Saturday Painting Palooza Volume 276

Hello again painting fans.

This week I will be continuing with the painting of the turreted Cape May house. I'll be using the photo seen directly below.

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.

I've made a number of changes this week. The house to the right is now darker and totally without details. It just seems to work better. Note that the photo has darkened it a bit. There is now a touch of green on the strip of lawn directly at the foot of the house. It matches the green on the tree to the far right rear. The stairs have had a dark area added underneath as in the original photo. Finally, some gray has been added to the roadway, which picks up the gray of the roof. The painting is now complete.

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

That's about it for now. Next week I'll have a new piece 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.

Saturday Painting Palooza Volume 275

Hello again painting fans.

This week I will be continuing with the painting of the turreted Cape May house. I'll be using the photo seen directly below.

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.

I've actually made a number of changes but they don't seem to show up well in the photos. Starting at the bottom, the street and sidewalk have received some attention. They appear sharper and darker. (For next week I will add some color to the strip of grass.) To the right, the house next door is also darker but I think that it may need to be darker still. Or at least grayer. To the left, the tree to the far rear now has a bit of green on its highlighted portions. Below the tree, things have been sharpened a bit. Above, the sky has actually received another layer of paint. Finally, on the house itself, the stairs and lower portions have had some sharpening of details. I still have a few more things to add.

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

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.

Saturday Painting Palooza Volume 274

Hello again painting fans.

This week I will be continuing with the painting of the turreted Cape May house. I'll be using the photo seen directly below.

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.

I made a number of changes this week. The roofs and windows are now seen in gray. I may alter the windows a bit but the grey will stay for now. The windows to the right are now heavily shadowed like the siding around them. I've added to the background to the extreme left side. The details, and especially the white areas, push the house forward a bit. Finally, I've added a layer of paint to the sky and the structure to the right as well as details to the foreground. Each of these will need more work.

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

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.

Saturday Painting Palooza Volume 273

Hello again painting fans.

This week I will be continuing with the painting of the turreted Cape May house. I'll be using the photo seen directly below.

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.

I've continued to work on the painting, adding opaque layers of color. I haven't talked much about technique so I'll add a few words here. I've used only one thick brush to add all the paint applied since last week. I'm told that art schools use such an exercise (painting with only one thick brush) to get students to focus on the big picture rather than fussy details. My use of this same process has resulted in an image that presents me with a dilemma. I like the current image very much. In fact, I'm torn. I'm not sure that I want to add much more to this piece. I like the rather raw image that still manages to convey the house well. In fact, better paintings often manage to convey their messages with a minimum of paint. So, I will make a few changes and then decide.

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

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.

What's The Matter With Kansas? (And the USA)

How can the misdeeds of 8 years be undone in less than 2? They can't. Yet the electorate is apparently expecting the impossible. Poised to turn back Democratic majorities, people are narrowly focused upon quick economic relief. While understandable, such a view both expects too much too soon and leaves aside other important issues. Various reforms have been put into place during the course of the current administration but these are largely ignored. Sadly, it's (only) the economy stupid, and it (apparently) had better be quick.

Years from now (hopefully) the textbook writers will take note of the 70 plus pieces of legislation that have been passed up to this point. Sadly, they may be the only ones to recognize them.