Works in Progress
Visit the galleries at: Desert Southwest, Pacific Northwest, People & Animals, Mostly Natural, Abstract, and Under $100.
I hope you enjoy these progress photos of my current painting in progress
(as of April 12) and four recent paintings.
They’ll give you a good idea of the phases and layers of acrylic painting, and how my work evolves from the first session into the final work.
Great Egret
Professional photographer Chloe Robinson graciously shared this photo taken at Aqua Caliente for me to paint.
Great Egret – Session 1 – Just getting started
Painting the water with all its shades of green and
leaving the canvas for the egret untouched
Great Egret – Session 2
Developing the reflection of the vegetation on the opposite shore and
the reflection of the sky in the water
Great Egret – Session 3
Fine tuning the bank and the reflections, adding the swimming
turtle and starting the egret’s underwing and head
Great Egret – Session 4
Adding more shadow and light to the egret to
create movement. More to go
Ragged Top
Painting an impression of this striking mountain north of Marana in the heart of the Ironwood Forest National Monument.
Ragged Top – Session 1 – Just getting started
Painting the sky and clouds moving over the mountain to set the striking profile
Ragged Top – Session 3
Developing the shadow and light of this rugged mountain
and setting the foreground
Ragged Top – Session 5
Adding the desert shrubs and numerous distant saguaros
Ragged Top – Session 8 – Final
Finishing the ground, adding lots of vegetation,
the larger saguaros, and the saguaro ribs
The Bloom
Painting an impression of a night-blooming cereus cactus and its beautiful and short-lived white flower.
Cereus – Session 1 – Just getting started
Just beginning to shape the cactus stalks, with plenty of thorns,
and the ground behind
Cereus – Session 4 – Working Through the Background
Adding more shape and shading to finish up the background
Cereus – Session 6 – Defining the petals with shading and light
Adding color to start to define the petals
and the shadows that create each one
Cereus – Session 10 – A lot of time to lighten the petals
but keep the shadow and light
Adding layers and layers of white to soften
and brighten the flower. Color and structure now in the center.
More highlights the last week and added a few dew drops.
Cassini’s View
Watch Jupiter start to unfold. Painting many of its moons will be the last step.
Jupiter – Session 1 – Just getting started
Just beginning to shape the planet with shadow and light
Jupiter – Session 3 – Starting to see the planet
Adding more color and depth to space, adding a base coat and
beginning to shape the planet’s surface with shadow and light
Jupiter – Session 4 – Seeing more color and light
Expanding the color, light and depth of the planet’s surface
Jupiter – Session 6 – Finishing up the planet
Expanding the color, light and depth of the planet’s surface
and adding all of the moons
St. Philip’s in the Hills Episcopal Church
Developing the arches, angles, shadows and layers of this courtyard,
based on a late 1950’s historic postcard of the church (photo by Ben Maxley).
St. Philip’s Church – Session 1
Detailing the layout of the architecture,
starting to fill in the background.
St. Philip’s Church – Session 6
Slow going :-), but adding detail to the background inside
the courtyard, the columns and porch, adding the bench and urn
St. Philip’s Church – Session 10
Adding the urn and the bench on the porch to show depth, and
adding two more columns, the grassy area, and growing some ivy
St. Philip’s Church – Session 18 – Final
Growing more ivy, along with the mesquite tree in the courtyard,
then adding the color on the foreground arch
and shaping and defining the front columns and adding highlights