Blue Ridge Parkway WIP

Had a wonderful trip back in May to Asheville and Winston Salem, NC as well as two moody, rainy days sketching and photographing views from peaks and overlooks along the Blue Ridge Parkway.

I wish I could remember which overlook produced the photo referenced in this painting. I'm taking a lot of license and trying to teach myself to loosen up and paint a simple, elegant landscape.

I admire the old English plein air landscape watercolourists as well as a few modern painters who exmplify this philosophy, such as Chris Robinson. 'Tis certainly not my instinctive nature - I tend to overwork - but I keep trying!

Stage 1:

 

 

 

 

 
 

Stage 2:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Going through a bit of an ugly stage...also this photo was taken at night under a special daylight bulb, but it doesn't compare well to the first. I may have overstrengthened some of the lines in the mountains...oh well, I'll just go with it and try more washiness in my next piece.

Stage 3:
Rinsed under the sink. Gradation is lost, and needs a little scrubby here and there. Moving on to the next piece!

Happy Easter!

'Tis always shocking when I go to post and realize how time has flown since my last time here. I promised myself I would keep my brushes wet but have not been good about it.

But today is a new day! I painted this one last night...This is my second loose landscape...still learning. Did this fast...sunset in two layers (yellow, then dried...then other colors) in 15 minutes on wet paper, then once dry washed in the silhouette of trees in 5 minutes. I took the reference photo for this painting a couple of years ago at the farm...I did go off in my own direction.

11"x15" Arches 300 lb Cold Pressed
Quin Gold (WN), Perylene Maroon (DS), Indanthrone Blue (DS), Quin Violet (DS)

TED: Helen Fisher

Typically I try to stay on topic on my blog, but I couldn't help myself when I saw this talk on the TED website. I majored in neuroscience and psychology in college, and nearly majored in anthropology as well. One of my favorite books back then was Helen Fisher's Anatomy of Love. Moir & Jessel's Brain Sex was a close second due to my fascination with the differences between the brains of the sexes. Enjoy!

Polyphony II

I finished this, the second in my Polyphony series, just yesterday. I painted it to hang either horizontally or vertically.

To see an earlier version, scroll down or click here. Golden fluid acrylics on 36"x48" gessoed canvas.

This palette is very vivid...the fluid acrylics are surprisingly bright when glazed over white.

It looks great on a white wall...it is truly a departure from the paintings I've been producing lately! A great learning experience.

Happy 2009!

I'm going to venture to state the obvious...I've been remiss in posting regularly. I am making a new year's resolution to be better about that. I figured I would start with a new layout and a new post to get on the right foot. I have a lot of painting ideas simmering in my head, as I am constantly reading, taking photos, letting things gel. I would really like to start working larger...a wonderful challenge. I also want to get back to the subject matter that appeals to me...organic shapes, especially. Come spring perhaps the plein air bug will bite me again but for now, winter precludes that. Here's to a year of happy painting! Cheers!