watercolor, 2020
available, 11"x15"
A little piece of the tail of a 1957 Buick. It's hard to tell from the reference photo I had, but I think this car had been hit somewhere in the rear causing an odd looking shift in direction for certain parts. Or, I guess it's possible that at such an isolated view some things just look like they fit together quite right.
watercolor; 2020
available; 11"x15"
Just a couple old Chevy trucks left to guard the shed out back. There's a fair amount of dry brush in this one.
watercolor, 2019
available, 11"x15"
In spite of the attempt at looseness, this classic car still looks pretty detailed. It also seems more darkly-toned than most of my car paintings. That wasn't really intentional. But the shadows in the reference photo were a little unusual. Maybe I captured a little atmosphere without knowing it.
watercolor, 2019
available, 11"x15"
Just an old Buick left to its own devices on the prairie. I used a little thinned gesso to knock back some of the color intensity in the bottom corners. I like the look of the gesso rather than just lifting with a wet brush. There's also a considerable amount of dry-brush to get the lightest grasses.
watercolor, 2018
available, 11"x15"
Nice value contrast. Nice foreshortening. I like how the color contrast worked out between the manganese and phthalo blues and the burnt sienna/umber reds. My favoritest part is that highlight just behind the headlight. I don't know if I could do that again on purpose if I had to.
watercolor, 2018
available, 11"x15"
A rusty old Packard. Not much more to say about this one.
watercolor, 2018
available, 11"x15"
Milton's rusty old Chrysler hasn't run in 50 years.
There's a fair amount of dry-brush on this one. I also used some thin acrylic gesso to wash out corners.
watercolor, 2018
available, 11"x15"
A Marathon cab in a dark garage. Yellows are always a struggle for me. There were times when I didn't think this one was going to make it. Then I had to deal with that black background with the backlighting. The license plate isn't misspelled; it includes my kids' initials as most of my paintings do.
watercolor, 2018
available, 11"x15"
Just a little still life. I really like how the can surface and reflections turned out.
watercolor, 2018
available, 11"x15"
I couldn't resist juxtaposing a rusting out hulk of rolling sculpture that's only about 70 years old against the still-chugging steam locomotive that's probably well over 100 years old in the background. There are a couple issues here, but everything pales in comparison to how well that smoke turned out.
The title is from Sam Raimi's mid-90s Western. I thought it was appropriate.
watercolor, 2018
available, 11"x15"
Just a close-up of a bullet hood ornament. I just can't remember what model this is.
watercolor, 2018
available, 11"x15"
That was a tough green to create. I tried to match an actual factory color. It's close-ish. If you know the color, you'll get the idea. Call it a "suggestion."
mixed, 2018
available, 11"x15"
I've always felt Studebaker was ahead of its time with the aerodynamics of some of its car designs. Many of their cars look like they're moving fast just sitting still.
watercolor, 2018
available, 11"x15"
A classic Packard coupe in front of an old gas station. To emphasize the car as the focal point I added a wash of thin acrylic gesso over practically all of the background. Then I restated the lines with charcoal. In addition to making the realistically rendered car pop, this also reminds the viewer of the two-dimensional nature of the piece. While the focal point may look realistic, its environment is a barely-colored drawing.
That's the academic explanation. The truth of the matter is that I fully intended to paint the entire scene in watercolor relying on loose rendering to push the background "back." But, after nearly completing the painting I realized the deep shadow of the gas station portico completely overpowered the car. So, it had to go. There's more than one way to get a painting where you want it.
watercolor, 2018
available, 11"x15"
A little looseness, a little detail, a little chrome, a little rust.
watercolor, 2018
available, 11"x15"
Another classic Cadillac with lots of shiny paint and chrome. I had some fun with this one finding ways to suggest more than show and still get plenty of detail and/or the appearance of detail, a skill I want to continue to enhance.
watercolor, 2018
available, 11"x15"
This one worked out a lot better than I thought it might. For some reason I struggled more than usual with this type of subject. Maybe it was the paper; I think this was a trial sheet of Lanaquarelle. Overall, I think I like the paper. But every paper takes some "getting-used-to." I might have had an easier time on Arches or Moulin du Roi.
watercolor, 2018
available, 11"x15"
I'm not sure I've painted a Corvette in a while. Classic Corvettes are one of those cars I have to paint once a year or so because of how beautiful, popular and fun they are. So, I guess I've filled my quota for a while.
watercolor, 2017
available, 8"x10"
An old '58 Edsel Ranger left in a field.
mixed, 2017
available, 9"x12"
My mom had a 1965 Ford Galaxie 500 when I was little. It wasn't a red convertible like this one. It was a sensible white four-door hardtop bought just before I was born. My dad drove a little two-door Ford Falcon with an engine that barely fit in the engine compartment.
It may sound strange but I'll always associate the grille of the 65 Galaxie with my mom's big, bright smile. I guess it's a mental association akin to pareidolia in which our brains automatically search for pattern and familiarity in an otherwise random jumble of stimuli. It's part of what makes us see familiar shapes in clouds or faces in the burn pattern of toast. I suppose a lot of people see faces in cars - some cars more than others; it's probably the genesis of the Cars animated movies. Maybe everybody thinks of their mom when they see a particular car. I consider myself blessed to get to see mine smiling at me when I see this one.
