Looking for Birds

This morning's effort.

Yellow Roses

I did this at the Coppini Academy this morning.  The yellow roses I purchased earlier turned out to be a perfect subject.

Central Texas Sunset 2"x7.75"

I really enjoy doing these small abstract landscapes.  This is the first one I've done in the dark almost.  I used an LED book light clipped to my easel.

Onions in Red

Challenges in this painting:
     1. Painting in red. Reds tend to go pink in cooler light,  I tried to keep it more on the purple and orange side.  The orange/red is exactly how I saw it in the drapery.
     2. Red vs. Green.  The problem with these two opposites on the color wheel is that they tend to look a lot like Christmas.
     3. Flowers.  Flowers can get overworked if you don't squint.  It's easy to open your eyes and try and paint every nuance that in the end will ruin your painting.
     4.  Objects similarity.  Pick one that is the most important and treat the rest in a slightly less detailed, abstract rendering.

Class Demo on Staying Loose

My still life class requested a loose style demo.  I said "sure" and set up my easel.  For paints I used a small palette -  Titanium White, Raw Sienna, Transparent Oxide Red, Permanent Alizarin, Ivory Black, and Raw Umber.  I painted quickly and made sure I kept my darks separated from my lights. Squint!!

Abstraction in the Landscape

I left the studio yesterday and painted at an old favorite spot of mine.  Usually, I'll paint towards the sunset but there were so many clouds the sunset never really appeared.  However, there was some light opposite to the sunset so I painted that.  I was almost rushed to complete this because of the approaching rain. 

Distant Cows

 I saw this scene driving down I-35 around Cibolo/Shertz, TX area. I took the exit and did the turn-around.  I then got my easel and paint brushes out to lay in a quick sketch. 

Flower Demo