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I love the colors I used in these two paintings.  A note to myself to do this again.

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This painting is a continuation of my exploration with the palette knife.  This little tool is so versatile once you get the hang of it.  I love the little splash of red.  Glad I put that in.
If you would like to purchase this painting go to the following link:
http://www.dailypaintworks.com/fineart/linda-yurgensen/9-x-12-inch-oil-forrest-through-the-trees/180216

I haven't been blogging in a while because I have been doing a bit of exploring with techniques and trying to find my groove again.  I have been finding that my art was becoming stagnant and I was not growing as an artist.  My tight realistic style was actually stiffling me and I wasn't enjoying it as I once was.  I have moved away from still life and have been doing a lot of landscapes.  I always found that when I painted landscapes with a brush I was too finicky and fussy and was never happy with the results.  Well all that has changed - I have discovered the PALETTE KNIFE.  I am enjoying painting like I never have before and I can actually call myself a daily painter now.  I do at least one if not two paintings a day! The palette knife is my new best friend.  I absolutely LOVE have liberated and creative I feel when I sit down to paint.  My style is slowly emerging and I see it changing almost daily.  Here are some collages of a few of the paintings I have done over the past 5 months or so.  I have painted at least 50 small 8 x 10 inch panels.  This is a great size to do with the knife because it doesn't take me all day to finish one painting.

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New Work

I haven't posted in a while because I have been so busy PAINTING! These are two paintings that I am considering submitting to a big show coming up on the Island. I just have some fine tuning to do and I am calling them finished. 

8 x 10 inch oil

Here is a quick study using the knife. 

8 x 10 inch oil Watermelon and Pitcher

Here is another small painting done loosely with a palatte knife.

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10 x 10 inch oil Pears, 8 x 10 inch oil silver creamer

Here is a couple of little paintings done quickly with a palatte knife.

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8 x 10 oil "Tarnished"

11 x 14 inch oil

I am having some more fun with "fracturing".  Love this technique because you really can't make a mistake.

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These are some experiments in loosening up with a small format painting.    They are all done in oil and in alla prima style.

More fun with "fracturing"

I thought I would post this new attempt at "fracturing".  I did this over an old painting and I like this version much better than the original.  The paint is positively glowing and very juicy.  Love it!

16 x 20 inch oil "Found Treasures"

I am almost finished this painting after much anguish.  I really did not enjoy painting this canvas and I am not really sure why.  I still have some finishing to do on the eggs and cloth because I am not happy at all with how they are looking.  After my fun with the fracturing technique this one seemed really a chore.

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I am trying a new technique called fracturing developed by Julie Oliver. It is quite different from what I have been doing lately but I am really having fun with it.  The pears are an old painting that I painted over with the fracturing technique and the boats is a new painting.  I think I may have went overboard with the boat painting but I have to say it was a lot of fun.

Progression of a painting 24 x 20 inch oil



Umber layer in acrylic



Gray scale layer in oil

after 2 thin oil layers

I thought I would post some pics of how I approach a new painting.  The first pic shows an underpainting of burnt sienna done in acrylic.  After I do a drawing directly on the canvas I paint this acrylic layer rather quickly, just indicating the general darks and lights.  I like using acrylic because it dries very quickly and allows me to go on to the next layer which I put on in oil.  This is the grey scale layer and is again like map to follow, indicating the different value changes.  The third pic shows the painting after 2 fairly thin  layers done in oil.   I use liquin as my medium because it allows the painting to dry quickly so that I can paint on it the next day.  I am starting to refine the painting at this point showing a bit more detail.  I will probably put another 2 or 3 layers on top of this until I have the painting as I like it.

Finished "Eric"

I did a few adjustments to this portrait today and I am calling it finished. On to the next!

20 x 24 inch oil "Eric"

I just put the second color layer on this portrait.  It is going quite quickly for me now and there actually is a resemblance to my husband.

First color layer

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This is the first color pass on this portrait.  There will be many more before I will call it finished.

layer #2 of dead layer

I have put some more time into this painting with another dead layer.  I am starting to build up the details now and I am almost ready to start the color.  Adding the color is always the most fun for me because I LOVE color.

16 x 20 inch portrait in oil

I have been wanting to try a portrait for some time now and have been watching demos on how to do a portrait using the flemish technique.  After the drawing is made on the canvas a first layer of paint if put on very thinly with burnt umber.  This layer is just to get the values correct.  The second layer, which is what I have started on here is called the dead layer and is basically a grey scale, fine tuning the values once again.  I will do another layer of grey scale and then start in on the colors.  This is a very different technique for me as I usually start right in with the colors but it is good to try something different.  Hopefully I won't make a complete mess of it. 

16 x 20 inch acrylic "Peaches and Vase"

At long last I have a new painting to show.  This one is not 100% finished but it is coming along.  I am enjoying playing with my paints again after a long creative block and I hope to start another soon while the creative juices are still flowing.