Starboard morning

I woke up at 5:30 this Sunday morning, I took my sketch book and went to starboard in my pyjamas!! I did this quick sketch. The mosquitoes were crazy, I got bites all over my body. They were biting across my pants. I had to quit and leave. I got home and worked on the second one. It is a nice sky. Something fresh I guess!!

Istanbul 2

This is the third or fourth version of this picture I took of Istanbul 5 years ago. This time I wanted to depict a sense of mist in the early morning. You can check my previous versions in the blog somewhere! I like this version because it has mood and atmosphere. Compare 1 and 2.

New

I am trying to paint again, but rather unsuccessfully. I know I have a good technique, however, I get involved in the subject rather than being free and expressive. I paint better when I study a painting, but sometimes I feel I just want to paint without feeling that I am "working"!!

Small Mouth

Glow bugs

I woke up one day at Paula's house, and I saw those glow bugs shining all over the field. It was very dark and the only thing you could see is those glow bugs shining. I went back to sleep, and then in the morning I did the opaque one. I woke up today at 4 AM and I felt like painting. I worked on this for 2 hours. There was a field at some point, but it was muddy, so I sprayed it with water and let the colors dissolve. I don't know. People like paintings of certain places or people. I like to paint a magical scene that the child in me enjoys. That's why I always paint in bright colors and try not to be too realistic. I hope this painting would stirr the child in somebody. I am not completely satisfied with it, and I would probably do it again.

Clam diggers

I added the clam diggers.

Low Tide

I did this in the evening. I have mixed feelings about it. Anyone who lives around here could associate with the mud, the water puddles, the rocks, and the spruces. I want to put some clam diggers too. However, I feel as if it is overworked. I need some input!!

Study

This is a very very quick study in watercolor. It was done to get myself familiar with the subject. The full painting will come later.

New Paintings

I haven't been very inspired lately. I worked again on Rochelle's children painting (see last post).

Rochelle's

This is a painting I did for a colleague. I hope she'll like it.

Lori's 2

This is a house of one of my friends. She wanted me to do the first painting according to her specifications. You can check that in one of my earlier postings. Yesterday, I wanted to do my own interpretation. I wanted to convey an early sunset or sunrise mood. You can judge which interpretation is better. Again, I mostly used the three primaries and no browns or blacks.

Eastport Clam Digger

This is an experiment in pastels!

Sketches

Lori's

Pears

I went to get some groceries and I liked all the colors of those pears. Some muted, and some bright! I put them on the deck where I was air drying one of my sheets, and it all made sense as a still life. I struggled with the pears and I almost tore the painting down. I decided to stop. Then the next day I woke up and I finished it. I am pleased with the result.

Cherryfield shadows

The painting looks 10 times better.

New Paintings

I am still painting, but some of them are big and unfinished yet. This is a small cute one I did from a picture I took during the Blue hill fair. I am not sure if I should show it in the gallery or not.

Sunny day at Jonesport

Contemplations/ Fishing!

Few weeks ago, I was experimenting with my model with different poses, and finally this pose hit it for me. I sketched it with charcoal on a full sheet of paper. I put it aside for a while, and today I worked on it! It was nerve wrecking. The way the colors were blending and interacting caused a lot of anxiety, anger, happiness, enjoyment, and at the end a feeling of relief that the work is done. I don't know now how I feel about it, or if I like it, but I'll leave it for the critics to decide it's fate!!
By the way, that's a sucker fish. It is a scavenger that feeds on the bottom of lakes. I caught around 20 of them, this was the biggest, around 25 inches. No fish were harmed, and all were returned safely to the water!

Two men chatting

This was a very quick and loose painting! I like it though. I am going to try a different interpretation!

People have been asking me about the donkey and what it is doing in the painting! So, just to relieve the mystery, it is a chair!!

Trees and snow

This was done on Hot-pressed paper. This type of paper is very tough to handle, and the colors, for some reason, kept on fading on me. I had to be patient, but I like the final result!

Machias River Trees

Starboard at low tide

This is from a picture I took last September. I printed the picture in gray scale so I can create my own colors. This is a little different style than what I usually do. I used a more realistic approach, however, I still used red, yellow, and blue. I did not use any blacks or browns. I tried to depict the haze in the midday sun! The dark values are a mix of prussian blue, aureolin, and rose madder! I might try this again in my usual colorful style. Make sure to enlarge the picture so you can appreciate the details!

Conte Crayon

This is a trial with Conte crayons of my favorite model. I think it looks good for a start!

Sunrise over Jasper

When I first did this, it looked great! However, after the color dried up, I felt I might have rushed through it.

Welcome Home Neighbor!!!!

This is the final painting. The flash took away from the colors, but the real painting is really good! I like it!!

New Watercolor

This is a painting I am working on. I find that, with all modesty, I am really good at drawing people. This is my neighbor in Lebanon. He came to greet me through the car window. He has a very interesting face. This is still in the initial stages! I am scared to wreck it, so I put it in here just in case!

New Paintings

These are new quick paintings, done spontaneously and loosely! By the way I am 30 today, and I hope I don't have a mid-life crisis!!!

Sketch