Sometimes a painting is just horrible. This one was particularly bad right up until the moment it wasn’t. Funny how that works. I had to remind myself over and over that it would eventually start to look better if I just kept working. It had a particularly bad case of ugly that I just…
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Whiskey
Whiskey has been a part of my family now for a week. I briefly mentioned him in my last painting post. It has really been an exhausting week too. My older dog, Shanzi, hasn’t been a puppy for 10 years and I’m reminded of how similar they are to babies just learning to walk…
The 6th Yellow Onion
This my be my favorite onion to date. It has so many colors happening in it. It may be that I just love a good transformation. I seriously hated this painting to begin with. It was a cartoon circus onion when I was just starting it out, but the more I worked on it,…
How to Photograph High Gloss Artwork
I love, love, love the look of glossy, varnished paintings. The problem? All of that gloss is hard to photograph, especially when the artwork in question is also very dark. Almost every painting I’ve painted in the last 6 months just so happens to fall in that very dark, very glossy category. My previous…
Fifth Yellow Onion Finished
The transparency in the back half of this onion is by far my favorite part. I just love it. This was a sneaker-painting. Meaning, it was done before I realized it. I love it when that happens. I probably only worked on it a couple times and when I sat down to finish it,…
Hunter Canyon Hike
Hunter Canyon is a nice little canyon down Kane Creek outside Moab, Utah. It’s a quiet hike with a campground at the mouth of the canyon and tons and tons of bike, side by side, and jeep traffic. It’s best to hike in the spring in fall unless you want to be eaten alive…
Artichoke Still Life Commission Completed
This is the first of several artichoke still lifes I have planned to finish up my 30 small still life series. I haven’t yet decided how many of these I will paint. Either 3 or 6, but based on interest so far it might be more rather than less. I also haven’t decided if…
Perspective in the Desert
Find the dog. The dog is a reference to how big the area is because otherwise it could look small. It could mean that house crushing boulder on the left looks a little less impressive. Those boulders on the right like inconsequential little rocks. Perspective is everything. The first and last pictures are made…
Fourth Yellow Onion & Why I Decided to Stop Using Alizarin Crimson
There isn’t much to say about this painting. It’s the 4th of 9 yellow onion paintings I’m working on. It didn’t give me much trouble, but most of my paintings lately haven’t. I think I’ve officially reached a point where I can quickly and easily knock out a small still life painting. That can…
Change on the Horizon
This is far from my usual posts, so I apologize in advance. Last week had me reeling. I couldn’t for the life of me figure out my emotions and as a result it was a very unproductive week. Early Wednesday morning, there was a loud noise and a yell before someone opened my front…
The Third Yellow Onion & Some Watercolor Sketches
Sometimes the original plan for a painting doesn’t work out. For instance, on this painting there was a chunk of onion skin on the right hand side. I was a little over half done with it before I realized that the source of my dissatisfaction with the painting had everything to do with that…
Needles Overlook During a Storm
The Needles Overlook of Canyonlands National Park offers stunning views of the park. Most of the time it’s not too exciting, but go during a thunderstorm and you’re in for a treat. It was amazing and a little exciting watching the lighting in the distance, but as the storm moved nearer, we had to leave….