Prairie Twilight - Part 3

Prairie Twilight was dry so I worked some washes and dry brushed various colors into the foreground and sky.  I am not happy with the center right light cloud mass so I will tweak it some more tomorrow night.  Once the white skyline is dryer I will start to add the Pronghorns.

Juneau's Alaska Welcoming committee - the Bald Eagles

Last September, we went on an Alaskan Cruise.  It was beautiful scenery and great wildlife.  This pair of Bald Eagles were perched on a channel marker on the way into Juneau.  I did a little sketching but mostly captured pictures.  Thank God I have a massive lenses to capture great photos of wildlife.  The great thing about being a painter and sketcher is you can fix your photography mistakes in your artwork.  The long term plan is to live this art centered lifestyle all day instead of on vacations and on the edges of each day.

Another Ruby Throated Hummingbird

This is an oil painting I did for my Grandmother, Joan Jenkins.  She has pasted away now about eight years or so.  She taught me and got me interesting in wildlife, wild flowers, and birds back 45 years ago on trips into the Colorado Rockies. So I did this Ruby Throated Hummingbird (male) checking out a Trumpeter Vine flower.  I had never noticed the vines till we lived in Utah and then found them in Maryland.  We always have the Hummingbirds loitering around the house between the vines and the feeders.

American Robin

More Project Bird stuff.  This is a colored pencil of an American Robin.  A common favorite bird from all around the country.  I like to watch them and look for the hidden white spots on their bodies.  Next time you see one look to see if you can spot these markings when they spread wings, bob their tail and around their eyes.

Merlin

Long day, Long week.  Back to Project Bird.  This is a Merlin, we say these a couple times in Utah.  This colored pencil drawing is of a rehab Merlin getting well before returning to the wild.

Prairie Twilight - Part 2

SO another night of working the clouds and I darkened the foreground.  You cannot tell from the photo, but I used the opposite non-brush end of the brush to scratch grass in to the thick paint.  I am going to let the painting dry and will work some dry brushing into the clouds and put a thin lighter wash into the grass of the foreground.  When I am happy with both, I am going to add the Pronghorn silhouettes to the skyline.  Sometimes it is better to let a painting rest.  A little time and space helps the artist spot the problems or issues.  Sometimes time results in a restart on a clean canvas to try a different tact.  Occasionally, a painting just comes together without any effort.  Occasionally.   I'll take better photos in daylight and show some of what I have mentioned. 

Prairie Twilight

Tonight I worked on getting the clouds depth worked in.  Working the edges in the transitions between the clouds. Tomorrow, I want to re-work the foreground to develop its depth and work the clouds more.