Commute Beauty

One of the nice things about going in to work early is that you get to see the sun rise. Another advantage is less traffic. This is a little gouache study that I completed before the pastel version I posted on Instagram yesterday. It's a view of part of the Austin skyline as the city starts its day.

Inquisitive Eyes

This is a new addition to our family. He is my sisters first grandson. Of course he is being spoiled rotten. I caught a shot of him as he was being held by his grandfather. His eyes are what drew me to the image.

Snow Covered Bales

My workout partner shared a few pictures of his ranch in the snow. Of course being obsessed with hay bales I had to do this little painting. I liked the fence lines too. This is a little trading card image. I really like working small. Its a challenge to put in detail. My intent is to frame up a few of these little jewels for my gallery. They don't take up much space and I think they draw your attention.

Just Look Down

I did this painting from a thumbnail on my computer. It was one of many images I had taken over at Redbud Isles. I also used an ACEO as my surface to force me to minimize details. Water is a great surface to paint because it reflects, deflects, distorts, etc. All in all a great mystery to constantly explore.

Another face for you.

One more. I'm using artist tiles that are 3.5 squared. Easy for all kinds of sketching.

Last one. Enjoy the snow day. I am.

Judgement Time

This is another painting to go into my portrait project. I enjoyed using color in this painting. I focused also on the surface texture of my brushstrokes. It is one of our many retired judges that still sit in when the presiding judges can't. If my memory serves me correctly, this is from the yogurt shop murder proceedings.

More Faces

Happy New Year everyone. I hope this year came in as quietly or as noisy as you wanted. This post should put me at about seven portraits. These were all done on Artist Tiles that I purchased on Amazon. These are people that were around during our recent holidays. I kept a stack of artist tiles handy to capture a face or landscape and to practice quick sketching.

At The Party

This is number three in the portrait series. This person was checking his phone at my sister's birthday party. He didn't know that I was taking his picture of course. I liked how he had isolated himself in a room full of people.