Monday, May 30, 2016

Finished

One Good Tern Deserves Another
12" X 33
Original Oil

This composition is a departure for me. Usually I would have an animal on the left side of the painting looking to the right side of the painting. When I was working on my layout idea, placing the terns weighted on the right side of the piece lent a more intimate feeling to the scene.

Thursday, May 26, 2016

Yellow Ochre gesso

Lately I have been using a Venetian Red gesso but thought for this piece the softer yellow ochre gesso would be a good choice. If you click on the image to enlarge it you can see remnants of the yellow ochre in the water and the completed tern.

Friday, May 20, 2016

The Light of Day

No matter the accolades, awards, or recognition, this invariably happens to artists. In the light of day pieces do not look the same.

I set my paint brush down and yes, the painting was good. Leaving the studio after my brushes were clean, I had dinner, a leisurely evening, and off to bed.
In the middle of the night I woke with a uneasy feeling.
The next morning I knew I had to see the painting right away.

Hmmm. The piece was okay. Okay is not good enough. I already had the frame, an odd 12" X 33" size, and a deadline. Do I have time to paint something else? Should I try and make it the same size or cut down the frame? What was an easy decision - the finished piece in front of me will not be going to the gallery.

Hours later I have a new composition and several days later the below work in progress.


Saturday, May 14, 2016

Birds in Art

For the 11th time in 16 years, my work has been accepted into the prestigious Birds in Art exhibit at the Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum. The select jurors include what they consider to be the best paintings, sculptures, and carvings submitted with a focus on birds.
Many artists vie for the opportunity to be included. Like most years, the competition was steep this year. The acceptance rate was similar to the college acceptance rates of ivy leagues Brown and Dartmouth!
For more information on this exciting show see
 http://www.lywam.org/birds-in-art/

Fontana del Pantheon
16" X 16"
Original Oil

Birds in Art 2016

Saturday, May 7, 2016

Finished


Dry Docked
Original Oil
25" X 18"

Tuesday, May 3, 2016

Almost Done


Three more buoys are completed since my last post.
Also, the upper buoy second from the left has been altered, again. It had been bothering me because its orange competed with the upper right orange buoy. (see previous two posts)
I dragged some titanium white / cad yellow deep mixture down it and added some more blue around the edges.