My Last Two Paintings...

 ...have started with nothing but a simple line to delineate the horizon line. While far more lines will follow on this painting after I paint the sky, this is a start. 

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I Grew Up Looking...

 ...at a reproduction of this painting as my mom made my dad sit through a traveling salesman’s vacuum cleaner presentation, and for doing so, they received that reproduction. It hung by their bed ever since I can remember and I used to stare at it all the time. One day as a family we visited the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and while there, we walked into a room with paintings by John Constable. Pointing at one I declared, “That’s the person who painted your painting!” My dad may have raised an eyebrow and walked off, but my mom raised two and went to check the name tag. When the names matched back at home, she started looking at her under hip-high son a little differently, and always supported him in his artistic endeavors. So thank you Dad for sitting through an I’m sure very boring presentation. Thank you Mom for never seeing a painting of mine that you didn’t like. And thank you John Constable for painting phenomenal clouds and pastoral scenes that endlessly captured this artist’s young imagination. And if you ever have the chance to go to The National Gallery of London,drop by “The Hay Wain” and spend a little more time than you might otherwise. It is a fascinating scene.

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​I Lightened Up The Sky...

...in the second layer of paint, and now am excited about where this painting is headed. You can see the full spectrum of sky colors in the tube below the painting, and the before and current colors on the color strip to the right. Now onto the horizon line and water.

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The First Layer...

 ...is done, and now I get to stare at this one for a while (and go find some post sunset twilights to stare at while I’m at it) to decide where I want this painting to go in the next layer.

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The Colors...

 ...for my second layer on this painting are spread out on the palatte below the easel. To the left with a brush for each color are the water tones, while the ice flows get one brush for every three shades on the right.

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My Panel Making Room...

...got a lighting upgrade. Thanks 1 Broad dumpster! And if you ever wondered what a years supply of painting panels looks like for me, wonder no more.  

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Blocking In...

...the colors and shapes on this newest painting.  

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And with a little more work, this first layer is complete and the painting is well on its way!

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I’ve Mixed...

...all the color and am ready to make the final push to finish this layer of paint. Now hopefully I've mixed enough! 

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I'm Spending My Days...

...watching the grass grow, in one inch strips, from top to bottom and left to right. But seeing the difference from the first layer to the second makes me realize how fun this painting will be when done.

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