Andrea's Shoe, 5x5", pencil

This drawing got me thinking about values and the challenge of keeping the light family separate from the darks. I'm not sure I entirely achieved my goal, but the thinking part is good! Sometimes when I paint, I feel like I need to slow down and be more thoughtful about my observations. I have a feeling that drawings can help. Hmmm, maybe doing more VALUE paintings would help, too! Now, there's a thought.

Drawing of "The Innocence" after Mian Situ

If you haven't seen the cover of the January/February issue of Art of the West magazine, please take a look. I fell in love with this beautiful painting, "The Innocence"  by Mian Situ and couldn't resist drawing it. I'm trying to improve my drawing skills and understanding of values and color. I notice that when I feel challenged to understand something, my paint application is very controlled. Someday, I'd love to paint more expressively like this. With knowledge, confidence, and miles of canvas I may get there! I hope so.

Truck and Pear, 12 x 12"

Well, what can I say? This subject matter is a bit of a departure for me, perhaps, although an earlier still life that included a toy truck has gone the way of other "learning" paintings and was collected by a different kind of truck some time ago!

One thing that links this painting to others is my interest in the subtleties within colors, whether they are the whites of garlic, the reds of a truck, or the yellows of a pear. I experimented a bit with the application of the paint, to reflect the rough and tough qualities of the truck and suggest the wood of the table and some reflections. I was also very interested in capturing the quality of light on the passenger pear. I'm realizing I need to draw more often; it was a challenge to get the truck drawn just so!