57 Buick - watercolor

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.

65 Bonnie - watercolor

watercolor, 2018

available, 11"x15"

prints and gifts also available

      A 1965 Pontiac Bonneville convertible. Yellow is a pretty difficult color for shiny sheet metal.

Keep An Eye Out - watercolor

watercolor, 2017

available, 11"x15"

prints also available

39 Cadillac - watercolor

watercolor, 2017

nfs, 11"x15"

prints and gifts also available

      Loosening up on car paintings always feels like a double-edged blade. I'm inclined to render cars photographically as I did for several years. But, as I've mentioned here before, I no longer want to be a camera; I want to interpret and paint loosely. So, sometimes I try to split the difference and render some parts tightly and some loosely. Baby steps. The grillwork on this one is loose partly out of necessity. If I were painting this on a full sheet or even a half, I might have been more exact in the execution of all that grill chrome. I've done it before. But, at this size I'm not sure my hand is that steady. So, we went loose and gave the impression of lots of chrome grill tines (for lack of a better word). The yellow is a factory color of the period, I think, though the original color probably wasn't so bright. The original isn't for sale because my daughter expressed an interest in it when it was still in progress -- mostly because her favorite color is yellow.

Buick Super Hearse -- watercolor+ink

mixed, 2017

available, 9"x12"

      I haven't done Virtual Paintout in a couple months. This month we're in Ghana. As is evident from many paintings on this blog, I'm drawn to church buildings. So, while I wasn't looking for a church in the Ghana Street View images, I did happen across one that just happened to be having a funeral at the time the image was taken with a Buick hearse parked out front.This checked a couple things off my favorites list -- it's a car AND a hearse (to cover the horror theme). One of the few late model cars I've ever done.
      The original ink drawing is below.

 

53 Skylark - watercolor + ink

mixed, 2016

available, 9"x12"

prints and gifts available

      Not much to say about this one. Just another ink and wash classic car. I really like the graphic nature of Buick's old vertical grill. The ink on this one has a unique look because I used Arches cold-pressed watercolor paper instead of the smoother paper I normally use for inks. The paper texture made for a lot of skipping -- or micro-skipping -- in the ink line. I like the look a lot, but I'll probably stick to the smoother papers most of the time.

442 - watercolor+ink

mixed, 2016

available, 11"x15"

prints and gifts also available

      I decided to jump forward into the muscle car era with an Olds 442, or 4-4-2 to be exact. The numbers stand for four-barrel carb, four-speed transmission, and dual exhaust. I had my doubts about doing a yellow car. But, using three different yellows and controlling the highlights actually made this one pop. The ink-only version is below and prints and gifts of it are available here.

Full Ponty - watercolor

watercolor, 2015

available, 8"x10"

prints also available

      Just a loose painting of an old Pontiac I did over a couple lunch hours a while back.

37 Chevy - watercolor, ink

mixed, 2015

available, 11"x15"

prints and gifts also available

57 Chevy #7 - watercolor + charcoal

mixed, 2012

available, 22"x30"

prints and gifts also available

      This is an older piece I discovered I hadn't uploaded here. It's a piece that is started and finished as a complete charcoal drawing. Then I fix the charcoal to keep it from rubbing off and paint over it with watercolor. The charcoal becomes a great underpainting and gives those deep shadows. I've done several pieces this way, though it's been a while since the last one.

Wallflower - watercolor

watercolor, 2015

available, 15"x22"

prints and gifts also available

      Very happy with this one. Bumped back up to a half-sheet, but kept it pretty loose on the details.

41 Cadi Series 61 Club - gouache

gouache, 2015

available, 11"x15"

prints and gifts available

      I think the scan increased the contrast in a couple spots more than I like. The worst offender - the only spot that really bothers me - is the reflection in the car door. That's a lot lighter and more harsh than it is in real life. Other than that (and the grass which I'm never happy with) I'm quite happy with this one.

48 Pontiac Silver Streak - ink+watercolor

mixed, 2015

available, 11"x15"

prints and gifts available

      This is how I spent part of a day off. I haven't done one of these in a while. It's time to get them back in the rotation.

Still Flying - watercolor

watercolor, 2013

original available, 15"x22" $450

prints also available

      I'm really surprised I haven't posted this one from 2013 yet. I'm very happy with this one. As usual, though, I hate the background. I've always had trouble with distant backgrounds. That's one reason I've been concentrating on looser landscapes lately.

Lexington 55 #2 - watercolor

watercolor, 2014

original available, 12"x16" $250

prints also available

Lexington 55 #1 - gouache

gouache, 2014

original available, 8"x10" $150

prints also available

This is rusty beauty doesn't appear to have moved since 1993-94, the last year it had a state inspection. I see it parked in a small lot just off the highway every time I drive to Salisbury to visit, pick up, or deliver my daughter to college. After passing it for more than two years I finally stopped and shot some reference photos. This is only the first of many paintings I expect to get out of this one.

67 Firebird #2 - gouache

gouache, 2014

original available, 8"x10" $125

prints also available

From a photo I shot at a car show in Spencer, NC in May.

71 Monte Carlo SS - watercolor+ink

mixed, 2014

original available, 9"x12" $150

prints and gifts also available

53 Bel Air - gouache

gouache, 2014

original available, 8"x10" $125

prints also available

Developing a looser style that I finally like. I need to keep this up.

LeSabre - watercolor

watercolor, 2014

original available, 15"x22" $450

prints and gifts available

There's no telling how many layers are on this one. But, I have to say some of those items from Society6 look pretty cool with this on them, especially the phone cases and mug. I might have to a couple of them myself.