Shadow Oak

This was a study of colors, shapes, shadows and textures.

Check out the video of the process.

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The Greenline

This is a portion of the "Greenline" - a walking/biking trail running through through Shelby Farms and Memphis.​

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Bend In The Trail

I went out yesterday and sat beside this local biking/walking trail and did this painting on site... I put the bicyclist in when I got back home.

I didn't have any yellow paint left in my portable palette, but I did have a yellow watercolor pencil to help create the bright yellow-greens. It worked out nicely.

I also messed up the drawing of the bend in the road and realized I did not have my kneaded eraser...so I packed everything up again, trudged back to the car, grabbed the eraser and trudged back to my painting spot.

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Turtle Bayou

Subject matter here is a little pond near a popular walking/biking trail in the woods. It is called "Turtle Bayou" and has plenty of turtles in it.

I went out and painted this on site.​

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Hackberry no. 3

Another study of the large Hackberry tree in my neighborhood.

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Finished Large Neighborhood Suburban Landscape

Here it is. This is the finished painting I spoke of in the previous post. It is 60 inches wide and 20 inches tall. I will try and load some in progress photos. Click on it to see it larger.

Starting on a big painting

I am starting on a large watercolor. It is 60 x 20 inches. The subject matter is the suburban landscape that I see all around me every day. Especially when I am out running or walking, I am always struck by the colors, the shadows, the shapes, the contrasts between manmade structures and intersecting planes of lush greenery. I will try and keep you updated on my progress. It is so big, I had to clean up an old dirty bench we had outside as it was the only surface big enough to hold the paper.

For local folks, the scene I am painting is looking south down Poplar Estates Parkway near where Surrey intersects. I am using artistic license to remove some cars and move some trees around, but it will be pretty recognizable when I finish.

And, as always, my paintings are organic, whole wheat, gluten free and guaranteed to make you lose weight along with a program of diet and exercise.

Hackberry no. 3

I have painted and drawn this tree several times. This time I used a combination of watercolor and pen and ink. It is a study in color, texture and sunlight.​

Backyard Snag

Just a little window into the edge of a rural backyard. In this one I started with dark watercolor and came back over with details in gouache.​

A "snag" is a dead tree still standing.

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My Ancestors

Subject matter here is a very small cemetery near a church in South Pittsburg, Tennessee. Some of my Wynne and Atnip ancestors are buried there.

I have always been visually attracted to dappled sunlight that makes circles and ovals on surfaces.​

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Home Portraits postcard ad

I am trying to market my watercolor home portraits more aggressively. I just sent this design to Vistaprint.com and am printing 50 to start with.

The Stall Under The Barn

Original watercolor starting bid $30.00.

The subject matter is a stall under a large three story barn in South Pittsburg, Tennessee. My father worked here when he was in high school back in the 1940s.

I was visually interested in the textures and the value contrasts and the soft color transitions.​

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Corn Crib

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The subject matter is a corn crib with an attached paddock for a farm animal or two. This is in South Pittsburg, Tennessee on a farm where my father worked in the summers while he was going to high school.

I was visually interested in the shape of the crib and the interplay of light against dark and dark against light.

Springtime on Surrey Lane

Original watercolor bidding starts at $30.00. The vantage point here is the corner of Surrey Lane and Poplar Estates Parkway in Germantown, Tennessee. I was visually attracted to the intense reds, the overlapping highlights on the bushes, the spring greens and the shadows.​

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Two Maples

This is a much loved place in Greenfield, Tennessee near a cabin where we stay on occasion. This maple trees turn bright yellow in the fall.

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Ripe

This painting is based on a couple of photos I took from my sister's garden. I combined the photos to get some good leaves and background.

http://www.dailypaintworks.com/buy/auction/530131

Robert E. Lee Scratchboard

Here I tried my hand at a detailed engraving style scratchboard... just to see if I could do it. This is an example of thinking something is impossible for me, until I realize you just have to be slow and careful... and patient.

I found the photo reference on Wikipedia. It is copyright free. Color was added in Photoshop.

Red Grapes 2

This is a variation of a previously sold still life I did several years ago. I tried to highlight the juicy goodness of these berries as best I could.

http://www.dailypaintworks.com/buy/auction/526081

Barn With Ivy

Usually I don't have to do this for barns, but for this one I used my artistic license to remove some of the siding boards to show the studs underneath...just to add interest. No, I did not actually remove the boards. I just did it in the painting.

http://www.dailypaintworks.com/buy/auction/525245

Wolf River Banks

Original landscape starting bid $30.00.

I started this painting sitting on the banks of the Wolf River right off of the Wolf River Trail... a popular walking and biking trail. Plein-aire or on-site painting can give you a more keen sense of being there with the artist with all of the crackle of the undergrowth, the sound of the breeze and the fresh scent of fallen leaves. Can you feel it? No? Well...I tried anyway.

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Stir Fry

Original watercolor for sale, starting auction price $50.00.

My wife brought some groceries in and I asked her if she had any good looking vegetables in there. She set these out on the big cutting board and said she was about to make a stir fry. I added the shiny pan and the soy sauce and took some snapshots.​

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Here is a succession of images of the development of this painting:

In this first one I submerged the paper in the bathtub and let it sit for a while. Then I brought it to my drawing table and started dropping in the colors, letting them bleed and run around.

Next I started to shape things up by adding the first layer of the background black and starting on the rest. I noticed here that as the paper dried, it was producing these spots all over. I attribute this to some impurity in the bathtub. Next time I will make sure it is rinsed out thoroughly. However, I don't really mind the spots. They add interesting texture.

The process continues. Selectively adding detail. Going back and forth over the paper.

And that is it. To get the Kikkoman label right, I measured the height of my jar drawing. Then I found a Kikkoman jar on Google images, brought it into Photoshop and sized it to the same size. I also warped the label in Photoshop to give it a slight curve, then I printed out just the label and traced it onto my drawing using a transfer method. Then I painted it using a fine brush with gouache.

Oh, My Darlin'

Original painting for sale - starting bid $30.00.

I was going for the "glow" in this one. These are clementines. They are the sweetest we have had all year.​

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Overhanging

I went out this morning and sat on a log near a local pond and painted this scene. I was ​interested in the network of twigs and the reflections in the water.

http://www.dailypaintworks.com/buy/auction/503809

A Street In Brazil

My son spent a few weeks in Brazil recently and took hundreds of photos. This was designed from one of those.​

http://www.dailypaintworks.com/buy/auction/501030

Long Road Home

Original painting - starting bid $30.00. With my son driving, I took a bunch of smartphone snapshots of the dramatic cloud formations on a Sunday afternoon traveling home on I-40.​

http://www.dailypaintworks.com/buy/auction/499385

West Tennessee Honey

My brother raises bees and makes the best honey I have ever tasted. Here is one of his jars.

Auction

Down Lincoln Road

I took a ride down the backroads of Tullahoma, Tennessee. I saw lots of good painting scenes, but nowhere to pull over and get out of the traffic. So I snapped a smartphone shot of this scene while at a 4-way stop. I looked at it later and saw the possibilities.

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