Shades of Green 2 7" X 10" Pastel

                                                                            

Painting succulents could become a habit with me. Their variegated  colors and wonderful shapes make each one unique and a joy to render.

I will put this onto the DailyPaintworks website tomorrow. I was having some technical trouble today.

A Time to Enjoy 8" X 8" Oil on canvasboard

                                                                               

This oil painting took me awhile to complete. I had to wipe off after a couple of sessions because I thought the color should be different or the texture could be more pronounced. This, in my opinion goes back to pre-planning, or in my case, the lack of it. Why do I do this? Mostly, it's because I'm just too anxious to pick up the brush and begin applying paint. I know better. I really do. Values don't give me too much trouble, but when it comes to color a small color sketch would really save time and frustration, I'm sure. Is January 5th too late to make a New Year's resolution?

Robin Weiss, a painter from Washington state whose work I just love, begins with a monochromatic underpainting  in diluted oil paint.  He uses a burnt sienna/transparent red oxide-ish color. This is a big help with values and because some of it is left showing through the top layers, it adds additional interest when completed. I don't know if he makes a color sketch as well, but his finished colors are always rich and clean.

What excited me about this painting was using a large brush to apply color in the woman's shirt and the water. I've been trying to create a "looser" approach to paint application, and I was happy with the outcome in those areas. Yay!

Click HERE to go to auction page at DailyPaintworks.