Red Butte Garden-5th step

This is the last step before I start with oils.  At this point I have only done acrylics.  The basic painting is where I want it but it definitely needs a lot more pizzazz and that will be brought about by lighting and veils of color.  I really like this final step because the painting comes to life this way.   A lot of that has to do with the Winsor and Newton Liquin that I mix with the oils as a medium.  That will add depth and vibrancy.

I wish I could say that I'm doing a lot of painting on canvas.  That's not the case right now.  I've been putting a lot more of the paint brush on the wall, floor boards, window trim and heat vents.  You get my drift here, don't you?  It's home improvement time.

At least yesterday we had a window in between rain storms to plant our vegetable and flower gardens.  I felt like we were in a race and it proved to be true.  As I worked this morning at my computer the rain just came pouring down.  If they tell us on the news that we still have to be careful with wasting water I'm going to scream.  Remember the days when you could hear the children outside laughing and running through the sprinklers?  What about washing your car in the drive way and hosing off the sidewalks.  Now you don't even see sprinklers running during the day.  It's all at night because that's the most efficient way to water.  No one would think of letting a hose run unrestricted.  Now we have to listen to those leaf blowers clearing the sidewalks and breath the fumes from them.  I remember when a broom and strong arms cleared off the debris.  Okay that was probably a 100 years ago.

P. S.  If you scroll down to the May 4th post you can see the previous steps.

America's Favorite city! San Francisco! Well Maybe........New Yorkers?

Just read a comment from someone about how they are so sick of the nickname "Frisco".  Well I searched San Francisco nicknames probably in 1996 for my painting of California Street in that fair city.  I always thought it was a good title and still do but I don't think everyone would agree upon it being every American's favorite.  To a New Yorker that's blasphemy.  Probably holds true with New Orleans, LA, Chicago and Seattle.  What's your favorite?  I remember years ago seeing a big poster with a giant New York City and the rest of the country was miniscule.  I thought that was quite funny but I've been told that that's often how New Yorkers feel.  Well, I guess it's great to love where you live.  I happen to be a big fan our ours, Salt Lake City.  Well, usually.  Right now I'm so tired of the dreary weather and hoping to somehow have some summer this year.  It really doesn't seem like it will ever happen.

Sprout salon a la Cliff!

Cliff, my oldest son, is a great hairstylist and I was so excited when I saw his latest style ad for his salon, Sprout.  The model is the lovely Lorien, his wife.  Isn't her hair just the coolest ever?  I love it on her.  By the way-Sprout Salon, for all you east coast people, is located in Baltimore.  It's in the Hamden area.  Remember the movie "Hairspray"?  That's where the story takes place.  If you go to Hamden it has all these funky little shops with lots of "Hairspray" memorabilia, of course.  Sprout is right in the midst of the fun.  I love to go visit Cliff and be treated to their wonderful all natural products.  You've gotta go east coasters!  You will love it!

Red Butte Garden-1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th steps

 4th Step-Adding flowers and bringing out the individual plants by defining them.

Also brightening the path.  I'm working from a photograph and decided that the composition didn't lead the eye in.  So I reorganized it to have the path be more inviting-therefore creating some movement to an, otherwise, placid scene.  I plan to overlap plants over the path and shade it more.  As it is now it stands out too much.  I want the eye to be led in-not overwhelmed.

 3rd Step-Starting to lighten the plant areas and change some plant colors.








2nd Step-I painted the sky and used a mixture of Veridian green, emerald green, Cadmium red light and Burnt Sienna brown to establish the plant area.  I also blocked in the path using white, Ultramarine blue, Cadmium red light and a yellow.

1st Step-This is actually the beginning of my parrot painting but this painting started out the same way.