Is it Done Yet?

.Rower
2'X4' oil on carved wood

Another go at Rower. So much more interesting. Oh how I struggled. But- so often, the struggle adds such fabulous layers and depth to a painting- especially oil. Is it done? Maybe. But I'm setting it aside for a bit. A time out for this one. I do like the flat images mingling with the three dimentional/realistic ones. Been playing with this more and more in the last year.

Meanwhile there is a chicken in my bathtub. It had a bath, yes, and now is staying out of the mud (besides what it self-generates). We are off to Cloverdale early tomorrow. I have some pieces in a juried show there and Benjamin is entering his now clean chicken in the citrus fair. Wish us luck!

a close-up of the carved tree

Letting Go of the Original Vision

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4'X2' Letting Go

The balloons were tied to my clothes line for a week. I took so many photos of them out in the sun I near on got sun stroke. From sun stroke to brush stroke. Sounds like the title of an article in Weekend Artists magazine. Originally and until a couple days ago the balloons were multi-colored. I just couldn't balance all that brightness. Finally I realized they needed to be all white to blend with the sky and I had to let go of that original vision. But what a fabulous example of how layering can really add dimension and enhance the finished piece. I think if there hadn't been a bright orange, celadon blue, and grass green balloon in the mix it never would have glowed like this final painting.


I've never painted clouds before (or balloons) on such a scale and it was quite challenging and fun. I held Benjamins hand in the air and sketched it directly onto the painting. His little fingers flexed and rolled and straightened alien long but the final, I think, worked out so all is well. Thank goodness the boys don't mind being free models. (okay perhaps there was a promise of ice cream).