"Hay and Stubble"

($40.00.....6" x 6"......Oils on Gessobord)

"Hay and stubble is contrasted by pumpkins and gourds." All across the "Smokies", there is a prominent display of pumpkins, gourds, hay, and corn stubble. So this is a "Happy Fall" piece.

As those of you know who have followed my blog for a long time, I am trying to hone my techniques and try new things all the time. In this piece, you are at a slight disadvantage because it is overcast here in Gatlinburg and my photograph is not showing the true color of the hay. And even apart from the photography issues, hay is a difficult thing to portray. 

I began with a very dark background so that the dark areas in the hay would show through when the lighter color was applied on top. The quote was written into that area of the painting to add even more texture. I have no doubt it would have been a bit easier with a brush, but I am quite determined to use only a palette knife. Never the less, it looks convincing from across the room. 

So the lesson in this piece is to keep pressing on, even when there are issues. And it always helps to take and break and set the piece on an easel across the room. It is always advisable to stand back from the painting during various points. What I can't see a foot in front of the piece seems to always be seen from across the room. 

One compositional decision I did make early on was to have the pumpkins and gourds form an overlapping shape from edge to edge. This is generally a better option than making them really small and placing them in the middle. And there you have it...just a few more things to think about. 

Please contact me personally to inquire about this piece.

"A Thankful Heart"

($40.00)

"Fall is quickly fading, but a thankful heart is eternal." It is refreshing to be around people who are truly thankful in a world of entitlement. All of us are blessed to have shelter and food, not to mention the enormous abundance of other blessings. This is a great day to be thankful. Count your blessings!

These decorative gourds have been in my studio for weeks now because they have been a visual source for several of my postings. You will recognize three of them that I painted for other postings. Today they are featured in a bed of rocks by our patio. This is a photograph with an encaustic look created once again with pouring medium (Liquitex) and a touch of fluid acrylic paints. Encaustics are typically created with a wax plus some damar varnish which is heated and poured over imagery. It has a very ethereal look with the possibility of endless inclusions buried beneath the surface. It is heated with a heat gun between layers to smooth it out and prepare for the next layer.

The look is mysterious and "veiled" beneath the wax. Pouring Medium has the same ability to allow for this look with the possibility of adding lettering and imagery followed by the medium and preparing for the next layer. So far, I am in the beginning stages of my experimentation, but pushing the limits of a particular technique is one of the many advantages of posting a piece every day. It enables you to keep a continuous creative dialogue going until each technique is fully explored before moving to the next thing.

So keep your digital camera close by and practice observing unusual arrangements of anything and everything. My pictures of cracks in the concrete could easily be a piece of art with nothing added. The main job of the artist is to keep eyes wide open to all of the possibilities. Just something to think about.

Please contact me personally to inquire about this piece.