Market Sunfowers

The Market in Syracuse is full of Sunflowers this time of year. My inner Van Gogh could not resist trying my had at a botanical arrangement. The use of live flowers certainly makes for motivation to complete in short timne. I tried to keep a little loose while capturing enough detail to work on my sketching.   I tried to reduce my palette this time, by using only one blue and no greens. Deciding on shadow color was tough. I tried three different schemes before settling on a transparent red orange to keep it warm.  Still having a hard time discerning shadow color.  I am told this comes with time.  Sure it does!?  Just like I'll start seeing the world in Henche color study blocks too!.

Village House

Drove by this place a few times, I thought if the sun poked out this morning, I would head there and paint. It did; and then it rained; and then the sun came out again. I hid under the SUV hatchback and kept the umbrella over the easel. The owners came out and took my picture.  Said they wanted to see it when it was done.  I'll go back. 


10x8 oil on primed panel.

Couple of New Paintings

"View from the Crew House"...8x10 oil on Panel

Set up by the Syracuse Univ crew house. Looking down river to Onandoga Lake. Thought about painting the crew boats, but fear got the best part of me. The green already had me vapor locked. 


"Morgan Road Farm" 8x10 oil on Panel

Road past this washed out barn on my bike, came back and painted it from across the field.

Red Jungle Fowl Rooster

This was certainly a fun experiment in using paints; lots of palette knife work.  The reference was of a red jungle fowl from a farm in Kauai.  These birds sort of lend themselves to be painted impasto.   I took some liberties with the extra color throughout the canvas for balance

Griz-ailey Painting

I was thinking about a drink made up by my friends Dave and Bobby Connolly while up at Krausman's carving studio and was inpired to paint the ingredients.  The Name is pronounced something like Griz-Ailey which is a total mispronunciation of Grisaille, the french word for underpainting.  We were in a decoy painting cand carving class. 

The Boat House

20x30 Oil on Linen

Planned Still Life

I recently finished the Ted Goerschener Workshop Book.  This painting is not a exercise from the book, but a replection of what I tried to do.  First of all, I drew this out in much more detail than I have ever used.  I took measurements of the pieces and then sketched the local, highlight and shadow lines.  I started with a complete transparent red oxide underpainting.  That was cool as I have never attempeted it.  So far this is a series of transparent colors built up.  The glass vase has been the most difficult.  It must appear round and transparent at the same time.  The sun flower will need 2 more coats at least to start to take shape.  Even though I am using cadmiums, there is not enough covering power for the underpaint and pencil marks.  Anyway, this is my weekend. 

Here is my set up in the hotel room.  Keeps the boredom in check..