In the studio 2/28/16
With over 30 figures in its 44″ x 60″ space, Picnic wants to careen into confusion. Which I do not want, so we argue. The central figure, by turning her back to us, adds her voice to the argument. That’s alright. I’m not off-put by rambunctious offspring and I am patient. I’ve always been suspicious of accidents, accidents of light
In the studio 2/21/16
Several busy days in the studio. I worked on 10-12 paintings over the past few days, including Sunday Parade. Sunday Parade is finally locked into a good place (even though I still haven’t settled on its name). It felt like I was pushing it uphill for a long time. I’m on the downward side now. Artists
I bought some Lukas 1862 paint
In my Oil Paint Brand reference I ignore Lukas oils, assigning them to the student-grade category. Recently I purchased an assortment of their 1862 line, which is their premier line. The prices for the 1862 line is inline with affordable professional brands such as Blue Ridge, RHG, and Winsor Newton. After I put them through their paces,
In the studio 2/14/16
On the Square is part of my Playhouse Square series–a series of paintings with subjects taken from Cleveland’s Playhouse Square. At 4′ by 5′, On the Square is at the outer limit for an easel painting. Any larger and you need a heavy-duty easel (or two) or a mural-style one. I don’t own one of those. When I
Blue Ridge paints back in business
I am really glad that Blue Ridge Paints is taking orders again. I learned last month about their fire when I went to their web site to place an order. I was concerned that they might not be able to recover. Their paints are very good and are offered at a reasonable price. More and
In the studio 2/7/16
Woman in Purple Boots II is getting to that point where it’s fun to paint. The groundwork has been done and now it’s time to have fun. Painting can be compared to building a house. You need to calculate the amount of cement, 2″ x 4″s, and roof shingles. You need to calculate the time needed
In the studio 2/1/16
I worked on the two small painting in the upper-right. The portrait is based on a photo I took of a friend in Princeton. It’s a very poor photo–underexposed and out of focus. In the photo, the background is a formless, dark mass. I’m having fun making up the details. I even put a building
Book review: Heorot Series vol. 1 & 2
I listened to the two books in the Heorot series, The Legacy of Heorot, and Beowulf’s Children on my Audible app. The books were written by the team of Larry Niven, Jerry Pournelle, and Steve Barnes. The first book was written in 1987, the second in 1995. Although I go through periods when I read