Floating Colors

 "After an orange cloud — formed as a result of a dust storm over the Sahara and caught up by air currents — reached the Philippines and settled there with rain, I understood that we are all sailing in the same boat." — Vladimir Kovalyonok

This painting is 5 x 7 oil on canvas panel. Please call me, email me, or click here if you'd like to buy this painting.

January is a good month for change. It's good because it signifies the start of a new year and it is named after the Roman god of beginnings and endings.  Also, it is so stupid cold and snowy here. I find myself inside more than outside and this causes me to take my painting techniques in new directions.

Below is a picture of the underpainting for the finished painting above. To everyone that has asked how I start my paintings, I use a wash of dull orange and use a burnt umber/prussian blue mix to rough in the painting.  I thin both  with turpentine to a watercolor-like consistency and I let it all dry before finishing. This helps me keep some of my tones in check and adds an additional layer of interest when it peeks through.

Underpainting

I added the orange color and the drying step last January after some experimentation and I've been really happy with the results so far. Hear that? That's the meditative power of painting reminding you to step just a bit to the left (or right) of your comfort zone.