I’m going to talk about how to add the technique of using masks to your oil painting process. When painting with watercolors using masks is a common technique because the medium can be hard to control. Masking areas helps to keep running paint away, protecting the surface underneath. Masking can also come in handy when ..read more

This is the second small format painting that I did of dancers rehearsing. If you look at the previous post it’s clear there are a lot of similarities. This one; however, had its own set of challenges. The biggest one being how to render a visual of a piano and player in the foreground against ..read more

Recently I’ve been wanting to create a painting with a smaller format, just to switch things up. So I stumbled onto some photos I took many years ago when I had the honor of watching the Nevada Ballet Theatre at a rehearsal. First I tryed out several cropping options to see what would work best ..read more

This Moment by Diane Eugster The longer I paint, the more I realize that the really exciting things that happen are when I let go, intentionally lose control. What do I mean by intentionally loosing control? Not forcing the paint to look like a literal thing; like a door, a flower, an arm. This is where drawing skills are very important. When suggesting “things” and not painfully rendering them, bits of truth need to be sprinkled around (accurate drawing). Getting emotionally involved with your painting helps to initially discover a direction. No, just throwing paint on the canvas isn’t a dire ..read more

Thought I would write about a recent painting “Shop Girl” I just completed. When John and I lived in Scottsdale we met a lovely lady who owned an eclectically beautiful little gift shop in Old Town Scottsdale. She was kind enough to let me use her store as a richly textured backdrop for a vintage photo shoot. There were so many chandeliers, tapestries and ceramic vessels I didn’t know where to start. I chose this particular scene because of the gesture, interesting shapes and open ended story it told. Below is a video link to some excerpts along the way ..read more

Below is a video reviewing some of my paintings from 2023. I’ve never been big on New Year’s resolutions, but I think it is a good thing to stop at some point and look at what you’ve done, where you are and where you’d like to be. I guess the beginning of a new calendar year is as good a time as any. The past year I have worked to simplify all the parts of putting together a painting, so I can focus on really digging into the subject. As you may know for years I’ve been using a limited palette of Ultramarine blue, Permanent Alizarin, Hansa Yellow and Titanium White. Doing this has forced me to ..read more

This is a subject I find myself revisiting many times over the years. Why? That is the million dollar question that the success of the entire painting hinges on. Reflecting on the right answer is definitely worth the time. Some of the wrong answers might be; Because it’s a “pretty” subject I heard that western art is selling right now My friends think this would be a good subject for me I like the colors My answers; (this is a person thing, it could go in many directions) This reminds me of the wide open, arid landscape of the southwest Honesty and integrity Relaxed, sans-tension A simpler ..read more

When December comes around I find it’s a good time to look back on what I’ve painted the past year, where I’ve been, where I’m going. This is an important exercise for any serious artist if you want to progress. In the 50 something years I’ve been painting, just about every type of subject has crossed my easel: Landscapes; like the possibility for textures, openness and nature, but need a person for the emotional impact Cityscapes: not so much, too many hard lines closing in Still life: another opportunity for texture, but can’t get too excited about painting things Seascapes: love the paintin ..read more

Lately I’ve been working on some paintings that bridge reality and fantasy. Thought I would share some of the process that gets me from point A to point B. It begins with photos I’ve taken of one person in various, but similar poses. Something about them has to have a definitive mood. Keying in on the mood. . . the theme. . . the brain storming (or scattered thoughts) begin. These are a sampling of the 10-15 images I looked through, what I saw was ; High Fashion Photography Tall Black, Grey, Pink, Flesh tones, Strutting High cheek bones Dramatic lighting Going back to the above images I pul ..read more

People ask me why I spend the extra time making a drawing before I start a painting, here’s the answer; The drawing really is the heart of the painting. When I choose a subject to paint I’ve learned that there are some important questions to ask and get answered before investing time and energy into a subject. Keeping disappointments, (failed paintings), to a minimum, is important to my productivity. The more successes, the more excitement to create something else new. The magic of; a piece of paper, a stick of charcoal and, yes, the trusty eraser have a way of exposing potential problem areas ..read more