"Bagged No.2"

Getting back to painting is tough. I wiped down the first painting, and reset up this. I guess I have been away for a bit too long. Oh well, it's good to be back.

"Two" - SOLD

Half way through the painting, the tall butternut squash fell over, onto the floor. Trying to place it back in the right spot was a bit frustrating. But, after about ten minuets I figured I had fussed over it long enough and called it good. It teetered a few times after that, and I ended up wedging paper under one side for stabilization. The strange thing is that it stood up all night and then right in the middle of its portrait it decides to take a bow.

"One" - SOLD

Oh... it is a busy time of year. I wish I could get to the studio more, but I feel like I have been in my car driving nonstop. Oh well, its a fun season....Right ? :)

"Hot Shot" - SOLD

The jalapeño peppers were fun to paint, but I think next time I will try to lighten them a little more. But overall I am happy with this.

"Tipped No.2" - SOLD

There was a bit more to the cup, but I really tried to squint down and just capture the basics. Sometimes it is so tempting to want to get all the information we see with our eyes onto the canvas. Which is fine if that's what your after. But, I tend to like the 'less is more' route.

"Cherry Tomatoes" - SOLD

"Red Cap" - SOLD

"Seven for a Buck" - SOLD

This has a certain 'study' feel to it. I was a bit tired when I painted this, and figured I would just block it in and then wipe it down. But, I ended up liking the result and figured it should be posted. Seven key limes for a buck. Oh wait, before I go, Doug asked me about my palette...
Titanium White
cad lemon yellow
cad yellow deep
yellow ochre
cad red
terra rose
trans iron oxide
alizarian crimson
cobalt blue
ultramarine blue
and sometimes a black
Maybe it's a lot of colors. I don't know, its just what I am used to I guess. :)

"Yellow Peppers" - SOLD

My camouflage peppers had turned completely yellow this morning, I had to paint them again.

I had a hard time getting a good photo of this one. I think the yellow in person is a bit more saturated then I am getting with the camera. I guess I need to figure out photoshop.

"Turning Yellow"

I actually bought these last week intending to paint them. I thought they were so great when I picked them up at the store, and could not resist their duel colors.

"New Mug" - SOLD

I don't squint as much as I should. Actually, what I do is kind of weird (and I don't endorse it), I slightly cross my eyes while closing one eye. This gets rid of all the details, and I can focus more on color and value. I don't know where I picked this habit up, but I do it constantly without even realizing it anymore. But for some reason, squinting, or doing the crazy cross eyed thing, helps with almost every aspect of painting. It seems so simple but it really seems to push everything else out and allow us to focus. It is an invaluable tool.

"Spouts" - SOLD

Squint!

"Green Glass" - SOLD

Well, I am glad I got this one done. I have a busy day, and well, I have got to run.

"Flower Tea" - SOLD

Well, it's kind of late and I can't think of a better title than that. Oh well :) .

"Glass Bench" - SOLD

"Red Glass" - SOLD

My internet has been acting a little funky. I painted this yesterday, but could not post it till now.

I was asked what boards I use. I actually don't buy canvas boards or panels from an art store. I think they are nice, but I have always been in the habit of just cutting and priming boards myself. I generally use MDF (but I think I am going to switch to Masonite). I try to put at least three coats of gesso using a seven inch squeegee so that I can get a nice smooth surface to paint on. This is the way I was taught how to prep boards, and have done it ever since. Sometimes on the last top layer I will lay the board flat on the ground and spray a thin film of water on top and let that dry. Once that is dry, the surface is usually really smooth...except for the time I went back outside and found twelve little gnats stuck to the nice white surface.

"Orange Tomatoes" - SOLD

I bought the small creamer pot today along with the orange tomatoes. It's always fun to buy new things to paint. I don't think my studio can fit anymore stuff, but well, it's what keeps me going.

"Upturned" - SOLD

"Salt" - SOLD

I cleaned out our storage unit recently and came across an old painting I painted a few years ago. I thought it would be fun to recreate the painting. The old one below is 24"x20", and probably the only time I have painted an object that small so large. I thought the colors were non conventional but still intriguing.This old painting is pretty beat up...Maybe I should take care of my older paintings.

Go vote!

"Blue Glass" - SOLD

Blue glass, purple cloth...what more could you ask for? Well maybe a little more. I set this up and liked by the shadow cast by the cup. Still, looking at the painting now I could have, alternatively, gone with a slightly different composition. Maybe a diagonal shadow, but that's what tomorrow is for. :)

"Odd Ball" - SOLD

I wanted to work with some stronger colors today...and I did. The fabric on the table top was very hard to match because of its brightness and color saturation. Every time I added white (or yellow) I lost color strength, and every time I added more cobalt the value became too dark. Just one more example how cool our eyes are, and how limiting our paints can be. But I like how it turned out.

"Yellow Tomato" - SOLD

"Tight Fit"

Only two of the three apples made it on this painting. You can see the other apples shadow though.

"Apples with Bowl" - SOLD

My creativity with titles is gone for the day. But, this painting was fun, it actually reminds me of some of my work while I was is college. One of the things I learned in college was to memorize my position with respect to what I was painting or drawing. I would try and always reference a still object, like the corner of my easel with another mark in the room, so that my eyes were always in the same spot. Drawing becomes so much easier if things don't move around, including your eyes.

"Three Apples" - SOLD

I wanted to get some more landscape painting done, but it was too windy this morning for any outdoor painting. I don't mind working in the cold, but wind is too hard to work with. I know a painter who actually build an easel that hooks onto his steering wheel so he never has to leave the comfort of his car when painting. Which is really a cool idea. He just backs his car into a nice spot on the road, turns on his heater, and paints. Hmmmmm....I think I need to build something like that.

"Timp" - SOLD

"First Snow" - SOLD

I have been wanting to get out of the studio for a while, and so I finally did. I went up the canyon and saw this scene from the road, and pulled over immediately. I think the person driving behind me was annoyed with my driving...sorry. Landscapes are so fun, I need to get out more often. Fun, but cold.

"Limes" - SOLD

Each one of these limes seemed to have there own variation of green, I had to try and paint them all. I have always liked paintings that have some sort of reflective mirror or glass on the bottom.

"Departure" - SOLD

This painting was fun to work on because of all the different shades of red on the tomato. Yesterday, however, was a wipe down, which is always frustrating. But, I like how this one turned out.

"Topped" - SOLD

I admit this is a reoccurring composition. On this one, however, I lifted the focal point high on the board, and unintentionally cut the board almost in half with light and then dark. Half is usually a place to avoid when painting, but I think I am okay with how this turned out.

"Chances" - SOLD

I have been trying to reduce my philosophy on art...at least my own art. I think it is fun to see how little I can do to create the illusion of the object. But, at the same time too little can also be a turn off. So, it becomes a balance of how much information to put down before stopping. I have been interested in that idea for a while. I think there are some great artists out there who do this better than I, but I am having fun trying.

Speaking of great artists...I came across an artist worth checking out. Her name is Deb Sterk. She truly is a daily painter.

"Quick" - SOLD

I tend to paint rather slow. When I tell people each painting takes between two to three hours, some seem surprised. But really, even if my brush strokes appear loose or quick, I actually try to deliberately place each piece of paint. There are, however, some really great painters who can lay down a painting in twenty minuets. I've watched the videos, and they amazes me. But, I like the comfort of working slow.

"Crowded"

I had more apples on the table but these two apples took up all the room, so I guess it's a bit crowded.

"Basics" - SOLD

Oh man, I had a tough last week. I ended up wiping down a bunch of paintings. But now I'm back.

"Tamarillos"

I saw these at the store and their skin color begged to be painted.

"Onlookers" - SOLD

"Pyramid" - SOLD

I was at the grocery store and fell in love with the deep red on these beets, and had to paint them. But, when I brought them home and set them up they kept drying and turning a redish, brown color. So, every few minuets I had to sprayed them with a bottle to maintain their initial color.

"Black Top" - SOLD

I really like when I get just the right amount of paint on the canvas, where the brush starts to slip just a little. Thats when some interesting marks start to form. My problem is that I keep going (cause I am having so much fun) and cover up some of those marks. I have two thoughts at the same time: 1.'Oh I like that', and 2. 'That was fun, I wanna do that again'. Sometimes, Unfortunately, I listen to the second thought. But, I am happy with how this turned out.

"Blue Streak" - SOLD

I love any time I can get color to bounce off of another surface, like the apple in the teapot. Most everything will influence the surrounding, and I have always been interested in how light and color will bounce around. Even dull surfaces will absorb color. Take a red and green apple and place them on a white cloth, that cloth will have some red below the red apple, and green below the green. Its just a cool phenomenon.

"Kiwi" - SOLD

It is interesting how you can get familiar with certain object. But, painting kiwi for my first time was a little harder than I expected.

"Golden"

Tired, tired, tired.

"Doughnut" - SOLD

I never seem to get too caught up in subject matter, or composition with daily paintings. Which is nice. Larger paintings tend to be fussed over... 'Where should I place this or that?'. I tend to move these daily ones until something small catches my eye, and paint it, realizing that tomorrow I can do something completely different. This one is certainly simple, but I really wanted to see how it would look with a bunch of space above the doughnut. And, tomorrow I may try something different.

"Plumb Line" - SOLD

I couldn't get a great shot of this...The one on the right has a bit more color than my camera wants to catch, but that is usually how it goes. I never seem to be able to completely transfer what is on my canvas to what is on my computer screen. But I think, hope, this is close enough.

"Rounding the Corner" - SOLD

Have you heard of Goop? Well, I'm sure many of you have, but after you are done painting you can condition your bristles with said product. I just get a little on each brush and the next day they are still nice and soft. It's fantastic. I actually learned the trick from Doug Braithwaite.

So, this got me thinking....what do you use?

"Yellow Line" - SOLD

I have a new schedule starting today, and will be able to paint during the day, instead of at night. I think I will be able to paint with more frequency.

"Shoreline" - SOLD

Our Internet has been in and out since we moved. So, sorry if I have been slow to respond. So far I have really enjoyed this studio. My last studio was in our unfinished basement. We painted the concrete walls and and cleaned it up nicely, but my new space is so much nicer, although smaller.

"Tomato Tuesday" - SOLD

Our daily paint group decided to all paint tomatoes today. Go check out everyones version tonight.

"Applesauce" - SOLD

My son helped me title this one. I am not completely sure where he derived this title, but it sort of works...at least for me.

"Gazing" - SOLD

Its funny that the direction of a stem can change a painting. I think we all tend to personify objects in a painting, and this personification really seems to dictate how I set up the initial composition... Hmmmm, Well, I guess only sometimes. Other times I set up a painting and, only later, realize the odd conversation an apple is having with another object. Or the way one apple might posses a dominate personality, and another shy...