watercolor, 2016
nfs, 7"x11"
Those pearl earrings make another appearance in this much looser portrait of my wife. The reference photo for this one was taken when my wife was in a friend's wedding just a few weeks after finding out she was pregnant with our first child. She truly was glowing. I just wish I could capture how beautiful she really was that night - and still is.
watercolor, 2016
This is a family that was sitting the next table over while my wife and I were enjoying some live music at The Grove Winery in Gibsonville NC a couple months ago. I took some chances with several spots in this painting. The things I like about this one outnumber the things I wish I'd done differently. So, I'll call that a reasonable success.
watercolor, 2016
available, 9"x12"
Here's that second church from Lancaster PA for Virtual Paintout I mentioned last week. Very quick, very loose and impressionistic.
watercolor, 2016
available, 9"x12"
Virtual Paintout is in Lancaster County, PA this month. Lots of farmland and wide, open spaces. I always seem to gravitate to church buildings. This simple, little church is out in the middle of nowhere. I might do a gothic church from downtown Lancaster, as well. This one worked out nicely. I wish the little graveyard behind the church was more apparent. I could have gotten a closer vantage point or one from camera-left. But that would have either reduced the feeling of space or removed the straight-ahead frankness these little churches exude. The only other problem is that the scan washed out a sky with which I'm actually very happy.
watercolor, 2016
nfs, 7"x11"
Here's another small one that was supposed to be a color test that drew me in and I couldn't help myself. Like so many photos of my wife, I've drawn or attempted to paint this one several times. This is the best attempt at this one to date.
Here's what my daughter posted on Facebook when she shared this image on her page:
I just want y'all to know that my house is absolutely covered in
portraits of
my mother and my brother and I that my dad has created. The
evidence of
his love literally surrounds us. This is what I strive for.
He has found his own
way of showing us how much he loves us and to walk
into that house is a truly
remarkable thing.
What could I possibly add to that?
watercolor, 2016
available, 11"x15"
I've had this reference photo so long I don't remember where it came from or who shot it. I was never quite sure how to tackle it or if I could do it justice. I think it works pretty well now.
pencil, 2016
nfs, 8"x11"
This is just another sketch for a painting based on a particular reference photo. I've been putting off starting the painting while doing some color testing as referenced a couple weeks ago. I'll get to the painting eventually.
watercolor, 2016
available, 11"x15"
There isn't much to say about this one. It's from a photo I took a couple years ago. Until recently I didn't think it had much to offer as a painting. I'm glad I proved myself wrong.
watercolor, 2016
nfs, 7"x11"
My favorite model again in what were her favorite earrings and one of my favorite outfits ;) This one is small because it was meant to be a color test to check a particular color combination for flesh tones. It worked so well - and I got so caught up in painting my wife - I ended up with a very polished, finished portrait. Not a bad couple hours.
watercolor, 2016
available, 11"x15"
I guess I'm a glutton for punishment with all the angles and shapes on this church in Norway. But I couldn't pass it up for Virtual Paintout this month. Of course, there are things I'd modify - but only slightly. So, I'm pretty happy with this one, especially since I seem to have hit most of the British Impressionism buttons.
watercolor, 2016
available, 11"x15"
The fashion now is to restore old trucks especially, but some cars, as well, to good running condition but leave the exterior paint and rust alone for a "vintage" look. These usually are sprayed with a few coats of clear-coat to arrest any further rusting or paint loss. I wasn't aware this was a thing until I saw it done on one of those car restoration "reality" shows. I have to admit I like the look - and it makes for a lot of great subjects to paint. My only problem is that the clear-coat makes the rust shine, which looks odd because rust doesn't shine. At least, it doesn't have to shine on my paper. This one worked out nicely, though a little darker than I meant to go with it.
watercolor, 2016
nfs, 9"x12"
I'm trying a new technique that I've admired for years but never spent much time trying to figure out. It involves layering colors in what on the surface seems abstract. But each layer and each color adds to the development of the image. In a way, you could say that description is accurate for a lot of watercolor. But this method is different. If you isolated just the yellow ochre in this piece, it wouldn't look anything like a portrait; that follows for most of the other colors. I'll consider this one fairly successful, though it's obvious I used cheap paper. But it is a sketchy experiment.
