Oaks in the Valley (in progress)

Oil on canvas, 24"x36"

I had not worked on this painting for about a week before todays session. It is a large canvas and making any kind of impact takes a bit of time but it is progressing to my liking. This photo was taken with no light directed towards the painting so the saturation is a little week and actual color density may be a little closer to the previous photo.

Oil on Linen Canvas, 24"x36"

Although this is my first post of this piece I have actually worked on it several sessions. It is a large painting with quite a bit more work to do before it is complete. I will paint and repaint sections of this piece until I am happy with it as a whole. This is a bad photo as the lighting was very inconsistent on the canvas and it was taken with my iphone.

Battered Barn (in progress)

Oil on panel, 16"x20"

More refinements on this piece and it is getting near completion. I have made the barn slightly larger, and adjusted color, value and shapes all over the painting. I will continue to refine a few things including the foreground cactus while attempting to maintain limited detail. I welcome comments on this and all my blog posts.

 The forth stage of this painting is from my next session on it and I decided I did not like the initial weight of the composition and decided to enlarge the tree mass on the right side to keep your eye within the boundaries of the painting. I also decided I might add some interest, as in cactus, smaller trees in the foreground (bottom right). I am still toying with that idea and not sure if I will keep them, change the elements or remove them all together. It is my intent to keep this painting from getting overly detailed. We will see how that idea works out.

This third photo shows some color notes being added, still working very fast. I was purposely working about as fast as I could on this piece, hoping for some spontaneity to tie it all together. Total time up to this point about an hour and a half.

This second photo shows that I have blocked in some shadows and the sky, about 20 more minutes into the painting.

I started this piece very quickly as if I was outside plein air painting. The bottom photo shows the initial sketch, about 15 minutes in.

Mattatuck Exhibition

Here are a selection of photos from The "A Feeling of Humanity" exhibit at the Mattatuck Museum. Much thanks to Ken Ratner for forwarding the photos to me.

I have 5 paintings represented in the exhibit. Summer Chisos is visible in the 3rd photo in the grouping on the left.

Arroyo Vista and Canyon at Black Gap are on the left of the 4th photo and 'Till the Cows Come Home and South Texas Cattle on both sides of the Farmer in the bottom photo.

It is quite an honor to be included in this body of work.

Road Through the Blues

Oil on Belgian Linen Panel, 12"x16"

I know I had posted this as a finished painting a couple weeks ago but yet again I could not leave it alone. It lacked so much I can't begin to list all the things I disliked about it before. It barely resembles the image I previously posted. I have repainted every square inch and hopefully now I can leave it alone and be satisfied with it as is.

Details from "Road Through the Blues"