Pricilla, 20x24

This is one of several paintings.....

..... that I'm giving away this month.  It is an affliction I go through periodically and, although not a boon to my pocketbook and against any marketing advice, it certainly makes me feel good.....so I will likely continue the practice whenever the mood strikes.

I loved painting this model, playing with brushwork and paint thickness during the three hours it took.  The palette was limited to Ultramarine Blue, Cad Yellow Light, Burnt Sienna and Cad Red Light.

It was her dress that pleased me most.  It was a complex cross hatch pattern of black and white that, if I had put it in as I saw it, would have made it a painting without movement.   Viewers need movement to maintain interest, I think.  Too much explained information and the mind doesn't get involved.  OK, Vermeer and Velasquez seemed to pull it off, but even their work is greatly simplified.

I'm going to show up at 'Pricilla's' place of work and hand it to her.  Should be fun.

Hope you all are having a great Holiday Season with friends and relatives! 

The Scream Online

A Great Day.....

.....ends even better when you find out you've been published in an international online magazine for the arts, the SCREAM online.  Despite the fact I knew it was coming sometime it took me by complete surprise.  Check it out HERE.  Thanks, 'Scream'!

Marker Drawing, ever since the day I accidentally 'discovered' it, has just been a fun activity.  Pretty soon it led to a handout, then some workshops, then a longer class handout....and then a book which you can find a link to in the above menu.

Many artists use markers for quick sketches to study compositional ideas, and I do also.  But the pieces can go beyond that into sketching on toned paper, recording color notes, and even into printmaking in the form of monotypes and etchings.  I highly recommend it as a way to study painting without hauling around a lot of brushes and paint.

Here is one I did recently in Italy which uses white gouache to help separate values.  Give it a try.  If you are in the area I will be having another Marker Workshop in March 2015.  It usually fills up.  Find out about it at the Winslow Art Center, HERE.

Erica, 11x14

Usually there is a Goal.....

.....that I have in mind when I paint.  'Light effect' is always at the top of the list and I add one or maybe two other things depending on the subject.  Last Thursday it was 'brushwork', specifically that I wanted to end up with a piece that had identifiable brushstrokes and pieces of paint in an interesting design.

What do you suppose Erica does for a living?  Here are your choices: Manager of a Cupcake Emporium, runs Safaris in Africa, or is a mechanic on a Washington State Ferry.  Look at her, I'm sure you can figure it out.

Here is a closeup to buy some time while you decide......and to tell you how much I like the colors that can be found in shadows.  Those shadows are usually the first thing I paint, setting the mood and direction for the rest of the painting.  The reds, greens, blues and purples, subtle though they are, make the light struck portions sing.

OK.  You've had time to guess and if you picked 'Runs Safaris in Africa' you'd be right.  HERE is her website.  She has been doing it for over a decade and has some great stories and off beat adventures.  I didn't know there was an African version of the piranha with huge teeth that people actually like to fish for.

Off into another day.....

Mountain Crossing, 10x12

It was a group effort.....
.....all of us in my class painting from the same photo.  If I had been sharper I would have taken some photos to show a room of ten paintings of orange trees, all slightly different but all successful.

This one is mine.  The misty clouds weren't actually there but it seemed to need a couple of subtle horizontals to add dimension and balance.  There are a few other inventions and deletions around the piece.  It's often good....often much better.....to depart the text.

Friday is the opening of the PAWA show (plein air painters of Washington) at the American Art Company in Tacoma.  It's on Broadway just off 11th.

I was down there last Saturday and the artwork is amazing.  It would be well worth the trip just to see the high quality paintings.  Jeremy Lipking will be there as judge.