Tip: Closer, Farther
Have you ever struggled with a passage even though you know the colors and tones are right? One corrective, especially when the tones are extremely close, is to ensure that closer forms are painted over…
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In the Studio 8/25/2013
My wife hates this unfinished self-portrait. She says it doesn't look anything like me--I look a bit crazed. Ha! [caption id="attachment_2528" align="aligncenter" width="500"] Recent works on the easel[/caption] In the recent batch of self-portraits, I…
Poem: Full-Blood Moon
Through the narrow window, the full-blood moon floated in the black water of the bathtub, next to where you laid with your face against the wall sobbing. Pressing my cheek to yours, I glimpsed, the…
In the Studio 8/18/2013
A favorite chair. I have used a white lawn chair in my paintings several times. I like its sensuous shape and the matte color provides an interesting contrast to the objects around it. The two…
Painting Mediums Revisited
Someone asked why I fudged the proportion of varnish in my medium recipe. Varnishes differ widely from one another. Some are made with oil and some are made with thinner. Some start concentrated with the…
I Can’t Get This Little Painting Out of My Mind
The Cleveland Museum of Art, like most museums, rotates the paintings in its permanent collection. The museum recently rotated its Dutch School collection, happily bringing into view this little gem by Gerrit Dou. When I…
Bad, Bad, Bad (ingredients)
Anyone who knows me knows that one of my hot button issues is premium-priced art supplies that are actually inferior, or, as is often the case, pure crap. So don't get me started. Recently I…
In the Studio 7/28/2013
What's unusual about today's 'In the Studio' post is the works I'm showing were both finished today! The larger is titled 'Jane Hudson and Her Father,' (yes, it's me holding my daughter Jane when she…