Red Tractor II 169

It felt great to produce a large piece this weekend after what seemed like an endless sea of small pieces. This piece is the cream of the crop for the pieces for Southern Palettes auction this weekend. I used a bit of the old and a bit of the palettes i normally use for this piece. After being exposed to the Vasari grays, I don't think I could ever live without them. Either way, it has helped me to see the grays in everything and use them to my advantage. This piece also has a minimal use of the palette knife and I worked on it in 2 sessions over 2 days. I didn't enjoy doing it that way, but I wasn't so tired and sore, but I had cartoons to do and just didn't have the 8 hours it usually takes to paint a large alla prima painting.

Autumn Road, Land Between the Lakes 168

This piece was based on a phot I took last year in Tennessee/Kentucky in an area called land Between the Lakes. It is a huge preserve that has a very old history and even has buffalo. I started this piece, like most large landscapes, with the thought of doing my usual palette knife work to, but I decided not to at the last minute. I used my new palette with the Vasari grays. I am very pleased with the outcome, but at some point in time, I am going to have to destroy on of the landscapes with the palette knife to see if it is a direction I would like to travel.

This piece will be available at the Southern Palettes Art Auction next weekend.

Golden Maple leaf on Lavendar 167

Another leaf painting from before they turned crusty. I am looking forward to painting the crusty, crunchy ones. They have kept their color and will cast great shadows...

The General 167

When Julie and i stopped in Leipers Fork they had 2 classic cars, the general lee and Andy Griffith's patrol car. When I was a boy, I loved the Dukes of Hazard. Now, as a motorsport freak, I look back and wonder if the shine running Duke boys and the General Lee had anything to do with that... this piece will be available at the Southern Palettes Art Auction next week.

Orange Maple Leaf on Blue 166

This leaf was still nice and lifelike, no crustiness here. However, that did not last long. I have a few more of these, them they turn hard and crunchy, but the light and angles of the gnarled up leaf was nicer to me that these... those will be coming soon.

Thompson Farm 165

This was my rainy day piece. I painted this from a cell phone picture I had taken the day before.

Lamar Potts Barns 164

I really like this piece, the sun was coming up and the hills in the back ground were lit and the sides of the barns I could see were darker than the hills, it was beautiful.

Lamar Potts Hills 163

Still posting some workshop stuff, this is the last piece I did, I was in the middle of it when the reality of cartoon deadlines and a cartoon, grades and comments deadline hit me. I was incapable of painting anymore at that point. I said my goodbyes and went home to get to work...

Maple in Zorn 162

This was the first of the leaves I did for this upcoming series. This one was done in the Zorn palette which is just yellow ochre, cad red and black and white. I was amazed at the colors you could get. Look for more of these to come.

Dirt Road Photographer

To add to my daily creative disciplines, I have started a daily photo blog. I have asked my students to do the same, and I always do what they do. So, check it out!

dirtroadphotographer

Field Studies, 161

I went out today with an 8"x10" canvas split into quarters a this is what I came back with. i was doing great until I got cute and made a mess on the last one. I forgot the cardinal "study" rule and did not pick a simple motif. None the less, I really enjoyed doing these smaller studies and it was a great way to move myself back into painting after 3 days off. It was amazing how much better I painted outdoors during the workshop, it really took about 5 pieces to train my eye to see what it really needed to so. This replicated a whole day of painting for me... and lesson learned.

Daily Cluster

My newest and favorite customers just picked up their cluster of daily paintings. She is using them grouped like they are in her kitchen/holding room. She does plan on extracting the sign and flowers and inserting more fruits and veggies and using them somewhere else. These are the ones I had ready for the to pick up. They are also the proud owners or Red Tractor, Sorry Charlies and Robin's Egg Blue Caddy, Front... as well as 10 other original Boyd, Jr. pieces. It was great to have someone buy these bigger pieces, which were not moving given the current economic crisis. If I do not sell them, I cannot afford to keep painting large. Now I have stocked up on large canvas and I have a stockpile of photo references to work off of!

Autumn Trail, 160

Day 4 was a day a Millie's. It was a cool, cloudy day and it looked like it could rain any second. I decided to focus on my trees again. My trees have been very lame and splotchy. When I first started painting, I painted trees... and for some reason they worked, then it was like I forgot how to paint them. As I look back, I realize it was the change from acrylics to oil that has confused my tree work. Anyway, I nailed the oaks and fell flat on the pine. Still, the palette is working and I am feeling better about things, but how could you not when you are able to be outside every day all day for 5 days.