On My Easel(s)

Vincent's View From The Asylum (copy of van Gogh's Wheatfields With Sunrise), 16x20, oil on canvas

I think this one is finished. Below is the photo reference I worked from. I emphasized the reds and purples, and down-played the greens and amped up the contrast to the yellows and golds. Now that I look at it, I'm not sure if it's finished or not. I'll have to live with it for a while and see if anything jumps out at me that needs tweaking...


Wheatfields With Sunrise by Vincent van Gogh

WIP (Work In Progress) 14x20, oil on canvas

This is a value study in black & white I am doing, based on the photo below. The challenge is to create an interesting composition cropping the image to create a sense of balance. So far I have only used black paint. I plan to only use black & white paint on this. I will need to let the paint dry between applications to keep the paint from muddying.

WIP (Work In Progress) 8x10, oil on canvas

This is a limited-palette study using only complimentary colors (opposite on the color wheel) and white, for tints. So I'm using thalo blue and cadmium orange, with just a little bit of Grumbacher red as needed to make a more purple-blue.

I'm trying to paint very fast and spontaneously, using impasto (thick) strokes, to capture the life of gentle foaming sea waves kissing the wet shore. Here is my photo reference:

WIP (Work In Progress) 16x20, acrylic on canvas

This is a commission for my friend, Judy, who I adore and miss terribly since she moved to Florida. I am grateful she has been so patient with me, as this canvas has been in progress for waaaaaay too long. But, it is back on my easel and I am now doing the finishing touches.

Judy wanted a "modified" copy of a painting by one of her favorite artists-- Marc Chagall's La Mariee (photo below). Slight changes include turning the fish into a dolphin, and making the rooster a cat instead (which I forgot about and need to fix). Also the color palette uses more of a burgandy red, than orange. It is not meant to be an exact reproduction, but rather my intrepretation.

I had the awesome experience of sitting below Chagall's incredible ceiling mural at the Grand Opera House in Paris where I was treated to the graduation performance of the Ecole de Ballet.

You can read about Marc Chagall by clicking on the following link:

http://www.chagallpaintings.org/biography.html