I just finished this painting!  :-)

Acrylic on Masonite, 6" x 6".

And now I shall run off to see an art show.  :)

Here's an update on this one!

I'm calling this one finished.  :)

Acrylic and molding paste on MDF, 5" x 7".

This is the beginning of a new painting!  

Time for something embarrassing!  It's a picture of me, with my class from the third grade at Northlake Elementary School, in Garland, Texas.  (I put a red circle around me)!

Either I'm wearing a ridiculous pair of red pants, or the girl in front of me is wearing Supergirl's cape.  I can't tell which.

My teacher, Ms. Wilson, was very kind.  She treated us all with respect, and never laughed about me wearing red pants.  

This is the start of a new acrylic painting!  I'm using a heavily textured surface for this one.

I'll let this layer of paint dry, before moving on to the next layer.  

Also, yesterday I applied for the ability to accept credit card payment, from clients interested in purchasing a painting.  I think this will make things easier for everyone!  I made this little sign, which I hope soon to display at my table at Rice's Market.   :)

This one is pretty much finished!  

Acrylic on MDF, 5" x 7".

I took some of my paintings to Rice's Market today, and sold my "Two Eggs on a Plate" picture!  :)  While I was there, I started a new painting, so that people could see what I do.  Here is the current status of that painting.  Three little kids were helping me work on the big green apple.  :)

   

Quick update on the current oil painting...

I just finished this painting!  I enjoyed creating this one.

Acrylic on MDF, 5" x 7".

Here's the newest status on the oil painting!

All of my oil paint colors, with the exception of phthalo turquoise, are of the classical mineral type pigments.  These pigments are known for becoming more gray when mixed with each other,  their color intensity noticeably reduced.  In particular, mixing titanium white with a mineral hue will create an opaque, flat and chalky color.  If you compare this painting with my current acrylic picture (see yesterday's post), which uses a lot of intense modern pigments without white mixed in, you can see how dull the oil painting is in comparison.  

It's useful to be aware of the differences between mineral and modern pigments, as depending on the effect you want, you can favor one type of pigment over the other, for a particular painting!  

A lot of artists come to settle on a particular palette of colors, after much experimentation.  But the more I play with color, the more value I see in having a large selection of colors available (although any one painting will rarely use more than about 12 colors).  Most colors are manufactured with a real purpose in mind.  When you consider all of the color bias possibilities (such as a violet blue vs. a greenish blue), plus the usefulness of having both an opaque and a transparent version of a color, your list of colors can get quite large!  I like to build up my inventory just a little bit at a time.  :)

  

Here's another peek at the progress made on the current still life!  I'm using some modern pigments in this painting, such as hansa yellow, quinacridone magenta, and manganese blue hue.  It makes for some glowing, radiant color!

I've put some nice frames on a couple of my paintings!  :)

This is another new painting that I'm working on!  This is a little bit different, as it is oil paint, instead of acrylic (normally I only use oils when I'm at class, since I don't have great ventilation at home).  Anyway, this is a rough beginning.  :)  

I've put aside the Christmas painting for right now, and am working on a new fruit still life instead.  The current status is shown below.

Also today I created a small color mixing chart.  I wanted to experiment with some different brown paints that I have, mixing them with a few other random colors to see the results.  The color chart helps to appreciate subtle differences in appearance.  Just thought I'd show that as well!   :)

I've done some more work on the Christmas painting...

This is a newly finished painting for you to enjoy.  :)

Acrylic on MDF, 5" x 7".  

Here's the very beginning of a new painting.  It's going to be a Christmas scene!  :)