Feb 13 - The Beginning of "Calicobermans"

 On a 24 x 24 inch box canvas (no frame needed, and very contemporary), I sketched in these two dobermans in preparation for what I call a "Fabricritter" painting.  More of a collage, yet still a painting, these are so much fun to do!  You saw the carousel horse be created late last year with the fabric swatches, and this one is no different.

The painting, in final form, was accepted to the Art Show at the Dog Show in Kansas, and I'll need to ship it to arrive by the 25th. It was accepted into the "mixed media, other" category.

As it develops, it takes on a life of its own.  Here's the first fabric scraps added to the black and rust dobie.  I have boxes of fabric in the studio and sorting through the calicos is such fun! Adding each piece is similar to putting the fabric right on a real dog--following the anatomical contours and adjusting the patterns to give a "feel" of fur.  I love doing it!

On other notes, I had the sheep out and I went along with a book and seat and enjoyed the afternoon light as they grazed above the studio. It was one of those amazingly beautiful evenings, and I read my book with the serendipitous bells of the herd in my ears. Hard to believe this is February! That's Vince who just came by for a head scratch and is heading back to eat. The pines of Two Trees Studio are on the left near the edge.

The newest DVD on the Color System is HERE
You can see my entire blog HERE.
My workshop schedule for 2011 is HERE.
Color System information can be found HERE.
If you need to email me directly, please click here.

Jan 19 - Working through the "Uglies"

MANY changes from the last posting of this "turkey", and now I no longer call it that... HA! Taking a long, hard look at what came back home with me from the demonstration, I could see easily that I'd lost both the value relationships and the color punch of backlit evening light. So I put myself to and spent a good amount of time working on those aspects of this oil.

It is now to a stage where I'm comfortable signing it, however, I still need to work on the dog's head. It doesn't read "Labrador" to me yet.

What I really do like about this piece is the colorful water int he foreground and the spash. Everything but red is in there and it is so joyful, like the dog, who is painted in muted hues of those same yellows and purples.

So don't give up on the ones that are giving you problems. They can be pulled through to become good paintings. Asking for some advice can provide an independent source of input as well. AS long as the core structure is in place, and the values are moving forward, most paintings can be brought to a finished state without too much work. I hope you enjoyed this one. I'll publish on my other web sites it when I finish the head details.

You can see my entire blog HERE.
My workshop schedule for 2010 is HERE.
Color System information can be found HERE.
If you need to email me directly, please click here.

Jan 18 - The Dog and Pheasant Painting Finished

The Welsh Springer Spaniel is now in the painting, and I've spent the balance of my "brush time" with the trees and background. I've made those areas more visually interesting by texturizing the areas with similar hues and values.

This image doesn't show the lighter values on the tree trunks, and for that I'm disappointed. There's a lot going on in those darks, and to omit them does a disservice to the work. This 12 x 16 acrylic is called "Flush", and hopefully will be shipped to Wichita for the show in March. On February 4th, I'll know if any of the four got in. Just around the corner!

Workshops in Georgia, Maine and Florida information can be found HERE.
You can see my entire blog here.
Color System information can be found HERE.
If you need to email me directly, please click here.