Painting Greece

Oil on canvas

30 x 40cm, 12 x 16″ approx

I went to the city yesterday and so have no finished painting a day to post. I took a photo of a larger piece I’m working on. I’ve done this one before, but it was just a close up of the woman’s body and goat. I wanted to put her in context, and since Easter is coming here next Sunday working on this one feels appropriate.

This is the basic blocking in of colors. You can see the goat is still in the underpainting stage. In a few days I’ll start in on adjusting color, shadow and light. I may get some fabric work in tomorrow. Since the taking of this photo I have worked on her face and the goat. I am not sure if she needs a warm, young Spring expression, or one of the hard working rural woman who does what she needs to do and doesn’t spend very much time on dreams. She looks young, and so perhaps full of dreams and promise. We will see how she feels in the end. It may sound crazy, but they always end up painting themselves. It is a beautiful moment when inspiration takes over and moves your brush. I’ve said this before, and will say it many times again, for it always amazes me and confounds me and it is always deeply comfortable and has a feel of “knowing” about it.

Be well, friends.

Oil on gessoed mdf

18.5 x 24cm, 7 x 9.5″ approx ( .3o” thick)

Bid starts at 100 dollars.

The WIP finished. A pair of seagulls nest just below our home on the cliffs. The Aegean clear and calm as it always is in the mornings. As summer comes closer we will be snorkeling here catching glimpses of fish around the rocks below the surface. The seagulls will fly overhead once in a while, as if to check their old nesting grounds. Their young already flying and earning their place within the flock.

Be well.

Here I have painted in the first layer of glaze.  The colors used are cobalt blue, viridian green, raw umber and a bit of pthalo blue.  I very much like how it is turning out.  I am not sure how many glazes I will use, I’ll have to let the sea tell me.  I have not yet worked on the cliff.  I want to get the water finished so that I can paint the brush and weeds that jut out over the cliff onto the water.  The water needs to be dry for that.  And just try working water around a tiny strand of weed or bushes.

I may be able to finish tomorrow if this coat of glaze has dried enough.  I must always remember not to fuss over a painting resulting in a stiff, over-worked piece.   It’s like over analyzing things.  It never helps a problem and more often than not “stiffens” the problem into a brittle and breakable thing that nobody wants to touch.

Let the mind rest so that Art may dance.

Be well my friends.

oil on mdf

this is another photo reference from my aegean villas website blog.    It was a day where the boulders on the sea bed were visible from the cliffs up here.  I’ve decided to paint the sea over the boulders in glazes to get the effect I was looking at the day I took those pictures.  Here I have painted the stones and they are drying nicely.  They need to dry another day before applying the first glaze.

I’ll keep you posted.

Be well.

oil on mdf

13.5 x 13.5 cm, 5.3 x 5.3″ (1/3″ deep)

Bid starts at 87.00

The seagulls are nesting just below the house on the rocky, olive green cliffs. They float on the updrafts lazily gliding back and forth over the sea. Sometimes they argue with another member of their flock, diving and swooping at each other. Sometimes they suddenly all take flight, cawing loudly and pumping their wings to gain quick speed. I have seen them create a vortex of white and grey speckles against the blue Aegean that circles up toward the sky. I don’t know why they do this, but it is a sight. Sometimes they gather on one spot in the sea where there are fish to feed on. But most times I see them sitting on the rocks, gently clucking to each other, white breast facing the wind.

Be well.