Saturday Painting Palooza Vol.169

Welcome back.

This week we'll be starting an entirely new painting. Sometimes you just need to shake things up. For this cycle I'll be leaving temporarily the realm of landscape paintings for something a little different. The photo that I'll be using is seen directly below. It is part of the grille of a 1949 Packard automobile.

Seen in a vintage illustration directly below is the entire vehicle showing the grille in context. This particular design is interesting because it combines the narrow central Packard grille of earlier models with a wide lower grille typical of the late 40s. Separated by painted bodywork are the headlights, also a design throwback.

I have begun with those all-important first brushstrokes. Seen directly below is the current state of the painting.

That's about it for now. Next week I'll have more progress to show you. See you then. As always, feel free to add photos of your own work in the comments section below.

Earlier paintings in this series can be seen here.

For Tony Hillerman

It would be hard to overstate the impact that the Hillerman novels have had upon me and my art. It was his unique series of mysteries that first sparked my interest and travels to the southwest, particularly A Thief of Time. I have now travelled there for more than a decade with my family. My young son now considers the southwest the place for a family vacation.

The breathtaking southwestern scenery has been the subject of so many of my paintings that I have literally lost count. I now travel out west with a brush and blank canvas in my bag, ready to capture a small piece of the landscape. It would now be almost impossible for me to separate the scenery and the art. I look forward to both the trip and the paintings that it might produce. All this from a murder mystery.

Mr. Hillerman will be greatly missed around these parts.

Saturday Painting Palooza Vol.168 Clearing Brush Edition

Welcome back.

This week we'll be continuing with the Sonoran desert scene. I'm doing this on an 8x10 canvas in my usual acrylic paints.  The photo that I'm using is seen in the photo directly below.

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

Since that time I have continued to work on the painting

At first, I started painting in the various scrubby plants seen in the photo's foreground. However, it just wasn't working for me. Things were far too cluttered. So, like a famous politician, I needed to clear the brush. Most surprising to me is that, for once, I find myself in agreement with him. Clearing brush really is hard work. I wiped out most of the foreground and started over. What appears now is an area mottled by shadows in the sand, free of visual distraction. The result, while not an accurate representation of the scene, does work better in a visual sense.

I've completed the hills to the left and rear. These too have been left as simple shadowed shapes, providing a nice counterpoint to the foreground.

Finally, I've painted the sky in all its cloudy glory. In addition to the cactus, I've made this the focus of my efforts.

The current and final state of the painting is seen in the photo directly below. Note that my poor photo fades somewhat the brighter colors of the original painting. I'm happy with this one but it does have a bit of that travel poster graphic to it.

This painting has also been added to a blogspot site where some earlier pieces have been posted. A couple of kossacks had asked to see them. I will add new ones as they are finished.

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

Saturday Painting Palooza Vol.167

Welcome back.

This week we'll be continuing with the Sonoran desert scene. I'm doing this on an 8x10 canvas in my usual acrylic paints.  The photo that I'm using is seen in the photo directly below.

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

Since that time I have continued to work on the painting

Fianlly, I've branched out beyond the cactus. I've painted the shadow cast by the cactus as well as a shadow from an unseen plant to the right. With these simple changes the cactus now appears as an integral part of the landscape. It sits in the scene rather than on it.

I've also painted in the start of the hills to the left and rear. The cactus now appears to push forward. Note that the current blue provides a shadowed base for the greens that will be painted over it.

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.

Saturday Painting Palooza Vol.166

Welcome back.

This week we'll be continuing with the Sonoran desert scene. I'm doing this on an 8x10 canvas in my usual acrylic paints. The photo that I'm using is seen in the photo directly below.

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

Since that time I have continued to work on the painting

Once again, I've concentrated most of my efforts on the cactus. It has been further refined with shadowing like that seen in the original photo. Note that the blue has been muted a bit with some white paint. Attention has also been given to the branches which now have yellow highlighting, a nice contrast to the shadows.

I've also made some efforts with the ground. It now appears reddish, a color not reflected in the photo. However this color does appear in a number of places out west including Sedona, Arizona. It was achieved by first applying gold and overlaying it with thin layer of red and then overlaying that with an even thinner layer of white. It will receive further attention.

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.

Wrong

Having shown the world that she actually is capable of avoiding total incoherency, Snowjob Squareglasses has embarked on a bold new course of mudslinging. However, after asserting that Senator Obama pals around with terrorists, she was questioned about this statement.

During her stop in California, Palin was asked about an Associated Press analysis that said her charge about Ayers was unsubstantiated, a point made by other news organizations, and the criticism carried a "racially tinged subtext that McCain may come to regret."
"The Associated Press is wrong," Palin said, before arguing that the issue had not been adequately discussed.

Well, she does read all the papers so one would assume that she would know. < cough, cough >

Saturday Painting Palooza Vol.165

Welcome back.

This week we'll be continuing with the Sonoran desert scene. I'm doing this on an 8x10 canvas in my usual acrylic paints. The photo that I'm using is seen in the photo directly below.

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

Since that time I have continued to work on the painting

I've concentrated most of my efforts on the cactus for this week's installment. It now has branches defined by a blue border. At least part of this blue edge will eventually become the shadowing seen in the photo. Within the blue borders the body of the plant is now a temporary green. This green will be brightened and highlighted later on.

Changes have also been made to the horizon line and the sky. Upon defining the form of the cactus I realized that the horizon was too high. I lowered it a bit, a change that is still obvious in the half-finished sky. The sky has also received some paint but still has a long way to go.

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.