Vinyard Light, 30 x 40 inches, oil on canvas.

I worked yesterday's posting up to a large painting, but essentially using the same methods. At this size the painting seems over the top--large and busy. I will go back into it and work on it some more--this will mean solidifying and unifying some of the shapes, and perhaps toning town the oranges a bit. This might be difficult, because the painting is done a la prima, with soupy paint--adding new paint to dry paint will give a painting a very different look.

Fall Vinyard

Fall Vinyard, 10 x 10 inches, palette knife oil.

I recently completed this study in my studio in preparation for a larger work that I hope to take to the COPIA show in Napa at the end of May. Pallete knife work is somehow viscerally satisfying. Colors are cleaner and brighter, and an element of surprise, and a lack of perfect control can lead to a strong, whimsical paint expression. I have completed (almost) the larger work of this one, and will post it tomorrow--it is still a little rough, but maybe that is the nature of the approach.

Open Studios this weekend, and two Gardens

Iris Garden, 8 x 10 inches, palette knife oil.

Sunflowers, 6x6 inches, palette knife oil.

My son napped through the painting of these two paintings. I painted them in the order displayed--as is often the case, the second is a distillation of the first. I find that this phenomenon often occurs...it is a good reason to paint more than one painting at a time of a single motif.

A reminder: Open Studio this weekend at Cubberley Studios, there will be about 16 artists there with their doors open.

Open Studio
May 3 & 4
11- 5 pm
Cubberley Studios
E-6
4000 Middlefield Road, right next to Piazza's and Peet's