brushes of fury

Orienting, 36"x24", oil on canvas

Night Revelry, 40"x16", oil on canvas

A Peaceful Place, 24"x18", oil on canvas

from the last post, you saw orienting during the process. the interesting dilemma i had with this painting is that i wanted it to feel angled, therefore i couldn't work with the canvas sitting perfectly upright or my brushstrokes wouldn't match the directional pull. i had to prop the canvas up on one side, so it was actually painted while perched on one corner.

night revelry was a fun piece. i used my my smallest brush and thinner paint in order to layer my brushstrokes and colors like i do in my drawings. this one is full of color and when you look really close it is quite intricate and suprising. it takes a lot longer to cover the white canvas when using such a small brush, but i really like the effect of it. this one also verges on abstract, which is something i like to do as i feel my real subject matter is space rather than landscape.

a peaceful place, so named by a facebook poll, is an attempt for variety in landscape with more foreground and somewhat more structure with the road. a road is a great device to show depth and lead the viewer into the distance. i had also intended on using telephone poles, which was a favorite subject during my college days, but i want to do that on a larger piece on a horizontal canvas.

next up, i have two large canvases and four smaller ones. unfortunately i'm already running out of room for all of this in my apartment as i switch them out with work at the restaurant. i've already started using my friends' walls as storage, although they seem quite happy with the arrangement!

i had a great trip to aspen, colorado last week. i was in dire need of a road trip as i have an almost unquenchable wonderlust. i get rather cranky if i don't get to go out and explore every once in awhile. driving independence pass was one of the most beautiful things i've ever experienced. the leaves were starting to turn in the mountains and it was just warm enough to have my top down on the jeep. i ended up sunburnt, but very satisfied. it was a little heartbreaking when i turned off of 82 and started my journey home. but then it's beautiful here, too, so i can't complain!

be back soon! namaste. :-)