Category: Successful Paintings
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Depression: #1
I deal with chronic depression and anxiety. Its a bitch. Recently, I decided I wanted to paint what I think it feels like. This is really hard to do, because depression feels different to me all the time. Sometimes, it feels like a wet slug on the back of my neck. Sometimes it feels like…
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Market Heights: #1
Hey guys! Im proud of a painting! I have been feeling pretty down about my paintings lately, because Im not able to produce the paintings that I have in my mind. But… I keep moving. And tonight, the blind squirrel found a nut. Before I get into that, I guess I should show you the…
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Spiker Park Bridge: #1 & 2
I drive through a park on my way to drop off Norah at swim practice, and I pass the same park when I take Winne to dance class. After we cross a small bridge, I like to go straight where Rachel turns right. Every time I do, the girls tell me not to, because they…
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Ray Hendershot Exercise, Fieldstone Building: #1
Yet another successful painting from Ray Hendershot’s “Texture Techniques for Winning Watercolors.” I was getting really down on myself recently because the paintings I was making were all turning out muddy and gross. This exercise helped me learn patience. The more I paint through this book, the more I learn about how to rely on…
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Ray Hendershot Exercise, Clapboard Siding: #1
This weekend I decided I would take my own advice, and paint from the book. I decided to paint from one of the books that I have because trying to learn from my own failures has been pretty discouraging. Im only about a quarter of the way through Ray Hendershots Texture Techniques for Winning Watercolors…
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Poplars at An Imagined Stream: #1
I have long been inspired by seeing Van Goghs The Poplars at Saint-Rmy. When you see photos of this painting, it looks almost drab, and lifeless. I dont know if the Cleveland Museum of Art recently had it restored, or if the photos just simply cant do it justice, but the painting in real life…
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Nimisila C-6: #22
I know, I know… be done with it already. The thing is… I went to the store today looking for a frame for painting 21. It turns out, they are having a big sale on custom framing. So I decided I would get a custom frame made for it. But the problem is, I dont…
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Wave Crash
Ok … GUYS! Im proud of this one. That means if you dont like it, shut up. Because Im fragile. Call me a snow flake, a wuss, whatever. I dont care. I just know that I like this painting, and I almost never actually like my work. If you tell me why it sucks, I…
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Collettes Happy Place
My mom has a friend in Arizona who wanted a painting of a photograph that her daughter took of a place where she likes to camp. It was a challenging photo, but Im pleased with the final results. The photo is beautiful, and a really interesting composition. This is very different from what I normally…
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Ravenna Road: #2
Tonight, I painted and failed oh so miserably on a self portrait. I would show you, just for laughs… but its already put away. Trust me – its awful. After bombing on it, I decided to try to paint the barn I found on Ravenna Road once more. I wrote about my first attempt here.…
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Waterfall at Blackhand Gorge: #1
I took Norah, and Winnie out to Blackhand Gorge last weekend because I couldnt work in the bathroom (the tile was setting.) I told them about the history of the Gorge, as I got it from Wikipedia. Before Europeans came to Ohio, there was a system of cliff ridges near the Licking River in Ohio…
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Old Oak Tree: #1
My goal tonight was to try a composition I havent tried before. I have been looking through paintings by Eyvind Earle, and saw several compositions of his that struck me as interesting. I realized that they all were very much singular in their scope. Even his most complex compositions are still all about one thing.…
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Along Came a Spider: #1
I dont have much to say on this one other than I painted very carefully, with multiple layers. I started with a near yellow neutralized with a smudge of Yellow Ochre, and added layers of progressively darker values pigments. I used Naples Yellow and Chinese White at the end in a few places to add…
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Glitter War: Final
I bit the bullet and just went for it today, and painted that Glitter War painting my brother asked for a while ago. He lives in North Carolina, and they are in town for Christmas, so I figured if I paint it now, I can save myself from having to mail it. This painting has…
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Downhill at Dawn: #3
I liked my painting on the 1/16th sheet enough that I decided to try the same thing on a half sheet. Ive never painted a half sheet before, so this was a little new. The one thing I knew at the outset was that no matter what, I couldnt let myself overwork it. I knew…
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Edge of the Woods: #1
When we were at Malone Thanksgiving I took a handful of photos that I want to paint. This weekend, I painted the second one for the first time. The morning when I took this photo, the whole world was quiet. I was awake before Rachel and the girls, and I decided to take the time…
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Creek Bridge: #1
Tonight, the goal was to paint a creek, paying attention to perspective, and atmosphere. When I started, there was no bridge in my mind, but a bloom seemed to suggest one, so I went with it. I dont have a reference sketch or photo for this one, Im just kind of laying down layers and…
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Fall: #2
Before I start, I should say thank you to Liron Yankonsky for a Video he posted on YouTube recently. The study he did helped me a lot. I really focused on clean washes, and simple composition as a result of watching that video. I decided to paint another autumn tree today. This time I wanted…
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Collecting Hay Bales: #1
The last time I painted Plein Air things went terribly. Today, I decided to try again. I drove out on 62, and turned off on Paris Ave where I saw a field full of hay bales. I ended up stopping and set up my easel on the side of the road and got to work.…
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Flooded Park: #1-3
I was driving home from the garage a few months ago after getting new tires, and saw that the park on Middlebranch was flooded. So, I pulled into the parking lot and snapped some photos. I particularly liked this one: The first time I painted it, I was far too heavy handed on every inch…