White Christmas

We actually had a white Christmas here in middle Tennessee, the first in years and from what I have seen on the news lately we weren't the only ones. It looks like most of the country is buried in snow right now. Unfortunately here in Tennessee it came and went quickly. And due to the schedule of the holidays I didn't get out in it enough. The two I have posted here were done days after Christmas, at the last of the snow, one on a gravel bar in the Harpeth River and the other in Leiper's Fork.

Also, if you get the chance, there is an interesting blog I follow by a guy named Stapleton Kearns. His blog is full of artistic info and his December 14 and 15 entries are about innominate color. He explains as well as anyone, including me, how I use color and the palette I use.

When I use the three color palette I use, especially painting landscapes, I see almost everything as innominate color. They are all mixtures of the three "leaning" toward red, or green or whatever. I don't even see it as a color. I see it as an innominate mix and I compare it to what I see and ask, " is it cooler or warmer or darker or lighter?" then tweak my puddle in that direction. I compare it to tuning a guitar string. You turn it up and down and listen to it until you hit the note then stop. Then do the next one in relation to that one. And then the next one and then the next one, etc..

And I got a new camera from Santa Clause and the images seem to be a bit green/blue. I need a camera that shoots innominate color with a "cooler/warmer, lighter/darker" button.

Snow!

We had a little snow at the first of the week and it gave me a chance to do a little inclement weather painting. Got two snow paintings in and the icy grey painting above. Sleeting sideways on that one. Brrr. The reason you don't see the other snow painting is the fact it didn't do what I had try to make it do. I was trying to paint looking into the sun on a sunny clear day and there was this wonderful glare on the snow and when I set up on it I wasn't quite sure if I could pull it off and the little doubt in the back of my head soon became a hard cold fact. I couldn't figure out what I needed to do to get that eye squinting glare. I tried darkening values around it, changing temperatures, blurring edges, etc., etc. Pulled out all the tricks. To no avail. Got it home and tried some more. I think I have mentioned before that if I try to fix them at home I wreck 'em. This is the one thing that I am artistically very consistent at.

Snow?

Not much to say on this one, just wanted to get one in before I go to bed.

These are more 6x9's and the one with the barn and flag is a 9x12 I did back during my workshop as a demo, on Veteran's Day actually.

I'm sitting here right now getting a little excited over the fact we have snow in the forecast. The forecast has a pretty stiff wind predicted though and that can really make painting tough. Hopefully I'll be able to get at least one good snow day.

Motivation-cation

Heeyy, it's me. I'm alive. For anybody who keeps up with my blog I have had a bit of a motivation issue. Been lettin' it slide a bit.

But I'm back.

These are a few 6x9 paintings I am putting together for Leiper's Creek for the Christmas buying crowd. They're small and inexpensive and we have already sold a few. Hope to have the last two dry and in the gallery by midweek for a total of 8. If they sell well we may be on to something. I have noticed in this industry though as soon as you think you're on to something it changes to something else. Like trying to kill a rattlesnake with a sewing needle.