February 24 - Plein Air Artists Visit, and the Lesson Continues (Horses in Snow)

It was a very busy day, with the Plein Air Artists of Riverside coming over to paint for a full day, including a pot luck at the end of it. I did manage to get a good start on the two horses painting though, and share it with you tonight (or tomorrow morning, if that's when you get these!)
Although the voting was almost equal for the sketches, I chose the upper right one because of the possibility of making large areas of textural interest in the dormant trees and shrubs. Toning the canvas first to "get rid of the high value white", I sketched in the location of the shrubs, the two horses and that all-important counter balance in the gate on the right.
I changed the location of the darker horse, moving him away from the red one because the negative shape formed by the area between them was odd looking and very distracting. Sometimes designing paintings is more about those negative space areas than the actual subject! Note that the negative space areas (where most of the snow will be going) are all different shapes and sizes. That's good design--making related areas without repetition by an infusion of variety.
Note, too, that I painted some of the three dimensional form of the horses...just can't leave 'em flat. Now that I have the initial lay in with the values established for my dark areas, tomorrow I cover the canvas with lots of paint, getting those big shapes in place.

February 23 - A New Idea for an Equine Painting (LESSON TIME!)

Yippee! We're off and running again, this time with a wonderful image (above) from a nice lady who bought one of my saddles off ebay. Her horses are knee deep in snow in Colorado and she took this picture as they wait for her to come feed in the evening light. Oh boy! This is great source material, however it does have some design issues. Like any regular person with a camera, Pam put ther horse right in the middle of the composition, creating a static equality around all three sides that the viewer (that's you!) might not have noticed. Heck, we all take pictures and we all put whatever we like smack-dab in the middle, right? Problem with that is it effectively cancels out any possibility for dynamic movement or tension--what I call the "Made ya Look" syndrome.
So me the artist takes this great photograph and has to rearrange it a bit for interest. This will be a 16 x 20 acrylic, and hopefully good enough for a show or two. We'll see as the painting progresses. Here is the source image, and here are my sketches (called thumbnails, although they are about 4 x 6 inches) showing some rather more interesting design possibilities. Note I am not "drawing the horses", but am positioning the SHAPES of the horses, fences and bushes to create a better composition.



Hurray! We're off on a new painting adventure!
Yes, come visit the blog and please forward folks to the blog
here, and thanks.

February 22 - Foo Dog Color Study

I'm trying something a bit different for all the folks signed up on the Daily Paintings email list--I'm posting my painting to my blog with instructions for it also to be sent to the group. I hope it works, as it saves me a whole boatload of time.
Today's painting is a small color/value study of a Foo dog that is one of a set of bookends that has been in the family for at least two generations. It is a study for a larger painting that is fomenting around in the channels of my mind--a work for the Artist's Floral Fantasy show at the Riverside Art Museum. I was in it a few years ago, and enjoyed it immensely. I'm plotting a still life that features many of the things that my mother had--her love for the oriental and Japanese style was part of my growing up experience!
Foo dogs are fearful looking beasts, so please focus on the color and brushwork for your pleasure today. This is an original acrylic, 7 x 5 inches.

February 21 - Plein Air Artists come to My Studio

Today's opening of our home and studio was a wonderful experience, as the creative energies around the gardens and animal area was palpable, and how fun to see paintings of Vincent van Goat come off the easels of the Plein Air Artists of Riverside! There were seven artists around the property today, and every one saw things in new
and different ways. I so enjoyed the experience of having these artists come, that I can hardly wait until Saturday, when they will be coming to visit and paint again!

As for me, I spent some part of today putting together the pochade boxes that were delivered yesterday. I'll be using them in Arizona, and I also took the car in for service in anticipation of the trip. I was so busy hosting and chatting, that I didn't get my gear outside until later in the afternoon--my favorite time to slap paint on canvas! But what to paint? Loving backlit subjects, my pots of geraniums on the end of the patio caught my eye, and resulted in this 7 x 5 oil.

On another note, we have had company of another sort--this fellow is still in one of our pine trees. All the artists had a chance to see his backside from about 40 feet away, however I thought this close up as he came down the tree this evening would be a nice treat. I'll be really happy when he takes off for other neighborhoods, as he is a
huge male weighing in at about 50 pounds, and could really give a headache to our Tibetan Mastiff.



Yes, please forward on to your friends.
Replies always answered.

February 20 - Another Sky Evening

Tomorrow there may be a few artists wandering around the Two Trees
Studio, on location painters from the Plein Air Artists of Riverside
(PAAR). I'm looking forward to what the painters will be interested
in capturing in their time here. And so pleased that I can open my
home/studio for my peers.
I did this quick study of a sunrise on an 14 x 11 canvas to
experiment with the phenomenon again that hit me yesterday. And what
was that? Well, I noticed that below the clouds, the sky (made up of
cools) is the same value as the sunlit cloud underbottoms (made up of
warms). And that the value of the horizon is lower than those
clouds! That's why the sun looks so spectacular in the evening light!
I really like the colors and value changes in the sky on this
painting, but it doesn't have the color of yesterday's. Still...I
like it. Looks like the country I'll be traveling through on my way
to Pearce in a couple weeks.

February 19 - Finding Solutions to Problems--Sunset Painting

I was out among 'em today, about sunset, and saw a wonderfully colorful sunset unfold as I headed up the hill to the UPS store to drop off a painting going to a new collector. The sunset presented the solution to a problem I'd been trying to solve for quite a while, and I had one of those "AHA!" moments as I was driving (fortunately traffic wasn't heavy!). I made a discovery about lighting in such wonderful skies, and had to come back and duplicate the solution so I would have it in my repertoire of skills whenever I wanted it. Doing it, after mentally solving the problem, was just as exciting as the "AHA!" moment back there on the road! So now I have this little 6 x 8 oil to remind me of the obvious knowledge that had been obscure before. This view is from the hillsides above Riverside. $200 from the web site.

The question for you is, Do you know what the "Aha" moment was all about? Hint: you ought to have been in a workshop or have a copy of the Colorful Oil Painting DVDs to get it right. And think values, too! Artists usually love to solve puzzles, so now you have one! Another hint: it is definitely in the sky.

And in other news, I have a three-day workshop featuring color, acrylics and plein air in Shakertown Kentucky, June 3-6. I made my flight reservations today, and will hope to meet some of you there! Here is more information:
HERE
Fantastic opportunity to work with acrylics and do on-location painting, too!

February 18 - My Horse as a Muse

Backlighting is such fun, especially when I can quickly lay in a painting and know what values to use, and how to energize that flat surface to create something that engages the viewer. Here is a quick study of my mare Raindance, lit form the right side as the sun heads toward the horizon. The light on her tail and mane captivated my senses, and the blue of the sky reflected from her back was the icing on the cake, so to speak. Out came the brushes, and this 12 x 16 oil came together. She's a good mare, and a complete tax deduction because of her selfless service as a model for my paintings! She has other duties, however, including taking me to places where I can gather more material for future paintings, good mare that she is.
This one is called "Evening in the Dry Lot". It will be in the digital online show of the Equine Art Guild as part of the "Artist's Muse" exhibit opening soon. I'll post a link when that show is up.

February 17 - Whippet Painting Finished!

"In Hot Pursuit", original oil, 12 x 36 inches. The addition of the splashing and sparkling water, plus the details on the head, legs and muscles don't show up as well as they would if I could make this a larger image! I have made it eight inches across, which is bigger than what I'd normally bring to your email, and the web site. It does show more of the detail. I just really am happy with the colors in this light and the suggestion of the dog chasing something that has gone out of the picture. It pleases me that this came out of my head, placing the daylit dog in evening light and designing the background to enhance that feeling. I'm hoping to save this one for an art show that features dogs down the calendar way a bit.

February 16 - Continuing the Whippet Painting

This part of the painting process is to cover the canvas and start to develop the lights of those value areas defined yesterday. Now the colors start to dance against one another and the fluid motion of the dog is starting to take shape, along with her three-dimensionality. I am thoroughly enjoying painting this piece--purely for my own development and also for the statement of the gracea nd beauty of whippets. Eagle eyed members of the list have pointed out the front shoulder area as being "not quite right" and I'm going to make some more changes to that structure to clarify the lift and reach of the forelegs. No splashing water yet, that is to come tomorrow! The colors of the background are also flowing through red, orange, yellow and over to blue and violet. I do hope you can see that I've held to the value plan throughout! Again, this ia a 12 x 36 inch canvas, and an oil.

February 15 - Covering the Canvas, Whippet painting

Today I've started to cover the canvas with the oh-so-important mid values. The painting is about mid values, with accents of dark and a large light area. Edgar Whitney (astoundingly good teacher of watercolor and no longer with us) used to talk about six value plans that always work, and this painting will definitely be the "small darks, large light in midtones" one. You can find out more about Edgar Whitney's wonderful design lessons in his book Watercolor Painting. The section on designing good paintings is priceless. Learning to recognize the value plans in successful paintings can help to make your own work stand up to scrutiny. The light area of water behind the dog's head will not be pure white, either. I save those highest values for the rim lighting on the dog and the sparkles on the water. Right now, though, I'm concerned mainly with making interesting mid tones in lots of grayed hues, staying mainly with the purple/yellow, blue/orange combinations. I also lowered the pelvis and angle of he back for more illusory speed.

February 14 - Starting the Canvas, Whippet Painting

Here is the canvas--yes, a 12 by 36 inch format--long and wide, with the first sketch laid in and a rough start on the color of he dog in shadow. I lifted off the mid-tone layer behind the dog's head, because I am wanting to have tha area be where the sunlight glints off of he water. You can see the sketch of the splash of what the dog pursues laid in on the far left.
This long, horizontal format seems to make the dog move more swiftly. If you are conveying speed or vertical rise, one effect to enhance that feel is to choose a canvas shape that seems to duplicate that. As this progresses, I'll talk about how each brush stroke works to push the dog forward and move your eye across, not up and down, the composition.

And getting an email such as the lines below is the reason why I take the time to write back to each one of you:

...the memories you have stirred. Our neighbour bred and raced Whippets all through my chidhood. Ive not seen or heard of Whippetts since I moved North. Ginny was our fav and I so loved watching her race.

You give me the gift of seeing fragments of your lives, and knowing that what I'm doing means something for you... it gives me such great satisfaction to live a life where the gifts are always moving. A long time ago I read Lewis' thesis on the Erotic Life of Property, and, contrary to its racy title, is a rather dry read of the study of gift within the cultures the islands of the South Pacific. In a nutshell, it is paying it forward without expecting something in return. It has molded my life, and given back countless unexpected gifts.

February 13 - Beginning the Whippet Painting, the Sketches

I'm starting a painting that has been in my head for about two weeks, and I sure hope it matches up with the idea of it! It is different in that the format or canvas is a three to one ratio. That is to say, the canvas will be three times as long as it is high, very unusual. However, this has to happen to convey what I feel to be important--the speed and grace of the extended reach of the dog's movement. There is a story in this one as well, as you can see a small spash on the left side indicating something has moved out of the picture, but is what the whippet is headed for. 

My Dad had a whippet named "Dido" in Hawaii in the mid 1930s, and I have two silver trophy bowls from her show career. Later in Canyon Lake, my folks had Keiki Makana, a whippet that I used to watch running free in the open flats of undeveloped land. She was greased lightening and a joy to watch with her flow and effortless movement!
Today I share the two working sketches for this larger painting, and you can see me figuring out the placement, and the values in the lower one. This will be backlit with a high attention on the water and the splashes. I'm going to love painting those beautiful dog muscles, too!

February 12 - Commission Work for the Designer Market

In doing commission work, I end up with some unusual requests every once in a while. And since I learned long ago that saying "no" to a challenge does nothing but close doors you might never know are there, some of these commissions have been very eye-opening!  Today's daily painting is a design rough for a designer who is asking for a specific installation piece for a specific market. It presented some unique challenges in that it is SO far away from my usual color and design. However, I said yes to this because in doing things like this, I open my mind to new ways of seeing and thinking about the art I create.  Is it "me"? Of course not!  But who knows whether or not down the road a ways, I may use something I learned here in my "usual" work. 

And reworking this rough allows me to think outside the box as I am focusing so intensely with the design, negative space, contrast and all those other things you learned in Design 101. This one is only the first step.  So don't be afraid to say yes to offers from folks who don't think like you do. It may send your art off in some really interesting directions!

On another note, I do have a painting waiting to get out (as soon as I finish up one more commission's tweaking), of a whippet dog.  My folks had them, and this painting just aches to be born.

February 11 - At Sam Maloof's Place

"Sam and Beverly Maloof's Home" On location Saturday I did this 12 x 9 acrylic of the front entrance of the wonderful Craftsman style home of this American icon of woodworking. (You can find out more at http://www.malooffoundation.org )
The gardens are all drought tolerant and beautifully laid out with some of the trees actually having been moved from the old location to this newer property next to the San Gorgonio mountains. I wanted to paint some more, but as it was getting later, and I forgot my spray bottle to keep the paints moist, so I had to pack up.  $325

A photo of me and the icon of American furniture design.

After the rain this morning, I spent some time working in the yard, transplanting agave and aloe to new locations on the slopes, and filling the dumpster with more vegetation as we continue to clear up the property. It's starting to look more like "our" space now, and that is a comfort.

Howdy, Pardner! At the beginning of next month, I'm going to a working cattle ranch in southern Arizona for a week of painting and riding and teaching--they do have internet, so you'll be able to see lots of pictures and paintings! The daily paintings won't stop, but will definitely take on a more "cowboy" look for that week! And those Arizona skies...yum!

February 10 - The Four Seasons, Summer 5 x 7

"Summer Field" The final image of the four paintings depicting the seasons. The first one (Autumn, February 7) came from the source photograph, the other three are completely out of my imagination. The Color System makes it really easy to choose colors that work, and even change the season, because you have room to play since many of the problems are solved for choosing the color. I really enjoyed doing these four paintings, however now I need to produce some more serious work for galleries and the designer. Orignal 5 x 7 acrylic $120.

February 9 - The Four Seasons, Spring 5 x 7

"Spring has sprung, the grass has rizz, I wonder where dem flowers is?"...That's a silly ditty taught to me by my mother. Well, here are some spring flowers along the path, and a field of mustard with its characteristic lemon yellow flowers. We see the same barn off in the distance, and the purple mountains creating another complementary color scheme. Darn it! Guess I can't get too far away from those schemes since nature wants us to see it. Orignal 5 x 7 acrylic $120.

February 8 - The Four Seasons, Winter, 5 xx 7

Brrrrr!!! Yesterday's fall weather has changed with this decent snowfall over those fields and with the trees now completely bare. What a change from yesterday's autumn colors, yet the scheme is still blue and orange--just really subtle oranges! I think I'm going to enjoy spring when it comes through tomorrow! Orignal 5 x 7 acrylic $120.

February 7 - The Four Seasons, Fall, 5 x 7

Every once in a while I get a hankering to do a series of seasonal images of one scene. Thus today's painting, a 5 x 7 acrylic of a farm landscape near where I used to live, closer to Hemet. This is another of those places that is quickly disappearing, as the area is desirable to developers because it is flat, and lends itself to cookie-cutter tract homes. It remains there so far, yet I expect to find it missing in any month in the future. Now we will see it go through four seasons in the next four days--and here is autumn for your pleasure. I love the blue/orange play of color. The summer flushness is gone, and the field lays fallow for the coming winter (tomorrow's painting!) Orignal 5 x 7 acrylic $120.

February 6 - Sycamore Leaf, Acrylic Painting

Every day when I go out our gate, I pass a couple of huge sycamore trees with their characteristic mottled trunks and large leaves. They have been asking me to paint them, and although I did paint the trees up the canyon a few days ago, I knew I wanted to do a study of one of their beautiful leaves.  So today's 6 x 8 acrylic is capturing the unique beauty of these hand-sized leaves that have fallen and rustle on the edge of the road. The sycamores are the first to lose their leaves and the first to re-leaf in the spring. $120.

February 5 - White Still Life

My sister came over to visit for a few hours, and we organized the larger space that will host shows and students. In doing so, sorting the flowers into color groups for display and still life setups was part of the journey. I now have nice vases of reds, yellows, and greens, and this white pitcher of white flowers! It seemed like a fun thing to do to set it up on a sculpting stand and paint it--so here is the 12 x 12 inch oil for your pleasure today! $250
from the dailypaintings.com web site for this date.
When I slightly squint my eyes, I enjoy how the values hang together with the harmonious colors. Juicy, yet very subtle, and the light source is quite obvious! Such fun to stretch the still life muscles. Maybe another one tomorrow, while I work out the last minute details of another commission still here. Gotta get it right, darn it all.

February 4 - Cooling Off on the Paint

Sunday without television in our house means that there is no Super Bowl excitement, so I trailered Raindance and met up with about 20 other riders for a great ride around a large open area called Bonelli Park. Water crossings and many western riders enjoying the 83 degree day, and photo opportunities galore. Over three hours in the saddle and a great ride!
 Thus results this small 5 x 7 acrylic on really textured handmade paper collage, of one of the riders in the stream we crossed. Fun to completely get away from the oils and "play" in the acrylics!
 I'm also thinking about my own soon-to-be-underway trip to the Arizona mountains near the Chiricahua National Monument where I'll be on a working cattle ranch for a week, with some friends from the East Coast! Lots of great subject matter there, I'll bet. And I'm taking my paint brushes, of course!

SOLD to Mary Cadenhead of Brownwood, Texas

February 3 - Finished Lesson Painting, "A Bit of a Worry"

"A Bit of a Worry" is now finished. As you can see from yesterday's progress, my time today was spent in adding more details to the areas where I want your eye to linger, and finishing up the loose painterly aspects of the balance of the surface. By this time, the decisions are far more important than those of the first few passes, and how much detail to pull out is crucial. The lessons of learning what to detail up, and what to leave loosely tendered can consume an entire life! I tend to leave a lot of quasi-unfinished areas, that still support he design without taking your eye away form the story. If you squint your eyes at this finished piece and then go back to look at the black and white structure I sent, you'll discover I strayed hardly at all from that design.
Now we have a painting of the backstretch of Del Mar, and one of the daily routines that go on behind the races. Original oil, 12 x 12 inches, US $500

February 2 - Continuing with the Painting Lesson of Horses

Today's work on this 12 x 12 oil got tabled for a while since I was packaging and sending off paintings, DVDs and books.  Took me most of the morning to get them all ready for shipment. I'm glad of that, because sometimes we artists need time to cogitate about the work we do, while not in front of the easel with it looking back at us. I came back to the easel refreshed and ready to make some interesting changes to the design and focus. 
I'd like you to look at the major changes in the shapes of the two flanking figures. (They still don't have brains, yet!)  I cut into them and added outward with the literal "washing up" of the background areas to the positive shapes of the action. The central hoof checker now has a tee shirt, but I need to get some britches on him! No hats yet, as those color notes are pure accents, and ought not to be added until the painting is cohesive without them. No sense in sewing up a hole in rotten jeans with new thread!
 I did go over the background again, bringing in some of the more muted cool colors to break up the blocky shapes of the barn siding and doors.

February 1 - The Lesson Painting of Horses at the Track Continues

Now the painting has gone into what I call "the Uglies". I have covered more of the canvas areas with the color that is the major color for each area, except for the foreground and the middle fellow, and there is not much edge control, nor harmonizing of colors across the board. It looks a lot like a cartoon at this stage. Not to worry, tho', because I'm going to fix all of that in the next "go pass".You can also see that I still have held to that abstract structure as I add more pigment, and I am finding come proportional edges to bring the image back into balance.
 So the dance with the brushes continues.
 If you like dressage, I was shown a link that has the amazing Blu Hors Matine at the World Equestrian Games doing a freestyle dressage event that is nothing short of extraordinary!  That mare just dances!

January 31 - Learning Time Again! Painting Lesson!

Learning time again!  Major changes to bring to you in today's painting, continuing the 12 x 12 oil from yesterday. Some very important things have happened, and I hope I have enough "room" in the message to share it with you! Note how I changed the packground, dividing up the rear space and more effectively placing the figures on a stage with a backdrop. Viewers are more comfortable when  given the illusion that the scene is "contained" for their intimate perusal. The shadowed wall behind, and the openings create that illusion. I cobbled together the new packground from other source photos taken at Del Mar Race Track. Love that tourquoise which is their color!
I have attached another image as an extremely important aspect of painting, demonstrated for you in taking this stage of the painting and manipulating it in my photo editing program. I took out all the color, and flipped it over, with the prime purpose of showing you how important abstract structure is (created in values). Structure is the skeleton of the artwork. Look at the placement and the relationships of the darkest values to the lightest values. And also note that although the background has openings in the wall, they are very close in value to the wall itself to convey the illusion that the wall and openings are further back in the picture. When you look at the upright, colored one, the values don't look that close back there!  I share this with you because one thing I find with many artists is a lack of understanding of how crucially important creating a strong value structure is to the end painting.

January 30 - Back to Equine Painting!

Time to go to the equine art again, and also time to incorporate some of that earlier experimentation with the thick paint on this 12 x 12 inch oil!  I'm bringing you the start drawing, and also the source material, so you can see what inspired my starting this one.

Perhaps the passing of Barbaro (the race horse) brought this out, but the reference is of a vet or trainer doing a flexion test on the left foreleg of a race horse. The groom and perhaps the owner or assistant or trainer are looking on. The background in the source is booooring, so I'll have to spiff that up a bit, and I am moving the left-most figure so the "action" in the middle is more easily depicted. I also do subtle relocations of shapes to make better design. Lots of loose drawing at this stage, no value issues, no color issues ... YET!

January 29 - Goat Packing and Painting on Location

Since I am still working on the capturing the subtle grays that are permeating our drought-stricken landscape, I headed out today with Vincent van (Pack) Goat for an afternoon of plein air painting. Going about a mile up the canyon behind my studio, I stopped, turned around and painted the view back toward the city. Hard to believe a city of over 150,000 people is just down beyond those trees. Original oil, 12 x 16 inches, complete with goat hair! $200

Just for fun, here's an image of Vincent van Goat and I on our way out to the valley behind us to paint the image above. Vince carries everything--there's a tripod, Open Box M, stool, water, carrots (for Vince) and all supplies in his red carry bags (called panniers).

The setup with Vincent critiquing the location wearing his packing "clothes". It's deceptive, but there's a long downhill hike behind him to the trail in, showing above his noggin. He ate for about 30 minutes, and then just lay down until I was ready to pack up. Follows me like a good dog! We didn't get back to the house until about 4:30, and it was getting on toward sunset, and a lot cooler.

January 28 - Painting Places Lost to the Developers

A painting that focuses on the softer, gray colors that make a painting sing, today's painting is focusing on those ever subtle grays. I've had a fascination with gray and neutral colors for a short while, and with the interest in keeping values correct, I can really enjoy the process of making a nice painting. Every color of the spectrum is in here, but there is not a shred of conflict! The source for this was a photograph I'd taken near Menifee about 25 years ago. This field is no more as the area is now under tract homes. Original oil, 11 x 14 inches
SOLD to the collection of Linda McFadden of Murrieta, California.

January 27 - Sunset Color Study

A quick color study to capture the light of an evening's sunset, reinforcing the arrangement of values to make a believable scene in two dimensions. The sunset tonight wasn't as spectacular, but we do have gray skies--hopefully some rain in the forecast. And I woke up this morning discovering some muscles I hadn't used in a while being quite sore from yesterday's ride. The mare was mighty quiet today, too! 5 x 5 Acrylic for $100

January 26 - Riding the Rough Country (on Horseback)

What a day today! The day was so incredibly different for me I just had to paint it. Behind our studio is the large mountain called Box Springs. Most of it is a regional park, and it separates the cities of Riverside and Moreno Valley. Today riding buddies Ed Wetter and Don Kobs met me (with Raindance) at the trailhead for this park in Moreno Valley. We were doing what's called a "pre-ride" for the riding club I belong to. The ride took over five hours, up and down some incredibly steep trails that are mostly used by the wild burros. We were in areas of the mountain that didn't really have trails. My plucky little mare led us up a few white-knuckle "non-trails" in our attempt to circumvent a newly installed fenceline. The painting shows us high above the city of Moreno Valley, heading up a ridge as we try to find a trail connection. I'll remember THIS day for a long time! 5 x 5 Acrylic for $100

January 25 - Shiva Paint Tube. Do You Remember These?

On to something simple, yet truly representative of the artist's life--what better to do than the design and color of a tube of paint? I realy like the way the tail of the tube curls up, and gets that blue flash of color. These Shiva paints have been with me for over two decades. I used to like several of their colors, especially ice blue. I used to buy them from the old Standard Brands--the only art supply store around at the time! 5 x 5 Oil for $100

January 24 - The Puzzles is SOLVED!! 12 x 16 Oil

What a surprise to receive SO many email suggestions about what to do with the painting! I sent all the quotes out to the list, and hope that many will come to see the end result. Elin, you lost the horse? Yes, but there's a reason--on location, there was no horse. I imagineered him into the scene, and never felt comfortable with the end result. I loved the gate, which also was not open when I painted it. So the solution was to partially open the gate (the horse left, of course) and create a pathway and a brighter field beyond the opening. I added brighter, more pure hues to the area where the center of interest lies, and "rebuilt" the wall on the left. Adding the large oak tree was a natural extension of the concept, creating shadowed areas on this side of the wall, and also metaphorically hiding the unknown future beyond the gate. It looks good from here. 12 x 16 oil, $250.

January 23 - Puzzles for You to Solve

Here's a bit of a pickle for your entertainment today! This is an on-location painting that I started over a year ago, and found while looking for another piece that had been bought. This 12 x 16 inch oil has some really nice things going on in it, and some unfinished areas (like the palomino horse) that still need work. I know what I'm going to do to finish this piece, and I'm wondering if you have some ideas as to what I've decided to do, and more importantly...WHY. If you'll write back, I'll compile a list of suggestions to go out in tomorrow's email with the finished painting. So please share in your thinking about what YOU would do if this was one you needed to finish up.

January 22 - A Slice of Life

How did it get to be after midnight? I was just reading this National Geographic and now it's after the witching hour. Ah well, the painting today went swiftly--finding some improvement on an "oldie but goodie" that has been sitting on the shelf, reminding me of a wallflower at a dance. Now she has on her party dress and is ready to go out for the night! 
A before image (the smaller one) shows you how the values were too close and mid-range, plus there was no "oomph" in the color to keep the viewer interested. The lack of strong value structure makes for a weak, confused painting. We don't want confused! So by repainting a good deal of the background, I was able to calm down the chaos and help you focus on the flowers. If I can, I will continue to improve the flowers in another pass. This is a 16 x 12 inch oil.

January 21 - Sunlight through the Clouds Painting

Another plein air painting, this time a 7 x 5 inch oil, and I really, really like this one. Why? Because it is one type of lighting I have been trying to "get" ever since I discovered it while painting on the Santa Rosa Plateau many years ago. Here's an experiment for you--af the sun is heading well toward the horizon today, take a moment and look toward it. (Not into the sun--bad for your eyes, and I don't want anyone without eyeballs!) Then turn yourself 90 degrees and look in that direction. Then look back at the setting sun. Do you notice anything different? How about colors? As your eye moves away from where the sun is setting, you'll start to see more colors in objects. Looking toward the sun, you get almost a black and white image! Amazing.
So today's little gem is how I FINALLY captured that light! OK, so all I had to do was paint grays. Big deal. Definitely a big deal when it has eluded you for years! And of course you can see the paint on this one, too! Oops, forgot to sign it.!

January 20 - Fairmont Park, Riverside, On Location Today

"Fairmont Park Afternoon" What a great time today! I received an email inviting me to join about 15 other plein air (on location) artists for a pot luck lunch and an afternoon of painting at a local park, complete with lake. This 9 x 12 oil is my first canvas, and it was fun to keep "cleaning out the boxes" and using a lot of paint to get the feeling I was after. The fishing folk on the pier were compliant enough to stay put and the palm trees on the right were fun to do with palette knife and lots of paint! Oil, 9 x 12 for $250 after I sign it!

January 19 - View from Our Front Porch, Evening

My camera doesn't capture the true color intensity that is in this piece. I had such an amazing time painting this view that is from our front yard, looking west. The sunsets that have been delighting my eyes for the past few weeks finally manifested themselves in this
painting. The Italian cypress of the neighbor's house always frame the last intense glow as I head out to feed the horse and goats. This is again thickly applied paint, and my paint boxes are still being
emptied. These thick paintings are coming from such a deep place inside me. Oil, 8 x 10 for $250

January 18 - Black Cat Study, Oil, 7 x 5

More thick paint! Applying the paint this way is as if I'm frosting a gooey chocolate cake! I love the tactile feeling of the marks of paint as they come off the brush and palette knife. Since this is a quick study, the parts that I really like are the eyes and the texture of the canvas showing through on parts of the cat's head, even though there are some really thick passages of paint in the area. Like van Gogh's work, the actual texture of the paint is part of the story within the painting. I get the feeling of looking at a mosaic when I see these, and that brings to mind the rich history of the Byzantine churches. $100

January 17 - Onions with a Palette Knife!

Time to clean out the pill boxes! This action generated a painting today that is more what I'd like to do with the texture of the paint adding a distinct lusciousness I crave to see. There's a lot of palette knife instead of brushwork in this one. Hmmm, may have to get into the mindset of cleaning out pill boxes more often! This 5 x 7 inch oil is called "Close Friends" and joins the ranks of breakout paintings. I love it when creativity burps and these little gems appear. $100 from the Daily Paintings web site.

I also have placed the finished boat commission and the Allie and Spunky commission on the January page. There were some final changes made to both of these, and the clients have been notified!

I think I'll experiment more with the palette knife and cleaning out the pill boxes to see where that takes me, unless and until another commission comes in.
Tomorrow I hand the master Plein Air with an ATTITUDE DVD over to the duplication service! I'll be ready to ship next week!!!
Now on to editing the last of the Acrylic Painting with an ATTITUDE into DVD format.

January 16 - Onion in Acrylic, 5 x 5 inches

Taking a break from the commission (need to clear the cobwebs!), I rummaged around and found this red onion, and one of the specialty canvas sizees for smaller paintings. The canvas is 5 x 5 inches, and this is an acrylic, applied thickly. Nice to take a break from the oils for a day or so. $100

In other news, I finished the Plein Air DVD, and will be sending it off for duplication this week. Next is to see the acrylic one on a DVD master as well!

Congratualtions to a new collector in the form of a well-known physician at the Mayo Clinic on his purchase of "A Bit Mulish" for a gift.

January 15 - Commissioned Portrait, 95% finished

Looking at the painting now is a lot easier on the eyes than a couple days ago. I spent a lot of knuckle-busting hours getting the likeness of the young lady today, and putting the finishing touches on Spunky D. There are still some details that need work, and I will spend tomorrow doing that before calling it a finished work. I need to get away from it for a while, to come back to see it with clarity.
I call that "putting it under the bed for the night". Many artists get to this point in a work, and put it away for a while. Out of sight, the painting sits, allowing the synapses in the artist's mind to connect to the subconscious, creating a fertile arena for those "AHA!" moments upon seeing it again. For an artist to push to work on a painting when the muse has left the building almost certainly sets up a scenario for questioning and groping for the answers to visual problems. Leaving it alone for a while will magically solve most of them!

January 14 - 75% done on the Commissioned Portrait

Whew. The painting has left the "uglies" now and is heading toward completion. I've made changes to start achieving likenesses in both faces, and still building interest in those areas not the focal point. Note that I have not yet painted eyes, nor done details on the dog's paw (lower right). I will be flicking my brushes over the entire surface, continuing to make corrections from this point forward, and bringing to a finish the painting of Allie and Spunky.

Today with two hours of team water volleyball and filling a three- yard dumpster with cactus and brush, I'm kinda tired out tonight. However I still have computer work to do, sitting here by the wood fire, listening to Prairie Home Companion ( http:// www.prairiehome.org ) with Garrison Keillor. Hmmm, I see I need another walk to the woodpile.