Elk in the pond

I finished working on this today.  I had started this painting a while back.  I had been frustrated with it so this one sat for two years before I picked it up last month.  I reworked the reflections which had been the biggest part of the problem.  I worked on it and then I worked the fur, the reflection, I added floating leaves, and some foliage around the bottom edges.

Brighton Summit - Block-in

This is the block-in for an oil painting of a rock face at the summit of Brighton Ski Area, near Salt Lake City, Utah.  When I do a block-in I try to get the shapes and colors on to the canvas as close as possible to the colors and the values to the study, photo, and notes I have taken from the original.  Some times I will make immediate corrections to the colors, values, and shapes.  I will also wait for it to dry to make adjustments.    I would like to get to the point of being able to do the painting in one go or alla prima.  Sometimes it works, but usually it takes a bit of work to get the painting to the point of satisfaction or frustration.

Engine House Junction Box

I worked on this still life of an Electrical Junction Box in the Baltimore and Ohio Engine House in Baltimore, Maryland.  The engine house is now the Rail Museum.  I noticed this box near some of the steam engines.  I liked the colors and the pattern of this.   The practice of still life painting is great way to improve your painting skills.

Washington Monument Cherry Blossoms - Block-in

I started this painting tonight of the Washington monument at night with Cherry Blossoms.  The blossoms will go into the bottom edge space.  I wanted to get the sky and the monument right before adding the foliage.  I will probably work on this over the weekend.

Sandy Point Shoal Lighthouse, Annapolis, Maryland

This shows the progress of this painting from the initial block-in, to the half way mark, to the final touches of detail in the water and the lighthouse.  You can see how I worked the problems and issues which bothered me with this painting.  Now I think it is finished and I am going to let it rest, dry, sign, and varnish.

Seattle Space Needle at night - block-in

This is the basic block-in for the Seattle Space Needle at night.  This will be mostly a step by step detail of the angles, the shadows, and the architectural features of this landmark.  Paintings are always tricky and harder than drawing, even though painting is drawing with a brush.  The wet paint makes everything harder.

Fishing Boats - Pencil study

I took a break from painting today and worked on this pencil study of fishing boats in port.  This is not an original but it is more of a training on darks and lights and the levels in between. Tomorrow I will finish the background on this and then return to painting.