Mountain Maryland Plein Air

7x8 pastel

This is an amazing event. Not only is the landscape inspiring, but the people are warm and wonderful! I love participating! Here are two paintings from my week in Cumberland, Maryland.

21x23 pastel
Now off to Nova Scotia!

Aphrodite and me

11.5x12.25 pastel

Finally I am back to pastel. I missed it! So much finishing of paintings for the show..not enough fun.
This one came to me when I was swimming laps this lunch time.  Even the name...Aphrodite's Dream. Crazy, huh? Often I labor for months this took 45 minutes tops. It was already made in my head.
It was inspired by my favorite place Chincoteague Island. On the wall in my studio is this large study created in Chincoteague with black pastel only. It didn't sell at the plein air event...maybe that's better, so far it has inspired three paintings.

contrast and a small trick

oil, 12x12

Contrast draws the viewer's eye. That said, there are many different ways to achieve that contrast. You can use value, hue or temperature, or a combination of all three. Value contrast is the strongest worker of the lot, that is why I will check my paintings in photoshop. I simply change the mode to gray scale and I have a tonal check-up. If it looks good there, then I analyze the color.

This painting has gone through so many metamorphoses, finally making it to this. I know the contrast is not super high, but I hope I made it enough to attract the eye of the viewer. I think that there is the reduction of shape, vibration and sense of wanting to know more.
Maybe its next metamorphosis will be growing big. I can see this one 60x60.
It's snowing like crazy outside (yay!)...time to do some snow study.

free painting drawing on Monday

 
Here's one more painting to add to the painting give-away. It's called December Road and is 6" square pastel.
It's not too late to enter. Remember the date for the drawing has changed. News of the winner will be out on Monday evening, January 13. A big thank you to all the people who have liked my face book page or commented. If you want to have more entries feel free to comment again. Deadline for entries: Monday, January 13, 8:00PM EST.