Three new paintings

It's been a while since I've updated this. I've still been painting, though. Here's what I've been working on...

I posted some WIP shots of this painting a while back. I'm pretty happy with how the rocks came out in this one. I like the atmospheric perspective on the mountains in the background. The smaller pieces of rock (which are actually quite massive up close) near the base of the mountain can be tricky to paint with minimal brush strokes. For me, it's a matter of finding the fewest brushstrokes needed to give the impression of detail. It's something I am always learning.

This next one is the other side of the Superstitions. The foreground was good practice. I think that's one thing I need to work on the most right now.

Palette:
Cremnitz
Naples Yellow
Yellow Ochre
Cadmium Red
Burnt Sienna
Green Earth
Ultramarine

And finally we have a view of Canyon Lake in the afternoon, finished this morning.

In this painting I expanded my palette a little bit. Still mostly Old Holland. Though, I like to try something new in each painting. This time I added some Quinacridone Rose and Permanent Green. The permanent green is very artificial looking, especially in a desert landscape. I found it was helpful in very subtly tinting some of the greens as they came forward, making the closer greens slightly more vibrant. The Q Rose mixed with Naples Yellow made some nice oranges and pinks for the rocks.

What I'm listening to:



Johnny Cash's cover of U2's One. I like this a lot more than the original.