Wedding Prep

In 2018 I had the privilege of photographing a cousins wedding. My approach to any photography sessions is very organic. I went over to the house of the groom and bride before the wedding. Everyone was there (wedding participants) or arriving. I took photos and video of hair being done, makeup being applied and ties being tied. I recently went back to some of those images for paintings. I started out with a simple pencil sketch in my sketchbook and moved on to this pastel. This version was sitting on my easel waiting to be finished. Pam saw it and said it did't need any additional work. I always (sometimes) value her opinion on when something is finished. I look forward to exploring more images from the wedding and reception.

Three Aspens

I don't know which lake this was but I do remeber these aspens and the light on them. We were exploring the Eastern Sierras three years ago and we pulled over to this wonderful patch of trees. This is the intitial study in pastel. I first started out with small 2 by 2 sketches of this area in my sketchbook. This painting is small but I think it packs a little bit of a punch.

Housework Sister

This is a painting of my youngest sister doing her chores. I was sitting on the porch watching her. This is my third painting from that image. This is the largest of the three at 16 by 16 inches. I started out with a charcoal drawing which I covered with watercolor. The pastel was the final layer. I took a few liberties with color.

Its Snow! (in progress)

I'm still nit picking on this one. I want her eyes and cheeks to be open and excited. Right now she looks asleep. Stay tuned. This is my niece's daughter on Christmas day. We were outside playing in the snow. She was on the porch watching, excited and scared of getting pounded with snowballs.

The sketch in preparation.

Sundown Hurries

I liked how the sunset was reflected in the office windows. This is an exploration study for a larger painting. I started this painting Friday night. The first order of business was a pencil study. That was followed by a watercolor under painting. Uart pastel paper was the surface that I used. To get my darkest darks I relied on my Terry Ludwig intense darks. Those were complemented with Rembrandts which are my work horses.

Sunset With Cranes 2

I'm exploring this image further in pastel. I will probably work on a different surface for the next exploration. I used Uart pastel paper for this version. Earlier in the month I posted the watercolor version. This scene was on the University of Texas campus. In the foreground I tried to give the impression of a person walking to the right into the deep shadow.

Rushing in Fast

This was inspired by a photo taken in Mendocino. The waves and the resulting sounds are amazing and calming.