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Hidden Horizon 20" x 24" oil on masonite

I think I have the best job in the world. Tonight while everyone was driving home from work in a snow storm, I was able to stay nice and warm in my basement studio and paint a lovely summer landscape. Some may recognize this one. I started it late last summer as a plein air painting and never finished it. You can see how I left it (here).

This is one of my 25 challenge paintings. I am not quite sure if it is completed or not. I am at that stage where I could keep pushing paint for no reason other than I think I should, or I can put it aside and look at it fresh in a week or so.... Or I could ask all of you who read this blog. I welcome any and all critiques. What do you think? Am I finished?

This is a a soupy painting in more than one way. Usually I like to paint with a thicker paint, one that is not so slippery or creamy. But I also like to have fun with these daily practice paintings so I loaded the brush with Liquin and let her drip.



I liked how the reflections dance in the dark brown of the crock.



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White Onions 5"x7" oil on masonite (Click Here to Bid on EBay)

I was thinking of doing a Christmas theme painting but then decided that these onions and crock warmed my insides more. I kept thinking of a nice hot bowl of French Onion Soup. You know the kind with really dripping melted Swiss cheese. Now I'm hungry. I may not post again before Christmas so to all of you... Have a Very Merry!!!!!

click on image to enlarge the painting Thinking About It work in progress 22"x28" oil on canvas

I have not been posting my daily practice paintings as often as usual because this is the time of

year I slow down and do a lot of thinking and planning. Reflection is a much needed exercise for me. I need to set goals for next year or I get lost in doing what comes easy and not doing what I need to do.

To start me off in the right direction for the new year, my art studio designer/wife and I cleaned and rearranged the studio. (It was a disaster) But now I have room to think. I hardly ever meet these new year goals but I like to set them anyway. Sort of a tune-up exercise before setting off on a new adventure. One of my first thoughts is to look back and review some old habits. (this can get very ugly) Sometimes it can be hard to limit the areas that I need work on. One habit I know I have had forever is starting paintings and not completing them. Here are a few I gave up on and put in the closet.



Cats are fun to paint but for some reason I lost my interest in this guy.



click on the image to enlarge the painting Done for the Day work in progress 24"x36" oil on canvas

Here's another that got shoved in the "Never to be seen again" pile.



I know it would only take a little attention and I could finish these. So that is one decision for '08.... Finish these two and make a vow to the art gods to finish what I start.



Here is my new model encouraging me and giving me her best Outdoor Life pose.

I thought it might be fun if I reviewed the steps in the development of the face with some close up photos. Seeing it in stages on one blog post makes it easier to view the progress than jumping back and forth on previous posts. Don't you think?

When I blocked her in I only had the basic light and dark. Very crude at this point.



Now the likeness is in there and the coloring is mapped in. I started to figure out where the cool places for color and the warms go. One of the most important areas I think is the nose. It has to stand out but not be outlined. Tones and temperature are all you get to work with.



This is where I stopped when I though I was over working the paint. Coming back after a few days helps me go back in and build up the form with fresh eyes and fresh color.



click on the image to enlarge the paintingPatience - work in progress oil on canvas

I now am at a point where I start asking, do I have everything going in the right direction? Here's my mental list. Do I have the light working right? Do I have the structure built? Is there a likeness (if it is a portrait). How is my color? Are the cools and warms working correctly? How is the mood? Does it convey the feeling I want it to?

I am happy with it so far. What do you think?

Stacey Peterson asked if I would post some detail progress photos of the lace curtain. That is just what I am working on today, so you are in luck Stacey. I started with mapping out the patterns, light against dark.



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I try to keep my approach very loose. The patterns in the design are blocked in almost in a geometric manner. I am working on the folds at the same time. The colors in the curtains are rather challenging but an awful lot of fun to paint. They catch the the light with a wonderful mix of cool blues, creamy whites and cool purples.



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The folds need to feel right. You should feel the fold's soft rolling motion. I don't have it just right yet so I will continue the struggle. I will work and rework and rework the lace. Eventually I may glaze some of this to tie it together better and add some atmosphere. This isn't much progress but I wanted to post something before the sun went down. Back to the studio for some late night work.

Day 2 - I am continuing the work of modeling the face. This is mostly base color and structure at this stage. Modeling is a good word... for me it means keep going over the face until it looks right. value/color/ form...value/color/form... this is what I keep repeating to myself. I also started to darken the background so I can judge my light and color better. This helps me judge if the mood of the painting is developing like I want it to.



click on the image to enlarge the paintingPatience - work in progress day 2 24"x30" oil on canvas

I am starting to over work the face so I need to jump to another area. I start drawing in some detail (really just smaller shapes and tones). This helps me map the background. I don't want the background to get too tight this soon, but I do need the drawing of the design on the lace curtain to be finished enough because I want to paint the flowers over top the background not in between the background. I map in some of the flowers.

Not as much progress as I wanted but still moving forward.

This is a color study I did a while ago for a larger work I am calling "Patience". My kids and my wife/art career advisor have been suggesting...no urging... no encouraging me (in a loving way) to finish some larger paintings. (I must once again admit that she is rrrrrrrr...) I have been shying away from finishing larger works. But now I have another confession. I am being motivated by shame.



The artist who tagged me last week (Stacey Peterson) has posted some wonderful progress shots on her blog and is shaming me with the methodical method she uses to...complete...her brilliant work in a few days time. So I am challenging myself to do the same. Here is the first block- in of the larger 24"x30" painting.



click on the image to enlarge the paintingPatience - work in progress- 24"x30" oil on canvas

I am not a methodical painter. I feel my way through each piece. I never know how or where I may begin in a painting. Usually I begin with the darks but not always. Here I started with the underpainting of the face. SO this is where I am today. Tomorrow I will post my progress. Thanks for the motivation!

I thought today I would show what brushes I used at the different stages. I am not very disciplined in my brush selection. Most often I use only one or two. This is the beginning, add some darks, dry brushed ( very little dry paint brushed into the canvas) on top of my charcoal drawing.



Next I go wet like watercolor my paint thinned with turps or Liquin. Note my old out of shape round brush. It no longer holds a point so it is delegated to doing the wash.



Now to thicker paint and back to my stiff little flat.



Same brush different color. I 'm breaking brush rule number 1... use a new brush when changing color.

click on the image to enlarge the paintingWild Flowers

6"x6" oil on canvas board (Click Here to Bid on EBay)

I finished some of the stems and petals and details with a 0 round. That's the smallest brush I think I have. My favorite contemporary still life painter and the best painters of flowers in the world today is (Paul Raymond Seaton) over in England. He has a great website which has taught me so much. He gives instructions on painting flowers. I think he even suggests using artificial flowers to start. I have mixed artificial flowers and live flowers in this composition. Can you tell which is which?