Trees ablaze

trees ablaze, 18x24", SOLDIn preparation for my painting-a-day series in May, I've been . . . well, painting. Here is one I completed today---it's a scene I've painted a few times before, an old standby for me. The reference photo, years ago, was of a stand of cypress trees in midwinter, their needles a rusty brown, flaring red wherever the sunlight hit them. The painting quickly became a generic parody of itself, if I can call it that---a loosely interpretted stand-in for the real thing, where the trees are no longer really cypress trees but storybook trees with no real genetic ties to anything authentic. All for the sake of a pretty picture. It is eye-catching, isn't it?

painting-a-day announcement

For the month of May, I am committed to painting and posting a painting every single day on this very website. Check back frequently to see the new stuff and if you see something you'd like, send me an email to claim it (first come, first serve)---these will be small paintings and therefore easy to ship and affordable for everyone. I am doing this for many reasons---people enjoy seeing new stuff, and I get good practice out of it, and I don't have a big inventory of small paintings to show or sell at art markets, and I could go on but you get the idea. Please pass this info on to anyone you think might be interested---I could use the publicity.

To be notified every time I post a new painting, you can follow me on twitter---@wessf. Wish me luck and please leave comments so I know you're enjoying the artwork. Thanks!

gesso session

I'm spending part of today preparing masonite panels for a painting-a-day series I'll be doing next month right here, every day in May. I took one large masonite panel, which can be found at most local hardware stores, and cut it down to size---I came up with thirty 5x7" panels and eighteen 8x10" panels and one or two 18x24" panels. Preparing masonite for acrylic or oil painting is simple enough---cut to size, apply one or two coats of acrylic gesso and perhaps give it a quick once over with sandpaper between coats. I'll be coating both sides of the panels and I try to get the edges as well, though that's not necessary.

Don't forget to check back next month for my painting-a-day series, and follow me on twitter---@wessf---to get updates on future posts on my website and on my life. Happy painting!

share a cup

share a cup, 20x16", N/AJust a fun coffee painting. All coffee paintings should be fun. Sadly, there are too many somber coffee paintings in the world. Happy Tuesday.

sunrise

sunrise, 40x25", $500

cobalt arrangement

cobalt arrangement, 11x28", $200

still life and landscape

bowl of fruit, 16x20", $250lush landscape, 30x48", $600

moonrise

Moonrise, 30x40", $500

house commission

Update on 2012-04-19 17:18 by wessf

I often don't know if a painting I'm working on will turn out more realistic or more abstract---I kinda go with the flow on most of my paintings and whatever happens, happens---but this one was a commission and the reference photo was so specific and detailed and beautiful, I just sorta went more toward the realism this time. Also it was painted on a small, 11x14", canvas, so this had me close-in with my details and resulted in this tight style which isn't ultra-realism but compared to most of my work, does fall closer to realism than any other catagory of style.

American Flag #10

American Flag #10, 30x40", $400

Four Sparrows, Two Geese

Four Sparrows, 28x11", $200Two Geese, 20x16", $200

Three Apples

This one I painted some time last year. I didn't like it enough to finish it until a friend of mine saw it and said it was cool, then I did a last minute touch-up to finish it.

Factory Cat

I really like how this one turned out. I'm a long time fan of the work of American painter Stuart Davis---this painting somewhat draws from the Davis aesthetic I think (jazzy arrangement of colorful shapes). Yes, once again, this style is another experiment for me, and every experiment broadens my repertoire. Look for more like this in the future. I'd love to hear some comments on this one.

Factory Cat, 40x30", $700

Backyard Landscape

Backyard Landscape, 14x11", SOLDI was carelessly swiping paint onto this canvas in order to cover up an unfinished painting which wasn't working for me. I was just trying to cover it up with greens and blues when it turned into something recognizable---a landscape---then I added shadows and the sky and dripped in some color and scratched in some detail. Before long the painting was finished and I luckily put it away to dry before I overworked it. Wish I had a better title for it.

Looking at the finished piece, it is recognizable as a landscape while retaining its abstract qualities. It is subtle but interesting, I think.

Empty Street Corner

Empty Street Corner, 16x20", $200

This painting came about quickly---took me about two hours total---and went through a few style changes before I hit on the one I wanted. I'm going to call it finished for now, but I was thinking it might be improved with a few shadows falling across the frame. So this one could change a bit in the future, but I do like it as is.

Millie commission

as always, click photo to enlarge.

Artificial View of the Sky

Artificial View of the Sky, 30x40", $700

Passing the Turing Test

This painting obviously has words on it (pun intended) and an anxious geometrical figure sweating it out as he speaks those words. To briefly explain the title and thus the painting [to my mom and other "normals"], I give you a link to an interesting wikipedia page: here.

I like the simplicity of it and the color, and I will probably be experimenting more with this style. Would love to hear feedback on this one!

Passing the Turing Test, 11.75x14.5", $200

N. O. Street Car #11

I'm calling this number eleven, though I'm not sure of the actual number---I lost track, plus this is a different version than my original street car paintings. This time I've injected more energy I think, leaving the details more raw and unrefined. And yes, I have also incorporated two bits of string into the painting.

N.O. Street Car #11, 24x30", SOLD

Brandy's Horse