Every time...

...I finish a painting, I think, "this could be my best painting yet." I think on this one, it could be true. It measures 13x24", is titled "I've Been to Memphis" and is my 118th landscape painting.

Watching The Grass Grow...

...as this painting nears the end of the painting part.

The Oval Painting...

...is taking shape as the tree line, brush line, and horizon line have all been painted. Now it is time to watch the grass grow. 

Every Once In A While...

...advertisements are right. I really want a new iPhone for the new camera. Here is a three part progress view of the same painting. The top image is the preliminary sketch, the middle image the painting with the first layer complete, while the bottom shows the second layer of paint. Nothing dumbs down color like the combination of a scratched up lens, old sensor, and internet color, but you can take my word that it really looks best in the final layer.

Between Layers of Paint...

...I get to make color adjustments based off the previous layer. Here you can see the colors I used in the first layer on the left, while the new sky colors are on the right:

Mainly, I lightened the highlights and mid-tones, while deepening the sunset hues. I am very happy with the finished sky!

A new long skinny painting...

...is making its way through the process.

My Favorite Step In Painting...

...is sanding down the first layer of paint to commit to the pursuit of perfection in the second layer of paint. It doesn't always, but maybe it will happen with this one.

My Month of August...

...depicted by a pictorial of progress in a painting.

Sometimes I Forget To...

...post to the blog in a timely manner. 

Although this painting is finished and just left the gallery, here are a few progress shots of the first layer. 

Working down the waterfall, you can see that I paint in the highlights and darkest areas first, working in to the middle areas.

Sometimes A Day At The Office...

...doesn't really feel like one. Like this day, hiking down Panther Creek, looking for a subject for my next painting for a show entitled "Fluid" at the Vendue opening in June. I was beginning to be as discouraged as you can be listening to a river gurgle while flowing down a forest, when I found a log above the main falls. Very carefully, I slid out to take pics. 

The resulting photo is actually two photos, one exposure to stop the water, with a second to capture its surroundings. Merged in Photoshop, the result made a nice square composition. 

But I decided to use a different format and angle to focus more on the theme, which is this last photo:

My Latest Painting...

...ul 114 (joy parade) is complete! The first view is it on my easel, while the second shows it from another angle. 

Long skinny paintings don't show up well in traditional formats, and I really wanted to show the pop of the passing sunlight on the marsh, so the final view is a detail shot of the left side of the the painting.

I'm particularly proud of what's going on in the trees, with the individual trunks and silhouette on the sky.

Considering This Painting...

...is for the gallery's anniversary show, I decided to make it a collaboration of sorts. The sunrise photo shoot was courtesy of a collector and friend of the gallery, Ed Shehab, who took us out on his boat to this glorious location, the photograph was taken by Rob, and I get to paint it. Big thanks to those who made it possible! 

My Next Painting...

...measures 10x10" for our ten year anniversary show. Not being able to get out to my printer's place, I'm continuing the experiment of painting from my iPad. We'll see how it goes...