Beach - cape cod show...

After all the ideas on beach related things that I tried, I settled on sending this as one of the images to the pastel show in Cape Cod. "Gentle Breezes" is an 11 x 14 pastel on Ampersand board. What do you think? Tomorrow I will share the next stage of the portrait you have seen in stages.

Portrait - the initial wash...

I don't know what happened to Tuesday... but here I am again... The answer to "do you paint or draw every day?" A resounding "YES!" ...under most circumstances. What I don't do every day is get back to the computer to report all that has happened! 7:30 am breakfast meeting, 9 am portrait sitting, 11 am consutaltion at studio with appointment from out of town, 12:30 luncheon appointment, 2 pm appointment with potential workshop sponsor, 3 pm with student who dropped in for a pep talk, 4 pm portrait sitting at client's home, 7 pm to my home to wind down... Now notice in there were two sittings. Here is a photo of the next step of the painting I worked on...the oil wash on a 24 x 20 linen canvas. I refer to this as a wash because I use a round sable to loosely draw the placement of the figure on the canvas with paint thinned greatly with turpentine. Then follow that with washes with a large brush and broad strokes to fill big areas. Somewhere between 60 and 90 minutes later...

Portrait - the working sketch...

You know I have been sharing some of the travel, the sights, the activities, but today I thought I might share with you my real work. This is one of the portrait sketches in graphite that begins every commissioned portrait. I usually start with a sitting at their home or office...during which I draw dozens of sketchs. Only half dozen designs are presented to the client from which they choose their favorite. Then the painting begins in the studio. Here is the sketch that was chosen...it is 14 x 11 graphite... Tomorrow I will show you the early stage of the canvas as I wash the colors on with broad strokes...

Beach - Sisters and Sand Castles

This is one more of the ideas stirring around in my pastel box. The same quiet cove with children playing in the sand. This is somewhat less finished than most of my larger pieces, but it says enough. This 11 x 14 pastel on panel is a regular east coast scene. What family hasn't seen this one summer or another. Children playing in the cool breezes with pail, shovel, and sand castle.

Beach - Sharing Shells...more ideas...

As artists begin thoughts on sketch pad or canvas, one idea leads to another. And in my search for just the right idea, concerning beach, families, surf, sky, this next idea fell into place on a 5 x 7 pastel board. With a sailboat in the distance, here are two figures sharing their finds in a quiet cove...shells across the sand. But there are still more ideas to try...

Beach - Observing the sea

So there are more things from the trip, but that will have to wait. I am preparing and packing pastels to go to Cape Cod for the show in August. This is a 5 x 7 test of one of the images I was playing with - in pastel, of course. This is a universal image, any two, mother and daughter, older/younger sisters, etc. with sandy path leading to the beach at any cove anywhere. I still like the idea, but as with most artists, one good idea leads to half a dozen more....

Farmland - The Midwest

So there we were traveling through the mountains of VA and WV, when the landscape gave way to the rolling farmlands of Ohio and Indiana... interupted by the occasional big cities, of course. The landscape changed from craggy rocks to gentle, wide open farmland. And the cows! Wonderful scenes of red barns and happy cows. Here is a quick 5x7 watercolor study of our happy cows...