Monday, March 13, 2017

Stick Season

8" x 10" Oil on Panel
This is the season between white and green. Snow in the valley has melted, and trees are a couple months or so from fully leafing out. This season can be kind of brown and grey. Trees look like giant conglomerations of sticks great and small. This is stick season.

It's also the season of warming temperatures and rising birdsong. Grass begins to green and tiny wildflowers make their appearance. The welcoming rays of the sun begin to draw Spring into the valley.

Painting during this season can be challenging, but there are still paintings to be made from this time of transition. Late last week I ventured out to gather some of pre-Springs's colors of blue, gold and bronze onto a gessoed panel. The picture shown above is the little bit of the season I brought home with me.

Tuesday, March 7, 2017

Oil Sketch of a Bearded Man

8" x 10" Oil on Panel
Here is another portrait sketch in oil from the ongoing weekly visits to the portrait sessions. This one is from last week. These sessions not only allow me to exercise sketching and painting skills, but also to meet and exchange ideas with other painters and hear about art happenings near and far. There's so much to learn from seeing how the other session attendees draw and paint!

Colors used for this portrait were cadmium yellow, cadmium red, ivory black, and titanium white.

For more about portrait sessions, go to "Labels" on the side bar and click on "portrait", "sketching" or "drawing.