Italian Earth

 My art supply order showed up this afternoon. I'd been waiting for the tube of Italian Earth (Sennelier) to use on the wood grain on the table, and here is the start. I'll do more tomorrow.

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

Lauren

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

 
 

What Would Sargent Do?

 John Singer Sargent, genius master of loose, brushy painting, has two works titled "A Street In Venice." I'm trying to capture their overall outdoor atmosphere here in this little painting of two waiters conversing during a break. The streets that Sargent featured are mostly done in neutral colors, but I'm scrutinizing them for alternate hues that liven things up. 

Working with a grid yesterday was a disaster. I'm trying to draw in freehand at this point, but what a mess...

                                                                            A Street In Old Town, work in progress (click on image for larger view)

 

A No-Good, Very Bad, Horrible Day

 Things started out okay, but then a couple of events put me in a downward spiral, and things just went further south after that. So I got little done, and struggled mightily with a new painting; it's so bad I won't post it until I get further along. 

In the meantime, here is the latest on Morpheus.

                                                                            In The Halls Of Morpheus, work in progress (click on image for larger view)

 
 

The Monday Haul

I dragged myself into the studio this morning and got to work. The little sunrise, in the entry below, took a couple of tries to get into gear, but I was satisfied with the result. Then I picked up a few more pieces and did what I could on them, avoiding the still-wet or sticky parts. So some of these have more obvious changes than others.

Here's Elbo Room. I thought the red was too bright and artificial, so I toned it down and lightened it, mre in keeping with the idea of the sun bleaching the building. Did I take it too far? Maybe I'll glaze over it.

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

Also brushed another layer of sky, and worked on the tree.

Next: It's time to get back to the America series. Worked on the shirt and shorts. Next time: face, arms and legs.

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

Then on to:

                                                                    Word, New York City Short Stories  (click on image for larger view)

Worked on the face of the guy on the right. Need to let that tiny area dry before adding more structure and detail.

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

I know! I said it was finished. But then I saw a woman on TV wearing a bodice that overlapped, which made more visual sense than the way I'd originally painted it, so I added some new folds. Too many? I might have to simplify it a little.  

Now, to start a grid for a 12" x 16" of some waiters.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A Pretty Little Sunrise

 It looks kind of raw here, but in person, this is shaping up to be a nice piece.

                                                                        Untitled Beach Sunrise, work in progress (click on image for larger view)

Going A Little Further

 Cleaned up a few sketchy places, added some detail, and tried to get a sense of lighting at the top.

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

 

Mid-Week

Here are a few things I've been working on this week:

                                                                            In The Halls Of Morpheus, work in progress (click on image for larger view)

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

 

                                                                        Untitled Beach Sunrise, work in progress (click on image for larger view)

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

So. Much. Better!

 I started this painting a couple of years ago, and have just been floundering around with it, unable to get a handle on how it should look. Last week, I placed it in Observation Territory (across the room from where I sit at night) and just kept looking at it, pondering what to do to make it right. Then yesterday I picked it up and went at it for half an hour in the studio, and this is what it looks like now. I'm very pleased with it — and yes, it needs more work, but it's a far cry from the earlier versions, which I've added below.

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

Earlier:

 And still earlier:

 

6 x 6s Are Not My Forté

 Alas, sad to say that the detail required by a very tiny painting is a bit beyond my capabilities. I push on, however. And this one does look very good from a bit of a distance.

                                                                    Rojo, New York City Short Stories, work in progress (click on image for larger view)

A Surprising Finish

 I didn't expect to finish this one today, and in fact, it's very late in the day, but here it is...

                                                                    Joan, New York City Short Stories  (click on image for larger view)

Lauren and Doug

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

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

A Short Break

Sometimes you just need to get out of the studio and smell the roses before they fade.

Anyway; back to work today. Progress on two paintings and an excited start on a third.

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

                                                                            In The Halls Of Morpheus, work in progress (click on image for larger view)

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

This last one is on aluminum panel.

Here And There

 Worked mainly on the bicyclist; also added some touches to the tree and the car at right. 

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

The Brickwork Takes Shape

 The brick walls are beginning to have some weight, some form. I would like to find a way to put some orange and peach tones in the piece to play off the bright turquoise. But where?

                                                      In The Halls Of Morpheus, work in progress (click on image for larger view)

Also Done!

 Finally, I was able to create the proper highlight color for the clouds. This is now finished. And it looks far better in real life; the colors blend into each other better.

                                                     Saturated Sunset (Woodside Lake) (click on image for larger view)

I've Decided I Like Painting Bricks

 This was fun today! And it's speeding along at a good pace.

Besides the bricks I did some work on the figure and the interior.

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

 
 

Completed!

 "A Rainy Evening In Alexandria," oil on hardwood panel, 16"h x 12"w

Working On The Not-So-Fun Part

 One of my least favorite things to do is draw/paint straight lines, and this painting has plenty of them in the form of brickwork. Today was rainy and grey, though, so the weather was conducive to just sitting quietly and concentrating on tedious measurement.

I did have some fun with the color, though.

                                                      In The Halls Of Morpheus, work in progress (click on image for larger view)
 

I Like This One

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

There Will Be Sanding

 Because these are so small (6" square), every brushstroke is visible in the photos. In real life, they blend together and you can't see the individual marks unless you hold them up close; but that bothers me and so I plan to sand off some of the higher, raised ones.

Meanwhile, here's some of the smaller work from the last couple of days:

                                                                    Chat, New York City Short Stories, work in progress (click on image for larger view)
 

                                                                    Exit, New York City Short Stories, work in progress (click on image for larger view)