Dining al Fresco

Dining al Fresco, Acrylic on Watercolor Paper, 10"x9", $250 (unframed)

Sorry about my absence. It has been a while since I last posted.  I've been working on my technique (when I've painted.)  I've also been getting my gardens ready for the summer - weeding, pruning, planting, mulching.  They're in pretty good shape now.

This painting is from a photo I took on Church Street in Burlington last summer.  There are restaurants with outdoor seating and loads of umbrellas in every color on the street during the warm season.  For this painting, I actually began by putting an abstract pattern of blue, orange and red on a piece of watercolor paper.  Then I used my palette knife and squeegee to add and cover as needed to create an abstracted view of an umbrella and the people under it.  I like the effect - very loose.

To purchase this painting, please click here to go to my website.

Tide Coming In

Tide Coming In, Acrylic on Watercolor Paper, 9"x10"

This painting is based on my memories of the dunes covered with scruffy, prickly greenery on the coast of Georgia.  I am heading that way later this week.  Can you tell that mentally I've already packed and left?

My goal in this painting was to continue on my path of abstracting the real.  I am working on figuring out how to do that effectively with the landscape.  Because I am still figuring out which way to go, this painting is not for sale for now.  I want to do a bunch and see how they develop.

Oranges on the Sill

Oranges on the Sill, Acrylic on Watercolor Paper, 14"x14", $350

It's been a while.  It's amazing how hard it is to get back into the flow once it has been interrupted.  In this painting, I decided to use a subject that I was familiar with to work on size.  This painting is 14"x14" - quite a lot bigger than the 6"x6" size of the series I did in January.  My goal was to push the abstraction and the color variations to make a simple subject interesting at the bigger size.  My biggest challenge is in integrating the abstraction to create a unified image.

To purchase this painting, please click here. (You will be transported to my web site which is set up to do on-line transactions.)

Orange on the Windowsill

Orange on the Windowsill, Acrylic on Gessoboard, 6"x6", $195

February was a tough month.  Just as I was finishing up the 30 Paintings in 30 Days Challenge, I came down with Shingles - ugh!  I am happy to report that other than a little numbness and itching, I am over them now.
So as a warmup after a month away from my easel, I decided to redo the "Abstract Orange" painting I did during the challenge that I thought could be better.

I brightened up the window with light greens and yellows. Then I made some adjustments to the highlighted part of the orange. Finally, I strengthened the sill and background (on the left) colors to give the environment some solidity while toning down the competition between those colors and the orange.  I like this painting a lot better now.

To purchase this painting, please click here (you will be transported to the "Small Works and Studies" page on my website.)

Orange Abstraction

Orange Abstraction, Acrylic on Gessoboard, 6"x6", $195

Day 30 of the 30 Paintings in 30 Days Challenge.  I made it! Although I did skip a few days (I ended up with 27 postings.)  I want to extend a great big thank you to all the people who looked at and commented on my paintings this month.  You really helped keep me going especially when I thought I had run out of things to paint. 

I had so much fun doing yesterday's orange that I decided to try another abstract/realism mix.  I went for the back lighting which gives it a surreal effect.  I also got a bit looser with the shadow under the orange.  Based on what I learned today, I plan to go back into yesterday's abstract pattern to make it work a little better.  After that, I think I'll paint something other than oranges for a bit, although they turned out to be a really good vehicle for some major experimentation. 

To purchase this painting, please click here (you will be transported to the 30 in 30 Challenge Paintings page on my website.)

Abstract Orange

Abstract Orange, Acrylic on Gessoboard, 6"x6"

Day 29 of the 30 Paintings in 30 Days Challenge.  I was looking at some photos of paintings that integrate representational and abstract elements and was inspired to try this out.  It was clearly a lot of fun. So much so, that I plan to do another one tomorrow.  I can see that getting the balance and location of the abstract elements right can be tricky.

Artist's Note (March 19):  I wasn't entirely satisfied with how this painting came out, so I made a bunch of changes to it.  It is now called Orange on a Windowsill. You can find it in a subsequent post, as well as on my web site and in my Daily Paintworks Gallery.

On the Shelf

On the Shelf, Acrylic on Gessoboard, 6"x6", $195

Day 28 of the 30 paintings in 30 Days Challenge.  Today, I was trying for a more abstract background for the orange.  This is a good start, but I think I can take the idea further and make it more exciting (something for tomorrow.)

To purchase this painting, click here (you will be linked to the 30 in 30 Challenge Paintings page on my website.)