Winter Still Life Retreat

 After a couple of months painting alone in the studio, I gladly accepted John Lasater's invitation to join him and Jason Sacran for still life painting in his studio near Siloam Springs, Arkansas. They are both outstanding artists and I was hoping I could bring some encouragement or advice to the table also.

John liked to set up complex scenes and then crop in on them.

John's most ambitious painting still in progress. The photo does not do it justice.

Jason's first piece. His work defies labelling as either traditional or contemporary.

Jason finishing up his second painting, a daring composition.

For my first piece, I chose a traditional setup with complimentary colors.

My second painting, "No Cream, No Sugar" 9 x 12, oils.

To see more of John's work: http://home.centurytel.net/Lasater/home.html
To see more of Jason's work: www.jasonsacran.com

Getting Even Looser

SUNSET •  IMPRESSIONIST • AUGUSTA • MISSOURI

Transformation, 8 x 10, oil on canvas.

This is part of a series of paintings that I'm doing to force myself out of old habits. This time I did most of the painting with a palette knife but also added soft sable flats for modelling the paint. I photographed this spectacular sunset back in April and when I looked at my photos thought that it was too dramatic to paint. It took six months for me to even consider trying, which I guess makes it the perfect candidate for taking chances. First I toned the canvas with burnt sienna and wiped that down. I then painted the shadows in the lower portion with thin paint. Time to get crazy with the palette knife and all the brightest colors in the sky. After all that it was a push/pull of finding/losing edges and the play of cool vs. warm. I'm pleased with the moody, impressionistic results.