Something Shiny

Karen Phipps gorgeous still lifes on satin fabrics encourage me to try a little "shine" myself. And under the thought provoking tutelage of Michael Van Zely, the satin ribbon slowly went from being a drab piece of cloth to something more closely resembling it's true self.

16"x12" Oil on Linen

Waterway - City Colors Series

Painted on another typical wintery Chicago morning standing on a bridge looking down the river. It was nice and foggy when I started but that burned off so I elected to stop the painting at this point.

Milk Glass

On January 8, 09 I posted this value study which focused on whites and translucent objects. I recently went back and made another painting with similar shapes but used full color. The biggest challenge for me was showing the gentle colors in the vase as well as the subtle translucent milk glass. I thought the tulips would be the problem but that went surprisingly easy.

unfinished - oil sketch

I decided not to continue on this painting after spending an evening on it because I feel I lost the sensitivity to the concept, lost the soul to the piece. I like how everything, including the light, was arranged so I will definitely try to paint this again but on another canvas.
12"x16" oil

shoreline study

This was painted on a Saturday morning along lake Michigan in Chicago. There were piles of frozen snow and as well as sand. Texture and edges was what I was concentrating on with a palette knife this very windy February morning.

8"x10" oil study ($90.)

"Winter Brilliance"

Just left of yesterdays painting is a river and little waterfall. The waterfall was what I really wanted to paint with part rushing water and part frozen water. But I started too late in the morning and the bright sun washed out the scene so I used the dam as an abstracted element to hopefully keep your eye from falling out of the painting and lead you into the cool shadows cast by the trees on the far bank.

10"x8" Oil ($190.)

"Winter Passage"

I love to paint. So instead of playing on the computer and keeping my website and blogspot updated, I've been painting. Getting on the computer eats my painting time. Anyone else have this problem?

This painting was done right around the corner from my home. The long cool shadows and the warm brush caught my eye. But someday I'm going to return to paint this elegant corner building. Someone told me it was originally a bar about 100 years ago.

10"x8" Oil on Linen ($190.)

p.s. see Karen Phipps 2/11/09 painting. She's standing about 40 feet behind and down hill from me. I'm in her painting, painting this piece.