Figure painting so far
I was able to get back to working on this

I was able to get back to working on this
I worked some more on the sky to soften it and added some pink tones to the water to better reflect the sky.
I wanted to experiment with using a white ground instead of a toned one. Wasn’t pleased at first, but warmed to it as I worked longer. However, I prefer a toned ground going forward because it allows for more depth of color.
Finally complete, for now
I like the simplicity of this image, as well as my use of a tonal underpainting to keep the lights and darks clearly separated. It was refreshing to work on this after I spent the morning doing more detailed work on the painting of Two Models, which I am getting ready for the Artists of Yardley upcoming juried show.
These three paintings are in various stages of completion: I just started the painting of the sheep today, while I am working to bring the painting of two male models to completion. Mike’s garden is pretty much done. The most difficult part of painting for me is finishing. I am not sure if it is the actual tasks involved or the anxiety it brings, but I feel aggravated. The questions I ask myself when I am trying to finish a painting add to the frustration. “Are you sure you are done?”; “Can you do better?”; and the old chestnut “Is it really good enough?”
This portrait of Jade Gortarez is pretty much complete
Funded by the Russell J Efros Foundation’s Sprout grant. This is a portrait of Kristen Moldovan, who pitched for the Massapequa, NY team in the Junior Little League World Series in 2013.
This is a portrait I just completed for the #dollars4dingers fundraiser that the Podcast A Pod of Their Own does each year.