HAPPY BIRTHDAY, Gordon! Scroll to the bottom of this post for an update on The Bridge’s future. As I work on this 11×14″ oil painting of The Oak Grove Bridge, I am thankful that there is no deadline. The idea is to take as long as necessary to make the painting as good as possible. And […]
Building Bridges
I build bridges with oil paint. They aren’t safe to drive over, but mine are only meant to be walked across in your brain. When I see a photo of the the photo next to the painting, the weak areas and wrong places appear. Yikes. Just try to be polite, ‘k? I drew this in […]
The Oak Grove Bridge Saga Begins
Or perhaps it continues. . . This commissioned oil painting of the Oak Grove Bridge is signed, sealed and delivered. On Monday, February 8 at 6 p.m., there will be a public meeting at the Three Rivers Memorial Building concerning the future of this bridge. A hearing? Something about the planning commission? Not […]
Happy Recipients
Here are some works of art that were done for Christmas gifts. I heard back from 3 of the 5 about the happiness of the recipients. The fourth and fifth are most likely very happy – an email and a phone call would confirm it, but I don’t like fishing for praise. So, I will […]
Bridge Paintings
My favorite bridge is currently my favorite subject for oil painting. (Brought to you by the Department of Redundancy Dept.) The Oak Grove Bridge crosses the East Fork of the Kaweah River, 6.5 miles up the Mineral King Road, out of Three Rivers, in Tulare County, California. Some governmental agency has declared it to be […]
Too Hard, Part Three
A few years ago, my mom and I visited Blowing Rock, North Carolina. This is where her mom, my G’ma grew up. We were exploring a bit, and I took a few photos of a little creek near G’ma’s homestead. Mom expressed an interest in having me paint this for her, and I have been […]
Too Hard, Part Two
When something is too hard, we go slowly. Think about a steep trail. Think about moving a heavy piece of furniture. S L O W L Y. The background, the part where the sunlight is brightest, and the bank to the right of that area is beginning to make sense. Ick. This is terrible, and […]
Too Hard
Since spending hours working on a painting that is too hard for me (i.e. “above my pay grade”), I’ve been thinking about how we handle things in life that are too hard. . . we take them S L O W L Y. I can’t remember when I started this painting. It was many drawings, […]
Secret Oil Painting Workshop Part 2
Why “secret”? Because I don’t advertise and recruit. . . it is an insider thing for my advanced drawing students. I don’t believe I know enough to truly teach anyone how to oil paint. Instead, I view myself as one beggar showing a few other beggars how to find bread. Let’s see how these other […]
Secret Oil Painting Workshop
I’ve been oil painting since March 8, 2006, which doesn’t seem like enough experience to be teaching. However, several of my drawing students have asked me to conduct an oil painting workshop. I began doing this a few years ago, but only for my advanced students. The participants need to understand proportion, perspective, values and my manner […]