Category: Failed Paintings
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Sometimes, you suck.
Wow. Its hard to describe the extent of the feelings of defeat Im having right now. I drove an hour and a half down to Blackhand Gorge State Park today to try some Plein air painting. Dear God, it didnt go well. I hiked the trails and found an incredibly serene spot just off one…
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Cows on Zuercher Rd: #4
I painted this one ala prima (which means I didnt sketch it, and I painted it in one sitting.) I did this because I felt my last attempts were constrained by the sketch, and disjointed by letting the layers sit too long before coming back to it. I think doing it this way opened me…
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Fly on the Moon: #1
We had these moon flower plants in our yard when I was a kid, and I just simply loved them. When my mom and dad moved from our childhood home, I asked my mom to bring me some of the moonflower pods so I could grow them here. This morning, I decided to paint one,…
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NYC: #4
I am really displeased with this one. I liked the drawing, but the whole thing just didnt work. I got into painting bits and bobs too soon. I dont want to do a full write up on this, because Im not happy with it. Im only posting this in hopes that one day, Ill look…
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NYC: #1
My friend Cris asked for a painting of New York City to put in her office. Her office is decorated in a largely black and white color scheme, so I tried to paint this in black and white. I decided to punch it up a bit with some yellow, as a tribute to the taxis…
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Gervasi Gazebo: #3
Ive been getting frustrated with a lack of progress again. And this time its because I cant seem to get the effects I want. Im trying to emulate other painters because I admire their work – and I never get the same kind of results. I know, I know – paint the way you feel…
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Dairy Farm: #1
This is the first painting after a series of Plein Air and at-home studies of a dairy farm on Route 21 near New Philadelphia, Ohio. The first post is here. The second is here. Sketch I decided to try another sketch of the composition last night, in order to try to simplify the composition a…
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Stop Looking at Me SWAAAAN.
Rachel and I went to Gervasi Still House for coffee today before work. I was pleasantly surprised. They had great coffee, with a free refill, and it wasnt expensive. We might have to do that more often. After coffee, Rachel left for work, but I still had some time to kill, so I walked around…
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City Rach: #1
So… on to the first attempt at a final draft. Heres the recipe I had in my head at the beginning: Mask figure highlights Paint sky in a light, flat wash. Paint the window frame. Warm with a drop of cool in the upper left corners. Paint the wall cool up top, cool down the…
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Appalachian Sky: #2
This is my second attempt at painting a view of the valley in the Appalachian mountains from our vacation in Elk Banner, South Carolina. In this version, I expanded the field of view considerably, and it no longer matches the field of view that I have in my mind. In my mind, looking at the…
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Cows on a Hill: #1
I really liked the sky I painted last night, so today I wanted to paint something with a big wide open sky. I have also been enamored with Joseph Zbukvics cows, so I wanted to try that as well. To start, I used C4b to wet the paper. Then an F3w of UM Blue and…
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The Ravine: #7
Im trying again to capture the memory of visiting the Ravine as a kid. There is something playful here which feels right. And I like that the tree back there is a defined focal point. One of the things I have struggled with is defining a focal point. As far as composition goes, this is…
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Mites, mud, and a microscope.
I spent a glorious day yesterday outside with my dog Lego. We fished in my inflatable boat. We walked through the woods. She sat while I painted a church. We drove for an hour and a half through Amish country to my favorite camping grounds. And, she lolloped through tall grass as we climbed a…
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Plateau and Failed Paintings
Progress in anything Im familiar with is marked by improvement curves and plateaus. Im in a plateau right now with my watercolor. I wonder if its because I have been trying to learn by watching many different painters and trying to grab what lessons I can from them all. Maybe, learning this way is the…
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Prom Queen: #5
A bit of History before I talk about this painting… In My Favorite Murder, Episode #162 (Prom Queen), Karen and Georgia jokingly told people to paint this picture McKenzie Brelyn posted on Instagram. I’ve been practicing watercolor for a while now, and Rachel and I will be seeing them live in Pittsburgh on Friday, so…
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Bonsai: #3
This one turned out more of an illustration than a painting – maybe somewhere in between? I wanted to try the Bonsai painting in a landscape orientation, and I think it worked ok. I dont like the trees in the midground, I wanted them to be more washed out than they are, but I ended…
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Kucko Bridge: #1
Welp, heres another one I really dont want to show… but its part of the process. I saw this photo when Troyshared it a few days ago. I asked John Kucko if he wouldnt mind me painting it, and he agreed to let me. (Thanks!) I certainly didnt do his photo any justice, but I…
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