DAY OFF

Yo my friends,

Well, today is Wednesday - food shooping day - errands to run etc.  I started by taking my DW Melissa to the Yoga studio and then went food shopping - came home - put the stuff away and then went on my way to complete many errands.  Most of which were RV related other than my stop at Sam's Club for my weekly donation for OVERSIZED items!!!!

So I just got home and I've decided to take the day off - no painting - no NOTHING!!!!

I'll pick up my DW about 3:00 and I hope we can go for a nice long brisk walk down around the Plaza (center) of Santa Fe.  We love it down there and the walking is great - lots of sidewalks and a maze of side streets off the one Main street.  None of the buldings are allowed to be over 3 or 4 stories and most of them in the Plaza area are very old adobe buildings with a lot of character.

I may not get much painting in tomorrow as we are going down to the STORAGE BUNKER and move the RV related items out of the BIG STORAGE BUNKER into the temporary (2-month rental) TINY STORAGE BUNKER!

Make things easy - keep thing simple --- two of our mantras we try to live by and we have a couple of others like ---- get things free - no rushing!!!  It's really amazing how many "free" things there are out there - just look for them and they show up.  Lots of tourist spots around here are free - such as the Bataan Museum we went to last weekend.  One of our favorite things to do although not free - but for the price of a cup of coffee - we go to ECCO our farovite Coffee Bistro and SIP & WATCH!!  Santa Fe is filled with some very ODD acting - dressed - people and you can spend a couple of hours people watching.  Also sitting on the park benches around the Plaza - you can see some pretty weird sights as well as weird tourists.  Lots of FUN!!!!

Spell check is still not working - sooooooo spelling errors are not my fault!!!!

Until next time..........................................................

JR  :>)

I'M BACK AGAIN - AGAIN

Yo Dudes,

When I finish a painting, I sit it in a corner and on occasion I look at it to see what needs to be corrected/tweaked.  Well sometimes I decide that I do not like the painting at all and that gives me some choices:

1.  Tear it up
2.  Paint over it
3.  Salvage parts of it and change the entire concept of the piece

After looking at the painting I did this morning - I decided I did not like it at all!!!!!!

Sooooooo i said to myself - "Self - which option will you select to correct this piece?"

I decided on #3!  This will be a good demo lesson for my blog buddies in the correction and tweaking and actual revamping of a completed piece.

What didn't I like about the original - EVERYTHING!!!!!

OK - let's begin.  This is the original piece as done.

After close examination - I found the wave to be too big and it just did not give the visual effect of the thought I woke up with this morning - that being:
A monochromatic painting with a splash of color.

Following is the painting as changed, which is pretty much a complete change other than leaving the sky and the horizon line of the original piece untouched.

What I did accomplish was a complete COVERING UP  of the wave and the design and implementation of some dune foliage ( I love dunes ) in the FG and then for the touch of color a small but very bright and obvious wave in the middle ground.

BAM

The first painting as completed has been altered and IMHO transformed into a much better painting which in fact depicts the thought I woke up with this morning in my sick little mind!!!  :>)

Now I'm HAPPY

"DISTANT WAVE"

8 x 10 on Heavy Linen Paper 

Some closeups for my ANAL WHOOPS "ATTENTIVE" blog buddies

HOW HE DO DAT??????



I hope you enjoyed my demo on how to fix a CRAPPY PAINTING!  :>)

THIS MY FRIENDS IS HOW WE & I LEARN - IT IS A NEVER ENDING PROCESS

JR  :>)

I'm Baaaaaacccccckkkkkkkk

Hello Again,

Well - laundry is all folded and I put together a loose and quick painting - trying to incorporate the thought that I woke up with this morning.

You know those TV commercials that are in black & white but yet there is a spot of color within all that black & white?  Well my wake up thought this morning was a MONOCHROMATIC painting with some color introduced.

I choose an ocean scene as they are fast and easy to do - so Let's begin!

I must once again apologize as I did not take many progression photos - I did this one so fast there really was not time to stop and take many photos.

I first of course start with a blank surface and merely put in a horizon line - making sure it is less than or more than the half way measurement of the height of the surface.  WHY???  CORRECT!!!!!  A painting cut exactly in half will look like crappola!!!!

Not exactly rocket science is it!!!!!

Next, using a big brush and blobs and globs of color I throw in the sky - using 3 or 4 different colors - dark at the top and lighter at the bottom.  WHY????  Because that is the way skies are!!!

OK - not much of an explanation was it!!!!  Mainly it is painted dark to light (top to bottom) as the dark part represents the part that is sort of closest to you and the lighter part at the horizon line is the furthest from you - so dark to light gives the painting DIMENSION!!!

A close up of the GRADATION used in developing this DIMENSION.

"GRADATION" is artist lingo!!!!  :>)

I do not talk in artist lingo very often - cause I think it's SILLY!

I'm just a normal guy and talk normal -  like:

HEY DUDE WHAT'S HAPPENIN'

OK - the rest is the part that I neglected to take progress photos so I need you to help with a little bit of imagination!

BAM

 We have MONOCHROMATIC WITH A TOUCH OF COLOR

8 x 10 on Heavy Linen Paper

"OCEAN SPLASH"

For my "ATTENTIVE" blog buddies--

HOW HE DO DAT??????

Sky and horizon line

The Wave

Those of you having famililarity with the ocean and its wave action I'm sure will remember the "splashing action" that takes place when the wave comes down onto the shore.  It is this "splashing action" that I have tried to freeze in time within this painting - thus the title - "OCEAN SPLASH."

Well, that was fun - it was quick and it is semi loose - a style which I enjoy the most.

I've decided that I will hang onto my painting supplies for a while rather then pack them all up and move them to storage.  I've got realistically a couple more weeks that I can paint and I'm not a barrel of laughs when I'm NOT PAINTING!!!!

My DW suggested this as she KNOWS ME !!!!!

However that said - and I just said it -- I'm going to concentrate on

MONOCHROMATICE pieces until the time I'm FORCED to pack up my painting supplies!!!

Sooooooo I hope you enjoyed this demo which incorporated the very first waking thought in my sick little mind this morning.

Take care my friends and if you have a chance give someone a helping hand today - if the chance does not just happen - make it happen - it will make you smile and we all know:

IT TAKES LESS FACIAL MUSCLES TO SMILE THAN FROWN!!!  :>(

Spell check on google blog is not working today so I accept no responsibility for mis-spelled words!!

JR   :>)

 

  

Good Morning

Yo my Blog Buddies,

Well - today is Tuesday and for those of you who follow me often must realize by now that Tuesday is laundry day and house cleaning day!!!!  :>(

As I've pointed out in the past - when we sold our home almost 6 months ago, we vacated about 1,700 sq ft and moved into our TINY UNIT which consists of 850 s ft.  In 5 weeks we will move into our RV and that consists of approximately 250 sq ft!!!!!  YIKES!!!!!

Living for the past 5 months in our TINY UNIT, we have learned how to live in much less space and how to eliminate those things that really are not needed - but nice to have laying around for the occasional once or twice a year use.

We are minimalists ---- having trimmed down our STUFF when we moved from Arizona to New Mexico 5 years ago and once we arrived here, we trimmed down our STUFF again as we unpacked.  We trimmed down our STUFF once again when moving into our TINY UNIT - in preparation for our RV.  We donated a tremendous amount of STUFF and we also sold some STUFF.  Of course we have a LARGE STORAGE BUNKER full of STUFF that we just can't get rid of and it will stay in the LARGE STORAGE BUNKER until...............................

Any hoooooooooo the house is all cleaned and the laundry is all washed and in the dryers.  In about 15 minutes the stove buzzer will go off and it will be time for me to head down into the bowels of our building - into the dark dingy laundry room and get the dried laundry.

After folding all the STUFF - I will start a painting.

A thought came to me when I woke up this morning - my mind is always working - I'm surprised I have not worn it out!!!!  I shall try and incorporate that awakening idea into the painting I do this morning! 

I shall finish this blog post once the painting is done - so I'm off to complete my assigned tasks - back in a while------------------------------------------------------------------
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............................................................................................................................................
...................  :>)

YO MY GOOD FRIENDS

Yo Blog Buddies,

During the past week I heard via email from 2 cousins, Marjorie and Donna.  I have not had contact with them for quite a long time - for all the stupid reasons - people get busy, people move to different parts of the country, people just don't have the time and all the other stupid stuff!!!!!  :>( 

Their mother and father - my Auntie Kay and Uncle Donald were my most favorite people when growing up.  My dad was kind of a stick in the mud - nice guy but way too serious and just did not know how to have a good time.  HOWEVER------ that said and I just said it - Auntie Kay & Uncle Donald just could not seem to NOT HAVE A GOOD TIME.  I used to visit them and I would stay the whole summer (if I could), it depended on my grumpy dad!!!  I absolutely loved going to stay with them and every visit be it for a week or two or just an afternoon - are indeed some of my fondest memories growing up.  Auntie Kay was my mother's sister.

So - a family connection was re-established and it feels good!

OK - I had some RV administrative duties to perform this morning and after that I decided to do a MONOCHROMATIC OCEAN scene.  Perhaps a strange choice, but this whole MONOCHROMATIC thing has my interest as I used to love those OLD WEST sepia photographs you could get taken - you know those ones where you put on the old time dusty - smelly outfits and had some SEPIA photos taken!

Sooooo anyhoooooo - MONOCHROMATIC work my not be to the liking of everyone but as I like to say "IT'S MY BLOG AND I CAN DO WHATEVER I WANT!" :>)

I did not take progress photos as I do most of the time as I've got 4,271 things on my mind with the moving-the packing-the RV-the increasing gas prices-the laundry-the food shopping-the............................................ well - you get the idea.  Sooooooo taking progress photos totally escaped my overloaded mind!!

This presentation will be quick - the painting was done with a large brush - wet into wet - very quickly - with emotion - expression of stroke and a shot of gusto for good measure!

"A shot of gusto" - that makes me smile JR!!!!!  You one funny guy!!!!

Well - I try!!!!

OK back to business - the first thing I do is throw and I mean THROW in the sky

You buddies know me - when I work quickly - WATCH OUT!!!

8 x 10 "MONOCHROMATIC OCEAN"

ON HEAVY LINEN PAPER

The lady in the third row - 4th seat from the left just whispered to her friend "a sky should not be brown!"

OH MAN------- I will say it one more time and one more time only this is a

MONOCHROMATIC PAINTING!!!

Excuse me lady-------------- did you just ask me what a 

MONOCHROMATIC PAINTING IS???!!!???

Would the security guard please escort this lady and her sidekick OUT!!!!

OK - WHEW - I will have to beef up security again at the front door!  :>) 

OK - as I mentioned I did not take progress photos I did however take some close ups!

BAM - DONE!!!!!!

Now for my ANAL  WHOOPS my "ATTENTIVE" buddies

HOW HE DO DAT?????

Well -I hope you enjoyed this demo I had fun doing it and I have to say that I'm still liking the MONOCHROMATIC style so I may do a few more before I get it out of my system and then perhaps later I'll go back to it again.

I will be teaching very, very informal SHORT PAINTING DEMOS while going from place to place on our RV journey and I'm thinking this MONOCHROMATIC approach might be good for this as the first thing people who are learning ask is 

"What colors should I use?"

MONOCHROMATIC sure would limit their choices and make my job easier too!!

I think I mentioned that the name of our RV is DREAMCATCHERS

I designed a logo and this logo in a format of L-31 x W 15 will be on the back of our RV - dead center and we also had some T-shirts and sweat shirts made up with the logo on the back.  How COOL is that!!!!!!

OUR LOGO

If you are behind us - TOOT - we'll stop and let you buy us LUNCH!!!!

JR   :>)



COUNT DOWN BEGINS!!!!!

Hello Blog Buddies,

Well we are in COUNT DOWN MODE!!!!

ONLY 5 MORE WEEKS BEFORE WE LEAVE FOR ELKHART INDIANA TO PICK UP OUR NEW HOME - OUR 31 FOOT SELF CONTAINED MOTOR HOME!!!!!

WOO-HOO!!!!!!

ARE YOU SURE YOU COUNTED RIGHT?????

I THINK YOU ARE OFF BY A COUPLE OF WEEKS!!!!

YES!!!!!!!  ONLY 5 MORE WEEKS TO GO DUDE!!!

We went down to the STORAGE BUNKER today and tried to move things around to see if we can fit in the remaining items to be stored when we move out of our TINY UNIT on 4/1.

There are quite a few packed boxes in the STORAGE BUNKER A.K.A.

THE BUNKER which are slated to go into the RV - however we can't put this stuff into the RV until we return to Santa Fe with the RV!!!!!  DUH!!!!!

Therefore we determined we need to rent A TINY STORAGE BUNKER perhaps 5x5 for the month of March and April.

This will "MAKE THINGS EASY AND KEEP THINGS SIMPLE!!"

Two Mantras we live by!!!!  :>)

Soooo we shall rent this TINY STORAGE BUNKER, move all the RV related "STUFF" in, as well as all my painting gear and supplies -  thereby leaving enough space for the items from our TINY UNIT to fit into the long term STORAGE BUNKER!

 

END OF PROBLEM!!!

:>)

Our DUCKS are all starting to line up in a row now - a few do stray off now and then - however it won't be long and they will be standing straight - still and tall - awaiting marching instructions!

Have a nice day my friends and remember as you go through life---------------------------

HE WHO HESITATES IS IN DOUBT

If you have something to do - JUST DO IT - AND SMILE!!!

Until next time-----------------------------------------------------

JR   :>)

Good Morning Blog Buddies

YO my friends,

Google Blog seems to be still working - so I shall stick with this Blog until and only if Google Blog becomes a PITA!!!  The Word Press Blog I have been playing around with will only become a reality if and when Google Blog becomes no more fun to use any longer.  Soooooooooo Stay with my RVPAINTER Blog until notified otherwise.

I worked up a 2nd "MONOCHROMATIC" painting the other day - I'm finding these very interesting to do as well as a lot of fun - to my eyes it gives a totally new perspective to the various scenes - sort of like those sepia photos of long ago! (when I was just a wee little child!  :>)

Sooooo here is  "MONOCHROMATIC NO. II"

10 x 8 on heavy Linen paper

A quick sketch with a round brush to give me a road map to work with

I drop in some more color - this painting is being done with a big brush

OK - I drop in some shadow color cast onto the surface upon which the objects sit as well as the cast shadows caused by the light from the left

Time for some FG and BG and tweaks here and there - this is the "TOP SECRET" part which I do not show all of my secrets!

OK - pretty close - just some more tweaks - I'll be back in a moment as I don't want any one to peak at what I do to get to the finish painting - that's the real SECRET part!!!

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

OK - I'M BACK!!!

Well, this was fun and I may do an ocean/dune scene in the MONOCHROMATIC style just to see how it appears - I think I will make it more in line with the sepia tones

TWT

OK my friends I hope the day and the weekend is good to Y'all.  We are going to breakfast tomorrow with some friends Donna & John - real nice folks and then we are going to the Bataan Museum which is on our list of things to do before we leave Santa Fe

LATER DUDES

JR   :>)



I'm back on Google Blog

Hi Blog Buddies,

Well Google - or my computer has started working again!!!!  Will wonders never cease?

I will still develop a Blog on Word Press and see if that proves to be a better alternative than Google.  Google is old software that Google does not support or enhance.

However that said - one of the last paintings I did I found fault with it as to the two vases the same size - one on the left and one on the right.  So I thought I would lengthen the vase on the left - however I decided to add another vase being the vase on the left.

This did two things - eliminate the vases of same size and it added one more element to the painting - both of these IMHO improved the painting.

This is where it ended up the other day - you can see the right and left vases are the same height which to my eye creates a stagnant vision.  Stagnant in the sense that the eye does not know where to look - left or right - so the eye goes to the middle and stays there!  MY BAD!!!!!

Now this is the adjusted painting - which I think you will agree is more interesting and the eye is allowed to move around the painting.

Can you see the improvement?

OK - how long will Google Blog continue to work - ?????????

Until next time my friends

JR     :>)

I'm Moving Blog

You know how over in the UK they say, "I'm moving house"? Well, I'm moving blog, or at least I'm attempting it - I have to figure out a whole new program. Geez. Does it never end????

I'm trying out Wordpress, which some people seem to like better than blogger. We'll see. Anyway, to read today's post, please go HERE!

Let me know what you think!

I'M TOO OLD FOR THIS!!!

JR  :>)

YO BLOG BUDDIES

Welllllllll - we moved into our TINY UNIT at the end of September 2011 with a 6 month lease.  6 months seemed soooooo long and now there is only 6 weeks remaining on our lease!  WOW!!!  Time has gone by fast - it's been a pleasant stay - the UNIT is comfortable - TINY - but comfortable.  It is a very quiet UNIT on the 3rd floor (top floor) of a complex with most of the residents seeming to work during the day and not a lot of kids which accounts for the quietness.

The TINY UNIT is about 1/2 the size of the house we sold and this worked out well as it gave us a chance to live in smaller space which will be of benefit when we get our RV as the RV will be LESS THEN HALF THE SIZE OF THIS TINY UNIT.  We will be living in about 300 sq ft. (or LESS) in our RV - nice and COMFY & COZY!!!

Soooooo with that said and I just said it --- we shall begin today's demo.

These are very small paintings - I was cleaning up my area - getting ready to pack stuff up and I found these 2 canvas panels - don't know where they came from but I'll make use of them!!!  They are 4 x 6 - as I say they are SMALL.

Soooooo let's begin - I've decided to do a couple of ocean/dune scenes as when we reach S. Carolina in mid May for a weeks stay I plan on painting plein air at the ocean pretty much every day and they will be ocean/dune scenes which S. Carolina is well know for.

You can get a sense of the smallness based on the Q-tips I've placed at the side and bottom of the canvas panel.

#1

#2

I'm using someone elses computer to try and finish this post as Google Blog no longer works on my computer.
The short of it is I have a cheap little ACER netbook computer.  ACER NETBOOKS are a piece of CRAP!  Never ever buy any ACER product - CHEAP CRAP!!!!  Google Blog is also CRAP - it is very awkward to use and 50% of the time does not run correctly - couple that with a CRAP WiFi provider Century Link who get worse every day!

I will start posting again as soon as I can figure out a way to do so - short of buying a new computer as that AIN"T in the budget right now.

So hang tight and I shall return ------ sometime.

JR   :>(



Hello Blog Buddies

Well, here it is another Monday and we have about 6 more weeks before we leave for Elkhart Indiana to pick up our new home!  WOO-HOO!!!

This means I'VE got 6 - 7 more laundries to do and 6 - 7 more times to clean the TINY UNIT!!  DOUBLE WOO-HOO

OK - time to compete the painting I started the other day B4 I took a couple of days off.  This is the point where we stopped the other day.

This painting will be the complete opposite of the MONOCHROMATIC painting I did earlier this morning.  I don't know what got into me buT my brain and my painting arm wanted to do its own THANG!!!!

This piece "MY COMPLIMENTS" will be completed in my QUICK/SLOPPY style and I would say that this one is about 2 degrees from this side of SLOPPY and I consider it to be SEMI-ABSTRACT - no bout a doubt it!!! :>)

We ended up at this point the other day:

OK - I'm going to finish this piece off with my trusty palette knife MAC!!!

With a touch here and there with my largest brush.

For some reason my brain is not working today as once again I did not take any progress photos - working wet into wet with MAC requires a small amount of concentration - a small amount is about all I'm capable of!!! :>)

BAM - WE ARE DONE!!!

 

DAMN GOOD JOB JR!!!!!

THUMBS UP BABIE!!!!

THANKS - THAT MEANS A LOT ELVIRA

( SHE WAS MY FIRST ART TEACHER - JUST KIDDING - I DON'T EVEN KNOW THIS WOMAN!!!!)

Some how she hacked into my blog!!!!!!  :>(

A critique if I may.  I will most likely go into the painting and add some height to the blue vase on the left as the painting is

TOO BALANCED" with the left and right vases being the same height!

MY BAD!!!

OK now for some close ups for my "ATTENTIVE" blog buddies;

HOW HE DO DAT????

99% MAC the palette knife using bright-bold-sassy- color with total freedom of stroke and lots of emotion - expression - gusto and in this piece ATTITUDE!!!!!

Enjoy the day my friends.

JR  :>)

MONOCHROMATIC STUDY

Good Morning Blog Buddies,

Started a new painting this morning before finishing up the one I started a couple of days ago.  I woke up this morning with the word MONOCHROMATIC in my mind.
WHY???  HELL I have no idea!!!

First off I had to box up a painting that I'm shipping to N. Carolina for an RV couple that I met on an RV blog and they follow my RVPAINTER BLOG.

I have to say that I got so involved in this MONOCHROMATIC painting that I totally neglected to take any progress photos!!!  DUH!!!!

To be honest I was so mesmerized as to how the painting was progressing that I was engulfed into it!

This started out as a QUICK/SLOPPY ( maybe 10 degrees this side of SLOPPY ) and for some reason I became totally involved in the texture and the shading of the monochromatic color scheme.  I rarely get that involved with any painting - most of the time my hand is moving and dipping but my strange little mind is out in left field some place!!

I did a free hand sketch using a neutral color and a round brush - no pre-sketching with pencil and no pre-thought out design - JUST PAINT IT!!!!

I started to inject DETAIL ( I don't use that word very often!!) into the painting and for my current state of QUICK/SLOPPY this piece is 80 degrees this side of that style.  WHY DID I DO THAT - HELL I DON'T KNOW!!!!

9 x 12 on a single sheet of primed canvas - using 3 colors

Titan Buff (light color)
Bronze Yellow (darker color)
Titanium White (for highlight only)

Some close ups for my ANAL WHOOPS "ATTENTIVE" blog buddies

Hope you enjoyed this demo - I can honestly say that I fully enjoyed doing it.

A departure from my current pathway of painting progression but yet a very enjoyable departure.

GOOD JOB - YOU DA MAN JR

JR    :>)



Good Morning

Yo Blog Buddies,

Well, I'm taking another day off today - the last one felt so good I decided on another!

My DW and I took a real long brisk walk this morning a good hour long, all around the Plaza area downtown Santa Fe.  Walking briskly is the best exercise for me - coupled with watching my diet very carefully - it sure does take off the pounds.  Since starting this (latest) diet about 6 months ago, I've lost about 25 pounds.  Feels good - it should also help with the BP and I'm back down to a 34 waist.

Good news today - got up - weighed myself - 149 1/2 I WON HE WEIGHT LOSS CHALLENGE!!!!!!

As my prize I've chosen breakfast at one of our most favorite restaurants - and I will get my favorite breakfast burrito!!!!

I will continue to diet right up until April 1 and then relax and just try to maintain the 150 weight but I figure if I can drop another 5 pounds I can have a real fun time putting it back on!!!!!  Going out to Elkhart Indiana - spending 5 days out there and then 4 days to return to Santa Fe with the RV, we will be eating out a lot so I really feel the need to drop another 5-7 pounds in preparation for our trip! 

There is a nice restaurant in Elkhart called the Chubby Trout - great food - and woderful dessets but I will hold off on the desserts and concentrate on the fish!!!
We found another great restaurant - I forget the name - sort of a PUB and I had the best crab cakes there that I've ever had and I've had a lot of crab cakes!!!  Which is way I may be so crabby!!!!!

We, my friends take care and remember as you go through life--------------------------

THE EARLY BIRD GETS THE WORM THE SECOND MOUSE GETS THE CHEESE!!!!!!

JR    :>)

MY COMPLIMENTS

Yo Blog Buddies,

My DW has gone off to do some Yoga so I decided to play with another QUICK/SLOPPY.  Not sure if I will finish it today but TWT

The title refers to the paints used - COMPLIMENTS

Red & Green are compliments
Blue & Orange are compliments

Using complimentary colors presents the opportunity to make these colors stand out as they COMPLIMENT ONE ANOTHER!!!  In this piece, the red vase will tend to compliment the larger green vase (due to size) so the green vase will appear to stand out as brighter - the same case happens with the blue and orange vase.

They brighten and enliven one another!

I of course started with a blank canvas!  I'm using brushes for this piece however that said - and I just said it - I'm using the brushes in a "palette knife" manner in that I put blobs and globs of paint onto the brush and apply it as with a palette knife.  My brushes have very long handles on them so I stand about 3-4 feet away from my palette and painting surface - this gives me better vision and it allows me to SHOOSH with VIGOR!!!  Using the brushes in a palette knife fashion gives a tremendous amount of texture and also with a light touch of hand - it allows for "surface blending" of colors without creating the "DREADED MUD."

BAM!

A few close-ups so the texture and blending can be seen - beside which it will give my "ATTENTIVE BUDDIES" a few goose bumps :>)

The BG & FG will be the hardest part of this piece - especially since I have no idea of what they will be or how they will look!!!  :>(

 Some times painting from the HIP (no pre-planning) can be a detriment to the painting process - in which case - when that happens - it is time for a break!!!  :>)

When my DW comes home for Yoga we are going for a nice long - brisk walk.  The lunch we had Thursday was very nice - however it is our favorite restaurant and they specialize in the most wonderful deserts - influenced by the FRENCH!

They were SINFUL and WEIGHTFUL!!!!!

My diet efforts were damaged so now instead of only one pound to lose to reach my goal - i have 2 pounds to lose!!!  :>(

MY BAD!!!

I will now have a 100 calorie no fat yogurt for lunch and that's all I'll have!!!

I've just got to win this weight loss contest I have with my DW!!!!

Guess what????????

If I win, I want to be taken to breakfast!!!!!

Geeeezzzzzzzz  I'll never learn!!  :>)

Well, until I return to finish this piece - have a wonderful week-end and ENJOY LIFE!

JR    :>)

MAC & BART

Hello Blog Buddies,

I've decided that until March 1st or better stated - up until the time I pack away my painting gear I will concentrate on very quickly executed still life and landscape pieces.

These will be done with both brush and palette knife individually and collectively with each instrument of my trade!  (That's painter talk!)  :>)

The plein air painting I will be doing when we start our RV life, will be the perfect setting to work on perfecting a style that I consider to be my current path to follow.  As we know, that style most of the time will be LOOSE  done with - EMOTION - EXPRESSION - SPONTANEITY - GUSTO done within varying degrees of this side of:

SLOPPY

The other day I came across an artist who describes his painting style and to me it describes what I am trying to accomplish in my walk down the current path of working on a LOOSE style.  Following is a portion of his quote which pertains to my quest:

Thomas Kitts   "When people view my work I want them to see a painting, not a photograph. I want them to experience a surface rife with color, texture, and movement, yet also connect to the reality that gave birth to the art. Up close, I want my surfaces to explode. From a distance, to reassemble back into a whole...................................."

I will never be a detailed - photo realistic paint nor do I want to be.  My enjoyment is having FUN while painting and to that end - the LOOSER the better.

This piece is done in that regard.

"MAC & BART"

12 X 9 on a single primed canvas sheet

As part of the "LOOSE" adventure I will also adopt a beginning of free hand sketching with a small round brush -I feel this process will "establish" the ground work for the boundaries of "LOOSENESS" within each piece.

Soooooooo - enough of the BS and OFF WE GO ------------------

First the free hand quick sketch - QUICK is the the operative word from now on - all process of painting will be QUICK!!!

This is but a "base" color used for the sketching process.  Are the shapes perfect?  NO!  Do the shapes have to be perfect?  HOLY CRAP --- I hope not!!!  Perfection or close to it is not LOOSE or QUICK!!!!!

Those metal objects on the right are "bulldog clips" which is how I hold my canvas (single sheets) on the easel - I also have wax paper taped on behind the canvas as I'm SLOPPY and I use a lot of arm movement and QUICK strokes with a "follow-through" that takes the painting instrument right off the canvas!!!!!

Soooooo we have a BEGINNING!

Next I throw in some color for my road map and when I say THROW - I meant THROW!

I'm using a big brush for this piece and I load it up with blobs & globs of color and apply it to the canvas with LOOSENESS in my mind!

OK - more blobs & globs of color!

As a side note, the shiny surface you see on the right is a reflection of the lighting on the very wet/thick blobs & globs of paint.

A close up just to tease the "ATTENTIVE" BUDS

OK --- now to finish this up!

We need to do some tweaking some softening of edges, some BG and some FG

and DIS & DAT!!

Need to define the direction of the light source - from the left

Also I'll throw in some FG while I'm at it!

This is a good time to slap in the BG and the cast shadows from the pears (BART)

I also need to put a stem on that apple - it looks NAKID!!!!

I think this will just about finish this puppy up!

BAM

WE ARE FINISHED!!

OK - now for some "ATTENTIVE" buddy close ups

HOW HE DO DAT??????

Well my friends, QUICK - LOOSE - EXPRESSIVE - EMOTION

SPONTANEITY - GUSTO

SEMI-ABSTRACT

A FEW DEGREES THIS SIDE OF SLOPPY

 This is the path I'm going down - not that I won't venture off it on occasion but for the most part this is where I'm finding my painting enjoyment.

Hope you enjoyed the demo.

Until next time - it's Friday so I hope all you Buddies have a wonderful weekend.

JR   :>)