Glazes

Strolling Along

5x7

You may recognize the above composition from a painting I posted two weeks ago.  In this little painting I used the transparent process using very bright, warm colors.  It didn't start out that way.  

Using the glazing process requires that the painting is completely dry before applying another layer of color.  That's the hard part for me.  Waiting for the paints to dry.  Sometimes it only takes a day.  Other times, depending how thick the underlayers are, it may take up to three days.  The beauty of this process is that the viewer can see two vibrating colors at one time.  Glazing a thin layer of say, orange, over an underlayer of blue gives a particular glow.  That's why I'm moving away from the alla prima process to this painstakingly, long process.  I love the results.  Too bad I'm not a patient person!

Okay, now I have a confession to make.  (It's so embarrassing)  I don't know how to upload, or copy and paste (whatever) two badges I've received lately.  My twentysomethings are in and out of the house like whirlwinds, so I forgot to ask them how to do it.  I was very honored to receive a Lemonade award from Kathleen Krucoff and a Passion for Painting award from Trish Siegel.  I don't want to seem like an ingrate, so can anyone give me some tech advice?   I'm such a right brainer.  No wonder I have bad technology days.

Bad Technology Day

Original Study of Lincoln Marsh River

8x10

I was calm when I got up this morning.  Really. But I've been having a bad technology day.  Seems everything I touch, that has to do with technology, refuses to cooperate.   Even the toaster refuses to work right.  Okay, I'm done complaining.  Not really.

The small painting above is one I did of Lincoln Marsh.  I messed up the color corrector on my iPhoto, so it looks a little different in the photo than it does in real life.  The point I was trying to make is that I sometimes use small paintings as references for bigger paintings.  I find it helps me to focus in on the joy of painting when the composition, values and colors are already worked out.  Every once in a while I need to get a big painting out of my system.  Usually these bigger paintings look very different from the smaller ones.  The small study is a jumping off point to the bigger one.  It's easy to expand on the larger canvas.  I feel more freedom painting larger.  

Lincoln Marsh River

22x28

I think I'll stay away from technology for the rest of the day.  Thank goodness there's no technology involved in painting!