I Wish

It’s hard to go wrong with black and white.

What Does It Mean to be an Artist?

Anyone can learn the proper techniques to follow in art, but that alone does not make one an artist.

Will I Ever Learn?

Will I ever learn to create the landscapes I want? Will I ever be able to paint trees that make me smile? Or will it always be a struggle for me?

Seascape Fantasy

This particular canvas panel has been many things in its short life.

A Few Bits and Pieces

Although I don’t like the finished painting, I do see a lot about it that gives me hope for my future as an artist. As you know, I’m still trying to figure out who I am and who I want to be, and I think there’s a lot of me in this painting.

One More for the Recycle Bin

The best I could manage was a fairly-decent sky, and from a distance, the tree-covered hills are all right. Maybe. I’m not even showing the entire painting because the rest of it is so hideous.

What Not To Do

Whenever we set about learning a new skill, we tend to focus on what we should do. With oil painting, … More

Artistic Frustration

The new painting was turning out better than I’d hoped, and then, at the last minute, I made a disastrous mistake. I wanted to make the water in the lake appear to have a little movement in it, and it all went wrong. I was almost in tears to see what I had done. But I persisted. I could never completely fix the mistake and go back to the serene, placid lake I had before, but I did what I could to salvage the painting.

The Old Gray Mare – Underpainting Value Study

As you know, lately I’ve been studying oil painting techniques, and my assignment yesterday was to take a photo reference and use it to complete an underpainting to show the values.

Nightmare in Phthalo Blue

This particular scene was going to have a river running through it. As you know, I’m not good at rivers. And just as happened with my earlier attempt, a river doesn’t run through this painting either.

Staying Within the Lines – Not

While I understand the blending technique and managed to create a three-dimensional sphere, I certainly haven’t yet mastered staying within the lines. As a result, my little sphere is a bit lopsided.