I Am In Technology Hell

 Every few years—maybe every 4 or 5, actually— my laptop needs to be replaced. And following that ensues about three weeks of utter frustration as I try to reconnect apps, download apps, re-establish websites and their shortcut icons, and deal with all the changes in the interface when the new machine boots up.

So far I have had to visit the Apple Store twice, and there are two more visits planned for the near future. 

But slowly, painfully, I've been able to get a few important things running again. The new machine does not want to have anything to do with my printer, so i will have to coax it , but Photos is now working correctly as is the new upgraded version of Photoshop, so there is a light at the end of the tunnel.

Yesterday's  work:

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

Something New

 Tired of working on the same images every week and longing to paint a landscape, I've gone through the archives and came up with a pretty little pastel dawn piece. Here is the start.

 

Details

Tried to create the illusion of seeing skin and a white tank top through the gauzy fabric on th
e woman on the left. Not quite satisfied yet, but it does look better than it did.

 

 

 

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

 

Worked on the face; wiped out what I did; tried again.

 

                                                                 A Quiet Moment At The Met, work in progress (click on image for larger view)

Floor Shadows

 Multiple light sources create shadows that go off into different directions. I also need to work on making the older woman's shirt translucent.

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

Red Coats And Pants

 Two of the women in this one are wearing clothing in basically the same deep off-red color, so I worked on them both today. But I think they need some bluish highlights.

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

This and That, Here And There

 

                                                                    Standing Room, work in progress

Worked mainly on hair and frames.

AHA

 I think I've found a workaround solution to the problem of posting images of new work to Blogger. Let's see:

                                                                     Messages, work in progress

 I darkened some places where the light falls off around the arch.

 

Dead Computer

 

 

Sadly, my computer is on the fritz. While I wait for a new one to arrive, I will need to figure out how to upload the images of the pieces I've worked on for the last week. Doing anything technical these days is frustrating— I don't even know how I ended up getting access to this portal. Or how I'm going to get back to it once I leave! But I'm still here, painting in earnest. See you soon.

Concentration

 This afternoon I concentrated on the part of the wall that supports the left pillar, paying special attention to adjusting the color. Usually I try for the correct color for an area, but it's off in value or hue. After a couple of attempts I get closer; today I really had to look hard to see how some of the light bounces off the floor and adds some honey tones to the greenish whites.

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

Painting Bricks

 Both of these paintings feature brick walls. I'm going to use different approaches on them, as the barroom one needs clean lines while the Morpheus one should be rough and scuffed up.

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

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

Straightening Out Some Lines

 The woodwork on the right was goofy, so today was all about the fix. But once the paint dries, I'll go back and clean up the edges and add some darker contrast.

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

Back At It

I didn't feel like I got much done on this one yesterday, so this morning I went in to some areas that needed attention. But this one is a long, slow crawl.

                                                       Another Thursday Evening, work in progress (click on image for larger view)
 

 

And Now, For A Change

 So many pieces are on the back burner right now while I'm concentrating on the museum series. It felt like a good idea to get back to this one, but it has so many areas of interest that it feels overwhelming.

                                                       Another Thursday Evening, work in progress (click on image for larger view)
 

Eventually It Will Be Worth It

 So, many years ago I created a painting called, "Illumination," which featured an antique rocking chair in the corner of a bare room. A spot of light hit the wall and illuminated the scene. The memory of that piece is what's keeping me from throwing out the one below— I've probably put thirteen layers of paint on it already, and the canvas texture continues to fight with me. But today, part of the canvas began to work correctly— that is, smoothly— and remembering how many layers it took to get "Illumination" right makes me feel like I only need to tough it out over maybe 5 more tries.

                                                       He Was Curiously Drawn To It, work in progress (click on image for larger view)
 

The Wall

 Before I get to the frame on the war painting, I needed to clean up the wall. That allows me to create crisp lines on the frame without having to worry about splashing the wall paint on them. I also brushed in the two shadows underneath the painting while I still had the correct pigments on the palette.

                                                       A Quiet Moment At The Met, work in progress (click on image for larger view)

But the right side of that parquet floor still looks uneven.
 

Subtle Shading

I'm happy with the way the shadow in the near foreground gently flows into the lighter area near the wall. But is that picture frame hanging slanted?

 

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

A Sunset

 I've been working on this one at random times; still trying to get that elusive hot, cotton-candy pink in the upper clouds. And the boats need definition.

                                                        Cindy's Sunset, work in progress (click on image for larger view)

Puttering Around

 Worked in a number of areas this morning, now it's time to dry.

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

Checking For Square

 Hauled out the T-square today to check the lines of the woodwork and the painting frames. Several lines were wonky, but they're fixed now.

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

 

Meanwhile: One of the gloriously gaudiest sunsets ever:

                                                       Cindy's Sunset, work in progress (click on image for larger view)
 
 Because the original reference is made from light, I'm having trouble getting the true saturation of the colors using pigments. And I can see that some of the orange highlights I painted today are all wrong. They should be a hot pink. Next time.

Progress

Had a decent work session this morning. I'm pleased with the way the legs and feet look.

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

Catching Up

 Been busy lately, but I did manage to sneak in some time at the easel here and there.

                                                       A Quiet Moment At The Met, work in progress (click on image for larger view)

 Above: glazed the parquet floor. Changed the woodwork behind the guard to a warm white.

                                                       Elbo Room, work in progress (click on image for larger view)
 
 Toned down the garish turquoise on the building.

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

Added some woodwork. Looks wonky.

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

Still dithering with the color.

And, I improved the faces on three of the America series:

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

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

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