Counting Paint Strokes = Big Shapes

Today I taught my class a Peggy Kroll Roberts exercise to help them simplify and use more paint. The goal was to cover the whole canvas in only 25 strokes. I practiced the day before and my first attempt was 43 strokes, way too many. It is the long narrow painting at the top.
  The next attempt was the demo for my class. The pressure was on and I made it! Just 25 strokes and the whole canvas is covered. From here I may add more detail but I am happy with the colors, values, and composition so it will be worth my time to work on it more.

Dairy Day

This little 4 x 4 painting was among three that size that sold this weekend. My daughter is in vet school and had a calf that she trained and groomed to show at their Dairy Day event. Rajah was a very well groomed and beautiful calf, but a little stubborn about trotting around an arena.

still life demo

I taught a class today and the emphasis was on separating darks from lights. I showed the method of making the dark paint thin and the light paint very thick. It makes a more interesting painting to have a variety of surface textures.  I was trying to do this in 30 minutes but did at least make it in 45. One of the students bought this painting and left with a wet canvas.

My LPB Donation

 I just donated this painting to Louisiana Public Broadcasting for their annual art auction fund raiser. I am joining the Hammond Art Guild in this worthy cause. I painted this portrait from a photo I took at the Rural Life Museum in Baton Rouge. I know the artist in the painting and she complimented my work saying that I really caught her focused-on-

painting facial expression.

Little Green Heron

 Every time I go to City Park in New Orleans I see a Green Heron stalking along the edge of the pond. I love his crazy bird eyes and the frilly white crest.
 I painted this with a pallet knife. The paint is very thick and textural. It will take a week to dry and then it is going to the Artisan Gallery in Mandeville.

Loosening Up

Painting this morning in Abita Springs I could really feel and see how much I have improved at painting plein air since January. I have gotten much looser and more painterly.  People are always telling me that they cannot draw or paint. I always disagree and say it is more about working on something than about an innate talent.

House Portrait

I took the photo for this home very early in the morning. My favorite architectural feature is the tower-like structure over the door. The dark cast shadow on the roof next to it helped reinforce that as the center of interest. I did thin paint everywhere else and then piled on the pale yellow on the tower.