Hiatus

I'm going on a blog hiatus -- which may or may not become permanent. There are just too many social media outlets to keep updated.  :)

Cumbrian Fugue

"Cumbrian Fugue," oil on board 20x16"

Here's the latest from my studio - getting back to some more colorful (non-realistic) landscapes. This one is from an image from my sister's summer adventure in Europe. She often sends me pictures from her travels of views she thinks I'll like. I'd much rather be in my studio painting than traveling, so it's a great partnership.

On a separate note, I've been thinking about discontinuing this blog. It's my least favorite of the many social media outlets I have to maintain and I have no idea if anyone reads it. If you do happen to be reading it and would like me to continue, please post a comment to let me know. Thanks. :)

Wishful Thinking

"Wishful Thinking," oil on panel, 24x18"

I just finished this one of my daughter. Took a LONG time (for me), but I'm happy w/results. :)

Fireflies & Moonlight

"Fireflies & Moonlight," oil on panel, 16x20"

Here's my final piece (a self portrait) for the painters show at Davis in September.  It took way longer than I thought it should, but I'm happy with the image. I like the implied narrative and the strong composition. Plus I really wanted to feature this cool old lantern I picked up during my summer travels.

Fireflies remind me of my childhood in Ohio.  It seemed like magic when fireflies came out in the summer evenings.  I also feel like catching fireflies is a good analogy for process of making art.

View from a Carriage Ride

"View from a Carriage Ride," oil on board, 36x24"

I've been doing a lot of portraits lately and haven't been so happy with the results.  I decided to do a landscape as a palate-cleanser. This is an image I've thought about doing for a few years, but never undertook. It's a landscape from the Midwest.

Artist at Work

"Artist at Work," oil on board, 36x48"

This is my second piece for the upcoming Painters Painting Painters show at Davis.  I'm quite happy with how it turned out.  Painting all of that graffiti was a lot of fun and I'm please with how strongly the figure stands out - looks very three dimensional.

Sun on East 39th Street

"Sun on East 39th Street," oil on board, 18x24"

I just finished this commission - reminded me of how much I love living in Austin. :)

Faire

"Faire," oil on board, 12x9"

I continue to work on portraits and I am pleased with how this one turned out.  I started by doing a monochromatic underpainting, which forced me to get the values right before adding color.  I'm not sure I want everything I do to be this tight, but it was an interesting experiment.

River Tide

"River Tide," oil on board, 24x30"

I'm often surprised by the Texas landscape.  I saw this view while out on a small island in the middle of Lake Travis (aka the Colorado River).  I love the way the plants are growing right out of the shallow water.

Psyche

"Psyche," oil on board w/gold leaf, 20x16"

I've been adding new elements to my figurative paintings, which is a lot of fun and I think the start of a new theme.  I put in the butterflies because the necklace she was wearing reminded of a butterfly's wing.  I like the slightly macabre implications.

The Road Taken

"The Road Taken," Oil on Board, 16x20"

And sometimes I just need to paint a tree...

Kim in Wind

Kim in Wind, Oil on Board, 14x11"

Here's another painting of an old friend.  I love the composition (w/the hair blowing over her face), but it doesn't quite capture her spirit.  I'll need to do another.

An Artist's Eye

"An Artist's Eye," Oil on Board, 30" circle

It has been a while since I've updated my blog (oops!), but I'm back now.  Here's my first real painting for the painters painting painters show I'm helping to coordinate at Davis.  This is the incredibly talented local painter, Karen Offutt.

Voyager

"Voyager," Oil on Panel, 9x12"

For the last painting I'll probably fit in this month, I played around with putting a landscape into the background.  I usually depict such shallow space that it was fun to include a vista (though I did put it in a window).  I love the expression on Meghan's face in this one.

Into the Woods

"Into the Woods," Oil on Panel, 20x16"

I was trying to get my daughter to pose for me as Red Riding Hood, but she wouldn't cooperate.  She kept trying to hide her face.  I caught this one despite her best efforts and like it even better than my original concept. Score 1 for mom.

Atlas Considers

"Atlas Considers," oil on board, 30x24"

Here's the last painting for the month - I can't believe that it's almost the end of January...

This is the last of the three that I wanted to do in oils reprising the boxed series.  This one is quite a departure from my typical style for a number reasons,

1. I did the whole painting in grey tones before adding color.
2. I added gold-leaf for accents.  I may have been spending too much time looking at Brad Kunkle's work. ;)
3. I added some narrative elements to the composition: the apples and apple blossoms.

The title refers this Greek myth:

"One of the Twelve Labors of the hero Heracles was to fetch some of the golden apples which grow in Hera's garden, tended by Atlas' daughters, the Hesperides, and guarded by the dragon Ladon. Heracles went to Atlas and offered to hold up the heavens while Atlas got the apples from his daughters.

Upon his return with the apples, however, Atlas attempted to trick Heracles into carrying the sky permanently by offering to deliver the apples himself, as anyone who purposely took the burden must carry it forever, or until someone else took it away. Heracles, suspecting Atlas did not intend to return, pretended to agree to Atlas' offer, asking only that Atlas take the sky again for a few minutes so Heracles could rearrange his cloak as padding on his shoulders. When Atlas set down the apples and took the heavens upon his shoulders again, Heracles took the apples and ran away." - Wikipedia

My Atlas considers whether or not take the weight of the sky back from Hercules.

Sunshine

"Sunshine," Oil on Board, 30x24"

Here's entry two in my month of revisiting the 'boxed' series in oil.  I just love her expression in this picture.  Why do I find it so amusing that this pretty girl in a beautiful setting looks so miserable?

Doe Eyes

"Doe Eyes," Oil on Board, 24x30"

I've set myself the task of doing a set of my 'boxed' figures in oils. This is the first in the series. I like the subtlety of the colors and feel like my handling of the figure is getting better.