Cloudy Day

10"x8" acrylic on masonite

Last Sunday, my family and I went on a walk at Blackwell Forest Preserve. The weather was beautiful! It was in the 80's in March! I always try to bring along my camera for painting reference. These beautiful clouds were rolling in and I happened to get some good shots. This one had to be painted.

I have really been enjoying painting these landscapes. It is so much fun and peaceful, especially with classical music playing in the background. I am happy with the results of this painting. Maybe I will have to do a larger cloud painting in the future?

Evening Glow

28"x22" acrylic on canvas

photo reference provided by SalsolaStock DA

I was in the mood for painting a landscape. Had a lot of fun painting this one and I learned some new techniques. Overall I am happy with it.

Lady with a hat

11"x14" acrylic on masonite

photo reference provided by Lisa aka Fairiegoodmother

detail of face

I really enjoyed this one. People are always a challenge to paint and get a good likeness. One of the disadvantages to acrylics is that the paint often dries a darker color than when it is was originally painted in. This makes the portrait process even more challenging. Through trial and error I have been learning to mix my colors with more accuracy.

Banana's

7"x5" acrylic on masonite

Banana's painting demo

My booth at the Gallery Gala show

This was the first show that I have participated in that I have had my own booth space. It was also my first time painting in an art show. It was a lot of work, but also a great experience. I was a bit disappointed that I didn't sell more than a few paintings, however, the other artists seemed to be experiencing the same. It was fun to be in the show and I was proud of my work, even if it wasn't a huge success.

Apple Slice

7"x5" acrylic on masonite

Finished this one just in time for my show today. I have to quick varnish it and frame it. I will post some pics of my show tomorrow.

Tree on a rock

10"x8" acrylic on masonite

photo reference by LazyBonesStudios

http://lazybonesstudios.deviantart.com/gallery/?q=stock+tree#/d2o91hz

I always find it hard to create more depth in a painting from a photo reference. In an effort to do this, I made the trees and the distant hills much cooler and I warmed up the foreground.  Is it a successful painting? I am not sure if I like it or not, but I did enjoy myself with this one.

Bufalo Hot Sauce

8"x10" acrylic on masonite

After painting many other subjects in the past few weeks, I was in the mood for a still life. I wanted to do one with a bottle of some sort and thought this arrangement would be perfect. The background is very loose and I kept the subject detailed. I really enjoy painting in this style and can't wait to start another.

Aslan

8"x10" acrylic on masonite

Photo reference provided by Amber Legras

I decided to keep this painting very loose other than the detail in the face. I also enjoy letting the underpainting appear in areas of the painting.


Most of the time my paintings have to grow on me. I may not be happy with them when I finish, but love them later... The tricky part is knowing when to stop or to keep going. It is so easy to overwork it. Because of this, I like to take frequent breaks and step away, or post my progress on facebook. Not only to share it, but to study it.

Amphora

9"x12" acrylic on masonite

Photo reference by photographer Marcus Ranum

I have been enjoying painting the backgrounds very loosely and keeping my subject more refined in some of my latest works. I think I will do some more pieces like this in the future.

Heading Out

12"x16" acrylic on masonite

Last fall my family and I watched a horse show at the Danada Fall Festival in Wheaton, IL. A portion of the show was of about a dozen cowboys shooting targets on horseback. It was an amazing show and I was fortunate enough to get some great reference photos. Ever since, I have wanted to do a painting and I have finally gotten around to it. I really enjoyed painting the clothing and all the highlights. I also had fun making up the background and using my imagination a bit. I am very pleased with the results.

Below are a few close ups of the cowboy and the horse...