Reflections in Glass

...Pansy...
oil on canvas - 6" x 6"

I wonder how many artists have gone insane trying to paint reflections in glass? I thought it would be a fun challenge, and it was! But these are daily paintings, meaning they are supposed to be simple subjects that don't take very long to paint. I remember taking a workshop with Don Eddy, who made a name for himself painting reflections in glass--row upon row of glasses, in display windows, in a photo-realistic style. Now that he is older, he says he was showing off when he did it, trying to impress other artists. (I know it sure impressed me!) It made him one of 5 living artists included in Jansen's History of Art (4th ed), the standard introductory college art history text. However, he feels that art should have a deeper meaning, and of course that is good too. But there's nothing wrong with showing off, in my opinion. Just shout, "Hey world! Look at this! Isn't it great!" After all, athletes do it all the time.

Anyway, after all this talking, I guess what I'm trying to say is, "Reflections in glass sure are hard," without sounding like I'm whining...

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A New Art Form...

Here, in the spirit of sharing, and for your amazement, are some very skilled sheepdogs, savvy shepherds, and LED lights!



I think this video has gone viral, so you may have already seen it, but if not, Enjoy!

Forsythia--another view

...Forsythia...
oil on canvas - 6" x 6"

Here is forsythia outdoors. The only way I could get this view, at the right angle to the light and with the dark trees behind, was to actually stand in the bush. Oh, the sacrifices I make for my art...

The background here is softened and rubbed out with a paper towel. So, the lights you see there are actually the white of the canvas showing through.

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"Forsythia in the Window"

8" x 6" - oil on canvas

This one was harder than the average painting (to paraphrase Yogi Bear). The little antique bottle is glass, but frosted on the inside in some areas. Like all my paintings, it's really all about the light.

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"Quiet Water"

5" x 7" - oil on stretched linen

Another autumn scene while I wait for spring to arrive...

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"Brilliant Autumn"

6" x 8" - oil on canvas

Here is the Cheat River again. I paint it a lot. Autumn is the most colorful time of year, and I like to make the most of it by getting a lot of photos. I also kayaked here. The water was so shallow, I could see every grain of sand on the bottom. There are dangerous rapids just downstream. (I don't do rapids.)
I like this one. The evening light had a lot of orange in it. I toned the canvas orange, and was still adding it to almost every color.

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"Grandmother's Baby Shoes"

6" x 6" - oil on canvas

These don't look very comfortable, but they were the fashion, back around 1910. They have patent leather bottoms, kid leather tops, tassels in front, and buttons on the side. Styling! The buttons required a button hook. I wonder what people in 100 years will think of our children's shoes?

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"Autumn along the River"

6" x 8" - oil on canvas

Here is another scene from just driving along the back roads of West Virginia. I just had to stop and take pictures. Can you believe this is the view from someones front yard? I'd like to do this one as a larger painting.

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"White Faced Cow" -SOLD

6" x 6" - oil on canvas

I saw this lovely lady while driving down Route 50 with a friend.

"Crow"

6" x 8" - oil on canvas

I love skies, especially at dawn and dusk. The crow was an excuse to do a sky painting, which I suppose is an insult to crows everywhere. The light changes so much at dusk that the part of the sky which appears to be blue is actually a yellow-gray. It just appears blue because it is cooler than the warm clouds.

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"Apple"

6" x 6" - oil on panel

This was an experiment. I used a gessobord panel by Ampersand instead of my usual canvas Raymar panels. This surface is very smooth, and as with doing a watercolor on smooth hot-pressed paper, all the brushstrokes show. Also it is very absorbent, so the paint dries faster. As you can see, it looks different than my usual style. (Probably 5000 more brushstrokes than usual! It took a long time.)

I had not done any still-life painting till I started the daily painting routine, but I like it. Still-life has been called the "celebration of everyday objects." Here, a simple apple, sitting on top of the microwave, has become an iconic object. I loved the subtle color changes.

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At Last...

"First Crocuses" 6" x 6" - oil on canvas

The arrival of spring is always exciting! While it isn't officially here yet, the first crocuses always bring the first color, and the promise of more new life to come. We had a beautiful day today, with temps in the 70's, sunshine and crocuses.

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"Flower in a Bottle"

6" x 6" - oil on canvas

Extra points if you can identify the beer bottle...

This painting is framed in a black floater frame. Shipped for free!

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"Nestled In"

6" x 6" - oil on canvas

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I just adopted a cat from the animal shelter. He is an adult neutered male, about 1 1/2 years old. Of course, with an animal from the shelter, you wonder about their past history, and what happened that they ended up there. Well, at first, "Oscar" acted afraid of me, but he got over that very quickly and has now nestled in. (And I bet you were wondering why I was talking about the cat, when this painting is obviously an apple!) Well, the apple has a gesture of being completely relaxed, leaning up against the side of the bowel.

And here is Oscar, completely relaxed on my desk, head leaning on a sketchbook...