"Original Oil Painting: Along the Dixie Highway"

6 x 8 oil on linen panel.  This is a view along the old Dixie Highway that runs parallel to the train tracks in Ft. Lauderdale.  Some of the areas along the train tracks are kind of run down but they have a kind of "Old Florida" look to them.  I think I am going to try the Marc Hanson method of enlarging this painting.  From what I've read on his website and others who have studied with him, he suggests taking your oil study and doing a larger pastel study using the small reference.  He then uses that study to make an even larger painting.  I guess the underlying idea is that you will distill the essence of the scene in progressive steps without relying on photographic detail.  We'll see.

"Original Oil Painting: Las Olas Boulevard"

9 x 12 oil on linen panel.  This is downtown Las Olas Boulevard in downtown Ft. Lauderdale.  I've always liked the look of this street.  It's very touristy but it's well done.  All the buildings are have the Mediterranean colors and tiled roofs.  They just put up the Christmas decorations and it's actually quite pretty.  At night this area is jam packed with people because the streets are lined with outdoor bistros, bars and restaurants.  It's very lively.  I would actually like to try some nocturnes in this area at some point.   This was a complicated scene and I decided to stop before I put too much detail in everywhere.    

"Original Oil Painting: Deerfield Park"

6 x 8 oil on linen panel.    It was a beautiful day in South Florida.  I found this little park beneath a bridge over the intercoastal in Deerfield Beach.  As always, the color in the photo is a little washed out.   I am continually reminding myself to go back and check/compare values when painting outside.  I have found that when I am painting in bright sunlight, I often start off with my values too dark in the block in.  I used my viewfinder to compare the shadow to the painting as I progressed and considerably lightened up all the shadow areas.   Once the shadow areas are the right value, it is much easier to adjust everything and "turn the light on" so to speak!

Things That Drive Me Insane

Yes.  That's Rocky.  He just made his debut at Art Basel in Miami.  That painting just sold for $50,000 and his paintings are hanging next to Boteros in a Swiss gallery at what some consider to be the most "important" contemporary art show in the US.   As Seth and Amy from Saturday Night Live would say:  "Really?"  Oh well.  I did go out to paint in between rain showers today but it was a wiper.  So, I thought I would vent on a little pet peeve. 

"Practice, Practice, Practice"

6 x 8 oil on canvas.   We are finally on our way to Florida and I haven't had much time to paint between the holiday, shopping and packing!  This was a quick morning value study of a pear and a small espresso cup on canvas paper. My purpose in this was to capture the tone and value of the two forms as quickly and in as few deliberate strokes as possible.  This is a great warm up exercise that I would like to incorporate into my daily painting routine.   We will hopefully be in our "winter home" by the end of the week.  I'm looking forward to seeing my Florida painting friends again!

"Original Oil Painting: Autumn Sunday"

9 x 12 oil on canvas panel.  I started this painting a couple of weeks ago on a Sunday afternoon and never finished it.   I decided to tackle part of my "to finish" pile today but realized that I forgot to take a photo reference for this scene.  So, I had to finish from memory.  I liked the way was streaming through the big bay windows and onto the couch.  It was an inviting scene.  (Thanks again Denise!)

"Original Pastel Painting: Pears on a Pedestal"

9 x 12 pastel on sanded paper.  This started off as just a color study to see if I liked the fabric but I got caught up in it as you can see.  I like the study but not sure about the fabric so I'm working on something else right now.   I'll post again if I have something to show.