In Process

This is a piece I am in the process of painting. You can see the beginning which is just a value sketch and then the subsequent application of paint. It make look finished, but I see that the wall conflicts with the horses and I want the horses to be the main interest. I will rework it and post it when it's finished.

I want to post a series of nudes. I have said before that I love to do nudes because of the possibilities for inventive color and composition. In each of these nudes I have tried to create a pastel painting that is more about the composition and color than just about a figure. I play with negative spaces, try to create areas of emphasis and layer warm and cool colors to create interesting "grays"

Winter Scene

I had started this painting in my studio and was having some difficulty resolving the color balance. I brought it to my class and thought it might be a good lesson in resolving the difficult last parts of a painting in color and brushstrokes. I reduced some of the more intense blue of the pond and added the reeds to leed the eye into the painting. I softened the yellow of the sky as well.

A Glimpse Into My Studio

I may dream of large studios with lots of storage and north light. My reality is that I have a tiny studio with a tiny loft area for storage but I love it. I work in a small corner, but I believe all an artist really needs is a place of their own to work. Granted, I often have to carefully tiptoe around my easel, not knocking over my paints or pastels (which I have done too often), to get to the door.
These are some paintings leaning against one of my walls...some ready to head out to one of my galleries.

Off to NY for a few days so posting won't resume until I return.

Tractor

A late afternoon walk in Peacham, VT brought me this scene of my neighbor's tractor in front of his barn. It proved a difficult subject because of all those warm colors...the red of the barn in contrast to the red of the tractor and still holding its own against the autumn trees. The hits of cool blues are a necessary respite.