Going Big

All Aboard SOLD
18 x 24
oil on wrapped canvas

Well I've decided to plunge right into a big piece and after 3 days of working on it and starting to pick at little details I decided it was time to step back, take a photo and get it on the blog. The advantage of doing this is now I can see some things that were missed - like the name of the train station! Oh well - that can be put in anytime. The biggest challenge for me on this project was avoiding making the figures look pasted on. I think I still have some work to do in this regard but for now I need to step away.

Summer Wine Tasting

SOLD
The Barrel Room
12 x 12
oil on wrapped canvas

We didn't go wine tasting much this summer but did visit one of our favorite vineyards for dinner one evening. On the way in to the dining room we passed a number of old barrels that had been put to use as planters and I was captivated by the simple beauty of the building structure, the barrels and the view of the vineyard beyond.

Different Strokes Challenge

Macys
9 x 9
oil on doorskin

Here is my attempt at Karin Jurick's current Different Strokes Challenge. I began by doing a 5 value study with white and black gesso to try to develop an interesting design and once I started putting on color it was easier to keep the values that I wanted and stick to the original plan with only a few minor adjustments. I decided to add a little fun by starting with paints that I never or rarely use and of course by the end I had to sneak in a few favorites.

Summer Fun Remembered on Cold Fall Days

Bus Boys
9 x 12
oil on wrapped canvas

I've been waiting to paint this one and since the cool autumn days have arrived it's time to remember a little of the summer past. These boys were hollering and yahooing from the bus as they were transported back from their tubing trip down the lazy several kilometer long canal that runs the length of our little city from the lake on our north end to the lake on our south end. The trip takes about 4 hours unless you jump out half way and it's amazing to see the hundreds of floaties going by, many with their supplies of refreshments tied up alongside on their own rafts. There are running and biking trails that follow the route and it's a great way to spend an afternoon. I tried to stay loose on this putting down a thin transparent ultramarine blue wash over a dried acrylic orange base. While the wash was wet I worked in the colors. The boys were not easy to paint in having some body parts outside the bus and some in but I enjoyed the challenge.

Focusing on color

SOLD
Grapes and Wine
8 x 8
oil on wrapped canvas

This piece was a little project that I did to see if I could start with a specific color and subject and paint what would essentially be a commissioned work. Well was I going to learn a few things and the very big lesson was that I am not ready to do a commissioned piece and may never be. As paint goes on I get carried away and before I know it a very different animal has evolved but that is the joy of creativity. Had a lot of fun with this one and hey - it looks good over my couch.