Bright Fog 8×10

This is my latest plein air painting.  I got out for an afternoon session the other week and there was this thick fog lying low in the valley.  My goal here was to capture the atmospheric perspective of objects becoming cooler and less defined as they recede into the distance.  The application of paint in this painting is a little different than typical for me, with a little more paint on the canvas.  I have yet to zero in on a signature style, maybe after a couple more years I will have found one.

Thanks for viewing!

Arrangement in the Basement 9×12

My wife and I spent last week traveling with our newborn to see family so once again I am posting an older painting.  This was painted in my basement where I have my studio.  I spent some time moving a few furniture pieces around until I found a composition that worked well enough.  This is a painting focused on value rather than color.  If I remember correctly I toned my canvas with raw umber, which shows through behind the white of the wall, and for the painting I used transparent oxide red, ultramarine blue, one of the yellows, and titanium white.  For me this painting works because of its use of contrast, e.g. the one heavy object on the right balanced by the multiple lighter objects on the left, the small objects among the larger ones, the more transparent and thinly applied paint of the shadow areas combined with the thicker more opaque application of the light areas, and the overall higher key of the painting balanced out by the smaller percentage of low key areas (if I understand correctly, key refers to value, which is the spectrum from light to dark, high key = light value).

Thanks for viewing.

Red House 11×14

I've decided to share one of my earlier plein air paintings in order to explore a few thoughts on the process of learning.

At this point in my painting career I feel that I have reached a plateau, and quite possibly I have even regressed some.  Is this to be expected, or am I missing some critical element?  I am painting more, becoming more familiar with the work of other artists, discovering more about the subtleties of paint application and the use of edges, value and color.  In theory all of this should lead to my being able to produce more technically skilled, expressive, and powerful paintings, but in reality, the opposite seems to be occurring.  I have faith that this is partly due to simply having higher expectations and a more critical eye, and that it is also a natural part of the learning process.  I am sure that I will one day produce a piece that I like as much as that one I painted a year ago.

Thanks for viewing.

Change of Season 11×14

Yesterday was my first winter outdoor painting session.  I am excited for the season and the new colors it will bring to the landscape.  Dealing with the colder temperatures should be fun too.  For this painting I had to where gloves, which really limits the dexterity.  This, however, may be a good thing considering that I tend to get overly focused on details and lose track of the big picture of composition and color/value relationships.

Thanks for viewing.

Indonesian Tea Pot 8×8

This is my most recent still-life painting.  I have a whole stock pile of paintings that I intend to add the finishing touches to someday.  This painting will be added to that pile.  In reality I will not return to most of these paintings but it allows me to let go and move on.  I'm happy with the loose quality of the brush strokes but I feel that more modeling of the body of the pot would enhance the feeling of curvature.

Thanks for viewing.

Jar of Honey 6×8

Here is a still-life that I painted this past week.  I have started painting on a smaller format given the new time constraints that have come with caring for a small, fragile, precious human life that is our son. This is a honey jar that was given to us by friends of my wife who operate a small bee/honey production in the midwest.  My goal here was to use loose choppy brushstrokes of varying color and value.  I am fairly satisfied with the result.

Thanks for viewing.

Honey Pot 13×20

My wife gave birth to a beautiful baby boy last week so the weekly painting has come to a stand still for the moment.  This is a still-life painting I did a little less than a year ago.  I spent a long time on it and I do not think I have done a nicer painting since.

Thanks for viewing.

Tea Pot with Orange and Blue 6×8

After a few frustrating outdoor painting sessions I decided to set up a still-life to work from.  I think I may have gotten a little carried away with the orange but I'm happy with the composition and the rendering of the objects.

Thanks for viewing

Evening Graze 8×12

I painted this the other evening.  What drew me to the scene was the illuminated farm hidden behind the trees (structures, old trucks, etc).  Once the painting was underway, however, I realized that my scene selection was perhaps a bit too subtle to capture with my present painting ability.  As well, there is a lack of contrast in size of shapes.  Maybe the next scene will be more conducive to creating the elusive masterpiece?

Season's End 9×12

I painted this the other morning.  I ended up wiping away a lot of the foreground, simplifying the picture.  Sometimes I feel that this is cheating, that painting should be only an additive process.  Oh well, do what you gotta do to get the desired results.

Thanks for viewing.

-Chris

Morning Glory 11×14

I painted this a few weeks ago.  I am posting it because I like it and I enjoyed painting it.  There was minimal fussing, things just seemed to fall into place.

Quiet Evening 8×10

I painted this last night.  I had high expectations as I've been thinking about painting at this particular location for a while.  It was a fairly enjoyable painting experience except for the sprinklers that came on and the one broken sprinkler that flooded the area and left me standing in a few inches of water.  I feel the result is o.k.  Looking at it now the shadow areas seems a bit too light in value, and the sky seems a bit one dimensional.

Towers of Grain 9×12

This is one of my more recent oil paintings. It was painted on location a few miles south of our house in Walla Walla WA.  It was a hot summer morning with a lot of flies.  I worked for about two hours in the blazing sun and then finished it up in the studio.  Thanks for viewing.