Boo!

Happy Halloween everyone! Have fun and be safe and this painting will keep its eye(s) on you!

temporary obsession?

Another portrait...at this point I think it's official that I've found a new favorite subject..the portrait/figure. I can't seem to stop painting them....so you'll have to endure seeing them here on my blog...not giving up on other subjects, though...just a temporary obsession.

Rug repair

I spied this gentleman repairing rugs in a store front on a recent trip. What a fascinating profession... weaving and sewing with all those colors of wool or cotton, matching shades and mixing hues... kind of like I do with the pigments from my palette!

strong light

This was a quick sketch done on a non watercolor paper...so the layering of pigments didn't work so well. I had to work fast, but managed the suggestion of strong sunlight and shadows on her face.

Blending pigment

"Birds of a Feather" 16"x12". I thought I'd try my hand at some other feathered friends...in terms of color.. these beauties have it all...so vibrant...how did Mother Nature mix these on her palette? Or did she let the pigments blend on the birds...?

paper pulp

This is a small portrait...the paper was 6"x8" and handmade at a small mill in Italy...ofcourse on paper that precious the paintings can't help but turn out good....(wink wink, recognize sarcasm here) I still have some Twinrocker paper from years ago that I'm "saving"...I should just use it...if you think about it..it's cotton pulp and water smooshed into a mold and pressed....hmmm

Cute hat

16"x12" portrait of my Grandmother...I never knew her, which may make it easier or harder to do a portrait...I don't know. But I love her hat and fancy wrap...I'm going to paint her some more, maybe with different color combos or closer cropping...we'll see.

"Brewski"

I had the pleasure of taking a Ted Nuttall workshop this summer...highly recommend it! This was one of the pieces I completed. 11"x15" "Brewski". I'm now taking pictures of unsuspecting people and trying to paint them!

Something new

Warmer climes of times past...but we are in for a b-e-a-u-tiful weekend here in the Northeast. This was a painting done from a photograph of the church in Old Puerto Vallarta it is 12"x12" and done on the "Fluid" watercolor paper. It certainly handles differently than the other papers I'm used to...but always good to experiment with something new.

Waving

These ladies were done in the Jeannie McGuire workshop that I took this summer.. Haven't had a chance to explore her techniques since then..but it was fun piling on the pigment...plus using opaque colors and white! I want to give a quick shout out to all the email subscribers who write me on a regular basis! Thanks for your comments!

museum visit

How long has it been since I posted a feathered friend? A while anyway...well this summer I went to a poultry museum! Over 200 different varieties...my camera was smoking at the end of that visit! So you can be sure that I'll tackle some of those images for future paintings!

measuring up

Now that fall is here and the sun is setting earlier..it is time to revisit the figure sessions again at our local art center. Looking back on the last 3 or 4 years..I can say that my recording of the human figure in graphite, charcoal, watercolor and various other media has improved. It's all about observation, relationships and measuring!

seasons change

A quick sketch of a peony shrub..this way done last year when the peonies were so early. This year I think they were right on time. Fall seems a bit early to me...but that's because summer just zoomed by!

Feedback

The show opening went well last night...there is quite a variety of work by numerous artists. It's always nice to hear feedback about your work...it seems my new direction was a pleasant surprise for people. So here's to continued growth and exploration of unique subject matter! (French fisherman 8"x8")

Shake it up

Well hello everyone! That was quite the blogging break...sometimes that's needed. I did this painting earlier this year and it will now be in a show that opens tomorrow. I wonder what the reaction will be to my expanding subject matter...I do have two floral pieces in the show in addition to two figures and one landscape! shaking it up a bit! ("Weathered" 15"x22")

show work

Hope everyone had a good Labor Day..I've put together 5 pieces for an upcoming show and this is one of the paintings..."elongated lilies" 22"x15". I'll be sporadically posting for the next little while, taking a short blogging break, but I will be photographing some new work and hopefully painting a bunch.

Double pose

Some more pieces where I've applied the pigment differently than usual...this was done during the Jeannie McGuire workshop...I got such a kick out of using white and mixing it with my other colors...I can see where I could get in trouble, though...never knowing when to stop for one!

Tag-line

As you can see the figure painting obsession continues...This was cool to do because of the graffiti.. I used a watercolor pencil and crayon to "write" in the letters behind the bearded guy. I even signed my name on the lower right side of the wall in a tagging style...well maybe sort of, but a graffiti artist I'm not (12"x12")