Critiques Welcome

After some very helpful critiques and compliments from the good folks at www.wetcanvas.com I saw how off my perspective had become with the top two books. So I battled awhile to correct the problem without affecting the overall painting too much. I stopped myself before I could ruin it so it isn't perfect but I'm pleased with the fix. Also, here is the promised landscape from Southern Utah. Painting this with bright colors (brighter than they appear in the photo), thick paint, and painterly strokes was a perfect follow up to the more disciplined book still life.

Also, the landscape is on a 24"x16" canvas, as opposed to my usual smaller canvas board. I liked the feel of the canvas indenting under my brush, especially for a looser painting. On the other hand I like the support of the board when working on small details.

Classic Literature

11"x14" Canvas Board

Giclee prints available when ready- stay tuned

St. George near Tuacahn

24"x16" Canvas

Available for purchase $75 +$5 shipping

Classic Literature

I finished my current project and I couldn't wait to post pictures. I used a more classical and realistic approach for this one, drawing in the books, then underpainting them and progressively adding layers. I also focused more on values and correctly mixing colors, which takes more time but really pays off. I even spent extra time on the composition, getting a single light source on the subject because "a painting that is well composed is half finished" -Bonnard. I'm pleased with the outcome and will definitely continue to work on realism although I'll still need to do more freely expressionistic and painterly paintings too. I'm debating whether to sell this one or keep it for my personal collection but since it has a few months to dry I guess I'll keep thinking about it! Comment if you'd perhaps be interested in owning it.

Classic Literature 11" x 14"

Top: H.P. Lovecraft - Tales

Middle: Fyodor Dostoevsky - Crime and Punishment

Bottom: Dante Alighieri - The Divine Comedy

(All wonderful books that I highly recommend)