Well - I'm back so that means I did not hit the lottery!!!! :>(
I've been busy painting and have gone back to my palette knife for several pieces. I love palette knife work - it is so liberating as I try to use full arm strokes with the knife and lots of thick juicy paint on the knife. The one draw back to palette knife painting is the consumption of paint!!!! I would estimate that a painting with a palette knife uses upwards to 3 times the amount of paint as one would use with brushes. This becomes very costly as professional grade paint is quite expensive!!! However - that said - and I just said it - the finished product is exceptional in appearance compared to most brushed paintings - that of course is my opinion.
For 20+ years we lived on the mid coast of Maine. We never ventured up into Acadia NP - we thought it was too far to drive ----- DUH!!!
During 2012 we lived full time in our 31 foot RV and traveled the USA and Canada for almost a year. Setting out from Santa Fe NM we went across to TX - SC - up the east coast and into Acadia NP and then on into Canada.
Acadia NP was as it turned out to be one of the top highlights of our year long journey through 23 states and 3 Canadian provinces.
"Acadia Overlook "- semi abstract rendering with palette knife - painted with freedom of knife strokes, spontaneity and lots of emotion representing the beauty found in Acadia NP
12 x 22 on Heavy Linen Paper - palette knife application:
DUNES IN THE SHADE - FORT PICKENS FLORIDA
9 X 12 ON SINGLE CANVAS SHEET - PALETTE KNIFE AND BRUSH
The sand on the beaches of Fort Pickens ( Pensacola Fl) is as white as the new fallen snow. It is a very light sand and has lots of sparkle to it - just like snow. When the - breezes blow - daily - this pure white sand is blown across the access roads and they actually have to plow the sand with snow plows - load it into trucks and redeposit it back onto the beaches.
A most remarkable site!!!
During our 12 months of living in our RV and touring the USA and Canada - we stayed at Fort Pickens for 2 weeks - a most exciting and memorable stay - you feel like you are at the end of the earth with just beach and sea all around you.
I've been told by other painters not to paint the sand white as a white ground is reserved for SNOW!!!!! To this I say NAY - NAY- NAY. The sand on the beaches in Fort Pickens is as white as the new fallen snow and so shall it be in my paintings of Fort Pickens beaches - as without white sand it would not be Fort Pickens beaches.
South Carolina was another lovely place that we stopped in for a week - the city of Charleston is very beautiful and the people are charming and quite friendly - the beaches are wonderful.
CRESCENT BEACH
Palette knife
9 x 12 on canvas sheet
Abstract Coastal Grasses - Palette Knife
6 x 18
Palette knife painting is a lot of fun and as I say it can be very liberating giving the artist an opportunity to be a little "wild & crazy" - it is a style within itself with the textures and "marbleized" colors that can be produced are to my eyes MUSIC!!!
I did more jibber-jabber this posting so I shall now shut up and
I hope you folks enjoyed the palette knife paintings.
Remember, if you have any question about my painting processes of question about the paintings just click on my email address at the beginning of the blog and I will get an answer to y'all real quick like.
No doubt I'll be back in about a week unless I find something better to do or max out my credit cards and head for La Paz Mexico
Later amigos
JR :>)
