Day 2 work in progress

I worked on these two paintings today with the first color layer.  At this point the paint is being thinned with liquin and paint thinner and should be fairly dry tomorrow so that I can go back in with another layer of color.  I am trying to keep my brush strokes loose and painterly which is quite a struggle for me as I really want to go in with details already (this is a throwback to when I painted still life realistically).  I think if I keep it loose it will make for a more interesting painting.  Here's hoping!

New work in oil

I started these two paintings today with a thin wash of burnt umber.  I basically just painted the paint onto the canvas and then wiped off where I wanted my lights to go.  It is a very simple way to start laying in your values and should make the painting progress easier as I get into the color layers.  These two are a continuation of the series of paintings that I am doing on the Cowichan River Estuary.

Day 3 Work in Progress 24 x 36 inch oil

I am making a little more progress on this today.  I color blocked in the shadows on the snow and the snow itself.  I also added a bit more modelling on the birches trying to give a bit more texture.  I love the color palette for this one.  I made the soft mauve color by mixing part white, burnt sienna and dioxapine purple.  The color is more on the warm side due to the burnt sienna and i am liking it a lot.  I think I will let this dry a bit before working some more on the snow and shadows.  I also painted the sides of the canvas with the left-over paint mixture I had on my palette.  This is a good way to use up the paint if you like to clean your palette after every session.  I always start with a clean palette but I do have a plastic tupperware container with dividers in it that i keep my colors laid out in.  I put this into a small fridge I keep in my studio so that the paint stays fairly fresh until the next time I use it.

Day 2 of work in progress 24 x 36 inch oil

Today I picked my color palette and got started on the upper half of the painting.  I am happy with the muted lavenders and for a punch of color I had to add some orange.  The trees are blocked in and will need a lot of work to make the texture of the birch work.  I will probably get started on the shadows tomorrow. Overall I am happy with the progress of this one.  This is done entirely with the palette knife and fingers - no brushes!

Work in Progress 24 x 36 inch oil

I started this painting today and thought I would show my progress as I go along.  I usually start this type of painting by drawing directly on my canvas where I want my elements to go but this time I started right in with thinned down raw umber.  I kind of rubbed in the paint where I thought I would like my trees to be and then I rubbed out the actual trees with a brush dipped in paint thinner.  This scene will be a winter scene and I may stay with monotone colors as I like the look of this.  This of course may change tomorrow when I get back at it.