Feb 25, 2011

"Sycamore Sunset"

18" x 24", oil on canvas. $1,050 USD

I can't believe this day has come and I'm finished with this painting! At least until I spot something that needs adjusting ;0) It's hard to let it go and say "finished" sometimes, and I've been working on this one for over a week, a few hours a day. I think I'm ready to move on to the next thing. Besides, I'm getting tired of snow. Looking forward to Spring!

Feb 16, 2011

Out on a Limb


So, I've been working on this new painting for a week now and I'm at that point where I can't tell if I've gone too far but suspect I might have stepped over that imaginary line a couple of hours ago. It's so hard to tell until you've blown past it to realize you have. I hate that ;0). I wish there was a little art gremlin that could sit on my easel and squirt me with a water-pistol when I've reached that magical and illusive stopping point! The thing is, I chose a hard subject because all of the trees, both foreground and background, are bare. So the question and challenge is to decide how far to go with all the detail of the branches and twigs and blades of grass showing out of the snow? I was really liking my Sycamore tree subject a lot until I started adding smaller branches. At some point it started to become something I didn't expect it to become and wasn't sure if I had ruined the abstract design of it or if i should just keep going. I chose to keep going and now I'm pretty sure it's almost done...just a few minor changes and smudged sections to fix. I decided to walk away for a day or two and start working on my next painting.

If you have any comments or suggestions I'm all ears...and branches ;0)