J. and L.

This is the final painting, done on a 6x8 2inch cradled panel, (for non painters, it's like a shallow box, 6x8x2 inches, open on the back). I loved the scale element here - a human sized subject made small and intimate, so that you have to get right up on it to see. The other challenge was the fact that the faces were in deep shadow. I used a Balkan trick of working with a black and white photo as well as color to help me see the values, my bete noir. In some passages there were very dark values next to each other that only differed in temperature (warm/cool) and the b&w photo helped me to see them.

Geranium and Meds Bottle

Another value study. I have new geraniums and I chose them because they are almost black and I figured they would be an unusual dark in a painting. They are prolific bloomers and so far I have not killed them. I'm also setting up the still life in such a way that there are linked forms and shadows...PKR again.

Two Peaches

Today there was a lot of wiping, but still I was happy to be painting. This is my 4ooth post, it snuck up on me. What if I hadn't done this blog thing? I would have missed so much.

Green Tomatoes and Eggs

Well, I didn't see this one coming, I set out to do really loose and then here I was. It is sorta loose. I have been looking at loose work and absorbing. It looks to me like the key to it is genetics. Can I re-wire my nervous system is the question. But I have gathered some good advice from someone's site --so sorry! can't remember now where I got this -- for simpler and more spontaneous painting there are three requirements: a big brush, harsh light and thick paint. That I can do.