Dramatic Skies

I am fortunate that my house is on a ridge which affords wonderful views from the south to the northwest. The sunsets are often amazing.

Still, when I think of broad dramatic skies, my mind turns to the great plains of America. The sky just seems bigger there. A late afternoon drive in the northern great plains a number of years ago was particularly striking. I had to pull off the road and enjoy the brilliance of the scene as it unfolded. It inspired this painting.

Great Plains

18" X 26.5"

 Original Oil

Revisiting Antarctica

I haven't painted much from my trip to Antarctica. Not sure why because the continent was certainly inspiring. So, it was time to go back through my notes, my photos, and my thoughts about the trip.

Like most people who have had a chance to walk among penguins (and have had them walk over your boots!), penguin encounters are quite memorable. I had a chance to see the nesting areas of four species, Magellanic, Adele, Gentoo, and Chinstrap. All were fascinating, but as I pondered what to paint, a rookery really stood out for me. On one island, Chinstrap climb the side of a mountain and nest among boulders. Watching them negotiate the climb with such agility was incredible. They appear so awkward on land yet looked like graceful ballerinas compared to my climb to the area! Big rubber boots and a 14 pound camera made my ascent more akin to the elegance of an elephant seal.

I wanted to showcase them in the painting and create a sense of vastness and remoteness with a sliver of intimacy. Quite a lot to put in a smallish painting.

Chinstrap Rookery

15" X 22"

Original Oil

Artist of the Day

Today I am Artist of the Day on the Artists for Conservation website.
http://www.natureartists.com/

If you have not checked out this web site in a while, have a gander.

A little bit nuts!

Artists are perceived as being, shall we say, a bit out of the ordinary. Maybe a little crazy, or just plain nuts. I have this new painting. Anyone with any sense might have painted ONE flamingo. But in a painting that is 7 inches by 10 inches, I painted something like 70! What was I saying in the last blog about painting too many birds? Still this was a lot of fun and I have to say one of my favorite small paintings.


Pink Flurry

7" X 10"

Original Oil



Knowing When to Stop

If every artist knew when to stop painting, artists would know better how to begin.

How often do we artists noodle a painting? Putting in detail that doesn't need to be there. Fussing with the edges. Thinking there needs to be one more bird when there should be two less. Changing a simple dramatic scene into something complex and ultimately.... boring.

I am not immune. So, I do try to think like an editor. Does that story line really add to the plot? If my painting were someone else's painting (helps me to think critically if it is not mine), what would I take out?

Some of this thinking came into play with the sticks. Should I have more? less? should the line go to the left or right? Should I cover up all the background wash? (I decided to leave some showing.) You may not agree with all my choices on this painting. Many are subjective. Artists of all levels may have chosen differently. In the end, this painting says what I wanted it to say. I feel what I wanted to feel. And hopefully, I knew when to stop.

Not Backing Down
24" X 36"
Original Oil

Kitty cat

I meant to post in stages as I worked on the cougar, but I was so in to the painting that it wasn't until I was finished with him that I realized I hadn't taken a single photo for you.

Rocks

Rocks used to be one of my least favorite things to paint. My knowledge of rocks exceeded my painting skill by a fair margin. A downside of having an M.S. degree in geology. I knew when rocks didn't look "right", but had a hard time "fixing" them.

Once I decided to approach them as I would any other subject matter, painting rocks became easier for me. Still, almost every time I paint them, I soon get to the muddy section when they look like nothing. That is when I need to step back, formulate a strategy and attack each section slowly, working on it until it looks rocky. I hit that muddy stage in this painting once I had blocked in all the color. The metamorphic nature of the rock just wasn't coming through. Step back, deep breath. Let's start on the lower right section and build up from there.

Below you can see the rock basically done although there will be some tweaking as I continue the painting.