Progress on new work.

This the next big stage for this piece. Here you can see the basic buildup of color, I am using the oil pastel dry at this point. A lot of this color will be covered by the next layer but still show through areas I scumble over.

New Work

I finished this canvas in October. Its 30"x40" and represents a new direction for me. I'm really going for a looser, more painterly style and opening up my palette to more color. Using the alkyd medium in the early layers enables me to use oil pastel more like paint out of a tube. It also sets the colors between layers so that I can scumble over them and not alter the underlaying color. Working on canvas is very different from the rigid panel I'm used to working on. The difference in weight is amazing. I don't think I could handle a cradled panel this large.

Progress on new work

This stage shows my initial color layer over the monochromatic underpainting. I'm working wet at this stage, liquefying the oil pastel with an alkyd medium. More to come!

New Work in progress

I started this painting a few days ago; this is the first stage after prepping the canvas (30"x40"). It's a monochromatic underpainting to establish my composition and in general where my lights and darks will be. More to come!

High Plateau

Wow, its been a while since I last posted. I've been busy painting and have not been on the computer much at all except to check email. This is another new piece on canvas. It is 24" x 48" and is based on a photograph I took while driving across Independence Pass in Colorado. I am using alkyds more and more to get a glazing effect in my work. The alkyd medium is perfect for oil pastel because it sets the pigment and I can go over with another color without changing the color under it. Very cool.