Back to the Easel

 It's been a while since I've done some easel painting, I've been mostly doing the line and wash sketches and pen and ink drawings.  Recently I decided it was time to get back to the easel.  

I decided to finish up a couple automotive paintings I'd started and abandoned previously. These paintings are done primarily with thick brushwork.  I mix thick matt gel with blending medium and mixed that into my paint mixtures to get a thick paint that doesn't dry too fast.  I finished off the paintings with a few palette knife strokes as well.  I kept the backgrounds abstract and the cars themselves very loose.  I was shooting for strong contrasts to make the compositions really stand out.

The first painting I finished is of a red 1932 Ford coupe hot rod with a yellowish background.

"Red 1932 Ford Coupe Hot Rod" Acrylic, 12" X 12"

The second painting was a red 1932 Packard classic luxury car a blue-violet background.

"Red 1932 Packard" Acrylic, 12" X 16"

I enjoyed painting with the thick brush style and will probably continue to explore this style/technique.

Five Day Green Painting Challenge

 This past week I took part in a themed five day art challenge, meaning all participants needed to make a new piece of art every day for five days straight that fit within a theme, in this case the theme was "green".

While I've made green paintings in the past my inclination is really toward autumn colors, so I decided this would be a good motivation to experiment more with greens.

"Small Summer Tree Study" Acrylic "7 X 5"

All of these paintings were based on charcoal sketches I'd completed previously, in fact many of them had been posted in a previous blog.  This is one of those, just a simple study based on a single tree in a field during summer.

"Summer Shed in the Hills" Acrylic 5" X 7"

I actually simplified this one a little bit.  The charcoal sketch had two trees, I reduced that to just one.  I used somewhat different techniques for making these paintings, more or less the same as the two paintings in my previous blog post.  The palette knife was only used to mix paint so the paintings are made entirely with brush work.  I used three layers, a thin layer just to block in the composition, a thicker layer to refine the composition and color and the final layer using very thick paint with modeling paste mixed in to finalize the color/composition and add texture.

"Irrigation Canal Study" Acrylic "5" X 7"

I found this scene in Box Elder County in northern Utah a few years ago and only now got around to painting it.  I think there's potential for a larger painting of this subject.

"Path Through Spring Meadow" Acrylic, 8" X 10"

I especially like the results of this painting.  Not that it's perfect but I think it does set the mood and create an inviting scene, someone even commented that the painting made them want to be there which I think is the ultimate compliment for a landscape painter. I added a few dots of color to represent wildflowers.

"Spring on Beaver Creek" Acrylic, 9" X 12"

The reference for this painting was also collected years ago but in Cache County showing a little known creek in spring though my original reference was in autumn, however since I worked from my charcoal sketch the colors of a reference photo did not influence the colors I chose for the painting.

This was a good challenge for me. I think the paintings turned out pretty well, though I think I could have used a little more variety in the color, especially on the warmer side of the color wheel.

Sketching and Painting a Kamas Barn

 Some subjects just seem to grab you.  I don't mean a whole genre, but rather a particular subject within a genre.  Anybody that has paid any attention to my art knows I really enjoy rural scenes, scenes that feature old barns in particular. I can't say specifically why I find old barns so appealing but affection for such things seems to be pretty common. There is one barn in particular that has received more of my attention than most others I've seen. 

There is a large, old, seemingly abandoned barn with rusty corrugated metal siding along the Mirror Lake Highway in Kamas Utah.  Kamas is often referred to as the gateway to the High Uinta mountain wilderness area as what is commonly referred to as the "Mirror Lake Highway" originates in the middle of town and leads to a land of lakes, mountains and hiking trails.  Shortly after leaving town on the highway, if you glance over to your right you just might spot this iconic barn.

One summer day in July I stopped at a wide spot on the highway near the barn and got out my sketchbook.

Kamas Barn Sketch

As you can see I used pen and watercolor to make this sketch, I did it while sitting on a chunk of concrete that was part of piles of it that were dropped there apparently to help retain the road bank as the road elevation was quite a bit higher than the field below at this point.  Prints are available, click on the image.

More recently I did a sketch of this same barn from a different angle in charcoal as part of a 30 day, daily sketch challenge.

Kamas Barn Charcoal Sketch

Prints are available, click on the image.

I decided I liked the charcoal sketch enough that I would make a painting of it.

"Kamas Barn Study", Acrylic, 9" X 12"

I decided to stick with brushes on this one and use lots of layering to build up texture and color.  I like the result enough that eventually I'll mostly likely paint a larger version. The original painting is available on Etsy, click on the image.

There's Just Something About Autumn

 I love autumn, the color palette anyway.  The season is nice too but at least where I live it's too short.  The colors start coming in during September and things start getting real colorful by late September and the temperatures start dropping below 80F.  The peak of season at least in the valley seems to be about the second week of October and temps start hitting the 60's and soon the 50's and by the end of the month we are in the low 40's and most of the leaves are gone.  Just that quick we go from hot and green, to comfortable temps with bright, wonderful color to cold, dreary and brown, all in the space of about 6 weeks. 

The funny thing is, while the autumn season is the shortest I believe the majority of my landscape paintings are of autumn...like I said I love the fall color palette. And so now in the dead of winter I can't help but paint yet another autumn landscape.

"Guardians of the Path"
Acrylic, 20" X 10"

Prints available

This painting is based on a scene along a trail I walk nearly every week at least once in the Jordan River Parkway in Murray, Utah. I took my reference photo recently so those skinny, tall poplar trees actually have no leaves right now but I couldn't resist painting them in their full autumn splendor.  The painting is mostly painted using palette knives but I kept the strokes relatively small and of course used thick paint and created lots of texture.

This painting is basically a sideways panorama, if you could call it that.  It is twice as tall as it is wide.  It's also painted on a cradled hardboard panel 3/4" deep which means it can be displayed or hung without a frame, the edges are painted black.  

Here are a couple close ups so you can see the detail and rich texture.

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An Agricultural Relic

I'm not sure where my love of old tractors comes from but I sure enjoy them.  Maybe it comes from playing in my Dad's wrecking yard when I was a kid, being exposed all summer to old, mechanical things, stuff that most people looked on as junk, but for me it was a playground, probably not legal today.

Abandoned Oliver Tractor

Click on image to purchase

I always get excited when I see an old tractor sitting in a field, or in a barn while traveling the rural backroads of Utah and take plenty of photos.  That wasn't what happened with the subject of this palette knife painting however.  I found this old Oliver Tractor in Mcbride's Wrecking yard in Grantsville, Utah. Unfortunately pressures from the city caused Mcbride's to be closed a couple years ago.  I spent a couple hours walking around that yard and this is the second painting I've done based on photos I took there, I feel lucky I had that opportunity.  Obviously I moved the tractor to a more rural setting, a farm field in the background and tall, dead grass in front and backed by a group of trees.  This painting is also on the large side for me, 18" X 24".

Wanna Watch Me Paint?

If so, now you can!  That's right, I've started a YouTube channel.  My videos will all be painting demonstrations, now you'll be able to watch my process from start to finish.

Click here to go to my YouTube channel

As for the day of this post I have three videos uploaded.  The first was just a short time lapse of a landscape painting of open country using palette knives.

The second video is a long format of the first, I even include commentary for a couple minutes at the beginning where I talk about my reference photograph, my composition decisions and show you my palette and name off the colors I use.

The third video is a mix of the first two styles but is a different painting, a back country autumn scene. There is no commentary on this one and it's shorter because much of it is sped up a bit but parts of it run in real time as well.

I plan on making two videos a week to be published on Wednesday and Sunday.  I'll also upload the occasional bonus sketch demonstration video.  If you enjoy these videos make sure you "Like" them, "Share" them and subscribe and click the bell icon if you want to be notified when I put up new videos.

Recovered Landscapes

I recently cleaned up my studio.  Things were piled on top of things that were piled on top of other things.  The clean up became studio archeology as I pulled out paintings that I forgot I had.  I decided many of these paintings are ready to go into my Etsy store while others needed to be reworked first.  Here are a few these recently recovered paintings.

Parkway Spring

One of my few oil paintings "Parkway Spring" is based on a photograph I took while out for a walk in the Jordan River Parkway.  The Parkway can be very green during spring, a nice painting to look while we endure winter.  (click on image to purchase)

Barn by the Tracks

"Barn by the Tracks" has been one of my "love/hate" projects for some time.  I always liked the idea and the composition but not my execution of it.  When I pulled it out of my discard pile while cleaning up the studio I decided it wasn't so bad, except for one problem, it didn't match my current style.  So, I fired up the palette knives and painted over the whole thing using the existing brush painting as an underpainting and guide. I'm much happier with it now.    I don't remember exactly where I saw this scene, somewhere in Brigham City I believe.  (click on image to purchase)

Lone Tree

Prints Available

The painting "Lone Tree" was inspired by a visit to Fairview, Utah, a fairly remote, small, ranching town a ways south and west of the Salt Lake City area.  Fairfield is surrounded by open ranch land. On the west side in particular you might see plenty of cattle feeding amongst clusters of old oak trees that often have pretty odd shapes.  Odd natural shapes you say?  I'm on it. I focused on one interesting tree in particular for this painting based on photographs of the area, however I'll admit the real landscape around Fairfield isn't nearly as green. 

"Tree Stand"

This painting might look familiar, that's because "Tree Stand" is a scaled up version, (16" X 20") of "Tree Stand Study" a smaller, (8" X 10") painting I posted earlier.  The painting was inspired by a cluster of trees I used to pass by every day on my way home from work.  Of course these trees were stuck in a commercial area, storage units in the background in fact. Well that won't do so I "planted" those trees in the open countryside, in this case a fabrication of my imagination. (click on image to purchase)

Some More Small Works

As mentioned in my previous blog post I uncovered a few small paintings during my studio clean up and as promised I've been gradually adding them to my Etsy store.  If you would like to see the full collection of small works CLICK HERE  or just read about some of the recent additions below.

Autumn Dance

"Autumn Dance" acrylic, 8" X 10". I made this painting nearly four years ago as an experiment in simplification and playing off complementary colors against each either.  The result was a fall color scheme with a semi-abstract composition.  (click on image to purchase)

Firey Bush

"Firey Bush" acrylic, 6" X 8".  The painting was made over four years ago when I first started experimenting with painting with knives.  I wanted to see how small yet detailed I could go.  Since then I've done knife paintings as small as 6" X 6" or 5" X 7", should I try even smaller?  (click on image to purchase)

Country Meadow

"Country Meadow" acrylic, 6" X 6". This is one of those even smaller paintings I was talking about. I'm not sure when I made this, somewhere between one and two years ago.  It was covered under a bunch of other stuff, never even scanned.  I wasn't happy with it at the time but looking at it with fresh eyes my opinion changed. I just love the open spaces of the countryside. (click on image to purchase).

Country Shed

Prints Available

"Country Shed" acrylic, 8" X 10".  This is another painting I rejected at the time I made it, also hidden inside a pile of stuff, never scanned and again looking at it with fresh eyes my opinion has changed.  Like the others this was palette knife practice, lots of thick paint and texture. What is it about these quiet, little corners of the rural countryside we find so appealing?  (click on image to purchase)

Getting All Abstracty Again

Okay, I never end up going full abstract, but every now and then I just kind of want to go wild and see how far I can take a subject towards abstraction by slathering on the paint with a palette knife.

Click on image to enlarge

"Field and Barns"

Acrylic on 1/8" panel, 10" X 8"
Original - $100

Not only was I trying to find the limits of representational abstraction here, I was also trying to simplify.  The foreground "grasses" point up into the diagonals of the "field" which draws the eye to the distant barns which are backed by trees, mountains and sky.  The painting has lots of color interest in it without hitting you over the head with it. I used a photo I took while exploring the rural back roads of Spanish Fork, Utah as my reference.  I think I came pretty close to my goals with this painting, it's pretty simple and abstract while having plenty of that palette knife induced texture I love.

Getting Your Gloom On

Probably not the best title for a blog post but appropriate for today's subject.  Generally speaking I prefer bright, sunny days, but can overcast and gloomy be as beautiful?  I'm not sure but I set out to paint a gloomy day in this painting and see what happens.

Click on image to enlarge

"Gloomy Day Hike"

Oil, 14" X 11" on 1/8" panel
Original - $160

Sometimes you just have no choice, you have to take the weather Mother Nature hands you. Especially during autumn which is a fleeting season, you have to take every opportunity to get out and enjoy the color regardless.  That what I did a few years ago when I made a weekend trip to Ogden Valley and explored the preserved nature areas surrounding the Pineview reservoir.  It was a heavily overcast day, the sun never made an appearance but at least it didn't rain...much, I did get sprinkled on a bit.  I took a lot of photos that day and yep, they all came out rather gloomy, including the one this painting is based on.  One thing about overcast days is the lack of a strong light source tends to reduce the value range considerably, darks aren't as dark and lights are not as light so you end up with a middle key image, something to keep in mind while painting from a photo since the values will most likely be inaccurate in the photograph. I did increase the drama a bit from the photograph by making the sky more interesting.  In the photo the sky is just kind of a flat, purplish gray, a common problem for amateur photographers like me.  While I generally prefer to paint sunny days this gloomy day painting was an interesting exercise.  Also unusual for me was the use of oil paint, my paintings tend more towards grayness when painting with oils for some reason anyway, so quite appropriate for this painting.

Little Squares

Seems like I can't leave well enough alone, I'm always experimenting, especially the last year or so.  However my typical go-to techniques have been either lots of layering using brushes and glazing or thick palette knife application.  Last month I made two paintings using a somewhat different technique/style.

Click on image to enlarge

"Spring Walk in the Mountains"

Acrylic on 1/8" panel, 10" X 8"
Original - $100
Prints Available

As you can see in this painting the entire image is made up of small, square brush strokes creating a sort of mosaic effect.  I'm not sure this could technically be called impressionism but the image is more abstract the closer you look at it so it does have an impressionistic visual effect.  The technique is very simple and I think that is one of the things that appeals to me.  I did a simple underpainting to establish the composition then simply applied deliberate brushstrokes.  The idea is to always consider the brushstroke color, direction and placement before putting it down, it forces you to slow down and by more mindful.  My goal was to avoid having to rework my brushstrokes.  There is some overlapping of strokes but nothing to the extent that could be called layering. 

One of the challenging aspects of using this technique with this image is that I was using square brushstrokes to represent the organic shapes of clouds, distant mountains and trees without it looking mechanical, I think it worked out pretty well.  The painting is based on one of the many photos I've taken while hiking in the Wasatch Mountains, I think I was on the Willow Heights Conservation area trail for this one.

Click on image to enlarge

"Red 1948 Chevy"

Acrylic on 3/4" panel, 20" X 16"
Original - $300

This second painting was an experiment of trying the "little squares" technique on a vehicle.  To keep it simple I chose a close crop of a 1948 Chevy that I photographed at a car show and I put in a simple abstract background.  While I did have to stray slightly from the "little squares" concept in order to maintain the identity of the car it was easier than I thought it would be to keep the variety of shapes on a classic car identifiable, and it was a lot of fun and went quicker than I expected.

I think there is plenty of potential in the "little squares" technique/style, the process was enjoyable and produced interesting and effective results, I'm sure I'll continue to explore this concept.

Oily Palette Knife Fun

Every once in a while I just feel a need to get the oils out.  The result is usually somewhat less than happy but I do it anyway.  I guess my temperament is more suited to acrylics.  However once in a while it does work out, in fact my latest oil painting may be my best oil painting to date.

Click on image to enlarge

"Ogden Valley Marsh"

8" X 10", oil on panel

Available on ebay

I painted this one entirely with a palette knife which may be why it worked out, however it's hard to layer thick oil paint on top of thick oil paint, at least I don't have the touch for it.  The painting is based on one of the charcoal studies I shared in the last blog post which was based on a photo I took in Ogden Valley Utah late fall a few years ago.  The thin little stream of water meandering down the yellowish-orange marshy area made for a great composition, of course the trees and hills in the background helped in their secondary roles.  Ogden Valley is one of my favorite areas to visit any time, but especially during autumn.

Sometimes You have to Switch Gears

Do you remember that post from several weeks back?  You know, the post where I showed a work in progress photo of my latest painting and it was in pastel?  Here it is in case you forgot.  If you look below you'll notice the image here looks very similar but it isn't pastel.  That's right, I started over in acrylic.  I can't really explain why I switched mediums for this piece, it just seemed like the right thing to do.

Click on image to enlarge

"Fence Line Tree"

11" X 14, Acrylic on panel

Original - $160
Prints Available

I used both a sketch and a photo as reference for this painting.  The only thing in the photo that is also in the painting is the tree and even it's been altered a bit.  Even when I did the sketch on location on the Jordan River Parkway I added the fence and grasses, here's the sketch;

Click on image to enlarge

Funny thing, that bush at the base of the tree was actually there but I didn't include it in the painting. The sketch saved me while making this painting.  I started out with only the photo reference and was getting frustrated with the tree, something about it just wasn't right but I couldn't put my finger on it.  Then I remembered I had done the sketch and so I searched through my sketch books until I found it and turns out it had the answers I needed.  This is a perfect example of how there is often information missing in photos.  I remember while making the sketch I thought an old tractor would look good parked under that tree, obviously I decided against adding a tractor, maybe in a later version.

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Thicker and More Abstract

Using a palette knife instead of a brush for painting presents the opportunity for thicker paint application and a more abstract painting style.  I decided to try pushing both of those qualities when painting this small landscape.

Click on image to enlarge

"Open Spaces"

12" X 9", Acrylic on 1/8" panel

As you can see the wide open spaces of the countryside is my inspiration for this painting, it often is.  I kept the palette knife loaded heavily and the strokes free and overlapping to help push the abstraction while keeping the subject recognizable. There's a great deal of freedom in painting this way.

Here are a couple of zoomed in details of small areas of the painting.  Here you can really see how thick the paint is and how random the strokes appear to be but when you zoom out and see the whole image it becomes something familiar.

Click on image to enlarge

Click on image to enlarge

Farm Memories

It seems like old farms in the rural areas of Utah and I'm sure other places are almost like outdoor museums displaying historic relics of times gone by.  You'll find everything from horse drawn plows to tractors from the 1960's, manure spreaders from the 1920's to grain trucks from the 70's and everything in between.  Sometimes you'll come across items that aren't even farm implements such as antique gas pumps or manual washing machines and more.  Of course my favorite "farm finds" are old trucks and tractors.

"Farm Memories"

16" X 20", Acrylic on panel

I found this old Chevy flatbed truck in this painting in the small Sanpete County town of Fountain Green.  It was actually part of a display that could be called an outdoor museum of sorts.  Not only were tractors displayed with it but an old wood barn was there covered in old signs, license plates and hubcaps.

Cool, huh?  This is just one of those special treats you just might find while wandering the back roads.

The painting was done entirely with a palette knife.  On the body I tried to keep the palette knife strokes simple, just lay them down and leave them alone, it created a bit of a patchwork effect yet the form of the body is still quite clear.  I just love these kinds of visual tricks that make an abstract application of paint look like something recognizable.

Hemi Hot Rod

I like my hot rods "old school", which means I like the traditional styling from the late 40's into the early 60's.  To me that era was the epitome of cool in the hot rod and custom car world.  It can be hard to find a car around here built strictly to that style, many come close but then install modern street radials which often kill the look.  I admire a car owner that keeps true to the old school aesthetic, it isn't exactly easy and you have to give up a bit of comfort and drivability, to me the look is worth it.

"Hemi Hot Rod"

12" X 16" Acrylic on panel

The hot rod depicted in this painting is one of those cars that gets it right.  The early hemi engine makes this ride even sweeter.  The Chrysler corporation hemispherical engines were in the thick of the early overhead valve engine displacement wars of the early 1950's and so were a prime candidate for an engine swap into a Model A Ford or '32 Ford hot rod like this one.  This is one of my favorite local cars, I love it.

I feel this is one of my most successful abstraction attempts to date, as abstract as the engine is I think anybody that's into vintage cars will recognize it as an early hemi...one hot rodded with four single barrel carbs and lakester headers.

Abstract Red Tractor

By the late 1960's tractors were becoming more angular in design, more modern I guess but a little less visually appealing.  However most still didn't have cabs, fenders and fully enclosed engine bays yet so that can still make interesting art subjects.

"Red Abstract Tractor"

11" X 14", Acrylic on panel

The tractor that is the subject of this painting is an example of the direction the designs were going by the mid 60's, though it might be hard to tell since I painted it semi-abstract using a palette knife.  The tractor in my reference photo was actually missing the hood, but I'm fairly confident it was a Farmall by International Harvester. 

Autumn Draws to a Close

Daylight savings time has ended and most of the trees have lost all or the majority of their colorful leaves.  Autumn is a wonderful season but it is all too short.  Now we have freezing temperatures, at least overnight and daylight so short you blink your eyes and it's gone.  Now the transition into winter begins.  This time always induces a bit of melancholy in me, yearning for the summer past and dread of the coming winter.  Sorry, I just really dislike winter.  At least I can paint any season I want any time of the year.  Here are the last two autumn scenes I painted.

"Red Mountain Aspens"

16" X 12", acrylic on panel

This painting is based on a photo I took on one of my hikes in the Wasatch mountains.  The hike was during summer so obviously I took my liberties with color.  This painting was mostly done with a palette knife as well.  I really should have got out for an autumn hike this year, but I didn't, the painting will have to do.

"Roadside Attraction"

12" X 9", acrylic on 1/8" panel

I can't help it, I look at trees when driving, a lot, they are actually a roadside distraction for me.  Especially in autumn, not just because of the colors, but once the leaves start thinning out I see more of the tree's structure.  Whenever I see an interesting tree I have the urge to stop, get out of the car and photograph it, of course I have to resist that urge when on the freeway.  I decided to leave the palette knives on the table for this one and only used brushes.

Autumn is in the Air

The temperatures are dropping. I have to have my headlights on for my morning drive to work now.  The other day my windshield was covered in morning dew.  Even here in the valley some of the trees are starting to turn golden.  Yep, it's that time of the year when we get relief from the summer heat and nature starts to put on her annual color show.  While the trees are still mostly green around here right now I couldn't resist doing a small autumn painting.

"Autumn Delight"

12" X 9", Acrylic on 1/8" panel

But then again it doesn't seem to matter what time of year it is I can always find the motivation to paint a fall scene.  This painting was painted mostly with a palette knife and then finished off with brushes for a variety of rich textures.  I'm certainly in a fall mood now!

More Things With Wheels

I went back to playing with the pastels again, I decided to try a vehicle painting.

"Glory Passed"

Pastel on paper 9" X 12"

The truck is a 1946 Ford flatbed abandoned on desert ranch.  It's kind of sad to think of the current state of this old workhorse.  Just think of all the useful work it did for some farmer or rancher back in it's glory days.

I also recently did this mixed media sketch of an abandoned car;

"Has Potential"

Mixed media on paper, 5.25" X 10.5"

This poor 1939 Mercury tudor sedan certainly has seen better days, but what a project it would make for a restoration or a cool custom car.  The sketch started with watercolor washes for some subtle underlying color.  Once the washes were dry everything was sketched out in charcoal and then some colorful touches were added with pastel pencils.