Big Jar of Bugs

A close up of the Big Jar of Bugs for full appreciation.

Bugs in a Bottle on a Table

Not sure why I just spent almost all day drawing some new insects (cicada, digger wasp and grasshopper) just to put them in a digital bottle on a table in a fantasy room.  But I did!  The new bugs should also make their appearance in my cold wax and oil paint picture of a "Bottle Waiting for Bugs" once I transfer them into that painting in process.

Cold Wax and Oil Paint Plus Gum Arabic Transfer

Top to Bottom:
"Crow Remembering His Childhood" (background painting by grandson Wilson Taylor) Paper on cradled board 9x12
"Dancing On Top Of A Cauldron" paper on cradled board 9x12
"Yellow Flower" Arches oil paper on cradled board 6x6
"Bottle Waiting for Bugs" Arches oil paper on cradled board 9x12 (needs more work).

Something Old, Something New

Some tweaking of an earlier painting (Middle painting "Over the Sea") and two completely do overs of previous paintings:  Top, "Balancing Act" (painted over "Bird on a Wire") and "Bird On A Ball" (painted over "Bugs in a Bottle")  Fun day in my outdoors studio making a mess with cold wax, oil paint and R&F pigment sticks

Did I Say I Loved Birds?

New found appreciation for graphite, in many forms, made it necessary for me to try out my new playthings by drawing more birds.

New Bird Paintings

Two new cold wax and oil paintings on 12x16 panels:  "Avoiding Danger" and "Over the Sea." These are painted over two prior works "Rainbow Bird" and "Big Bird" (see prior post).

New Work from Latest Workshop

Just finished a three day workshop at Jeffrey Hirst's Oakland Studio (link) with instructor Lisa Pressman (link).  We painted with oils, R&F oil sticks and cold wax on Ampersand Encausticbord and on Arches oil paper.  I learned a lot but ended up feeling somewhat frustrated since much of my work still needs work.  Adding and deleting to come up with image after image, until the final painting soars to life is hard!  Out of six 12x16 cradled panels I painted, only one really worked (top painting of White Bird).  The painting I started with is below it.  I had more luck with the quick studies and use of the 6x6 cuts of Arches oil paper as mini palettes.  Eight of those mini paintings are below the White Bird panel.  Painting without reference turned me, once again, to painting with stick figures, perhaps not too successfully.  The Tree painting was fun but is somewhat boring and the paintings of Big Bird and Rainbow Baby Bird (two lowest images show their evolution) seem to be regressing, rather than improving.  I love the medium, however, so will keep on keeping on with this for awhile.  The best thing about the workshop was the chance to work with a small group of talented people and to learn which artists influenced them (many of whom were new to me).