My painting process

Oil on canvas diptych, both panels 8x16"... just completed late last week. It's loosely based on a photo of mine... a raindrop hitting the surface of the pool water (as viewed from underneath water).

I started it upside down from this. As most of my oil paintings, I do additive and subtractive painting... letting it dry to the touch in between layers to retain & build that texture.

See this detail below...













And, finally here is what it looked liked in the beginning. When I went back to paint on it, I had a difficult time keeping the original look... and was frustrated. When I let go of the former painting and let it be what it was, I still didn't like it overall. But, I did love the surface!

I turned it upside down and left my studio. When I returned the next day, I was surprised at what a strong painting it was. I signed it and moved on to another one.

The process...

Art is a process. I forget sometimes to play and move through different creative processes! I really enjoy painting my women in water, but love to also explore drawing and painting just water.

Here's an inspirational blog... followed by a couple of my latest paintings, in process.

womenpaintingwomen.blogspot.com/








A set of three canvas panels, in process oil painting... I like what I have, but better to find a nice composition from this one and use that as a starting point for a new painting. (Thanks Chris Craft:-)













A detail like this perhaps...









Three more, slightly larger panels... painted with oil, inspired by moving water...











This is more interesting... though I need to crop in tighter with this one.

Painting is a process. I'm an artist. It just takes discipline, passion and a little talent!

Painting with oils

For about a month, I've been painting with oils in my studio. You may know that I am best known for my pastel paintings, but I love working with both mediums for different reasons.

Below you can see detail shots of my two most recent oil paintings. I like the contrast between the first one which is more layers of "dry brush" oil application and the bottom one is very wet oil paint applied with palette knives.




The above detail illustrates the similarities between oil and pastel. My surface is textured with earlier applications of gesso and first paint layers. Then, I drag oil paint on a brush across this texture. (When I paint with oils, I work on several paintings at a time to ensure a drying of most recent layer.)




This painting is done all at one time, with lots of wet paint pushed and pulled across the surface with a couple of my favorite palette knives. It might be finished... I will let it totally dry before deciding. I may glaze over it. (On a side note, I love the way this looks like the surface of moving water... inspired by many hours of river studies!)

Here's a better picture...

Having fun with oil painting

This is a detail shot of my latest oil painting, "Rest". Whether I am working small or on a bigger canvas (this one is 24x30"), I paint with my bare hands as well as brushes!

I use a variety of oil painting brushes, but in addition to adding paint with brushes, I like the subtractive nature of scraping back with 'shaper' tools. I also blend and move paint with my fingers as well as the heal of my hand.

If you look at the light area above the hand in this detail shot, you can see the cast shadow created by oil paint when I scraped back through.




(PS... both of these are quick pics from the easel. I'll post better images soon. Oil paintings are tough to photograph until the surface dries a bit... don't like the glare.)