The Crawling Eye

Zander the Zorse!

2011-07-17T11:10:00.002-06:00

After a long and involved move, I can now really get back to oil painting. Here is what I have been working on and recently finished.
Vine charcoal on my 24x36 canvas.
Ink over the charcoal, and then a thin layer of burnt umber. (Scrubbed on thinly, no medium.)

This is a zorse who lives at a safari park near where I now live--seeing him at the park was such a great thrill for me, I almost couldn't believe it. :)

Lego Zebra

2010-10-16T15:42:00.002-06:00

Some of my friends at WetCanvas and I have decided to try painting "together" once a month--well, virtually sharing painting vibes, at least! I've already found it inspiring--I certainly wouldn't have done this little painting otherwise. :)

Idaho Desert Landscape, Finished

2010-09-26T09:34:00.004-06:00

I think this is done now. :)

(This picture probably has the best color reproduction.)

Idaho Desert Landscape, Continued

2010-09-17T12:35:00.002-06:00

I'm afraid I got interrupted in working on this, but I finally got back to it and I think it's getting pretty close now after a couple of days' work. (Colors are better in second picture.)
The thing really bugging me was the value contrasts in the hills...today (amongst other work) I scumbled some mid-value paint on them and I like it much better.
This is all about color and I'm getting pleased with where it's going...I need more detail/texture in the foreground sagebrush, but I might be almost done aside from that.

Idaho Desert Landscape, Oil Stick Underpainting

2010-08-20T14:48:00.005-06:00

Oops, I haven't posted for a while, though I've done a couple of paintings since February! Geesh. Anyway, here is what I am working on...I went back home for vacation and was terribly impressed by the summer colors this year, so even though it's a shock to me to actually be working on a landscape, I started this and have completed the underpainting in oil stick. I will continue from here on out with regular oil paint. Here are a few steps of my process.

Horehead Nebula, Finished

2010-02-07T10:28:00.002-07:00

I have declared this painting finished...and done in just about a week, too, I can hardly believe it. :) I sort of want to continue fiddling with it, but I believe it is time to move on (mostly it just bothers me how much of the linen texture I can see up close, since the paint layers are so very thin).

Horsehead Nebula...kinda lookin' like a nebula

2010-02-05T17:58:00.002-07:00

This isn't entirely updated picture--I just took one when the sun happened to peek out for a few minutes, giving better ambient light for a photo. I think I'm close to being finished with this one, hopefully I'll be able to get another good photo of the finish.

Horsehead Nebula, First Color Layer

2010-02-02T08:23:00.002-07:00

The photography on this is pretty bad, with glare and the right side is too saturated and the left side not quite saturated enough...just believe me when I say it has delightful subtle color and lots of blending! Very fun to work on still, I can tell the subsequent layers will be even better with all the cool space swirlies and such.

Horsehead Nebula Underpainting

2010-01-30T03:01:00.003-07:00

I am in a spacey mood. :) With the upcoming release of Star Trek Online, I have been inspired to look at some of the pictures from the Hubble Space Telescope...talk about beautiful. I can't believe I've never done a space painting before, and I suppose it is high time. So I've started with a small canvas (8x16) of, what else? The Horsehead Nebula.

Already this has been a joy to work on...and something quite different in approach as well as subject. I did not initially intend to do a total monochrome underpainting, but it quickly ended up that way--appropriate, I suppose, for the subject. And nice and relaxing to do with all those abstract shapes and soft edges...that's another different thing to this approach, all the blending I've been doing. (So there *is* a reason to blend, after all! :D)

This makes me want to do a lot more monochrome work...which might help a great deal in various value issues I often struggle with.

There is a lot more work to go into this!

Dining Room "Plein Air", 5x7

2010-01-19T09:17:00.001-07:00

The view out of my dining room door. I'm not much for doing landscapes, but I was pretty inspired today, I guess. :)

Boots/Self-Portrait

2010-01-15T09:32:00.005-07:00

Well, Jessica says I need to update my blog, so here I am. :) My excuse this time is that I've been thinking of "updating" to a "regular" site to make it easier for casual viewers (whom I suspect make up the vast majority of anyone looking at any of this), but after rummaging around looking at domain names, maybe I just don't want to bother. :p I don't know. But I suppose I've no real reason not to update my blog, anyway, hmmm?

This painting (16x24) was done entirely with Sennelier oil sticks, a new media for me. I made a rather extensive post on WetCanvas about these sticks and the process of this, so I won't go into any details here. Suffice to say, I totally dig the oil sticks.
And here's another recent painting, a self-portrait. Don't think I need to say much about this one, either. :D

Please also note, to the left I have provided a link to my "real" site, as it stands.

Mother's Day Rose on Copper, 5x7

2009-05-10T10:53:00.001-06:00

This is a quick painting I did today, my first try at painting on copper as a support. I likely didn't prep it the best--just sanded and wiped it--but I liked the feel of my brush on it, and thinner parts look neat with the copper showing through (for the moment at least, don't know how it will hold up with corrosion, though perhaps varnish will help...)

Mangalarga Marchador, oil on canvas, 9x12

2009-05-02T12:41:00.004-06:00

The other day I did probably the best drawing I have ever done. Then I decided to do a larger version of the drawing. Then I decided heck why not paint it, too? (Now I guess all I have left is to do a sculpture of it, lol.) Ta da, the best drawing I have done to date might also be the best horse I've ever painted. I guess I'm on a roll!

Baby Zebra 6

2009-04-24T13:02:00.002-06:00

After working a bit more on this, I asked for some advice from more experienced equestrians and got an excellent suggestion to solve the unhappiness I had with the colt's legs. I was always uncertain of them (having pulled this composition together from various references) and I don't think I would have been able to fix it previously without my recent drawing/anatomy experience this year. (I'm very pleased to know that I've been learning and can apply some of that knowledge!) I am *much* happier with the direction this is going, in fact I'm rather ecstatic. The change in the legs creates a lot more energy and is more in keeping with the atmosphere I would like to achieve here. I'm very excited!

Baby Zebra 5!

2009-04-22T07:30:00.003-06:00

So this has been unfinished now for a year and a half. I finally got some motivation to work on it this last weekend! (It helps that I've been sketching zebras at the zoo lately, complete with little babies! So I feel a little more prepared to do something with this now...also it helps that I had company coming over and I didn't want anyone to see this in the terrible state it was in!) Sorry there has been a good bit of progress since the last photo I took, but a lot of the big changes were this weekend when I was carefully fiddling with the background and still was not happy with it, so in frustration I cursed and started literally slapping paint on...and voila, I felt a whole lot better about this. :p Nothing is finished here by any means.

The Queen's Bay, 20x24, oil on linen

2009-03-13T13:59:00.003-06:00

This is a copy of a portrait of Queen Victoria by Francis Grant. I cropped the image from the original because as you might guess, it was her horse that I was interested in, and wanted to get it as large on the canvas as possible. :) I learned an awful lot painting this. (And yes, I want a horse just like this one!)

Red Rose 1

2009-01-18T07:49:00.006-07:00

Study from life, work in progress, 6x12 oil on canvas

Neunkirchen #2

2008-07-29T07:09:00.001-06:00

Here is the adorable little village I now live in. Oils, approx. 6x6

Sketchbook

2007-11-28T11:39:00.000-07:00

I have created a new site for sketchbook pages.

It can also be found in the list when you click on my profile (over on the right).

Baby Zebra 4

2007-11-28T09:34:00.001-07:00

This is where it stands now. Still lots of work to do!

Baby Zebra 3 details

2007-11-28T09:32:00.001-07:00

Baby Zebra 3

2007-11-28T09:30:00.001-07:00

Sorry my "easel" gets in the way. There's no way my flimsy metal easel will hold this, so the only option I've got is to rest it on whatever I can find...

Baby Zebra 2

2007-11-28T09:28:00.000-07:00

"Can We, Mama? Huh? Huh? Can We?", 30x40, oil on canvas

2007-11-28T09:16:00.000-07:00

Here is the beginning of my current project, it's going to take a while to complete.

Here is some fairly complete info on the WIP at Wetcanvas.com, still ongoing

This is based on various photos I have taken myself.

"Indy's Day Off", oil on board, 12x16

2007-11-10T09:38:00.000-07:00

This is another slightly older painting (I can't believe I forgot to add it here!), done earlier this year. I really like this one.

"Down the Stretch", 30x40, oil on canvas

2007-09-19T19:42:00.001-06:00

This is an old one that I thought I'd post. It's one of my favorites that I've ever done. Maybe I should work on something like this again...(Note: I am working on something new, but in the interests of having more interesting things here on this site, and while you're waiting--not that anyone is--I thought I'd work on posting some older things, too.)

I'm not promising anything...

2007-07-23T11:00:00.000-06:00

...but I do hope to be painting more. However, I am going very slow, so don't expect a lot of updates. (Hopefully more than one every ten or eleven months, however...) My life is no longer going to be boring or ordinary, I imagine.

The above image is titled "Catching Up on Some Sleep" and is 16x20 oil on canvas.

I really haven't dropped off the face of the planet...

2006-09-09T02:55:00.000-06:00

I'm still here, or at least I'm here again. I've been away and busy, yada yada yada. But let me tell you, it's great being back. It's great living a normal, boring, ordinary life.

This is what I've been working on of late...very bad picture, though you might not know it. It's probably nearly complete, but I'm not sure yet. 16x20, untitled for the moment...

"Dogtags/Boots Study No. 1", 5x7, oil on board

2006-07-02T15:48:00.000-06:00

This is a study for a part of a potential larger painting.

"Puddinface Study No. 1" 5x7, oil on board

2006-06-25T16:36:00.000-06:00

This is my cat, Hobbes, in a very Hobbes pose.

He unfortunately passed away almost two weeks ago...it was extremely sad and I will miss him. (As will my other cat.)

This is a study in preparation for a larger painting starring my little Hobbsie.

"Dude" about 3 x about 5, oil on board

2006-06-21T18:13:00.000-06:00

This is a little painting that I've had in mind for quite a long time and had the sudden inspiration to do it today. Legos are, have always been, and always will be one of my favorite toys!

Detail of Self-Portrait

2006-06-21T17:58:00.000-06:00

Someone asked me for a detail shot, so here it is!

Self-portrait, 12x24, oil on canvas

2006-06-09T20:50:00.000-06:00

Yup, it's me!

"Lilacs!" 5x7, oil on board

2006-05-25T23:23:00.000-06:00

In all the years that I have painted, I have always--always!--wanted to paint lilacs. This is the first time I have succeeded, I have no idea why.

This was done at the end of my day, after I'd struggled and struggled to paint a larger version of another lilac arrangement. I sat down and painted this one in fifteen minutes. Go figure.

"My Green Thumb (Gardenia)" 8x10, oil on canvas

2006-05-24T18:29:00.000-06:00

It's been a while since I've posted. I've recently moved into an apartment--and as such, that has taken up much of my time, energy, and creativity (in trying to organize everything--if that's not creativity, I don't know what is). But I have finally gotten back into some painting. Thank goodness.

This is my potted gardenia that has recently bloomed this week! I'm so pleased. The other two buds dropped, but this one managed to survive and is doing well.

"A Beary Good Book" 5x7, oil on board

2006-05-03T18:47:00.000-06:00

This is Blackjack. He is reading Forever Odd by Dean Koontz, an author I'd recommend to anyone, including any and all teddy bears...they eat this stuff up!

"April Showers..." 5x7, oil on board

2006-04-30T17:11:00.000-06:00

My last painting for April!

"Can't Top No. 2" 5x7, oil on board

2006-04-30T00:43:00.000-06:00

I've been in a bit of a painting funk of late. I can't figure it out. It's not lack of creative drive, because I've had an urge to sketch up the wazoo.

So here's my pencil. Nevermind the fact that it's not actually the one I use...I had to scour the whole house just to find a single yellow pencil.

"Jennifer J" 5x7, oil on board

2006-04-27T16:53:00.000-06:00

My most recent session with a model this afternoon. Today my goal was to concentrate on color and composition.

"Luck in All the Right Places" 5x7, oil on board

2006-04-25T01:08:00.000-06:00

I wasn't thinking of luck when I bought these horseshoes. I wasn't thinking of painting them, either, but I suppose that was inevitable. I must be buying my horse piecemeal from the ground up.

ERAG Spring Show 2006

2006-04-21T21:50:00.000-06:00

The Eagle Rock Art Guild kicked off their spring show tonight with an artists' reception, which was great fun and everyone except Amber and John missed out on some good food. (Thanks for coming Amber!)

These are the three paintings I entered, from top to bottom:
"Call Me Itchy"
18x24, oil on canvas
"The Deployment Bear"
16x20, oil on canvas
"In My Arms Again"
18x24, oil on canvas

The exhibit will be up til May 14, 2006, so if you're in the area, stop by and a have a look! There is a lot of wonderful work on display.
The address of the Eagle Rock Art Museum is 300 S. Capital, downtown Idaho Falls. They are open Wednesday through Saturday 10-4.

"Waiting Her Turn", 11x14, oil on board

2006-04-19T00:54:00.000-06:00

Last week, our figure/portrait group had a cute ballerina pose for us. She was great fun to paint, though perhaps she thought modeling was more tiring than dancing!

"Dreams Do Come True", 5x7, oil on board

2006-04-13T03:54:00.000-06:00

Yup, that's me riding my new buddy, Preston! I am now taking riding lessons and loving every possible second of it. I do not think that anyone in the world could be more thrilled than me to be taking riding lessons.

After this lesson on Monday, I took great pleasure in brushing Preston and making him all kinds of pretty. I led him back out to the pasture to eat with his buddy Andrew...and the instant he stepped through the gate and I let him go, he laid down on his back and rolled around in the dirt happily. I think it was his way of showing his appreciation for me. I'm sure of it.

Crayolas, 5x7, oil on board

2006-04-09T22:18:00.000-06:00

When was the last time you used these...

No, I mean *really*...

I was at the store today, buying paper. Paper is in the crayon aisle, did you know that?

An inexplicable urge to take a box home possessed me, and what can you do when that happens? I gave in. I've been coloring in one form or another all day...oddly enough, crayons are easier--and funner--to use than oil pastels are...whoever says they're just for children?

The above image is Mr. Bowling Ball in crayon...(the image above that is an oil painting)...the possibilities are endless...

"Our Abiding Hope" 5x7, oil on board

2006-04-08T23:07:00.000-06:00

I felt kind of sad today...so this was my attempt to remind myself just why we're here and why we have to go through the things we do... We are not alone...

"And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain..."
Revelation 21:4

"Yellow Ochre", 5x7, oil on board

2006-04-05T16:48:00.000-06:00

An empty, well-loved tube of Yellow Ochre--now it lives on forever, bless its little heart... This was painted last week.

Palette Knife, 5x7, oil on board

2006-04-02T19:22:00.000-06:00

I painted my palette knife after I came in from doing some plein air (on location) painting south of town. The plein air failed miserably, but I had experimented with using my palette knife for the entire painting...interesting way to practice and learn a few things.

"Dogtags" 5x7, oil on board

2006-04-01T00:29:00.000-07:00