Sandy Point Shoal Lighthouse, Annapolis, Maryland

This is the Sunday Painting work,  I worked on improving on the sky, clouds, water, and the distant treeline.  I had an intermediate step were i had put the lighthouse in, but I could not find the photo of that step.  I will need to add the final details on the lighthouse and I will probably add more refinement to the waves on the Chesapeake Bay.

Duck Dawn Patrol

I blocked in the sky and the sun on this painting last week.  I added some definition around the sun and the outlines of the Pintail Ducks.  I will refine the ducks later with more detail later.

Estes Park Elk

I worked on my Estes Park Elk.  I had started this last year but was totally unhappy with it.  I picked it up tonight and reworked the reflection of the shallow water.  The reflection was what was frustrating me the most.  I like the rework and I then blocked the Elk's body.  I got to the head and the horns last, so they are the least developed.  If you ever travel to Estes Park, Colorado just outside the Rocky Mountain National Park.  There is a herd of elk near down town in a park and near a golf course.  They can be a bit of a hazard if you play your golf game too aggressively.

New iris Study - the Finish

I added highlights tonight to the petals, the stems and I added the Stamens on the purple/white petals. Not a bad little painting to relax after the first day back after the big storm.

Colorado - Fall in the Foothills

I worked on this painting during the snow day.  I changed the foliage, the foreground, and I added detail to the horses.  I will let it rest and then I may make some small changes, to finish.

Snowy Creek, Amber Willow - block-in

I worked on this after working on digging out the car.  The truck is out and we are mobile but the car not so much. The block-in went ok.   I like the foreground creek and surface ice.  The rest is a bit of a mess.  There are lots of bare branches and foliage in the background which I will add latter as a second go at this one.

California Beach Study

I worked on this today, since it is not a snow scene.  I have seen enough snow for a bit.  I dug my truck out today, but the car is still buried.  This is small study of the ocean waves breaking off the coast of California against the beach and some rocks.  It is not a bad start bit it will need some adjustment to capture the foam and waves curling and breaking.

Ponderosa Pines - study

This is not my original design but it is a study of Ponderosa Pines.  I worked on this during the blizzard today.  Fortunately the electricity did not go out, so I worked on getting this set-up.  This is a decent start but I will need to make some adjustments to the foreground and some of the tree branches to get them more realistic and believable.

Grand Canyon - Block-in

This is real rough block-in of a Grand Canyon sketch.  We are awaiting the big snow storm and I am finishing up with a cold and a migraine so I did not do as much on this as I would have liked.  I will need to bring the right side more into the shadow to make this a little bit convincing.  We will see if the power stays on long enough to do anything else.

Winter Twilight Taiga

This is a start for a snow scene of Winter Twilight in the Taiga, or the northern latitudes of Canada, Europe, and Alaska.  I plan to add some more willow detail and some bare branch Birch trees.

Meadow's Edge - Block-in

I am fighting off a cold today on MLK Day.  We stayed home and rested.  I did work on this start of a Meadow's Edge.  This will need more delicate foliage work and grass work but, I am satisfied with how this started.  Cold Medicine must be good or maybe it was the extra sleep.

Astilbe Flower Study

Another flower study on the road to painting fun and competency.  This is pretty straight forward but it will need some highlights on the blooms and leaves.

Hibiscus Study with Butterfly

After last night's struggle with a winter landscape, I flipped back to the flowers.  I worked on this Hibiscus with butterfly.  Not a bad start.  I will need to rework the stems and the leaf.  The Butterfly will need its details to be more believable.

Snowy Creek Winter twilight

Tonight's post is the 14th painting for the fourteenth day of the new year.  It is an okay start but not as well put together as last night's Iris flower.  This one will need some adjustments and details to make it worthwhile as a painting, just about every part will need to be worked to improve it and get it right. The work goes on towards the 10,000 hours.

New Iris Study

I painted this from start to pretty close to finish tonight.  I got a good early start and the painting came together well.  As an artist you have to love when that happens.  I will make some adjustments and I will add highlights and stamens but this is pretty close to complete.

Columbine Flower - Block-in

I wanted to do something different this evening so I started on this study of a Columbine Flower.  It is the state flower of Colorado and is found in many a mountain meadow.  This flower will need some work on the petals and the yellow stamens at the center of the bud will be added after I get the petals right.

Snowy High Plains - block-in

Tonight's start is Snowy High Plains study.  The snowy road across the plain looking towards the mountains.  The clouds will need some highlights.  The foreground snowy shadow will need some more definition to make it believable, so I will have some more work to do this weekend.

Snowy Canyon - Block-in

I worked on a few things but this is the most ready to be posted.  I am happy with the sky but the trees, the cliff, and the snow slopes will need work.  I have painted every day of the year so far, I am ten for ten.

Canadian Rockies

After running errands today, I worked on this small study.  It is of the Canadian Rockies in the Alberta area.  I tried harder to get my colors correct the first time so I will have to do less adjustments.  I partially succeeded bt I will have to still work the trees, the river and the mountain shadows.

Canadian Rockies Frozen Lake - Block-in

Tonight's Oil Painting is a block-in of a scene from the Canadian Rockies.  I will need to adjust the trees and I will need to work the cliffs some.

Snowy Creek - Block-in plus

I have not posted this before.  I did an initial block-in but I was un happy with it.  Tonight I worked it over a bit.  I changed the snow, the creek reflection, and I tweaked the snow slope and sky.  I will add more trees to the right middle ground but I need to be satisfied with the background sky and slope.  It will need some work, but this is part of the new year 7 days of painting every night.

Snowy River - Update

Tonight I worked on developing this block-in further.  You can see the differences between them.  I refined the trees on both sides of the river.  I worked on the shadows on the banks and I worked on the brush clumps.  I added reflections to the river and a little reflection of current midstream.  I will add more branches to the riverside pine tree later.

Snowy River Valley - Update

I worked on this Winter scene.  I darkened the river, improved the snow on both sides, and I totally changed the trees in both the foreground and background.  I will finish this by refining the close trees and the grass/brush clumps.

Winter Stream Twilight Study - Update

I did the initial block-in o this small study in November and just now have circled back on it to rework it.  I mostly worked the water and the left snow bank in the shadows.  I also added to the foliage and added snow to the branches across all the trees and brush.  This is mostly done except for some brush to anchor the left snow bank.

High Mountain Stream

I blocked this in earlier in December, so today I revisited it.  I added depth to the water, the trees, and I changed the sky a little bit.  I added snow to the branches.  I think this is pretty close, but I will let it rest and then I will make the final changes with these questions? Darker or lighter? Warmer or Cooler color?

Snowy New Year Stream - another start

This evening, I blocked in this Snowy New Year Stream, interestingly enough we have had no snow yet and only a little cold here.  One can only hope for a change in the weather to make doing some plein air painting interesting.

Grass study - the start

Happy New Years!  I hope everyone enjoyed their 2015 and are looking forward to 2016.  Today's post is a Grass study or at least the start of it.  I am going to try and make 2016 the year of painting with as many paintings as possible.