Crazy Juice

11x14 inches, oil/canvas

When composing a subject with glass, I try to find  ways to enhance the special quality of glass which is its transparency.  In this case I chose to add juice and a straw.  The crazy straw is in homage to my daughter who would not drink anything without a crazy straw when she was younger.

Coming up next is a video describing how to observe and paint glass.

Introduction to Oil Painting

This is a still life study similar to one done in my introductory oil painting class at the Visual Arts Centre in Montreal.  In the accompanying video I focus on simplifying the subject first into basic relationships of light and shadow and then go on to explain how I finish the painting. The goal is to help inexperienced painters understand the thinking process that goes into the making of a painting. 

Here is the video:





Since I am never completely satisfied with the way colour gets translated into the video during production, I  thought it might be useful to see some of the slides from the process:

Field Study

oil/canvas, 11x14 inches

This is a quick study done with my Impressionist class last week.  The aim of the exercise was to create a tonal gradation in the sky with varying tones of blue and to get the sense of trees and fields with differing tones and hues of green.