red trawler
Red Trawler, 8x10", SOLDI had to use a subpar camera to take this photo this morning, making for a slightly out of focus image. That said, you can at least get the idea of the painting from this. This was a boat (trawler?) I've seen a time or two on the Tchufuncta River in Madisonville.
a folded note - sketch
Just a quick sketch I did today, trying to produce something after a few days sick with some sort of flu. I should be working in a sketchbook more regularly . . . will try to post more here as I do. This one was done with a calligraphy pen and whatever non-waterproof ink cartridge it had. I then used a brush with water---a bit too overworked in that regard but that's what these experiments are for---then I added a hint of skintone to my hand using a wash of red watercolor (though that can't be seen clearly in my slightly fuzzy photo--oops).
two more watercolor paintings
Peppermint Candy, 5x7", watercolorI'm still on my watercolor excursion. It has become an experiment for me, trying to determine whether I should add watercolor painting to my repertoire. Whether there is a place for me there. Anyway these two paintings came out fairly well. The peppermint candy is pretty good, if a little clunky, and the wren is overworked but passable (I'm hard on myself here, but it's because this is not my turf and not my normal mode; it is watercolor mode).
Wren, 10x11", SOLDI do like the scratches I added to the wings/body of the wren; it's a simplification of the pattern that was on the reference photo. Still, there is a hesitancy to my watercolors. When considering the medium, I tend to focus on what's missing---it's like acrylic, only the opaqueness of color is missing and there is no saving a drastic mistake as there is in acrylic painting. I suppose I should be saying that watercolor allows for beautiful washes, subtle color shifts, and ethereal glazing effects. Positives of the medium. But I'm still not there yet. I'm only dabbling in watercolor so far. I am a visitor here.
congregation of egrets
Congregation of Egrets, 30x40", $700This is another iteration of a medium size painting I produced by the same name. This time I went large and I added the texture of pencil and oil pastel to the background, suggesting a tangle of branches. I find the effect interesting and the subject matter haunting. I think somebody should buy this one :-)
raw cotton
Raw Cotton, 9x12", watercolorI finally took out the watercolors I purchased half a year ago and tried my hand at the new [to me] medium. This was my first watercolor painting in over fifteen years; as you probably know I normally paint using acrylic paint. So I thought I'd write a bit about the process and maybe some differences between painting in acrylic and painting in watercolor.Raw Cotton, 9x12", SOLDI finally took out the watercolors I purchased half a year ago and tried my hand at the new [to me] medium. This was my first watercolor painting in over fifteen years; as you probably know I normally paint using acrylic paint. So I thought I'd write a bit about the process and maybe some differences between painting in acrylic and painting in watercolor.
I set up these two cotton balls on the table before me and drew a simple sketch, pencil to paper. Then I laid out a few colors on a pane of glass---yellow ochre, burnt sienna, burnt umber, ultramarine blue, and black---with a piece of white paper beneath the glass to make the colors stand out. Though I used the black, the color was unnecessary since the blue and umber mixes to make a nice black.
In painting a watercolor, it is common knowledge and common sense to start out with the lighter areas since one can always darken a color but cannot always lighten a color once it has dried on the paper---it is a transparent medium afterall. So I started with the red-golden surface surounding the cotton balls, then made my way around the painting in successively darker colors; the last being the black of the stems and the signature. The parts that [barely] save this painting from failure are the darkest darks and the lightest hints of gray in the white of the cotton balls---these details along with the shadows give the painting a passable likeness to the subject matter. (what I'm suggesting is that while this painting is not a disaster, neither is it a masterpiece)
Now for the differences between painting in acrylic and painting in watercolor. First of all, having to wait for the water to dry is something I'm familiar with in theory, but in practice I'm usually only waiting for thick paint to dry (and then only when it's in the latter stages of the painting). Drawing a brush or a finger through a nearly dried shadow, for instance, could totally obliterate the shadow. And I'm not used to painting on paper. Paper wrinkles and water tends to gather in the valleys of those wrinkles. This wasn't a big problem for me---I work with water everyday using acrylic and often as washes---but this was something I had to be more aware of. Water management.
Things I would do differently. First off, I'd have paper towels handy. Second, a blow dryer would be helpful. Third, I would secure the paper to a board to keep it flat and prevent curling. And finally, if I'm going to be doing more watercolor in the future---and here's a hint: I will---I'll want to look into better brushes and quality paper and paint (I'm currently using the cheapest stuff one can find). Anyway, that's all for now. Look for more watercolors in the future.
brown pelican
Brown Pelican, 40x30", $700This is a larger version of my brown pelican painting. I got the suggestion from someone at the New Orleans Arts Market in Palmer Park last weekend. I like how it turned out and I especially like how easily the painting came together for me.
sammy commission
Sammy Commission, 24x18", N/AA dog commission. Want one of your own dog? Contact me immediately!
red streetcar #3
Red Streetcar #3, 10x20", SOLD
I don't have many New Orleans specific paintings--mainly because I paint from photos and don't have many N.O. reference photos--so this one I've painted before. Twice actually. One smaller than this one and one larger version.
pitcher
Pitcher, 30x24", $300I just got this one back from a Ponchatoula gallery that recently closed. Haven't seen it in awhile but I like it. Seems like it would look great hanging in someone's kitchen, especially considering the neutral color scheme. It is painted on gallery wrap canvas---in other words it's a thick canvas which does not have to be framed. Let me know if you're interested.
old favorites
I thought I'd post a few older paintings of mine which are still available for sale---paintings which I happen to like very much and which surprise me at having survived this long unsold. To purchase any of these paintings, contact me. Without further adieu, here they are:
Cityscape, 18x34", $400
I painted Cityscape on Masonite hardboard in the style of the civilization series I was doing at that time. I may have had it overpriced back then, being one of my favorites---that and being a little heavier than other paintings of the same size on canvas, making it appear less frequently at art shows. Anyway, it's well priced at $400 now and will end up on my own wall soon if it does not sell.
Box Turtle, 30x40", $700
Box Turtle was painted four years ago. I remember not loving it as much as I do now because of the subject matter---I did not think anyone would want a portrait of a box turtle at this large of a size. As a result, I also did not show this at too many art shows. The joke was on me, turns out, for it is now hanging on my living room wall and I love it. The detail in the head alone makes the painting great, in my opinion.
Pavement, 30x40", $700
I've loved this one since painting it back in 2006. It was one of my first successful abstract paintings, as I recall. Not sure why it hasn't sold but it's still available!
Moonlit, 40x30", $700Moonlit is one of those paintings which I love but which does not really fit in with the rest of my paintings. There is a distinct style difference between this and my other work. I still have another painting produced at the same time as Moonlit---same size and style and price---which is also available; these two would look nice hanged side by side (and I'll cut you a deal on the pair if purchased together).
live oak #3
Live Oak #3, 30x40", N/AThis is one of those paintings I need to live with a little while before I call it finished (I've signed it, titled it, and given it a price in case somebody wants to buy it as is---one of those situations where the painting is finished but it might not be finished finished). I think the part that is bothering me is the brightness of the grass in sunshine---it's a bit too white perhaps---I don't know, like I said I'll be staring at this one for a time before calling it finished.
In way of excuse for not updating as regularly as I'd hoped, here is a quick sketch of a cat stretching. Not too impressive, I know. But I have been starting many new paintings and these beginnings are bound to turn into finished peices sooner or later which will enevitably end up here. Until then, stay creative!
The rescheduled New Orleans Arts Market in Palmer Park was today and once again I am tired and sunburned and sore and did I mention tired?
All the same, it was worth it---I had fun meeting new people and accepting the occasional compliment (actually had a lot of compliments, so, bonus). I guess that's it---next Palmer Park market is October 27th, 10-4. See you there!
Alright, maybe I did not get sunburned this time---I had the foresight to apply plenty of sunblock. Today, Sunday, it feels like Fall is finally here and it's cold out when the wind blows. Gotta get more painting done before my creativity thinks it's Winter and goes into hibernation.
Sed diam nonummy euismod tincidunt ut laoreet dolore magna aliquam erat volutpat.