Zangle Cove Early Spring - NFS

Zangle Cove Early Spring", 9 x 9 In, Oil on Museum Board

Day 3 of the 5 painting challenge on Facebook and another painting of Zangle Cove. This painting from 2004 is of the exact tideland area where the industrial geoduck aquaculture farm will go, in a lower tidal elevation, should it get a permit. You can see the beauty of the tideland where the herons fish and the log where the bald eagles perch. These families have lived here for as long as anyone can remember. It is their home. http://protectzanglecove.org/.

Clouds over Dana Passage - Sold

"Clouds Over Dana Passage", 10 x 12 In, Oil on Museum Board, Sold

This is the second painting of the Zangle Cove series that I'm posting on the Facebook challenge. Out past Zangle Cove is Dana Passage, with an occasional ship and sometimes barges on their way to and from the Port of Olympia. Other than barges, there are sailboats, kayakers and canoers from the Boston Harbor Marina. Sometimes the Orcas come through Dana Passage and swim off Boston Harbor. Harstene Island is in the distance. The changing weather is the most dramatic thing about this view--from fog and rain to dramatic skies, such as in the painting.

Zangle Cove Sundown

"Zangle Cove Sundown", 8 x 10 In, Oil on Museum Board

I was nominated for the 5 paintings in 5 days thing on Facebook, so I'm taking a little side trip there and here and posting a few paintings of Zangle Cove. As I said on FB, we are currently in a battle to protect Zangle Cove from industrial geoduck aquaculture. Protect Zangle Cove. My challenge on FB is to anyone who has paintings that are of or related to your most treasured landscape under environmental threat. So if you want to be nominated, just say that I nominated you!

Portrait Study #6

"Portrait Study #6", 14 x 11 In, Oil on Museum Board

You can probably tell I am not going for the perfect rendering or the perfect variation of skin tone or the perfect anything. I am on my way somewhere else. I have an idea of where I am trying to go but I have a feeling I am going to have to really go off the rails to get there.

"We should welcome awkwardness when we're creating a new habit; its the sign our brain is creating a pathway that will eventually make us proficient."
--M. J. Ryan

Portrait Study #5

"Portrait Study #5", 14 x 11 In, Oil on Museum Board

Another one...

Portrait Study #3

"Portrait Study #3", 14 x 11 In, Oil on Museum Board

This portrait was done quickly a couple of days ago and for the most part, as far as I remember, I didn't try to fix it. When there is "fixing" it often has to do with structural accuracy and other times with transitions, as between darker areas and lighter areas. I don't like to go back, because that's when the eye/hand partnership loses its predominant role and the mind takes control, over analyzing everything. When this happens, sometimes I scrape and start over. Sometimes I push through. But my goal is always that first instinct.

Portrait Study #2

"Portrait Study #2", 14 x 11 In, Oil on Museum Board
I'm attempting to do one portrait a day to get myself in the mode. Sometimes the next morning I just scrape and start over. This one was a great deal about red and green.

NFS

Portrait Study #1

"Portrait Study #1", 14 x 11 In, Oil on Museum Board

I've decided to call my current portrait series "studies" because that's what they are and because psychologically it helps me to hold back the endless rethink that is so automatic at a certain point. So my approach and process in this series is to paint up to the point where my brain starts the critique. Maybe I "fix" a couple of things, but to go beyond that, the joie de vivre of the painting is lost. So better to improve with pure numbers and go on to the next one--hopefully having some idea of what I want to try that is different and not revert to to the old unthinking way.

NFS