Catching the Moment

As I walked out of work to my car. The full moon was in the perfect place against this tree. I grabbed my camera and snapped a few shots, made a few mental notes about color and mood, then went home for dinner. A few minutes after I snapped those photos, the light and color had vanished. Two days later, armed with the photos and those mental notes I spoke of, I laid this pastel down. After a few tweaks, it was ready to frame.

Inspiration can be fleeting so it's always good to be ready for it. It tends to favor the prepared.

Getting Out There

This past weekend I was given the opportunity to show my work in a great venue in Valdosta, GA. Along with preparing some current work, I spent several weeks getting some new work done and getting it all framed and ready. The show was the culmination of a lot of late nights and some extra $$. It was very satisfying to see it all up at the show and in the end, I think it will have great returns for me and my family. So, what's my point here? Work that lies around the studio and looks nice does you no good. Get it framed, get it out and let the world see what it is you do with all those solitary hours. You may be surprised at the results.

Limited Palette: Finished Painting

So, here's the finished painting. This was a great exercise and I am pleased with the result. Going to do a few more of these before I stray off into another type of palette. Thanks for stopping by to take a look. Hope you were pleased as well.

Limited Palette

Working this week with a limited palette. Cad Red, Yel. Ochre Pale and Ivory Black (the Alizarin is a party crasher). Using just a few colors is always a nice break as it lets you focus on the values and the temperature of the colors, rather than worry about getting that exact hue, which can lead to pulling too many colors onto the palette and muddying things up. These (rather poor quality cell phone) photos show a couple steps of blocking the major elements in.

This method makes the painting go much faster as it requires a little less thought in mixing colors. One can pull all three colors together to mix and still not make a mess. It also lends itself to a cooler temperature overall, which I find pleasing. I'll post the final result of this one when complete.

A Rare Day

Today, I painted in a secluded spot on the water that was perfectly quiet with great views and a big shade tree to stand under. The late spring weather here is still perfect, not too cool and not too hot. It is also early enough in the year that the bugs are not really a factor yet. It is rare to find such a perfect spot and conditions when painting outdoors. When you go out take sunscreen, bug spray - I like to spray it all around where I'm standing, as I have had a few run-ins with ants - and water. An umbrella of some sort is nice too for a hot day, as there is not always a handy shade tree and those large oaks are difficult to move. Be sure to enjoy those perfect days and perfect spots, but be prepared for heat, cold, bugs, noise, people asking stupid questions, etc... The payoff for painting outdoors is occasionally the experience, but normally, its the wisdom gained and, if all goes well, the painting you get to bring home.

Now, Where Was I?

Well, a wonderful and eventful year has passed since the birth of our son, Liem. My life has been filled with utter joy and a music I had never heard before, a music only parents know.

I had no idea that being a daddy would be so wonderful or so busy. The small spare room I call "my studio" has been collecting dust all this time, but this week I shook it off and tonight I headed out to paint, feeling good to be so engaged again. I spent this momentous occassion in a little park not far from here, enjoying the cool, clear Gulf Coast evening. The tall pine trees stood still for me quite well and managed to look rather dashing in the warm evening light. I can't say that the result of my effort was great, but the effort itself was very enjoyable. I managed to completely cover an 11x14 canvas panel in paint. Beyond that I did not accomplish much.

I had forgotten some things, such as how I can stand for two hours without noticing my aches and pains or that its hot or cold - my hands were freezing when I was done - when I am focused on capturing something on canvas. I had also forgotten how much I love doing this. Well, anyway, it was great to get started again and I look forward to many more sessions in the days ahead.

Life is once again being served with a side of art.