September Retreat

What with preparing for a 94th birthday (not mine yet!), painting for a show at the RedEye (hanging on Sept 7 - opening on Sept 9) and other activities we finally got outside painting.  My turn to host.  That means buy the coffee, pick a spot, buy lunch, and act as cheerleader.


Today I decided to go small.  This is a good exercise since the same brushes and palette are used.  The brush is even bigger in relation to the canvas size.  That trains you in at least two ways - dexterity and feel on the brush, and avoiding premature details.  it helps you go through the stages in the approach you are using instead of trying to go to the end as a beginning.  That approach is what direct painting is about, but today I was painting with the colour key in mind.

Black Creek, Mosquitoes, and Me 6x8 Oil on Board

I chose a spot out of the sun.  That was good.  The bad part was that the mud down there harboured a horde of mosquitoes that were impervious to my bug repellant.  Just part of the "joy".


Well that old #12 bristle Filbert helped get me out of there fairly quickly.  After that I could chat with Vic and Bob and get ready for the next effort of the day on the Credit in Terra Cotta.


The palette consisted of Ultramarine Blue, Viridian, Cadmium Yellow Middle, Alizarin, Mineral Violet, and Titanium White.