12-28-13 Marion Dunhams Dairy Farm

I have made somewhere around 20 of these 8x10 frame size winter landscape paintings this year and thankfully most of them have sold on etsy or at local art shows. I try to keep ahead by having 2 or 3 paintings with the winter sky already finished and ready for me to drop in the buildings and foreground. On my last trip across Iowa I was able to take 85 photos of barns and farms from which I already have three pencil sketches ready to go when I need another painting.

New Acrylic Painting

The painting in progress on the left is the acrylic and to the right is the water color, both are in the same stage. Last night I put down the sky in both but the water color went down quickly and acceptable the first time whereas the acrylic took a lot longer and I went over it at least twice. I'm giving acrylics a hearty second chance.

3-21-13 The Hay Barn 2

Some paintings are easy from beginning to end but this painting was a challenge from the start when I took last weekend and helped my son move into his new home. Then our Jeep was totaled by a family member during a snow storm the next day so we have spent some time searching for a new vehicle. Also during the week I was unable to post my progress because I couldn't upload my photos.  But finally this is the finished painting and it turned out great. It measures 6x16 inches painted on 140lb water color paper.

Work in Progress

Still working on the latest painting but having some trouble adding a picture with my memory stick. I may have a easier time tomorrow.

work in progress

In this stage I block in the major colors. I really don't look at the objects as barns, trees, or grass but as rectangles, squares, circles, etc. and lay down color with that in mind. In the next stage I develop the actual scene. My style is to keep the water color paint very dry for most of the painting except the sky- the sky drips with excess water until I feel it is right and let it dry.

Work in progress

This is the first stage where I put in the sky which took several attempts to get a sky that pleased me. Then I draw in the pencil sketch of the barns and get ready for tomorrow nights sessions.

3-10-13 work in progress

 

This sketch is the beginning of a commission that I am working on this week and hope to finish by the end of the week. I start with this pen sketch and work out any composition problems and then transfer the drawing to a sheet of 140 lb. water color paper where I first lay down the sky and build the painting on top of that.