Chickadee 5x7 oil/panel
Today I wanted to explore using the palette knife for a simple, unconstructed background.
Palette knife work will lay on pure color without picking up what's underneath. It can create some beautiful effects. I know of some artists who paint completely with a palette knife. I consider it just one more tool in the painter's toolbox, one that I'd like to use more often.
I have a friend , Jim Connelly, a fabulous painter, who uses the knife to great advantage in his work, and that's really what inspired me to try it on this little daily today. Jim's work has graced the cover of Southwest Art magazine, and been in numerous national shows. He does wonderful things with backgrounds! Here's an example:
Isn't this great? It's one of my favorites of his.With his perfect use of color and value Jim has created a sense of a sunny, dusty arena without one shred of detail. It's like magic.... More beautiful work can be seen on his website here. Jim also does illustration and digital work - there's some really cool stuff - check it out!
So, I enjoyed using the knife.. I might even go a bit darker with the background.
