Harbinger

Harbinger   waterclor   6 x 9

is a perfect description for the robin, whose presence marks the onset of warmer weather.  This small work is another warm-up to reacquaint myself with the watercolor medium.  As I painted this small wonder, I cam to realize how very round they are!

This was an additional challenge for me, as I am more comfortable with large brushes than small, large formats than small.  And...retaining the "whites" is always the greatest challenge!

I am pleased.

The Red Onion Gang

The Red Onion Gang   oil on canvas   5.5 x 5.5 x 1.5

is a small ditty...painted between projects...using the onion left over from a watercolor still life.  I use these small paintings as practice, for combining colors, for switching from a large format to small, and for using smaller tools and less sweeping brushwork.  In essence, I paint these small works to stay in touch with reality, for observation of what is directly in front of my nose.  My larger works tend to spin off from these goals into my create::destroy mode where I create new and larger problems to solve, where an altered reality becomes a desired state.

While never easy, painting sometimes needs to be, for me, just a simple exercise.  Not every meal needs to be gourmet.