"Gracie, in a Pumpkin Patch"

Progress over time:

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

"Skirts on Fire"

One of the performers that march the The All Souls Procession each year is a group of Flamenco dancers. As they march, the wave their skirts back and forth very vigorously, to the point it looks like they are on fire. It has made such an impression on me that I decided that I had to paint them. To be honest, it has been a difficult painting to pull off, but i think it has finally come together.

Progress over time:

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

Under-drawing

"Maison Bertaux"

This painting is a scene from a recent trip to London. While in the Soho region of London, I came across a charming French cafe. After stopping for coffee, I took a few pictures and wandered on my way. Later that night, looking through my pictures, I found the perfect painting to go with my European street scenes.

During the execution of the painting, I tried something new. In the past, I’ve leaned heavily on a pigment called Transparent Oxide Brown. This though always left a orange/brown cast to my paintings. This time, though, I replaced the pigment on my palette with Transparent Oxide Red. It has made for a wonderful, more colorful painting.

Progress over time:

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

Under-drawing

"Selfie"

This is the second in my series inspired by the All Souls Procession, an annual event in Tucson, Arizona celebrating and remembering those who have passed on. This piece is a companion to "Mirror", a similar piece, showing someone in sugar skull makeup looking in a mirror. This is a self portrait.

Progress over time:

Session 1
Session 2
Session 3
Session 4
Final

Under-drawing

Unveiling Party

On March 23, 2019, "Let's Eat and Drink While There is Oil in the Lantern" was unveiled to the public for the first time. A gathering of family and friends were at the event. It was there that I handed over the reigns to the piece to its new owner. A good time was had by all.

"Let's Eat and Drink While There Is Oil in the Lantern"

This piece is inspired by medieval reenactment. It shows two people at The Estrella War, an annual event in Arizona, where people gather to practice armored combat, and the arts and sciences related to the Middle Ages. The event is sponsored by the Society for Creative Anachronism (SCA).

This piece shows two old friends back at camp, cooking, and the camaraderie and brotherhood at the event.

Progress over time:

Session 1
Session 2
Session 3
Session 4
Session 5
Session 6
Session 7
Session 8
Session 9
Session 10
Final

Under-drawing

"Mirror"

This is the first in my series inspired by the All Souls Procession, in Tucson, Arizona. The All Souls Procession, according to their website, "is an enormous community-created, non-commercial event to creatively honor and celebrate our dead." It is a parade of sorts where people dress up. In particular, many dress in the fashion of Dia de los Muertos, a Mexican holiday that also celebrates the dead that occurs around the same time. This piece shows someone putting on sugar skull makeup for The Procession, while looking in a mirror, hence the name: "Mirror."

Progress over time:

Session 1
Session 2
Session 3
Session 4
Session 5
Final

Under-drawing

Studio

This is where the magic happens!

"Maria at the University of Arizona Campus in the Afternoon"

Progress over time:

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

Under-drawing

"Dark Roast"

Progress Over Time:

Session 1
Session 2
Session 3
Session 4
Final

Under-drawing

"Copper Turkish Coffee Cup on Floral Print Cloth Study 2"

Progress over time:

Session 1
Session 2
Final

"Copper Turkish Coffee Cup on Floral Print Cloth Study 1"

Progress over time:

Session 1
Session 2
Final

"Bulgarian Woman Holding Apples"

Progress over time:

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

Underdrawing

"Les Pipos"

Progress over time:

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

Under-drawing

"Wanderers"

Session 1
Session 2
Session 3
Session 4
Session 5
Session 6
Session 7
Session 8
Session 9
Final

Studio

Underdrawing

"Boten van de Zomer"

Progress over time:
Session 1
Session 2
Session 3
Session 4
Final

"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.