"Self Portrait Wearing Cotehardie"

Progress over time:

Session 1
Session 2
Session 3
Session 4
Session 5
Final

"Drunken Trombone"

I'm playing around with some abstract concepts. This is a bit experimental.

"Creek Street"

Here is my latest painting.

The following links show the progress over time:

Session 1
Session 2
Final

Underdrawing

Here is the underdrawing for my latest painting.

"Encore"

Here is my new painting, a self portrait of me playing my oud to my dogs.

Here are the notes I've taken while painting it:

For session one, I started on the under-painting. I've been taught to always paint the most important things first, so I started with the face, and moved to the dogs. I used a mixture of transparent oxide brown cut with half again as much ultramarine blue. I wanted a neutral middle pigment balanced slightly toward warm.

For session two, I spent a lot of time working on the face. I broke my rule of using only transparents for the under-painting and broke out some whites. After the face, I did the chair and some shadows. I used subtle mixes of transparent oxide brown, ultramarine blue, and terra rosa to add nuances of warm and cool.

For session three, I worked on the oud, the wall, the floor, and added some color to the flesh tones. I tried something that I had not really done before. With transparent paint, sometimes it is hard to get a smooth tone. It can be rough, uneven, and sometimes gritty. I tried to mix some transparent white with my pigments where I did not want that unevenness. Transparent white is only semitransparent. It has some qualities of opaque paint but still lets what's underneath through. It was moderately successful.

Session four: I darkened up the overall painting with some glazes. I also did the rug. Finally, I added some strings to the oud. I did this by using a palette knife loaded with paint. I think the under-painting is done.

Session six, I did the dogs. In particular, the black dog, Murry, was painted witha mixture of transparent oxide red, alizarin crimson, and ultramarine blue as a mixed up black. The result was so black, though, that I had to add some to the darks in the rest of the painting so the dog did not stick out like a sore thumb.

Session seven, I worked on the back wall and the floor. I thought I was done, but now I notice a spot on the oud that needs some work. I'm going to sit on it a few days too and see if I see anything else.

Here are links showing the progress over time:

Session 1
Session 2
Session 3
Session 4
Session 5
Session 6
Session 7
Final

Underdrawing

Portrait Class

Here are the paintings I made in a portrait class at the Drawing Studio. This class used the direct painting method, where I am more of a indirect painter, so it was a stretch for me.

Portrait Class

"Post Alley"

Here is my newest painting, a scene in Seattle's Post Alley.

Here are the notes I've taken while painting it:

Session one was a marathon session where I finished the entire under-painting. I wanted to stay loose. I used nothing but transparent pigments to complete it, which included terra rosa, transparent oxide brown, van dyke brown, ultramarine blue, and terre verte.

Session two, I filled in the sky, sidewalk, tables and chairs, and other areas with opaque paint. I really struggled with the sky. At one point it was too warm, then too cool, then some rainbow mixture of the two. I finally settled with what I wanted, some warm yellow overlaid with cool blues.

For session three, I worked on the back buildings, the tables and chairs, and foreground figures. The foreground figures I worked over and over again. I'm still not totally happy with them. They will have to do, though.

I think I might be done. I might sit on it a few days and see.

Here are links showing the progress over time:

Session 1
Session 2
Session 3
Final

Under-drawing

Here is the under-drawing for my new painting:

"Barrio Viejo"

These are from a plein air class I took at the Drawing Studio, where we went into the historic barrios in Tucson and painted.

"Hafla in the Outlands"

Here is my new painting. It is on a 48 x 36 inch canvas. Click to embiggen.


Here are the notes I've taken while painting it:

For session one, I started on the under-painting. Here I used a mixture of transparent oxide brown and ultramarine blue for the dark areas, and straight transparent oxide brown for the light areas. I started with the most important thing first, the accordion player. After that, I started filling in the dark areas, because there is so much of it. The under-painting will take a while to complete.

Session two, I started on the belly dancer. I added terra rosa to my palette of transparent pigments. The terra rosa really gives a warm glow to the flesh tones. I like this because they are supposed to be lit by fire. I think that that really works.

Session three: I filled is as much of the dark areas as I could. Should note that as a approached the torches, I used more transparent oxide brown, to give a warm glow to the dark areas.

For session four, I started on the drummers. Trying to get that right balance between my dark mixture, and the terra rosa was difficult. Some of it will have to be revisited.

Session six: the under-painting is done!

Session eight: It might be done. I'm going to sit on it for a bit.

Here are links to the images showing progress over time:

Session 1
Session 2
Session 3
Session 4
Session 5
Session 6
Session 7
Session 8
Final

Under-drawing

Here is the under-drawing for my latest painting. It is on a 48 x 36 inch canvas. Click to embiggen.

"Overlooked Flowers on Valentine's Day"

Why does everyone give roses for Valentine's Day? I think people should give more sunflowers. Therefore, I give you my latest painting.

Here are the notes I've taken while painting it:

For session one, I completed the under-painting using nothing but transparent pigments: ultramarine blue, transparent oxide brown, terra rosa, transparent gold ochre, and alizarin crimson. So far, I'm pretty happy with it.

For session 2, I did two things. First, I did the pitcher and bowl. I tried to use a mixture of warm and coll pigments to give them a richness. Second, I did the background, which was a mixture of permanent green, transparent oxide brown, sap green, titanium white, and ultramarine blue. I tried to mix it up there too, to give it a richness.

For session three, I did many things. First, I did the greenery, using permanent green medium, sap green, transparent oxide brown, and titanium white. Second, I did the sunflowers. This was using cadmium yellow light, cadmium yellow deep, cadmium red, and transparent oxide brown. Finally, I fixed the small purple flowers using alizarin crimson, titanium white, cadmium red, and ultramarine blue. Oh, and let's not forget the reflections and highlights. I think the painting might be done. I will sit on it and see.

Here are links to images showing progress over time:

Session 1
Session 2
Session 3
Final

Under-drawing

Here is the under-drawing for my new painting, another floral still life.

"La Rambla"

Here is my new painting, a scene from a street in Barcelona. It is in oil and on a 24 x 18 inch canvas.

Here are the notes I've taken while painting it:

My goal for this painting is to be very loose and free. It is not about detail, it is about indications. For session one, I laid in the under-painting. I debated whether or not even to do an under-painting, but I did after all. The whole thing was laid in in one session. People and figures are only indicated. The pigment used here is van dyke brown, which is between a cool brown and a warm gray.

For session two, I moved in with some color. For the shadows, I used a mixture of cobalt blue, alizarin crimson, van dyke brown, and titanium white. For the lights I used a mix of titanium white and naples yellow. The trees I did at the end and I'm not real satisfied with them.

For session three, I added some color to the background figures. Most of my time, however, was spent on the buildings in the background. I used a palette knife to add chunky paint. I'm not totally satisfied with it, but it will have to do. The painting is almost done.

Here are links to images showing progress over time:

Session 1
Session 2
Session 3
Final

Under-drawing

Here is the under-drawing for my new painting, a scene from Barcelona. It is on a 24 x 18 inch canvas.

"Wine Thief"

Here is my new painting, showing a scene from a trip my wife and I took to California wine country. Here, someone is taking a barrel sample from a barrel deep in a wine cave. The painting is in oil on a 24 x 36 inch canvas.

Here are the notes I've taken as I've painted it:

For session one, I started on the under-painting. I began laying in the dark areas with a mixture of transparent oxide brown and ultramarine blue. My goal is to lay in the under-painting with transparent pigments, and then move in with opaques.

For session two, I worked on two things, the barrels and the figure. For the barrels, I used a mixture of transparent gold ochre, raw sienna, and transparent oxide brown. I mixed that with my mixture of ultramarine blue and transparent oxide brown for the shadow areas. For the figure, I used terra rosa and transparent oxide brown for the flesh areas, mixed with my mixture of transparent oxide brown and ultramarine blue for the areas in shadow. I really struggled with the face. In fact, all the flesh tones will have to be revisited when I move in with opaques.

With session three, I started on the barrels going off into the distance. It was a real struggle to not put in too much fine detail. In addition, I started on the concrete floor. Again, all the pigments used were transparent.

Sessions four and five: barrels, barrels, and more barrels.

Session six and seven: I did not take a picture after session six. Basically, I finished the frame of the barrel structure. Session seven, I finished the under-painting and went in with targeted cool opaques. Mostly, that was a mixture titanium white and ultramarine blue. I'm finding that I use less and less opaques and spend more time on the under-painting with transparents.

I think it might be finished. I'm going to sit on it a week and see.

Here are links to images showing each painting session:

Session 1
Session 2
Session 3
Session 4
Session 5
Session 6 and 7
Final

Under-drawing

Here is the under-drawing for my new painting. It is on a 24 x 36 inch canvas.

"Vintage"

This is my latest painting. It is a landscape depicting a vineyard. It is in oil, on a 24 x 18 inch canvas.

Here are the notes I've taken while painting it:

For session one, I laid in the actual vines of the vineyard. I tried to indicate rows, and showed the perspective as they went into the distance up the hill. I used sap green, naples yellow, transparent oxide brown, permanent green medium, titanium white, and a touch of cadmium yellow light. Oh, I also used van dyke brown for the dark areas.

For session two, I added some darks: the trees in the distance, and plants in the foreground. In both cases, I used a mix of van dyke brown and terra verte. I'm hoping that when I add the yellows for the sky that the highlights on the distant trees do not look out of place.

Session three, I did two things: the sky and some of the foreground. For the sky, I wanted a warm yellow gradient from top to bottom. There, I used titanium white mostly mixed with slight traces of Naples yellow, cadmium yellow light, cadmium red medium, and ultramarine blue. I added patches of each one, and then blended with a dry brush.

For the foreground -- the red flowers -- I used a combination of van dyke brown and cadmium red medium. There I used both a brush and a palette knife to add thick chunky paint.

During Session 4, I really struggled with bush in the foreground. I added paint, scraped it off, added paint, scraped it off, and so on. I finally got it to a point that I'm resigned to. One thing that did go well, however, is closing up some of the big gaps on the trees in the background.

Below are the photos I've taken showing progress over time:

Session 1
Session 2
Session 3
Session 4
Final

Under-drawing

Here is the under-drawing for my latest painting, a landscape from our recent trip to California wine country.

"Red Roses in a Ceramic Pitcher"

Here is my new painting, in oil, on an 18 by 24 inch canvas.



Here are the notes I've taken over time as I have painted it:

For session one, I did the under-painting. Unlike previous still-lifes, where I've primarily use transparent oxide brown as the main pigment, this time I used a half and half mixture of transparent oxide brown and ultramarine blue. I like my under-paintings warm, but I felt that the straight transparent oxide brown was too warm. I did use more of the pigment in the wooden table, however, because I felt that that was appropriate. For the roses, I used terra rosa.

For session two, I wanted to do the background. At first, I mixed up cadmium yellow and ultramarine blue, and tried to cut that with transparent oxide brown. That, however was too yellow, so I mixed some permanent green medium to pump up the green a bit.

Next, for session two, I worked on the pitcher and bowl. I got that to a place that I am satisfied with.

Session three brought me to the roses. The trouble I had with the roses is making them light enough. I used cadmium red medium, and I wish I had a cadmium red light. I tried to use titanium white to lighten them up, but that made it too pink. I tried to use cadmium yellow to lighten them up, but that made them too orange. They are the way they are, I guess. I just wish the value was lighter.

For session four, I added a reflection to the table, added the missing legs for the table, fixed one of the leaves that was too cool, and that was about it. It might be done. I might sit on it for the rest of the week and see if there is anything I want to change.

Here are links to images for each session to show the progress over time:

Session 1
Session 2
Session 3
Session 4
Final

Under-drawing

This is the under-drawing for my new painting:

Plein Air Class, Week Seven

This week, I completed my painting in one session. It is a desert scene. I do not paint a lot of desert scenes, even though I live in the desert southwest. This is a rare exception.

Plein Air Class, Week Six

For two weeks in class, I worked on this painting, of a plant with white and purple flowers in a terracotta pot.

Plein Air Class, Week Four

Here is the painting I did for week four for my plein air class. It is in oil on a 11 by 14 inch canvas. It was painted at the Tucson Botanical Gardens.

Since I was not there for week three, I had only one session to complete this painting. I went as quick as I could with no under-painting, finishing it in about three hours.

Plein Air Class, Week Two

This is last week's panting completed. It is in oil, on a 11 x 14 inch canvas.

Plein Air Class, Week One

I'm taking a plein air class at the Drawing Studio. For week one, we went to Agua Caliente Park, on the east side of Tucson. There we had a scene of reeds in water, with palm trees and vegetation in the background. Below is what I painted. It is using one color, a mix of transparent oxide brown and ultramarine blue. Next week, I will add color.

Artist's Statement

I have been working on my artist's statement over the past week or so. It took a lot or writing and rewriting on my iPad to finish it.

They say an artist's statement should be two to three paragraphs long and about 100 words. Mine is three paragraphs long and about 150 words, which is a bit long. That is about as short as I could make it and still say what I wanted to say, though.

This is what I came up with:

Some have described me as worldly; I enjoy international cuisine, fine wine, and world travel. All that would be meaningless, however, if I could not put it on canvas. I guess then that I am a worldly painter.

Many of my paintings show scenes in the kitchen, the most important room in the house, a meeting place for friends and family. Others relive the travel adventures my wife and I have taken to intriguing places. Through it all, I try to use the classic techniques of the old masters but with modern pigments and mediums.

Painting time is a peaceful time, a time of deep concentration. It is alone time. It is a time spent between me and the canvas. Each painting I do is like a journey to a city that I've never been to before. No matter how much I prepare, I do not know what it will be like until I get there.

"Pumpkin Pie"

Here is my latest painting. I wanted to do a kind of Fall themed painting, something that would be good around Halloween and Thanksgiving. This is what I came up with.

This painting is an oil on linen, 24 by 18 inches.



Below are the notes I've taken while painting it:

Session 1 was basically the under-painting. I used transparent oxide brown for the whole thing. I think it turned out pretty well. The transparency of the pie dish comes through. You can tell what the various things are in the painting. All in all, I'm pretty happy with it. I may go in with a glaze of ultramarine blue to really darken up the deep shadows.

For session 2, I started on the pumpkins and the rim of the pie dish. I used terra rosa, cadmium yellow deep, cadmium yellow pale, cadmium red medium, transparent oxide brown, and a touch of ultramarine blue.

Session 3 saw a lot of changes. First, I laid in the background, a mixture of permanent green light, transparent oxide brown, titanium white, and a touch of ultramarine blue in the light areas.

Second, I worked on the pie dish. Here, I really struggled to mix the turquoise of the transparent glass. I mixed up all sorts of combinations of cadmium yellow, ultramarine blue, permanent green, and titanium white with no success. I then searched my paints to find another green. That is when I found viridian. I had never really used it before. However, I found that it was the turquoise I was looking for. I used that directly, and then some mixed with titanium white. It was perfect.

Lastly, I darkened up my darks with ultramarine blue, mixed with transparent oxide brown. I also added a light glaze of ultramarine blue to my wood areas. I may go in with another glaze of transparent oxide brown again, to darken things up and add a little warmth back in.

For session 4, I worked on the whipped topping container. I like the container because of its blue color, the compliment of orange. That works well with the pumpkins.

For session 5, I worked on the reflections in the table. It really made the painting pop. I think it might be done. I will sit on it a few days, and see if I want to change anything.

If you want to see the progress over time, use the links below:

Session 1
Session 2
Session 3
Session 4
Session 5
Final

Under-drawing

Here is the under-drawing for my new painting. This one has sort of been a long time coming. I set up the still-life, took some reference photos and was getting ready to put it on the canvas when I scrapped it, panicked, and had to reformulate the idea. I am happy with my second go-around, though. I think it has a nice fall theme. I'm hoping that I finish the painting before fall is over.

Impressionism/Expressionism Class

These two paintings were done in class. The idea was to work with a large brush and put the painting down a quickly as possible. Both these paintings are in oil on a 16 by 20 inch canvas. Each were done in about 2 hours.

"Juicy Fruit"

Here is my new still-life. It is on a 16 by 20 inch canvas, and is in oil.



Over time as I painted it, I took notes after some of the sessions. You can read those below:

For session 1, the under-painting, I used two pigments, terra rosa, and transparent oxide brown.

For session 2, I filled in some of the background. Rather than using one pigment for the whole thing -- what my painting instructor calls house painting -- I mixed up some various shades and tints of green, the lighter ones being cooler, and the darker ones being warmer. I dabbed it on making subtle variations, pushing darker foreground items with lighter paint, and the opposite with lighter foreground items. It was a little bit of an experiment. We'll see if it works.

For session 4, I toned back the background a bit. I thought that the texture of the background was competing with the rest of the painting. Also, each session, I darken up the wood using transparent oxide brown. The reflections in the wood are quite bright, so I may tone them back with a glaze later on.

Session 5 was supposed to be done. In fact, I signed it. Over about a week, however, I did some touch ups. As a result, I made it into its own session below.

If you want to see the progress over time, check out the links below:

Session 1
Session 2
Session 3
Session 4
Session 5
Final

Under-drawing

Here is the under-drawing for a new still-life, another kitchen still-life. It is on a 16 by 20 inch canvas.

Portrait Painting, Week 6

Here is last week's painting finished. To be honest, I liked it better as a monochrome. It think it was very striking with the difference between light and shadow. Still, it is not bad, so I'm putting it up.

Actually, my instructor likes it better with color, so who knows.

This painting is in oil, on a 11 by 14 inch canvas.

Portrait Painting, Week 5

This week we had a live model, a (rather masculine) woman with a mohawk. We will have the model next week as well, so this is a painting in progress. In fact, it is a monochrome using one pigment, transparent oxide brown, that I plan to use as the under-painting. Next week, I hope to finish the painting.

Portrait Painting, Week 3

This is my painting for this week's Portrait Painting class. It is in oil, on an 11 by 14 inch canvas.

Portrait Painting, Week 2

My new class, Portrait Painting, continued this week. This is the painting I started in class, and finished at home. It is in oil, on an 11 by 14 inch canvas.

Portrait Painting, Week 1

I started a new class this week, Portrait Painting. This is the painting I did in class. It is in oil, on an 11 by 14 inch canvas.

Pre-portrait, Week 6

Here is last week's painting finished:

Pre-portrait, Week 5 - Continued

Here is the under-painting for the next still life we are doing in class. It is 8 by 10 inches, done in one pigment, terra rosa. The still life is of a vase, nectarines, and a flower.

Pre-portrait, Week 5

Pre-portrait, Week 2

This week, we worked on a still-life of some pears sitting on a wooden shelf. I did this painting monochromatically using a pigment called Terra Rosa. It is on a 9 by 12 inch canvas.

Pre-portrait, Week 1

I am taking a new class at the Drawing Studio. This time, the class is called Pre-portrait, which is basically a still-life painting class, to prepare for painting portraits.

This week, we did a small, monochromatic painting. Mine was done using one pigment, Van Dyke Brown. It is on a 9 by 12 canvas. The subject is basically cloves of garlic.

"Finger Pricker"

This is my latest finished still-life. It is in oil on a 18 by 24 inch canvas. It took about 25 hours to complete from start to finish, over about a month.




If you want to see progress while painting it over time, click the links below:
Session 1
Session 2
Session 3
Session 4
Session 5
Final