Sailing Into The Sunset

Tonight's painting was practicing a sunset scene. A calm evening sailboat jaunt. I started the painting by sketching in the sailboat and painting it in acrylics for a gray tone silhouette. I then masked the boat with tape, then went to work on the sky. The actual white sun is just the blank canvas. The other sky colors were medium yellow, cadmium red light, and dioxazine purple; blended in a light criss cross movement with a 2" scenery brush. I added some distant shoreline with the dioxazine purple and some van dyke brown. The water was done by scuffing in the same sky colors with a fan brush, then blending laterally with the 2" scenery brush. I remov d the masking tape from the boat and made highlights with the same sky colors.

Vermont Covered Bridge

I skipped two entire seasons and painted a winter scene. Below is a covered bridge. I did the bridge and road in acrylics first. Masked and then did the oils. I added snow at the very end.

Cabin Window

I came upon an used picture frame at a garage sale that was sectioned like an old four pane window. I thought it would make a nice painting foreground; like peering out a cabin window at whatever is outside. I removed the back and g,ass as I didn't need those parts. I cut some foamboard to the frame size and then spray glued on some canvas paper to the foam. From there I went at painting another one of my autumn scenes. Once done, I set the foamboard canvas into the frame and viola...

A beautiful setting outside a cabin window.

Winter deer oil

I'm way jumping the seasons with this painting. This is a deer staring up at the night moon. Some snow is falling in this quiet winter scene. 11x14 stretched canvas.

Canadian Goose Autumn Oil Painting

Today's painting was a Canadian Goose. In not too long the seasons will change and the geese will fly south for the winter. It's a major signal of change here in upstate New York. I continue to practice water and reflection techniques.

Oil Painting on Wood Platter

Just about anything can be a canvas. I typically paint on traditional stretched canvas. But I like experimenting on other surfaces too. One example is today's painting. It's another loon in the water with an autumn scene. But this one is painted on a small wood platter I bought at a thrift store. It's not a big serving tray; only being 13" high and 5.5" at its widest section. Maybe the small platter was meant for something like crackers and cheese. Who knows.

I masked the perimeter so that after I was done that masked section would then be the frame of the painting. I needed to paint the base in white acrylic. It took several coats as the wood was quite dark. Since this was a small surface I needed to take extra care with with details. I'm happy with the end results. I'll eventually put an eye hook on the back so this can be placed on a wall.

Flying South

Another autumn oil painting fresh off the easel tonight. I tried to capture the fall colors in both the trees and reflection in the calm water. Final touches were some geese starting their long journey south. Bird migration is one of those wonderful things that marks the changing of the seasons here in upstate New York. How they manage to do it each year is a mystery to me. This is a 11x14 stretched canvas.