Quad Blade Boats

A little return to steamimpressionism. Mostly an excuse to paint clouds and sky. Also wanted to find some better sort of air-boat. I don't really want to paint blimps, and I can't really get very detailed either. A problem.

12x16" 30x40cm acrylic on hardboard

Last Light on the Heather

This piece is all about sky. I spent several days working on the sky and in the end, scraped it down to assorted past layers, touched it up and called it a day. I then had to decide if it was morning or evening. It was morning right up to the end, but when I was finished I decided it looked more eveningish. And it follows my policy of almost always looking north to paint; morning sunlight from the right, evening sunlight from the left. (For no reason except that's what feels right and you never have to paint the sun into the painting.)

18x24"45x60cm acrylic on hardboard

Afternoon Along a Forest Road

The interesting thing about this piece is that I used the same pallet of six colors & white that I used on the previous two paintings. I pretty much can get by with these six colors; Ultramarine blue, burnt umber, cadmuim yellow light (hue), burnt sienna, alizarine crimson, and Atelier's red gold (PY74 PR175. I like manganese blue for skies and shadows, plus I use beige and pastel yellow as well as white. Every other color I own I could get by without, and don't use much at all. Most were just picked up on a whim.

12x16" 30x40cm acrylic on hardboard.

Golden Afternoon

Another small brush painting, and probably the last. I find that it doesn't make much difference, I still paint the same way with a small brush as with a larger one, the painting just looks a little grainer. I had to try very hard not to make this look too Kinkadeish, with only limited success.

12x16" 30x40 cm acrylic on hardboard

The Arbor Gate

Another painting using a small brush. Actually I don't really paint any differently with a small brush; same strokes only smaller. It does make everything look more fine grained, however.

12x16" 30x40cm acrylic on hardboard

Dawn on the Thames

Another painting using only a small brush. Still, don't expect any details as I never learned how to paint with thick paint. When I switched from watercolors to oils, I never really had the training or patience to learn how to manage the thicker, stickier oil paints. Luckily I like impressionist paintings, so I never had to force myself to learn.

18x24" 45x60cm acrylic on hardboard.