Workshop #42 Outside the Window

Every Tuesday our workshop meets at our local community center.... We work in the main auditorium...  One wall is completely glass windows and doors..overlooking an enclosed courtyard.  This painting is based on one of the photos I made of one section.  Oils on 30 x 30 cm wrapped canvas....brush and palette knife....

Oils on wrapped canvas 30 x 30 cm 

Workshop # 40 -41 Watching the River

As you can see I have started to number ALL my paintings whether they were done in my workshop sessions or smaller daily (I wish) at home.  Every painting deserves its place....  The ones done in my workshop usually take 2 or more sessions and I usually work on several at the same time.

These two are 2 views of a reference photo taken this past fall in Greece, both in different approaches.... My main objective was to simplify the  overwhelming amount of information and detail in the reference image.
The first was a close crop of the figures against the river.  Oils on 35 x 35 gessoed cardboard. Several layers with some sand papering between each. Worked with both brushes and palette knife.

Oils on cardboard 35 x 35

I am posting the second painting but I am not sure that it is DONE. After sanding the first layer I added the figures and some branches to the painting to continue working in my next session. To my surprise Heleni said not to add anymore details and that it was finished.  I am still not sure and feel the need to go back in....maybe defining the background, added branches and figures  If anyone out there would like to share their input it would be much appreciated. This was done on a dark earth red toned cardboard. 

35 x 50 cm.  Oils on cardboard

Small Work #39 Small Green Box on Red Book

I am back to numbering my small works... daily or not so daily...

This is another color study using the technique of "broken color" as described in a video by Richard Robertson  This time I took a small green box and placed it on a red book, appropriately  "The Arts" by Hendrik Willem Van Loon. A book that belonged to my mother. I am enjoying working on paper, oils dry faster, and learning this new technique. Checking the BW version I can see some spots that need to be tweaked.

Oils on brown paper 9 x 11 "

Here is the BW to check general tonality...