To and Fro

Click Here to Bid - 8x8in. - oil on panel

This is another little summer scene from my hometown of Missoula. Now the weather is getting cooler and we're starting to transition to pants and jackets. Not that I'm complaining about that (at all!) but painting this was a nice way to remember the warmer weather. I absolutely adore the seasons here. In Texas it was just hot, until it wasn't, and then hot again. Here, by the end of each season you're craving the next one. And each new season is that much sweeter because of the one before.

Super Cool

sold. (8x8in.)

This one's from New York City. If I lived there and walked around all the time, I can totally see myself owning a red leather coat like this. That would be so cool.

Duck Duck Goose, In Reverse

Click Here to Bid (8x8in.)

I decided when I'm painting people I need to increase my panel size. This one is 8x8 inches, and it was so much easier to do than on a 6x6! Maybe it's just my eyesight that's going. I am almost 40 after all. How on earth did I get to be middle age?! It's unreal.

I'm putting all my books (except Daily Painting) on sale until the New Year! They make great gifts, btw. : ) Here's where my books are sold in case you're interested.

Who Needs a Taxi!?

Click Here to Buy (8x8in. - $350 - includes a free book, my 6th collection of 100 small paintings, from the year 2014!)

So, ok. I tried something new for this one, but it's actually something very old too. And I'm embarrassed to admit it, because it's something I specifically do (and teach) kind of the opposite of. But humility is good for us, right?! So here goes.

For this one I put down the darks first. Crikey! Actually I made a pretty thorough value study with just one dark (a mix of red, blue and yellow), painting in the darks and wiping out the lights. Then I painted on top of that. I think it worked well because 1. it's a dark dominant painting, and 2. there aren't any super saturated colors that I needed to keep "clean." I don't think I would try this method for many of my still lifes, but I will definitely try it again for this kind of scene. I'll explain the benefits in my next post.

Casual Corner

sold (8x8in.)

I've been under the weather this week. I don't know if it's that or just my bad luck, but I've been doing a lot of wipers lately. This one though ... I feel positively redeemed. I like it a lot. It's always such a good feeling when a painting works out, especially in the middle of a dry spell.

I will be announcing a new workshop next week, Thursday, 11/21/13, at 7pm PST (that's west coast time). The workshop will be in March, '14, here in Oregon.