This was a tough and challenging still life (my second). As you can see it included lots of glass, complicated wood texture and coloring, and a reflective surface on which all objects were placed. The toughest aspect of this painting was the backdrop itself. For some reason I struggled to match the color and the texture. Ahh, more to learn. Today I painted, cleaned the house and road my bike on the Foothills Parkway. Live oneth.

Here is a finished portrait that seems to have the right aspect ration and proportions, but I’m in need of more refinement – especially with eyes. Ok then. The prior ‘work-in-progress’ was close – but herein is the final. Paint oneth.

The two images herein are an attempt to use acrylics – and I’m not having much luck. The medium requires a “backward” process of dark to light paint layering because it dries so quickly. I took a few liberties with the photograph when translating it to a painting – which was taken in Hawai’i near Pu’uhonua o Honaunau. Aloha.

A few weeks ago while painting my first still life, I began thinking of my second painting. Go figure – HA! In the process of figuring out what to paint, I accumulated several Goodwill artifacts and various fabric elements to help for future projects. None of those objects from Goodwill were selected for still life #2 … I’ll savor those glass items for later.

On Monday of this week I began mixing paint – rather than draw out the still life. Painting is a time hog (more so than riding my bike which I’m still doing). Prior to mixing paint, I spent three hours preparing the still life set – which included re-building the stage, adjusting the lights, and adjusting the studio.

In a later post I’ll show a photo of the palette for this painting. I’ve not counted the total number of colors but I suspect I’m well beyond 50. Mixing paint was time intensive – it took a total of 9 hours. Earlier this afternoon I drew the still life in water color pencil to prepare for laying the paint. In the attached gallery images you’ll see that the first attempt to organize the layout failed. I erased it and started over. Over the weekend I’ll complete the painting – and I anticipate a total of 12 additonal hours. The total – 25 hours – makes the painting worth $875.  More “whew!”

The painting process would move quicker should I have the time to dedicate to the task. I’m limited to a few minutes here and there with only one or two days per week to get into it. Oh well, when I’m not painting I’m thinking about what I’m going to do next. Meanwhile, I’m riding, working out, taking care of bizness, figuring out my relationship with the girlfriend, or just figuring out what the world has to offer these days. I’ll complete this ’study’ over the weekend – look for it sooneth. Ride, paint, and live oneth.

The process of teaching myself to paint is interesting. I’m using a video lesson series to learn – and while it’s helpful – it’s just one lesson. My artistic skill is limited and I’m having trouble with some of the basics – like painting noses and facial contour. Maybe a few thousand of these will give me the experience needed for the “masterpiece” I envision painting someday. Dream on is my motto.

Today’s image is a true work in-progress; it’s a 9×12″ portrait. You’ll note the artboard is ‘brown’ (actually it’s burnt umber with white mixed). The brownish coloration actually the stain I apply to the board to prep it for painting. It’s much easier to apply paint on a neutral tone rather than a white board. Besides, if I miss a spot anywhere in the painting the brown flecks will not be near as obvious as white flecks created by a stark-naked board. This painting will be completed later this week. Later.

This little painting, 12×12, was roughed out several weeks ago when contemplating portrait work. The whole process seemed (and still does) daunting. Rather than attempt another “realist” look, I just laid down the color as I wanted. I picked up three brushes and keep laying down paint. At one point this face began taking on the appearance of a cat and I modified the eyes slightly to avoid that outcome. Noses in general are difficult for me at the moment. I’ll try working on improving the “nose” in my next painting – after which I’ll work on hands and feet. Naturally I’m having difficulty with the process because I’ve had no formal training. The last art class I can remember taking was many years ago in middle school! Eekk! More as I have it …

My first still life is behind me and rather than discard the palette I mixed (which required 8 hours of work), I elected to continue painting with its color mix. Granted, the palette is not ideal for portrait painting because are it doesn’t include true flesh tones (as if I know what a portrait palette would include -ha)! This first attempt at this painting had me working into the night ‘over thinking’ the palette of six or seven colors (all of the same tone, but different values). The result is a painting that’s “ok” but certainl it’s not a competitive entry. It certainly looks much better when viewed with my eyes rather than my camera. Ok then – I’ll keep trying.