Passion and intellect

Ken Auster has a new instructional dvd called intellect and passion....he talks about using intellect at the beginning of a painting to lay the groundwork but then to lay it aside and paint out of passion...which is the fun part! This piece really came out of that passion...i had lost myself for awhile and just enjoyed things happening here! Thank you Ken Auster!

Focusing on the focal point

I recently purchased the DVD series called "Intellect and Passion" by Ken Auster, one of my favorite artists! One of his points is to focus on the focal point...sounds like common sense but alot of times i get lost because i forget what i am doing! I incorporated that thought into this piece that i call "Top of the Nob" it is 12 x 16 and painted with oils. thank you for looking!

Sketch before you paint

Before my brush ever touches a canvas, i have sketched a quick value study to make sure i have the subject matter that i want to focus on in the correct position. it also helps with composition and what detail to keep and what detail to eliminate! My buddy Norm Daniels introduced me to the idea of using gray scale marking pens to illustrate value and keeping things in the foreground more intense and as things move out from the painting using lighter values to show distance!

Focusing on the Abstract

There are times when i need to get away from my plein air work and just express myself with color...Abstract is always fun because there is really no subject matter its is just fun to play with color and design and texture! Rules still apply ...like using complimentary colors and such but it is a freeing experience. this piece is titled "Passionate Expression"