Liberty Avenue
When I finish the design for a new painting, I'm often tempted to leave it as a large drawing. At 44" x 56," the new painting, Liberty Avenue, would be a large drawing. If I…
Category: Shop Talk
Review: Cranfield oil paint
Part of a recent paint buy included a tube of Cranfield's King's blue deep, which I'd bought in order to review. The Cranfield brand is new to me and King's blue is not a palette…
Preparing a big painting
Lately, my paintings are in the 40" x 60" range. For example, the painting in this photo, The Fair, is 44" x 60." My next big painting ups the scale. The grided canvas in the…
Mixing paint on the palette
I never use a palette knife on my palette. To mix a tone, I plunge my brush into the paints and use the brush to mix what I need. For example, on this nearly-fresh palette,…
Painting flesh
Artists find painting people and portraits difficult. Even artists who can paint complicated landscapes without too much difficulty stumble when they attempt people. Why? Part of the answer is the uncanny valley. The uncanny valley…
New paint order from Blue Ridge
The more I use Blue Ridge oils, the more I like them. I continue to use their flake white, of course, but I'm enjoying their entire lineup. My recent small order contains colors I use…
White Balloon 3rd session
By my 3rd session with the painting titled White Balloon, I finally have the entire surface covered with paint. One issue large paintings present (White Balloon is 40" x 54") that is not encountered on…