Saturday Painting Palooza Vol.164

Welcome back.

This week we'll be starting an entirely new painting. We're traveling cross country from Cape May, New Jersey to the Sonoran desert of southern Arizona. Our new subject, a scene from that area, is seen in the photo directly below.



I love the look of the sky in this photo. It gives an added depth to what might otherwise be a rather unexceptional scene.

I will have several challenges here including the sky and the cactus itself. I hope that I can do this scene justice.

I began the painting with an underpainting that places the major elements on the canvas. Three broad areas have been established, the sky, cactus and the ground area.

The current state of the painting is seen in the photo directly below.



That's about it for now. I'll see you next week with more progress. As always, feel free to add photos of your own work in the comments section below.

In Zion

Our trip out west included a brief unplanned detour through Zion National Park. Credit this to sometimes faulty navigation skills. Photographed late in the day, some scenery there is seen below.

Saturday Painting Palooza Vol. 163

Welcome back.

This week we will be completing the (West) Cape May, New Jersey Victorian house.  The photo that I'm using is seen

directly below.

I am doing this piece in my usual acrylics and, once again, in an 8x10 format on stretched canvas.

When last seen, the painting appeared as it does in the photo directly below.

 

Since that time, I have continued to work on the painting.

Many things have received further attention in completing this painting. The foliage has been changed on the right side. The shadowed areas have grown smaller as the green areas have grown larger. On the left side the top of a tall tree can now be seen over the structure to the far left.

A picket fence now encloses the entire property. Note that the fence's shadow corresponds to that on the house.

Once again, the roof of the structure to the far left has been repainted, now in a grey color that is more consistent with the rest of the painting.

Finally, the driveway and curb are now seen for the first time. Grass grows in the driveway as it does in the photo. And with that, the painting is complete.

The current and final state of the painting is seen in the photo directly below.

That's about it for now. I'll see you next week with a new painting.  As always, feel free to add photos of your own

work in the comments section below.

Saturday Painting Palooza Vol.162

Welcome back.

This week we will be continuing with the (West) Cape May, New Jersey Victorian house.  The photo that I'm using is seen directly below.

I am doing this piece in my usual acrylics and, once again, in an 8x10 format on stretched canvas.

When last seen, the painting appeared as it does in the photo directly below.

 

Since that time, I have continued to work on the painting.

There's some big changes this week. I've painted in the foliage around the base of the house, front and side. Heavily shadowed, the highlighted green areas stand out

against the darker blue areas. The house now fits into its landscape instead of just sitting upon it.

Another change is seen in the structure to the far left. The roof is now brighter and provides a nice contrast when seen through the columns of the main house.

Finally, the roadway has received yet more paint but not its final coat. Stay tuned.
The current state of the painting is seen in the photo directly below.

That's about it for now. I'll see you next week with more progress.  As always, feel free to add photos of your own work in the comments section below.

Sedona

From my recent trip, some red rock scenery in Sedona, Az.

Saturday Painting Palooza Vol.161

Welcome back.

This week we will be taking a one week vacation from the Victorian house in Cape May, New Jersey.

I recently had the opportunity to take some vacation time with my family. As I've done for the past 4 years, I carried a small blank canvas (5 inches by 4 inches) on the plane along with a single medium-sized brush and a small paint tray for mixing colors. Unfortunately, tubes of paint would not make it through the scrutiny of the wizards occupying the TSA checkpoints. I had to buy these once out west.

As I would be discarding the paints at the end of the trip, I usually buy liquid craft store acrylics. The results that I have had with these has actually been better than one might expect. A similar container is seen directly below.

This year we were fortunate enough to spend a couple of days at Bryce Canyon, Utah. My photo directly below is not truly representative of the beauty and colors of the canyon. It was here, surrounded by the rocks of Bryce Canyon, that I began my painting. The result is seen in the second photo directly below.

Most of it was done in a couple of hours one afternoon, with a few adjustments afterward. The sky in the actual painting is a bit more intense than in my photo. I had difficulty getting a good photo of this canvas as the final glaze made for a wicked little reflection.

That's about it for now. I'll see you next week with more progress on the Victorian House. As always, feel free to add photos of your own work in the comments section below.