

                                                  Eric F (America Series), work in progress, (click on image for larger view)
 

A Mid-Course Correction

 Somewhere in the back of my mind I've been bothered by the fact that the scene has been canted, on an angle. The wacky catawampusness of it all finally got to me today, and I decided to bite the bullet and fix all of the structural lines. This was not an easy decision, but I'm much happier with it now. And I think I'll have to lean into Impressionism on this one; the paint's thick enough in some places that I can't get around it and do my usual tight line stuff. So here's today's work:

                                                   Plat Du Jour, work in progress, (click on image for larger view)
 

Peripheral Stuff

 I decided it was time to establish the different colors and values of the wall, the sidewalk, and the street. I'll need to put more detail into the pebbled surface, too, eventually. I'll get back to the mural soon.

                                                   Bowery Graffiti Wall (Revok + Pose), work in progress, (click on image for larger view)
 

More Figure Work

The guy behind the counter is shaping up; I have to deal with his face and arms but the shirt looks good. 

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

Let The Overthinking Begin

 Working on the skin color is tricky. There's a faint violet color that permeates the background, and I need to make a reference to that in the girl's legs, but I feel like I'm failing to get the correct color and the subtle changes of light on the surface of the skin.

 I did put a fair amount of effort into the painting frames on the back wall. 

                                                  I Was There Once, Too, work in progress (click on image for larger view)   

The Second Time Around Is Easier

 Well, this is definitely coming along faster than the first version, but that's mostly because I didn't see the need for a grisaille. I'm plugging along with odd places here and there wherever I can find a dry spot.

                                                 The Happy Hour, 2.0, work in progress (click on image for larger view)   

                                               

And Mojitos

 It's surprising, how much more work there is left to do on this one. I ambled along on some of the background architecture today and on the standing warrior figure.

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

Line Work

 It's time to start making precise lines, and that requires a great deal of focus. So I don't expect to be moving forward quickly on this painting from here on in. Drying time is also a factor— I don't want to smudge an area that I tried so hard to perfect the day before.

Today's work was in the upper left-hand corner, mostly; also the word "CRIME" in red.

                                                   Bowery Graffiti Wall (Revok + Pose), work in progress, (click on image for larger view)
 

Playing Catch-up

Since I took yesterday off, I figured I had to get back to work today. I started with:

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

Added some new detail on lower right.

 Moving on, I wanted to make the misty areas on this painting a little cooler; also worked on the table.

                                                 Dinner At Michael Mina, work in progress (click on image for larger view)    

 And painted a few places, avoiding wet areas:

                                                 The Happy Hour, 2.0, work in progress (click on image for larger view)   

 
    

 

The Virginia Vineyards Series

 I spread all 15 of the paintings out on the floor. Here they are, in no particular order.

                                                  Virginia Vineyard Series , © 2023   (click on image for larger view)   
 

And The Rest Of The Day

 I changed the figure lurking in the background and am much happier with it. Also worked on the blackboard; all that tiny type is a horror story to deal with.

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

This is coming along quicker than I thought it would.

                                                   Bowery Graffiti Wall (Revok + Pose), work in progress, (click on image for larger view) 

And— I have to do something about the disappearing leg; maybe make the floor more of an ochre color?

                                                  I Was There Once, Too, work in progress (click on image for larger view)