Going Larger

 

Bryant Wood Alley 24"x30" oil on canvas

Occasionally I will like a small painting enough to want to try a larger version of it, and I was pleased with the light/shadow effect of a recent sketch and decided to go large with it.  I can't say that I prefer one of the other: the scale and detail definitely make this one seem more like a "finished" painting, but there is also something in the energy and looseness of the original exploration that adds value to it that can't be translated when it is blown up.  A friend recently wondered if I used a graph or measuring device of some sort to transfer an image from one place to another, but in reality, I just start in with the paint, loosened with mineral spirits, and sketch in the darks first.  It's easy enough to wipe out errors and move things around at that stage.  Oddly, I can return to the exact scene that inspired me initially and I can never see it in the same way again; the emotions sparked by a scene are so dependent on the lighting, the weather, the time of day, and they constantly change.  Other areas in this park caught my attention this morning when I returned there, but this spot I couldn't even locate with exactitude.  It was a little bewildering.

The Painting Goes On

 

Bryant Woods Dogwalk

For those of you who might wonder where I have gone, or why I stopped posting (I tend to post a painting on Instagram, where my images are tossed into the pile with all the other paintings out there), here are some recent examples of smaller paintings I have done this year.  I paint now with less regularity, though I do find that when I pick up the brush I have more confidence than in the earlier years (thank god all that effort wasn't for nothing!) and I do tend to see small advances in certain aspects.  Edges and brushwork continue to be my weakness, but I focus more on value and color temperature, trying to get the "feeling" of the scene more quickly.  Sometimes it seems like that is enough to have the effect I intend.

West Fork Wallowa River

Steelhead Falls, Deschutes River

Along the Willamette

Luscher Fields

Listless Blogs

 

Goat Island Gold - 16x12 oil

When I first began this blog, its purpose was to push me to create paintings in order to have something to post, the carrot and the stick for my progress.  It served its purpose well over several years, but once I joined Instagram, the ease and immediacy of posting there overtook the clumsy needs of this blog, and therefore it has been idle for some time now.  If I  had anything pressing to say here, it might encourage me to visit more often, but my goal has been to work at learning the art of painting, not to talk about it.  So my apologies to any who might be hoping for more.  And my deepest thanks to those who have found my posts interesting enough to visit.

The Soft Willamette 16x20 oil

Bryant Woods Sketch 14x11

Dreams of the Landscape