When all else fails...

Oil on canvas
8X10

In the computer world we quip "When all else fails, read the manual"
I've been in a painting funk for about a month, so I heeded that advice and browsed through my dog-eared copy of David Leffel's Painting Secrets of a Master and found this exercise.

The idea is to paint two identical shapes and by using values and colors, distinguish between a cherry and a grape.

It got me painting again, and now I'm ready for something more complex.

Long Island Marshes

Oil on canvas
16X20
This is a synthesis of some ideas that I got from:
- a pastel I saw on Facebook (The sky and the water)
- a landscape painting by a German painter from the 1950's (the light and the marshes)
- memories of riding a horse as a teenager through marshes that have been overlayed by what are now the runways of JFK airport in Queens, NY (the colors)
Thanks to all for the ideas and inspiration!

Hand of a master

8X8
Oil on canvas


Hands Of A Master.

The best grips in golf belong to Ben Hogan and Arnold Palmer.
These are Hogan's hands.
It's inspired by Anthony Ravielli's masterful sketch.

Barry and his brother

I got an usual commission.
Barry, the older brother in the picture wanted a duplicate that he could give to his younger brother, Bruce.

Because the original is an odd metric size, I had to work a bit larger - 18X24 and I had to re-position the figures slightly.

This was a wonderful learning experience for me. I've never understood the value of copying other work before, but it's a great way to learn techniques that you'd never use otherwise.

Gershwin and Weber

16X20
Oil on canvas
I've painted so many apples that I've run out of names, so I'm calling this one Gershwin and Weber, because I was listening to pianist Danny Wright's arrangements while painting this.

Misty

16X20
Oil on canvas
I haven't painted portraits for a while, but now and then a face comes along and insists that I paint it.

Basket and Fruit

24X18 Oil on canvas
Another dark still life.
This one had many variations before I settled on this one.