6/21/11

Twilight

"Twilight"         12" x 24"

 This is a studio painting based on some photos I took in Fredericksburg, TX. My wife and I left our boys at the hotel and went off for an adventure. The sun was disappearing right before my eyes, but I managed to snap a couple photos before it was gone. I don't have a lot of experience painting this large or painting from photographs, so this was a challenge. My camera was set on "night photo" and I realized this brightened my pictures and almost made them look like they were taken during the day, so the biggest challenge I had was working from photos without any accurate color. I am also accustomed to painting fast, so I tried very hard to take this slowly. I have mixed feelings about the final work. I'm not sure how much better this version is than the night I first blocked it all in. I think this painting has less paint than my plein air work, even though I painted on it on several different occasions. I think I became cautious and didn't want to cover up all of my previous work. Is this common for all studio painters?

I'm very happy with the method I painted my sun. I simply painted it solid white and after it dried completely I dry brushed yellow on top of the white. I think this made a brighter sun than any solid yellow I could have mixed.


Don't get me wrong, I like the final product. It just feels different working in the studio.
What do you think? I need some input.

6/16/11

Rusted Work Truck

"Rusted Work Truck"   9" x 12"

This truck sits in a field off W. Main St. in Fredericksburg Texas. Don't feel sorry for it because it had a several old rusted friends that I hope to paint in the near future.

Checking the stats on my Blog, I found that my truck paintings pull in the most views. That works out for me because I always have fun doing them

6/1/11

Blast From the Past

"The Crossing"      9" x 12"

 I'm currently busy working on a large studio painting that I hope to share soon. Until then, I wanted to share one of my favorite paintings from a few years ago. The Waxahachie Paint Out is currently in progress and I was unable to attend this year, so I am missing all of my friends. This was painted during the event. What you don't see in my painting are all of my fellow painters to my left and right also enjoying the day.
Great times!