A look at the process of painting

First, the shapes get blocked in, scribbled, just a first coat of the thin color.

Next, another of paint gets added to the background with more attention paid to the correct colors and textures. This only has the far hills covered – my attention span seems a bit limited here!

Now I am seriously out of order. For some reason, I felt “led” to do the foreground details. It’s my painting and I’ll do it the way I want! Besides, I  intend to detail this particular painting right to the very edge of photographic realism. Do I have the skill?  That remains to be seen, because lately I haven’t pushed a painting to that degree. This brings me to my next subject – style!

A Painting is Happening

Kind of terrible looking with only one layer! Terrible, but with hope.

When all this new background dries, I’ll start on the large sycamore tree.

The Painting Factory

That would be the workshop where I paint. October may be the busiest month, or perhaps it is November. There are a handful of shows/sales coming up, along with something else big and new. This means it is imperative that I produce as much a possible. Every year I am puzzled as to how I got into this squeeze – it isn’t as if the Fall shows are a surprise! Have a look at all the pieces hanging around in various stages of drying.

There was a small difficulty today – every time I returned to my chair, it was occupied by this creature:

Kaweah Kitty has brilliant green eyes, but she is not willing to pose (or to move!)

More Miles of Canvas

Early Timber Gap, painted on board (Hey painting owner, want a touch-up??)

Timber Gap as painted this summer – yes, I know all the little canvas lines show in the photo.

With these 2 Farewell Gap paintings, I can’t decide which was painted earlier. Guess I finally caught up with myself for awhile in terms of painting ability! (But the cropping in photography could use a bit more practice. . . )

After the mural

This may be hard to fathom, but while I was working on the mural, I also knocked out a few paintings. They will appear here one or two at a time for the next few days. The plan was to have them for a show and sale in Lodgepole, but we, The Kaweah Artisans, have not received permission from the National Park Service to proceed with the show. Meanwhile, they will appear here one or two at a time for the next few days.

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Got a deal on 10×10″ canvases, which seem to work well with my cropped scenery paintings.

Cranking them out!

One of the best things that ever happens to working artists is receiving a check in the mail for paintings sold, especially when one has forgotten about said paintings! I sent 6 paintings of beachy things to Lady Spencer in Cayucos, California. Gina is an old friend from Exeter, and her store is full of lovely items from various artists. We’ve talked for years of her selling my art, and it took years for us to find the right plan. (Of course, by dragging it out, each time I visit the Central Coast I had an excuse to see Gina and call it a business trip!) She believes that more than just beachy subjects will have a market; I trust Gina’s instinct and experience.  Here is what I am sending her next:

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Okay, they are just begun in this photo. The flag will be a gift for someone who has gone above and beyond the call of volunteerism on the mural. The large poppy painting is a commission. (K, are you reading this??)

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Getting better by the day!

The Painting Factory continues to produce

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I have decided that there are 3 kinds of sky colors applicable to my painting:

  1. Photography blue  – can be washed out, greyish blue or fakey overdone blue
  2. Real blue, so frighteningly blue that no one would believe it in a painting
  3. Believable painting blue that most painters just fall back on – default blue!

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Blick.com had a great sale on 10×10″ canvases. Since I have enjoyed the 6×6″ squares so much, I decided to try these.  There may be a show in Sequoia over Labor Day, and it makes sense to paint subjects that are relevant to that area. These are all from photos that I have used in the past, but the square format adds a challenge and makes them look new.