Drawing. Angle and Perspective

Adrianne's Mischievous Self Portrait

I'm not sure why I came back to draw this reference photo. Some time ago I attempted to do a  watercolor of it, which turned into the "Green" painting ...

Representational Watercolor Exercise.

December 25, 2011:
Merry Christmas to everyone.  This is the painting I am working on (almost finished) of Mt. Tabor Park in early November when the leaves had begun to fall.  I was inspired by some of the best realist watercolor artists of our time...and of course, Andrew Wyeth.

Mt. Tabor Park 6.5" X 9" Watercolor on Canson 140lb cold pressed paper.

Mt Tabor  (With less contrast in photo)

 As I have mentioned before, I used to shy away from landscapes because I lacked the skill and expertise to feel confident or motivated to do them.  Quite honestly, the idea of painting landscapes gave me a slight sense of foreboding tedium.  That is not to say that I didn't immensely appreciate fine landscape Art.  And that is not to say I didn't enjoy success when I did do landscapes.  The pull to draw and paint people was simply stronger, and because of that I spent much less time doing landscapes.  Sort of the chicken and egg question.

Fall Study

Fall Colors 6.75" X 5.5"  $20.00

Another small landscape. A study of the bright leaves on a sunny fall day.  (kevinspaintings@hotmail.com)

Pursuits.

"Technical skill is not critical to being authentic, although it may help to more easily say what you mean with your artwork. More importantly, I value being comfortable with line, composition and color. The formal elements of all artworks can be a huge distraction when a painter doesn't use them with intention and ease."  Casey Klahn.  Pastel artist and teacher.  
The above statement reflects my personal goal as a painter.  This has been my philosophy since I picked up the brushes again last October.  Shy away from no challenge.  Learn and build from each painting.  Focus is essential when facing a technical challenge. When I reach a level of comfort with my ability I can move forward with freedom and confidence.  No undertaking will be too daunting.

"Pursue some path, however narrow and crooked, in which you can walk with love and reverence."

Thoreau

WB4 Reworked (Detail)

This is a closer look at the reworked "Woodstock Blvd. 4AM", (which I nicknamed WB4). I struggled with the neon sign for a bit. I wasn't exactly sure how to represent that glowing gas.  After several attempts, I decided to leave it a little loose so that it didn't overtake the painting. It's hard not to get hung up on detail sometimes.