Hi all,

  Just wanted to provide a little notice of construction.  We need to switch to a new software license over at the main site and the blog might go down too.  I hope this doesn’t deter any of our dedicated readers.  If this site is down next time you check it, please try again a little later and hopefully it will be up and running.

 Sara

The weather in this city is completely erratic. Just a few days ago it was 76 degrees and blue skies. Here’s the view from the studio window at around 8 AM this morning…

And it’s still coming down. As it turns out, the snow changes a few of my plans for the day, and I found myself with a little sketch time. Here’s a drawing of Asher hard at work on a new painting:

There are still a few days left to send in sketches for the ‘Guest Sketchbook’. So far I only have work from one new artist. I have no particular problem posting a one-man-show, but the more the merrier.

… it rains commissions? Apparently. It looks like there may be another commission materializing, this time a big one (and one I am particularly excited about). Over the next week or so I will be working on some possible compositions as well as trying to finish up ‘The Letter’ to free up my big easel. Sketching will be sparse at best, but if this all works out, it will be very well worth it.

Today, however, I do have a new entry for the ol’ sketchbook:

Even though I may not be posting many of my own sketches over the next few days, I do intend to post a new ‘Guest Sketchbook’ next Monday…if I get any new sketch submissions by Sunday Evening. Send ‘em in if you got ‘em.

Here is a preliminary (paint still wet and unvarnished) image of the little commission I have been working on the past few days.  The client was very interested in ‘Study for Among the Clouds 2′ which had already sold, and wanted something similar but in a portrait orientation.

I will be back to sketching tomorrow.

Over the next two or three days I will be working on a quick commission.  The sketchbook will be on a brief hiatus in the mean time.  Once this little painting is finished, I will post an image and get back to business as usual.

Here’s today’s sketch: Asher, in Park City, participating it the timeless two-year-old pass-time of sitting on a big rock, terribly pleased at having just climbed onto it.

Yesterday I set out to paint the skirt. I believe I mentioned in an earlier post that I was considering a green color, one that would tie in with parts of the flowers the way the pink shirt did. (The model is wearing a green skirt in the reference photos, but it is a subtle, light khaki green nothing like the flowers.) I decided, however, that while green would have gone well with the bouquet, it would make an unfortunate fashion choice (paired with a pink shirt) for the girl on the ledge. I settled on a warm, dark brown similar to the hair. Once I had a little of the skirt finished it became apparent that the dark brown wasn’t going to work. I painstakingly wiped the two-and a half hours or so of work back off the canvas and tried again, this time with a more subtle version of the green in the scrap…just gray enough to go with the shirt. Another two hours later I wiped it all off again. Finally, inspired by a combination of some of my favorite of Sara’s more elegant casual wear, I hit upon a nice tan-khaki. I also decided to add a simple decorative embroidered pattern at the bottom of the skirt in the dark brown and a floral green to get the tie-in I had originally hoped for. The end result of all this waffling is that a seven hour work day yielded maybe three hours of finished skirt. Of course, the painting will be better for it.

Click on the above image for a larger view.

In today’s sketch, Asher is caught in the act of attempting to cross a barrier at the dinosaur museum while accomplice, Sebastian, tries to act casual.

It’s official, everything on the right half of the canvas is complete. I was able to get a few decent images of the painting as well, though until a little retouch varnish brings the deepest blacks and earth tones back when it’s touch-up time, the final contrast and color variation of the piece won’t be fairly represented.

Here’s a detail of the bouquet:

And here is a thumbnail of the right half of the painting. Click on the image to get a larger view.

No sketches for yesterday or today, but a little more progress on the painting. Theses are mediocre images, grainy and dark, but given the reflectiveness of the fresh paint (ruling out a flash) and the cloudy day outside, they’ll have to do. The letter is finished, and I have begun work on the flowers.

Tomorrow, barring some unforeseen interference, the bouquet will be finished. This will all but wrap up the entire right side of the painting and I will spend some more serious time and effort attempting to get some decent images.