Oil Painting, 18x14 inches

This is an experimental painting which was part of a series of night scenes like this one.  As I was working on an earlier one in the series I got the urge to use more transparent paints (still oils).  So I set aside my favorite Cadmium reds and yellows (all very opaque) in favor of Perylene Red, Indian Yellow and a transparent orange (all transparent), in addition to my usual blues which are already transparent.  The main opaque pigment is white, a Titanium/Zinc blend.  I mainly wanted to use the transparent pigments in the darker shadows, but in the end I also used some opaque mixtures there, and used the reds and oranges in the interior-lit parts of the painting too.  They seem to impart a distinct glow.

I will probably work on the painting a little more, but it has been a lot of fun to experiment with some new colors, and new types of colors. 

And now for something completely different!

This is an oil painting, 20 x 16 inches.  I did it in a class I am taking at the Art Students League in Denver...the class focuses on abstract painting.  I am taking it in order to study the elements of shape, light, color, texture, edge quality, line, etc, without the distraction of making it look like a specific subject.  I then intend to take my observations back to my regular work. 

There are a couple of benefits I hadn't thought of until a couple of classes went by.  I am learning and experimenting with different ways of applying/modifying/removing paint.  And, since I have no intention of taking these paintings to shows or galleries, I have nothing to lose with each painting and can push each one in any direction at any time.  This may be a good attitude to bring back to my regular work as well.  And, it's fun.

Happy New Year!

This is an oil painting, 20 x 16 inches, based on a view of a rock climber in the Garden of the Gods in Colorado Springs, Colorado.  When I saw this scene and cropped the view, I liked the simple division of the picture into light and dark shapes, and of course the tension of the climber on the rock wall.  The late afternoon winter sun was hitting the rock wall straight on and giving a nice illumination to the red rocks.  Our state is named for these red rocks, which can be found for many miles along the front range of the Rockies, "Colorado" being a Spanish word for red.

This painting and several others can be seen at Framed Image this month, in a show titled "Way Out West".  The show coincides with the National Western Stock Show which is one of the major public events in Denver each year.  The gallery is at 5066 East Hampden Ave. in Denver.  Their website is www.framedimage.net