I finally finished this one. I love masa paper. I need to do more florals on it. This was a photo taken in Fort Bragg California at their botanical garden.
I'm trying to resist the urge to blend. I'm putting down a stroke but I think about it before I apply it. This is the first session with this piece.
On Easter Sunday we went to see a production of "The Grapes of Wrath" at Zachary Scott Theater. Of course I had sketchbook in hand. At one point my friend elbowed me because she could hear my pen moving...it was a quite moment in the play.
The top version is where I am with this painting. Maaaaybe one more visit with it. I'm having fun with the waves.
This is from my watercolor sketchbook. This is a compositional study for a pastel painting. I wanted to play around with it in watercolor before I took the plunge in pastel. I may play with a larger version in watercolor or oil later on. This is from the botanical garden we found in Fort Bragg. California.
I'm almost finished with this one. I'm letting it marinate a little. This was inspired by a photo I shot when I first arrived in Boston from Providence, Rhode Island. This stand was set up near the Government Center "T" stop. I like the looseness of it and part of me wants to say finished.
These are sketches from my small moleskin sketchbook that I did on Easter Sunday. We stopped by Threadgill's on Riverside and had a bite to eat. Afterwards we headed over to Zachary Scott Theater to see The Grapes of Wrath. A well done performance.
This painting was inspired by the painting American Gothic by Grant Wood. It was completed in 1998. Today I thought of it and decided to post it. The people in the painting are family. The woman is my stepfathers aunt, her husband and 2 of their 3 children. In the Grant Wood painting the woman is Woods sister and the man is his dentist.
When in a relationship with an artist the partner has to have a thick skin because we constantly sketch them. This is one of many sketches of my partner and her surroundings. The interior is a scene in her dining room and the flower is from her yard.
This was in the beginning a value study I attempting during a workshop with Desmond Ohagan. I tried but just didn't get what he was trying to tell me. After throwing this aside I added the color. I have since painted this larger (27 by 21). I will post that piece soon. The top image is the result of about 3 hours work. I was trying to establish my dark pattern.
These are sketches from the courtroom. My eyes aren't good enough to draw the people waiting for their cases to be called. But the lawyers and court staff are easy drawing subjects.
This is another painting of the man referred to in the post from Tuesday. Blues singer comes to mind.
This is yet another small painting that I'm considering for an upcoming show. I was at a stop light in downtown Austin when this person walked out in front of me. I grabbed my recorder and recorded him crossing the street. I loved his hat and cane plus older people have always interested me. Something I inherited from my mom.
The bottom sketch is a compositional study I executed prior to painting the first pastel study. I plan on a larger piece maybe in pastel and/or watercolor. This inspired by a photo taken in the theater district of Boston.
The top posting is the finished painting. I tried to clean and clear up some buildings in the background. I sought to define the foreground image a little better. I also tried to have the reflection in the gutter water read more like a reflection. Those were my goals. Its up to your eye to determine if I achieved them.
The top version is currently where I am with this piece. A part of me thinks the first version should have been left alone. However, I know that anxiety is a part of the painting and learning process. The bottom version seems to read better for me. Oh well onward.
This is another painting in my series of small paintings for an upcoming show. I'm doing a number of them and I expect to eventually pick two for the show. This was inspired by a photo of a young man in Boston walking around the Chinatown area and checking his PDA for messages.
This lady sat up and to the left of me during my flight home from Columbus, Ohio. It took about 5 minutes ( not the flight) to complete. I use roller ball pens so they move very quickly across the paper. She also was quite absorbed by the magazine as such, not a lot of movement on her part.
I finally finished this small one. I tried to open it up a little bit and get rid of some of the initial tightness.
This is another sketch from the seminar that I have referred to in other postings. I sat with the same group for the entire seminar. I sure I kept them awake with the sketching.
This is a young man I work with. Recently we all left the building for an event. I snapped some images of fellow workers to paint.
I'm currently working on a number of small paintings for an upcoming show sponsored by the Austin Pastel Society. I haven't finished yet but I like to mood I'm trying to emulate. This was inspired by a photo I took in Boston a few years ago. When I shoot photos in the city I tend to focus a lot on the solitary figure. Someone who doesn't know that they are being noted.
