Selah

Selah

12X24, Oil on Panel

I typically go weeks wondering if I have any clue as to what I'm doing.  Then suddenly, something like this falls out of the sky and renews my faith in myself.  Don't worry though, I'm already back to wondering if I have a clue.

"I think you think you know
what you're getting into.
I think you you think you're ready,
that you understand,
that letting go comes easy,
that it's second nature.
I think that at some level, we all wish this were true.
But we never really know how attached we are,
or how accustomed we've become
to having and holding,
to seeing and saying 'I love you.'
I think we spend so much time promising to never leave,
not because we think we would,
but because if we never leave them,
then they'd never leave us.
And I think it's safe to be honest,
the latter hurts more.
When they leave, they leave holes,
voids,
an emptiness that we believe simply cannot be filled.
I think it's true, what they say about time,
that time heals,
but it's funny,
no one ever tells us that time forgets.
I think it's because it isn't true.
You never forget their absence,
those significant days,
the ones you wish the calendar would simply skip.
We close our eyes to them,
but even in darkness we're reminded.
Things are complicatedly simply,
and all together different.
I think we think we know,
how to handle death,
how to stay present in the land of the living when the one we love isn't.
But I think if we were honest,
we'd admit we haven't a clue,
we'd just wake up,
and do it."

Words by This Patch of Sky, from the song "Selah."

To Be Relentless Like the Sea

To Be Relentless Like the Sea

9X12, Oil on Panel

SOLD

The black sand beach of Dyrholaey near Vik was one of my favorite places in Iceland.  The weather was pretty foul when we were there, about 40-45°F and spitting rain, but the place was still astounding.  This painting was accepted into the Arkansas League of Artist's annual juried show.  I have one final Iceland painting I have done.  I am sure I will return to it as a subject in the future but I am already started trying to get a jump on next year's solo show.

Onward, Till Valhalla

Onward, Till Valhalla

9X12, Oil on Panel

Available

 

 

This is Þingvellir in Iceland's Golden Circle.  It was such an incredible place, it made my imagination go wild.  One day I want to camp here and explore it in greater detail.

The Water Whispers

The Water Whispers

6X8, Oil and Golden Opens on Panel

SOLD

This was my first nocturne produced with Golden Opens.  Obviously, I was able to overcome the issue with making nice deep darks using Ultramarine blue and Dioxazine purple.  I did make some touch ups to this in the studio with oils but they were not major.

As Fleeting As Morning Light

As Fleeting As Morning Light

6X8, Oil and Golden Opens on Panel

SOLD

This is one of my paintings from the backpacking trip I took a few months ago.  It got a lot of rework in the studio with oils using the same palette as the Golden Open plein air painting did on location.  We camped alongside Gee Creek in a beautiful wooded flat beside the Ozark Highlands Trail.  It was my first true backpacking experience.  Carrying paints and plein air setup really limited the amount of supplies I could carry and that will need to be resolved for future trips longer than one night.

The Depth of My Dark - More Golden Opens Talk

I first began experimenting with Golden Open acrylics sometime in January of this year.  My primary objective was to use them for plein air work.  My main motivation in trying this specific variety of acrylic was that it walked in the boundary between regular acrylic and oil in terms of workability.  I tend to have a habit of not being super happy with my plein air work and doing a range of tweaks to it in the studio ranging from just some very simple touch ups to full repaintings.  I wanted to be able to make those tweaks while still on location by giving the painting some time to dry which is not remotely possible when using oils.

As you may remember, I started with just a small handful of colors to begin with.  I chose colors that were frequent players on my palette and with which I was comfortable.  However, I quickly noted some glaring differences in the way in which these colors played together.  Firstly, I realized that these acrylics apply much more translucently than oils typically apply, very glazy.  I think this is primarily due to the fact that these paints are pretty soft in body and go on pretty thinly.  But my main issue dealt with the relative lack of depth I could achieve in the darks.  I think a big part of this was that the red oxide I bought was inherently fairly opaque and so, when mixed with cobalt blue, it made an interesting earthy purple and not the deep dark typical of cobalt and transparent oxide red.  I also noted that the Golden Open cobalt blue was lighter in value and more opaque than most standard cobalt blues in oil.  It was a fascinating color, just not what I needed.  Still, I made do the best I could and produced some passable paintings with that palette (some getting touched up in the studio with oil.)

However, before a backpacking trip that I was looking very forward to, I went to the LASS (Local Art Supply Shop) to see what all I could get to help out with this conundrum.  I already had some colors in mind and hoped I would find them there.  But during my perusal of the Golden Opens I noticed the Transparent Red Oxide (as opposed to merely "Red Oxide" which I had purchased) and I knew I had found one of the main reasons I was having trouble making nice deep darks.   I was much happier with my results the next day as far as making nice darks.

So here is the list of colors I added:

Dioxazine Purple
Hansa Yellow
Ultramarine Blue
Transparent Red Oxide
Yellow Ochre