Arizona Fine Arts Expo

Scottsdale is a great place.  Beautiful. We are here for the Arizona Fine Arts Expo which runs from January 15 thru March 29th.  I am one of 110 artists who will be here creating on-site from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. everyday.  Please  come by to say hi and see my work!

     I have been working on a series of images with sunflowers.  I start the paintings with a complementary under painting.  Then I paint it again with the local colors.  The under painting peeks through the top layer of paint, and adds energy and dimension.  I have three large under paintings that I will be finishing at the Arizona Fine Arts Expo.    I hope to see you there!

   The Oil Painters of America hosted plein air painting events all over the country.  In Texas we met at MarktPlatz in Fredericksburg and drove out to the Willow City Loop, where a very friendly rancher allowed us to tromp all over his beautiful property.  Painting outdoors in the wind and sun is a very challenging feat. The sky was so blue.  I mixed it like I thought it was and then had to lighten it twice. The granite is really very pink.  

   At least there weren't any bugs or snakes.  After painting up a storm, my friend Jean Green and I went over to the WhistlePik Gallery... a great gallery. 

Guess!

I did this with an underpainting first. I have been using a new basecoat by Gamblin instead of gesso on the panel.  It doesn't soak up the oil in the pigments.  It doesn't have any tooth.  I like it, though.  

Guess what river this is!!!!

The Double Mountain Fork of the Brazos AGAIN?  Well, yes.  This is called Bluffs at Hart Camp.  This photo doesn't quite catch the atmosphere of the sky.  It is 24 by 30.  

    Here I am again on the Double Mountain Fork of the Brazos, one of my favorite subjects.   I hiked at daybreak down the river bed a couple of miles west of Highway 84 southeast of Post. It was difficult going because of the mud and quicksand. 

    This painting went through several stages.  I replaced the sky and tried several foreground ideas before discovering a balance that I like.  It is 22 by 40.

Reflections on the Canadian River

     The water in the Canadian is red.  I mean REALLY red.  This is an image of the Canadian at the Recreation area north of Amarillo off of HWY 87.  There were quite a few off-road vehicles splashing around in the mud.  It looked like fun.

     This painting is 24 by 48 inches. I will be included in an exhibit in the Slaton Texas City Hall on October 31st.  I hope to see you there

FIFTEEN MINUTE PAINTINGS

This series of exercises has really energized my work.  I have been doing it for about two months now.  I set a goal of making six paintings a week. Sometimes I'll do two a day.  Sometimes one or none.  I mix all my paint first, then set the timer and paint.  If I only need a few more strokes to finish, sometimes I'll let myself paint a couple of extra minutes.