First Plein Air of Season

First Painting of the 2007-2008 season. Poured rain the night before and left a rare sliver of water on the floor of the wash to reflect the sky. It was drying up by the time I finished painting. You can feel fall in the air, a cool breeze brought in beautiful clouds. Of course I could not paint them in. Painters can chase shadows all day and end up with a mud painting. You learn that one quick but the temptation is always there. Used the Water Mixable oils and a limited palette.

If you click on pic you get the huge version, there are grains of sand on the lower left. Have to wait til it drys to brush them off!

Here is Rufus cooling off on the top step of the pool where I put bricks for him. He loves to run like a horse after getting out, sometimes through the house and onto your lap.

Old Wallet

The switch to working Mon - Fri gave me the day after Labor Day off.

I cleaned my room like I had been meaning to all summer when I started a full time job.

Found my old wallets while cleaning. Girls do not throw out their old wallets, I had two red ones and this one had the hinged change area. So it is not a statement about being broke and having an empty wallet although my Ball & Chain suggested I put it over my check book as inspiration.

Spent about 4 hours total over the day (had to stop for a nap). Panel is 8 X 10. Used water mixable oils and a limited palette. Warm and cool of each primary, black and white. Trying to get in gear for the upcoming plein air season. The water mixable oils act a little differently than the Alkyds I use. I needed soft brushes to blend and not leave bristle marks. A clean brush blends wonderfully and a little dampness would "revive" an area.

Wish I had moved the subject up a little and had just the panels behind it for compositional horizon lines but now I know. Was in such a hurry to DO IT!

Joy is a puppy on your lap while you paint! Here is a Rufus Pic!

Grand Puppy Pics

Here is a pic of Rufus the yorkie and me on a trip to Mount Lemmon.
That is a twig on his side, he collects those where ever he goes.

Grisaille painting

Did this painting on 3 lunch hours (back in 2004!) using ivory black and titanium white with water mixable oils. Glazed the color at home when it was done and dry. All are 6 by 4 inches.

This was my attempt at going commercial; creating a series for print. Topic: comfort food. To be sold to coffee shops and restaurants. The subjects and imagery are straight from my imagination, no still life or reference. I just made it up. The Cup N Spoon is the finished grisaille. The other two are not finished.

Rufus !

Here is my new Yorkshire terrier pup named Rufus.

He is 12 weeks old and weighs about 3 lbs.

Now I get get up early.

Easy to do when a very rambunctious fuzz ball is biting your nose at 5:30 am and the threat of a stink deposit occurs to you.

Spent Sunday at work with me, was well behaved.

Slept on the wacom tablet while I made the graphics and on my lap during the show.

Only heard him bark once, when the lizard he cornered wouldn't play any more.

Anger, Take Two...

Postcard "back"

Postcard Front Poster

Here is a concept I have been working on for a sermon series.

The images have been adjusted for display on the blog, the originals will be printed.

Design is open to adjustments and changes, this is the first draft.

IF: Remember

Have you ever been transported back a few decades to a specific place by a smell or the quality of light? The smell of a grade school disenfectant, crayons, old wood...BAM I'm back in kindergarten in a split second. AZ's creosote bushes in the rain is just as powerful.

So the new job is making me lazy. First I have not participated in a while. Second, this is a composite of 4 pilfered images with a photoshop brush filter applied. The chick I drew. Found a site: www.posemaniacs.com that provided a skinned image that inspired me. Skinned as in- no flesh, all muscles and tendons depicted; sorta takes the lust element out of it. Site has a 30 second pose feature that limbers up the ole hand/eye coordination.