Monday, November 17, 2008

daily painting practice- 2 new paintings in progress

Here are two new works in progress. The first is a still life I hopefully will be entering in another competition this winter. The first photo is the color study/ preliminary sketch. If I like it here I move on to the larger canvas. I made some changes to the composition but the over all story of the painting and mood of the painting work. I wanted dramatic light, texture and a story.
This shows the beginning stage of the rough in. Actually I was having so much fun painting I took the apples a little farther along.
A friend of mine recently gave me this little palette. Usually I mix paint on the large glass palette on the table next to my easel. This time I thought I would try holding the palette in my hand directly in front of the painting. I am trying to be much more deliberate in my approach to mixing and applying my color. The smaller palette helps me slow down and think more about the color before applying it to the canvas.( I have no problem going slow...it's the thinking part I need help with) See, it pays to experiment!
Here is the second painting I am working on. A small morning landscape,of the banks of the Missouri River on the north side of Omaha. I tried a small watercolor sketch on site. Actually, I was sitting in my truck sketching because it was too cold and windy outside. I wrote some notes directly on the sketch to remind me of details and some observations on color. I didn't need to paint those details in the sketch, just remember them. One note states, the brightest highlight was the bark of the cottonwood trees. Bringing this sketch back to the studio along with some photos was all that was needed to develop the idea for the studio painting.

6 comments:

Cara said...

Great beginnings - thanks for shring with us.

Unknown said...

Very interesting and educational blog you have here! Is working oils very hard to do? I most sketch or use watercolor pencils, and from time to time I also paint using arcylics.

PPASP said...

Update us about whether or not you will stay with the small palette! Both paintings are looking great.

John Vander Stelt said...

Looking good. Keep up the good work.

http://www.onpainting.wordpress.com said...

Not much light here. What are you using for a light on the canvas that does not spill over onto your setup?

Stacey Peterson said...

That still life looks great! Do you think you'll stay with the hand-held palette?

I've tagged you, btw - if you're up for it, see my blog for details!