8 x 8 inch oil "Narrows Inlet #1"

This is a small study I have started from a grouping of photos that I took on vacation last year. I did this one very quickly in about 1 hour, wet on wet, which is very different from how i have been working lately. I found it very hard not to stop and put in all those small details. I had to keep telling myself this is just a study, so keep it simple!

11 x 14 inch oil "Water Lily"

I have been playing with this one for a couple of weeks, just working on it an hour at a time but I think it is pretty close to completion now. I found the photo on WetCanvas (thanks to the contributor and loved the colors in it. I hope I did the beautiful photo justice.

8 x 10 inch pastel "Old Ford"

This was a fun little painting I completed today from a photo I found on Wetcanvas.com. I loved the colors and found the crop interesting. It felt really good getting to use pastels again.

24 x 30 inch oil "White Horse"

I think I may have finished this painting finally, just a little fine tuning left to do. I found this one quite challenging trying to do a white horse without using just white paint. I think it turned out ok although I am not totally satisfied with how the ears turned out. I think this is where the fine tuning will come in.

My Studio

I though it was about time I took a picture of my little studio. By little, I mean really little, only 8 x 9 feet. It may be small but I have a lot of things packed into this space. I use all the walls of course to hang some of my favorite paintings (there is not enough wall space for the 200 or so paintings I have hidden away in the drawers of the dresser!) I love this room because of the wonderful light I get in the afternoon from the floor to ceiling window. I also have my computer in this space to the right of the horse painting I am working on. I still have a lot of work to do on this painting, but it is coming along nicely. I will post a shot of the completed painting in the near future.

WIP -Finished!!

I think I am calling this one done for now although I may go back to it in the future. I am quite happy with the results. I have painted the sides of the canvas so this can be hung on the wall without a frame. I really like this look for the large canvases. I have started another canvas the same size (24 x 30) of a white horse. This should be a real challenge just getting the drawing right as I don't really know a lot about horse anatomy. Stay tuned!

WIP day #6 oil "Elephant"

I spent another couple of hours on this today working mostly on the background. This photo is probably the closest I have got yet to the true colors. I am very happy with the progress I have made to date and I can finally see the end in sight.

WIP Day #5 oil "Elephant"

I was home today from work not feeling well, so instead of lying in bed I thought I might get a little more done on this painting. I couldn't resist the urge to put in some of those wrinkles, but of course I have a lot more to go. I again worked on the shadows and lights on the head but did nothing on the background or legs. Tomorrow is another day so hopefully I will get some more done.

WIP day #4 oil "Elephant"

It probably doesn't look like much change has been made today, but I have put in about 4 more hours on this painting. I am using a "fatter" mix of oil today concentrating on deepening the darks and trying to get the colors just right. I think I am almost there although I haven't even started doing the background yet. I want to get the exact right color for this so that it really looks as if it is stirred up dust from the running elephant. I will let this try for a few days and do some more on the weekend.

WIP day # 3 "Elephant"

I have made a bit of progess today on this painting although I still have a ways to go. I so want to go in and start the detail work but I know the painting is not ready for it yet. I really want to get the foundation right before I start in with the fun stuff. I am working in thin layers (or glazing) building up the darks and lights and defining the shapes. I know the eye has a lot of work yet and I am not sure about the placement. I have to study the photo some more.

WIP day #2 "Elephant"

I had a day off today so I am back at it again. I am starting to get excited about the painting at this stage. It is really beginning to take shape. I am beginning to block in the colors I will be using is very thin layers. They dry quite quickly at this stage so tomorrow I will be able to go back and add another layer or two. I find as I stand back and look at the painting little things will pop out at me that need to be changed. I notice that one of his tusks looks a little off so I will do some adjusting tomorrow. Overall I am happy with the progess.

WIP in oil "Elephant"

This is the first stage of my painting of the African Elephant. It is done on stretched canvas and is 24 x 30 inches so it has quite a presence in a room. I started by drawing my image on the canvas with a pastel pencil. I like to use these as I can rub out lines easily if they are not quite right. I usually do a lot of rubbing out in the beginning. I think the main ingrediant to a successful painting is getting the drawing right. I wanted the crop to be quite tight with not a lot of background showing. This way the elephant has all the attention, as it should. I use the blue paint to draw in the image after I am satisfied with the drawing. I start to do some modeling at this stage indicating where I will be putting the shadows and the hightlights.

8 x 10 inch oil "Pewter and Plums"

This little painting is done on prepared masonite in oil. I really enjoyed how the oil worked on this surface. It was a lot easier to get good detail than when I use canvas. I have some more pieces of the masonite cut and ready to go, so I will probably do a larger piece in the near future. I am enjoying doing these still lifes especially when they are depicting light and dark and reflection. I have another painting started that is totally different from this and I think I will post my progress as it goes. It is quite large (24 x 30 inches) and is of an animal. That is all I will say for now so stay tuned to my progess!

20x 20 inch oil "Storm Clouds" & 18 x 24 inch "After the storm"

Lately I have a fascination with clouds and storms. The second image is another experiment using oils on canvas. It doesn't really show in the photo, but the background is a very dark navy blue giving the painting a moodly effect. I like the overall effect and will probably do some more large canvases very soon. The first painting is done from an image I found on Wetcanvas.com. I like the colorful palette although it has a totally different feeling from the first painting. Again this is done on stretched canvas in oil and is approximately 18 x 24 inches.

20 x 16 inch oil "Oranges in Cello"

I have been admiring this photo on Wetcanvas for some time so I took the plunge and tried it in oil. I am happy with the results although I still have some finishing touches to make. I will probably make the background a warmer, richer brown and punch up the hightlights on the oranges, but overall I think it was a success. Since it is oil I will wait a couple of months before coating it with a gloss varish. I have the perfect vintage gold frame that it will be going into.

16 x 20 inch oil "Stalker"

This is the second oil work I have done and I am very pleased with how it turned out. I really enjoyed how the oils performed for me especially how I could blend so nicely and not have to worry about the paint drying so fast as with acrylics. I will definitely be using oils again.

8 x 10 inch pastel "Strawberry Delight"

This is my latest endevour after finishing a commission for a cat portrait. This one will probably be a Xmas gift this year. I have a lovely silver frame that I think it will look great in. It is done on suedeboard as per usual with a variety of soft pastels. I may do a little tweeking yet, but I think it is generally finished.

9 x 12 inch acrtylic "Mom"

I have been working on this for a while and am nearly finished. It will be for Dad for Xmas. I probably will play with the hair some more but I think I will leave the face alone. I am not sure this is a good likeness but the photo I had was terrible. Mom hardly ever smiled in photos.

8 x 10 inch pastel "Mason Jar"

Since it is a rainy, dark day here on Vancouver Island, I thought I would do another small painting. This is done on Wallis professional pastel paper, the first time I have used this (and I like it) with a variety of soft pastels. This one was done suprisingly fast for me - about 2 1 /2 hours. I have another picture of a mason jar that I want to do to make a pair for the kitchen.

11 x 12 inch pastel "Bowl of Cherries

I just finished this painting after a few hours of enjoyable painting. It is done on suede matboard with a variety of soft pastels. I just received my new order of pastels from Terry Ludwig Pastels and am loving the reds and oranges that I got. Just what I needed! I can't wait to get started on a couple of ideas I have for paintings! Stay tuned.