The Art World in general looks down on studio artists who work from photos. I mention this from time to time, because the notion that working from photos is wrong bothers me. In order to work from my photographs, I have to find the scenes, find the best angles, light, and cropping. The photos go […]
Six Reasons I Loved Painting This Rose
The rose painting went to Kaweah Arts for the final hurrah before they close (reopening in March). This meant that I didn’t give it a clever name, just slapped it with “Rose”. I loved painting this because:
A Nameless Rose Painting in Seven Steps
Step one: Slap some paint in the approximately correct colors in the approximately correct shapes and sizes on a 6×6 canvas: Outline, background, interior parts. Step two: Detail the background but not too carefully because the rose is the star here. Just hint around at leafy shapes, using darks and darkers to suggest lots of […]
Progress On My Favorite Subject
For the past few years, my favorite subject to paint is orange groves with hills and mountains.I’ve had a large (for me) painting in progress in a time-out for awhile. In that bonus week between Christmas and New Year’s Day, I worked on it. First, I photographed it, studied it on my laptop screen, and […]
Hopeful Beginning and Messy Middle
If you receive this in your email and want to see the photos, click on the title. When I begin a new painting, there is a sense of “oh boy, this is going to be great!” When I am in the middle of a painting that doesn’t seem to be improving, I encourage myself that […]
Mineral King—Painting the Details
If you receive this in your email and want to see the photos, click on the title. When we last saw this most popular Mineral King scene on the easels, it looked like this. A little more work brought it to this stage. That big juniper tree needed attention, as did Vandever (the peak). Next, […]
Five Steps Closer on this One
If you receive this in your email and want to see the photos, click on the title. This painting was waiting patiently for some attention. I gave it an entire afternoon, photographing it at 5 stages. First, I put in some sky patches in the upper left. Next, I strengthened the trees. They are all […]
Improving One, Fixing Two
If you receive this in your email and want to see the photos, click on the title “Improving One, Fixing Two”. When a painting doesn’t sell for awhile, I evaluate it, trying to figure out what isn’t resonating with possible customers. Yarn and Dutch iris are two things I love, but something was preventing the […]
The Most Popular Mineral King Oil Painting Subject
Five steps closer to completing a new painting of the classic Mineral King view, but still about 60 steps from actual completion. Remember this? It is 30″ high, and I can’t reach the top very well. That’s okay, because it is movable. The cabin is too wide. Better. I’m not trying to be exactly true […]
Finished and Unfinished
Yesterday we saw two brand new paintings on the easels, looking like they’ll never get finished. Eventually most paintings do. Layer after layer, keep studying, figuring out what to do next and how to improve it every time I pick up the brushes. Today we will see some finished and some unfinished paintings. This is […]