32. Grace

Grace 8x10 oil/panel

Grace, not a name, but a quality. This was a study done from an old Smithsonian photo, black and white.  Again the challenge is to add color - skin tones are the most difficult thing (I think) to paint - because skin doesn't really have a color of its own - it  shifts and changes with the light and surrounding colors more than any other "thing" that we paint.   

I'll be off to visit family for Thanksgiving, and though I'll take my paints, I don't have much hope of getting any work done, so it'll be several days before I post again.

Blessings on you all for Thanksgiving - I hope you can enjoy  being with family and friends.  

31. Three Running Horses

Three Running Horses 8x8 oil/panel

I am sick today. So I thought I should keep it simple and paint just one thing.. well, okay, two if you count the feather.  Normally, I'd probably had painted this pot, let it dry, and then glazed on the design. But I wanted to do this alla prima.  I liked painting the feather though.

Maybe I just should've stayed in bed. :-)

30. Cowboy Jim

My Friend Jim 8x10 oi/panel

Today's sketch is a portrait of one my online artist friends, Jim.  He graciously sent me some photos to practice with, and this is a close up from one of those. He is actually riding a beautiful gray  horse in this photo, but I like the  angle of this - looking upward with him framed against the western AZ sky.  I told him it makes him look larger than life! 

The light was tricky  - shadowed from the hat, but at the same time a spot of sun, and also reflected light from his shirt - all of this light bouncing around in various way.  Working from photos too requires some ingenuity, or maybe "make it up as you go along" because the values and color are never spot on like they would be working from real life.. so you gotta sort of choose a color palette and go with it. To top it off, my pr inter is almost out of ink, so I had to work with a really less-than-stellar printed copy of the photo.  

Anyway, it is all good practice - and that's what we're here for, right?

29. Searching for Strays

Searching for Strays 8x10 oil/panel

The other day, I took the pooches, Gibbs and  Marley, for a run in an area I had not explored yet. I wanted to check out some trails and see if I could make a connection with some other routes we like to run.

On the way back to the truck, we, well, actually, the dogs, spooked up some stray cattle.  

We have open range here, which means cows are pretty much all over the place in the national forest.  But usually, by the first of November, the ranchers have moved their herds down to lower pasture, where it won't get as much snow and there will be better grazing for them.  I knew that the guys who graze cattle up in this area had already moved their cows out, and I figured they'd be looking for these strays, who somehow got separated from the rest of the herd.   So I checked the brand on these cows, and called it in to the district office to let them know where to go look for the wayward bovines.

Inspired by that encounter, I decided to paint one of the ranchers going to do just that.  They almost all have cattle dogs of one sort or another, and often drive the cattle on horseback, because the terrain is too severe for any other means!

I tried to remember to take shots of this in progress.. I forgot to take as many as I intended, but did put together a little animation for you to view.  I didn't plan this one out - (not recommended!) so there are numerous changes to the background as I played around with several options.  Mostly, I was using this as a test to see if I could figure out the animation software.  I think I got it, but it took me quite awhile!

YOU WILL HAVE TO CLICK ON THIS IMAGE TO WATCH THE ANIMATION!

28. Camp Coffee

Camp Coffee 8x10 oil/panel

 I totally failed today in trying to be "looser" in my brushwork!  So, I took the palette knife and scraped around - does that count?  

That's an old enamel coffee pot I found in an abandoned hut, and an old Maxwell House coffee tin - good to the last drop! We had a similar old coffeepot that we took on camping trips.  Now, I use a french press. :-)

27. Some Kids Bring Home Puppies.......

The Little Runt Pig 7x7 oil/paper

... but not this kid!  How would you like to see one of your young 'uns show up at the front door with this little bundle?  Actually, this is a photo of a friend of mine, Jenna,  who grew up on a family farm.  She hasn't changed a bit. She was caring for the poor little critters then, and she's doing it now.  

I was having a real "off" day today as far as painting goes. I always wonder why that happens. It's like you woke up and forgot how to paint.  I don't think my dad ever got up one morning and forgot how to do his job, but it seems to happen to me with painting now and again. Anyway, after a whole day of frustration and failure, Jenna sent me some pics, this one among them.  I loved this image so much that I put everything else away and painted - it's just a small sketch I know, and could actually use a bit more work, but I had the biggest grin the whole time I was painting because this image is just so darn cute.    So, thanks, Jenna! You saved the day!

26. Old Cowboy

Times Have Changed..... 8x10 oil/panel

Today's challenge was to see if I could take a black and white photo, and insert my own color.  I could probably do this without much problem on most subjects.   Turns out this photo had REALLY WEIRD LIGHTING.. that I didn't notice till I got to working.  There is the obvious shadow from his hat, and the sunlight hitting his face on the right... but there was also BOTTOM LIGHTING -  like light bouncing up from something and hitting the under surfaces of his face, and then there appeared to be slight rim lighting too.. it was all way confusing... But it's all good practice!!!

By the way I should mention that most of these dailies are for sale at very reasonable prices, unframed.  Here's a link to the folder on my website  to see all of them.  Because some are in a gallery framed, and some are for sale directly from me unframed, I do not have prices listed.  If it says "available" then its, uh, available! And if there's a red dot on it, then it is (happily) already sold.  :-)

link to all daily paintings