Del Giardino

This is one of my latest larger paintings. I like to mix the realism with the abstracted backgrounds. I try to find little pieces that don't get painted, where the toned ground shows through. The play between what's there and what's not, and the abstract vs. the rendered is like a game. It's fun to create, and I hope it's fun to look at. This is oil on canvas, 28x38, for $400.

Three for All

I have been trying to get back into painting after the whole family getting the stomach virus last week. I painted a couple that I haven't had time to post. This one I felt came out well, although I think I need to start jazzing up the backgrounds. This is 9x12", oil on canvas board for $25.

Biting Lemon

I like to comment on the interaction between humans and nature in my work. Generally this means combining tools (and I keep that interpretation vague) and food objects as symbols for human intrusion on the natural world. This 6X8" oil painting is available for $25.

Envious Apple

This is a quick study done in about 45 minutes. I am trying to loosen up again and not get wrapped up in the details. My hope is that over time the paintings will look more "intentional" and less labored. This painting is 6X8" and is in oil. $25 to the first taker.

Painted and Quartered

This is my second small painting since I started painting again. Cabbage is a lot harder to paint than it looks. I thought this was going to be an easy one, but I had to struggle to get the colors and the subtle details. This is also a reminder that painting is like anything else: if you don't practice you lose some of your skills. That is why I am trying to stay committed to painting several small paintings a week.

Painting Again

With the start of my new blog Notenoughours (I know it's missing an H; I'm all for sharing, plus if your like me you don't have the time to type extra letters) I decided to resume my daily painting and blog (not truly every day, the concept refers to completing small paintings every couple of days or once a week to improve fluency with your medium). Last nigh I did a 6"X8" titled Blue in Pears and it is for sale for $40 on Daily Paintworks.

Those of you who know me and my work know I am fond of painting fruit, especially pears.

I started the "daily painting" and blogging a couple of years ago and was pretty good about posting every few days, but then my school work got heavy and I had to stop for a while. I want to resume these exercises to rebuild my "seeing" skills more so than my painting skills. Please check back often to help me stay motivated to keep painting.

Half and Half

The difficulty with painting white subjects is to convey the idea of white without being dull or bland. The meat of the apple isn't truly white, but close enough to be tricky. I left a few spots untreated with lemon juice to get an umber tinge in spots. I then cut back in with a mix of white, cad yellow light, and burnt umber. The shadow side of the quartered apple slice has a nice violet created with ultramarine, alizarin, white and a touch of the local color on the lit side. As with my last few paintings, I toned the ground with burnt umber and covered that with a thin mix of ultramarine, white and burnt umber. The use of burnt umber in each part of the painting gives it a cohesiveness. This is 8x6", oil on canvas panel for $80. Please visit my blog and website. Thanks.

Hot in Traffic

Recently I have been working on more neutral backgrounds with some of the ground color showing through. I like the effect I am getting and hope to explore this further. This composition was difficult to develop. It can be tough to get a good arrangement with an even number of objects, but lately I have felt stagnant using only odd numbers in my compositions. This looked like afternoon traffic on an urban road. It is 6x8", oil on canvas panel for $80. Please visit my blog and website. Thanks.

Inner Glow

Until recently the persimmon I have seen at the market have been pale, short, and unattractive. I came upon a beautiful bunch a few days ago and was excited to paint them. This arrangement came quickly and the painting fell into place (just as my last one did). The hardest part was getting the shadow color (cad orange medium with burnt sienna) to have enough opacity. I laid a burnt sienna ground and covered it with a thin mix of raw umber, ultramarine, and white. If you look closely some of that warm ground glows through the light overcoat in a very subtle way. It took me longer to set up the arrangement and my equipment than it did to actually paint it. This is 8x6", oil on canvas panel for $80. Please visit my blog and website. Thanks.

In The Pink

After not painting for about a week and getting off to a mediocre start the day before, I was thrilled when this one just "fell off" my brush. I was anticipating these to be difficult, but every stroke seemed to go in the right place. This one is 6x8", oil on canvas panel for $80. Please visit my blog and website. Thanks.

Peared Off

I have had a very hard time getting painting time the last couple of weeks. Thanksgiving, then both my kids got sick, and now my wife has the "Bug." I am making an effort to get back into the rhythm I had built prior to Thanksgiving. This is my first effort since my hiatus. I like the subtle color of the background (after my intense backgrounds over the last couple of months) but the pears look a little too artificial for my liking. This one is 6x8", oil on canvas panel. Please visit my blog and website. Thanks.

Pile Up

This painting was a blast to paint. Everything seemed to go the way I wanted. This is good considering I struggled with several paintings over the past week or so. These effortless, fun paintings are what keep us working through the tough times I suppose. I hope everyone enjoys their Thanksgiving! This painting is 8x10", oil on canvas panel for $100. Please visit my blog and website. Thanks.

Shallot Plate

When I looked at this painting in the daylight, I realized it needs more value contrast. Other than that I like the composition, colors, and rendering. This is 6x8", oil on canvas panel for $60. Please visit my blog and website. Thanks.

The Council (to post or not to post)

So I haven't posted in a few days. The last several paintings haven't exactly lived up to my standards. OK, they bombed): I felt OK about this one, but there are some things I'm not thrilled about. Since I almost never return to a daily painting to make corrections (when I have tried, it doesn't work) I am stuck with a choice: To post or not to post? The main focus/purpose of these daily paintings for me is about the practice, experience, the habit of painting, so I'm not too concerned about having a run of bad paintings. My concern is that some people check my blog semi-frequently and expect to see a new painting at least every other day. If the audience was just family, friends and fellow artists, I wouldn't be concerned about posting a weak painting for the feedback/constructive criticism, but clients and potential clients read my blog and I'm not sure if it is wise to post work I'm not proud of. I also don't want it to appear that I'm not committed to working diligently. This is where I ask any of you who are actually reading this (as opposed to just viewing the paintings) for your opinions, especially you artists. What decision would you make, to post or not to post? I would really appreciate the feedback. Please visit my blog and website. Thanks.

At Odds - Sold

I have been doing a lot of paintings recently that are from above or don't have a backdrop to catch the cast shadows of the subjects. I really like the effect of the vertical shadow. It seems to show an alter ego or some subliminal aspect of the subject's personality. With this painting, I got a sense the two pears just had a disagreement and the moment depicted is the awkward silence immediately following the argument, where the two parties are confined to a closed space together. This is one of my favorites of my daily paintings. At Odds is 8x6", oil on canvas panel for $80. Please visit my blog or website. Thanks.