Dusky Road Value Study

Dusky Road, 8 x 6, oil on panel, L. Daniel © 2015

 Click to purchase $120 + $16 s/h

This is another value study for my Daily Paintworks Challenge to "take a break from color". A friend of mine asked why it helps me to paint a value study like this. The thing is, I always try to observe these value patterns first and foremost in any subject I paint. If I can get these values correct, and hold them onto them as I mix colors, I am closer to what I am trying to achieve. This exercise truly helps me train my eyes to see and my heart to remember.

Please join me for these upcoming Workshops:

March 26-29, 2015 | Plein Air | Austin, Texas (FULL with wait list)

April 30-May 2, 2015 | Plein Air | Click here to register: St. Simons Island, GA

Streaming Light Value Study

Streaming Light, 6 x 8, oil on panel, L. Daniel © 2015

My challenge for Daily Paintworks this week is to paint using only a range of grays. The point of this exercise is to closely observe the darks and lights in a subject, and then hang onto them while painting. It's quite easy to lose a grip on these values because color can be so confusing. Taking a break from color every once in awhile helps me "see" my way back to what the values are truly doing. 

Below is my pre-mixed range of grays, using Titanium White and Ivory Black. Normally, I do not have black on my palette, but mix a rich black with Ultramarine and Burnt Sienna. For this exercise, using a tube black helped me keep my range of grays consistent (and kept all color out of the mix.)

Overcast Morning

Overcast Morning, 12 x 9, oil on panel, L. Daniel © 2015

Over the long weekend, I was happy to get out and paint, even if it was just a couple of times. The weather was cold and harsh, but rain or shine, I love being at the Georgia coast with paintbrush in hand. 

Please join me for these upcoming Workshops:

March 26-29, 2015 | Plein Air | Click here to register: Austin, Texas

April 30-May 2, 2015 | Plein Air | Click here to register: St. Simons Island, GA

Two Swans

Two Swans, 6 x 8, oil on panel, L. Daniel © 2015

Click to purchase $120 + $16

Did you know that swans mate for life? They are such majestic birds and that fact just endears them to me all the more. This week I offered a Valentine's Day Challenge on the Daily Paintworks site to paint animals that mate for life. You may be interested to know that Love Birds, Gibbons, Black Vultures, French Angelfish, Wolves, Albatrosses, Prairie Voles, Turtle Doves, Bald Eagles, Penguins, Orcas, Barn Owls, and even Termites all fall into this category. I'll be interested to see what animals people choose!

Winter Marsh

Winter Marsh, 6 x 8, oil on panel, L. Daniel © 2015

SOLD

I am so happy to be back on the Georgia coast for a few days; and thoroughly enjoyed getting outside to paint the winter marsh this afternoon. A cold front was moving in fast, so I was racing against the weather. By the time I finished, I had a bit of a chill but was completely satisfied! 

Please join me for these upcoming Workshops:

March 26-29, 2015 | Plein Air | Click here to register: Austin, Texas

April 30-May 2, 2015 | Plein Air | Click here to register: St. Simons Island, GA

Hillside Ridge Guardian - Tree Gesture 4

Hillside Ridge Guardian, 6 x 8, oil on panel, L. Daniel © 2015

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This is a classic Texas Hill Country cedar, all hunkered in and fully occupying it's space on the hillside. They are bold and entitled and they make me sneeze when they pollinate, but I love them just the same. 

Please join me for these upcoming Workshops:

March 26-29, 2015 | Plein Air | Click here to register: Austin, Texas

April 30-May 2, 2015 | Plein Air | Click here to register: St. Simons Island, GA

Windblown - Tree Gesture 3

Windblown, 8 x 6, oil on panel, L. Daniel © 2015

 SOLD

These Hawaiian palm trees grow in an environment that gives them their own distinctive style, even among other palms. The trade winds constantly blow and bend them, but they resiliently continue to reach skyward. And they are so different than the compact monkey pod trees growing below. Every tree has its gesture! 

Please join me for these upcoming Workshops:

March 26-29, 2015 | Plein Air | Click here to register: Austin, Texas

April 30-May 2, 2015 | Plein Air | Click here to register: St. Simons Island, GA

Bowing to the Mist - Tree Gesture 2

Bowing to the Mist, 8 x 6, oil on panel, L. Daniel © 2015

Click to purchase $120 + $16 s/h

This tree seems paying homage to the incoming mist. There is something about the quietness and reverence in this gesture that I find very compelling.

Please join me for these upcoming Workshops:

March 26-29, 2015 | Plein Air | Click here to register: Austin, Texas

April 30-May 2, 2015 | Plein Air | Click here to register: St. Simons Island, GA

Twirling Pine - Tree Gesture 1

Twirling Pine, 8 x 6, oil on panel, L. Daniel © 2015

Click to purchase $120 + $16 s/h

This month I will be posting weekly painting challenges for my friends at Daily Paintworks online gallery. This week's challenge is tree gestures - capturing the essence and posture of a tree without getting bogged down in its details (click HERE for full description). I will post my own efforts for each challenge, and would love for painter friends to join me. If you are not a painter, please join the fun by simply appreciating the wonderful, idiosyncratic gestures of trees in your world. 

"Give a tree its gesture… in a tree there is a spirit of life, a spirit of growth and a spirit of holding its head up.”  The Art Spirit, Robert Henri