I've decided that my paintings don't have enough oomph - which means value changes. So...will return to some of these small paintings done wet-in-wet (hard to get really good dense darks when painting wet-in-wet because you go back to look and, when it's dry, it's very much lighter all over).
I will add some dark interest to them and then repost the best ones.
Cliffside
11 x 15 inches
Fabriano Artistico 140# cold press paper
If you're interested in getting your feet wet with gouache, Strathmore is having an online mini-workshop starting September 3rd. Here is the link.
I'm signed up to try it. I've always been interested in gouache on kraft paper or colored paper - and could use some pointers on how best to blend and layer it.
Two more sketchbook things - just a bit of pigment and water since the paper is thin.
What's Left?
8 x 11 sketch
Muddy Waters
8 x 11 sketch
Not inspired right now. No enthusiasm for painting so...
Just opened up my sketchbook (thin paper so have to be light with the pigments and water) and came up with a couple of sketches that might become paintings later - or they might just remain as is.
Burn
8 x 11 sketch
Sometimes it's hard to keep going when there's no road to follow - but, I know, that is what makes it fun (when it's fun).
Run
8 x 11 sketch
Need to stay off the news and Facebook - both are depressing with all the news about the Amazon burning (saw a FB post that reported that NASA says the fires are always burning this time of year and media is making us panic - so checked that and the poster picked one article, not the latest that said the Amazon is burning at a higher rate now and more land burned in the last 9 years - so check your FB stuff because people pick and choose what they want to promote their own agenda :( And that makes me sad, too.
Sandstone
15 x 22 inches
Arches 140# cold press paper
Sundown
11 x 15 inches
Arches 140# cold press paper
I had no preconceived notion of what I was going to paint when I began these last 2 paintings - just picked a color and began and then moved on from there.
Perhaps I need an idea first?
The Earth is Weeping
11 x 15 inches
Arches 140# cold press paper
Dreaming of Something Else
15 x 22 inches
Arches 140# cold press paper
The Last Glacier Standing
11 x 15 inches
Arches 140# cold press paper
Windwalkers
11 x 15 inches
Arches 140# cold press paper
Watercolor and fluid acrylic
The Dark and Stormy Seas
11 x 15 inches
Arches 140# cold press paper
The High Blue Lonesome
15 x 22 inches
Fabriano Artistico 140# cold press paper
Made a few changes to this and like it better now.
The Path Taken
15 x 22 inches
Fabriano Artistico 140# cold press paper
I think I'll go back in and scumble up the path a bit so it doesn't look so smooth.
I did make a few changes to the path. Still could be better but...whatever.
Storm Clouds Over the Valley
11 x 15 inches on Fabriano Artistico 140# cold press paper
The Clouds Teased the Forest
11 x 15 inches on Fabriano Artistico 140# cold press paper
The Cold Blue
11 x 15 inches, Fabriano Artistico 140# coldpress paper
Most of these are done very wet-in-wet without going back in to make changes or darken (although they do have a tendency to be very pale). I liked this one the way it stood when dry because I added Cerulean Blue thick from the palette to make it colder.
The Last Plowed Field
15 x 22 inches
Fabriano Artistico 140# cold press
Should have left the house out of this one and it would have been more dramatic, I think. Oh, well, they all can't be winners.
Blue Ridge
11 x 15 inches
Fabriano Artistico 140# cold press
Meandering
11 x 15 inches on Fabriano Artistico 140# cold press paper
