Happy Valentine's Day!

So, it's no secret that I am the proud husband to the most amazing wife ever. So, I thought a little Photoshop Valentine was in order to start out the day (and I thought that you, digital world, might enjoy it, too)...

Finally Done!

Well, I have finally finished the Kaysville painting. There are still some issues with it, perhaps, but it has been beaten to death sufficiently, and I need to move on. I added a lot more blue into the water, distant mountains, and sky, and I think it is harmonizing better.

The bottom piece is a plein-air piece of the Bronx River that I did a few weeks ago. The top half I painted quickly and then the sun went behind some clouds and I spent the rest of the time chasing it. After bringing it home I repainted the bottom half at least three times, and this is as much as I can do without more information. Sorry it's a bit blurry, if I can get a better photo of it in the next few days I'll replace it.

Seeing The Everyday sketch

I did this sketch a few months ago for Seeing The Everyday magazine, but never posted it. It is one of my favorites that I have done for that incredible publication. If you haven't spent some time with that magazine yet, you really need to make some time for it: seeingtheeveryday.com. As I look at the drawing now, I really think it could use a suggestion of cast shadow at the base of the figure to ground it, and probably a bit of the left hand (her left) showing for the same reason. Next time:)

Little Key

This is a small color key I did on Saturday. Normally these come before the larger pieces, but I really liked the plein air piece I did of the Bronx River a few weeks ago, so I just decided to do this little small painting of it and use a slightly more intense palette. I have been trying to use black and burnt umber more sparingly lately, and I think it's helping my colors not be as muddy.

Color Studies

These are some color study pages I put together from little studies done over the last few years. A few of these have already been posted, but I thought it would be fun to have them all together. There is something strangely exciting about the energy of a loose little study that often seems elusive as the painting gets transfered to a larger piece.

A Winter Plein-Air

Ok, so no excuses about how long it has been since the last post, we'll just be grateful for the present. This is a plein-air piece that I did New Year's Eve along the Bronx River. Though it looks rather secluded there are actually cars that travel along both sides of this scene. That's the beauty of artistic editing. I feel like there are some good things happening, and I tried to be quite basic especially with my treatment of the trees. Happy 2011! Best yet...

Some Sketches

These are some sketches that I have had for awhile and just haven't posted. The top three are plein-air sketches done around Blue Sky Studios during my lunch our over the past year or so. The bottom four little guys are just some studies I did from some photos I had taken a few years ago. Now that I look at the bottom four I realize that the composition is fair, but the lighting isn't really telling much of a story. The sketch of the large trees (the one titled 'Greenwich') is probably my favorite of the bunch.