FIRST LIGHT - 48"X60" WORK IN PROGRESS - OPAQUE COLORS

23 September 2009 - Making progress! Have concentrated on the top one-third of the painting. The sky and distant landscape are completed and, I believe, inform the light for the rest of the canvas. The middle ground - I have found some long forgotten tubes of Transparent Oxide Yellow and Transparent Oxide Red -- Am also mixing Indian Red, Mars Orange, Ochre and Chrome Oxide Green Opaque. This painting is taking on a life of it's own -- it's like the movie "The Red Shoes" -- Moira Shearer couldn't stop dancing and I can't stop painting! DC

FIRST LIGHT - 48"x60" Oil Painting (Work in Progress)

21 September 2009, Taos, N.M. -- "PENTIMENTI is an alteration in a painting....that the artist has changed his mind as to the composition during the process of painting - the word derives from the Italian pentirsi, meaning to repent".

First of all I changed the name from "Donde Nace la Vida" to "FIRST LIGHT" - (48"x60 Original Oil on Fine Belgian Linen) -- and then I began "deconstructing" the composition - am trying to simplify as much as I can so that the light is the subject of the painting. Sky: Combinations of Permalba White, Cadmium Yellow, Payne's Grey and Davy's Grey. Middle Ground: Yellow Ochre, White, and Mars Orange. Foreground: Grasses - Burnt Sienna, Prussian Blue and Chrome Oxide Green Opaque. River: Prussian Blue and Burnt Sienna. I will be working on this canvas for the next three or four weeks and will try to blog my progress as I go along. DC

DONDE NACE LA VIDA - 48"x60" UNDERPAINTING

(PLEASE CHECK OCTOBER 13, 2009 POST  TO VIEW COMPLETED CANVAS NOW TITLED
"FIRST LIGHT" --"DONDE NACE LA VIDA" (UNDERPAINTING) -- NEW 48"X60" Original Oil on Fine Belgian Linen -- Started the drawing for this canvas in late May. Tomorrow I will post the photo of this underpainting with the first layer of glazes. Have passed the canvas 15/25 times a day as it stands on the wall directly across from my easel -- realize that I want to change things -- I want the mood to change - a dreamier feeling, perhaps. At this stage in a painting, I have a picture in my head of what I want it to be -- once the painting takes over, it's out of my control -- the canvas evolves and it just "becomes". In the next couple of weeks I will post the "pentimenti" -- the changes. You are invited to follow this Work in Progress to it's finish.......DC

ARROYO SECO AFTERNOON - Click here for the HIGH ROAD PRINT CATALOGUE

"ARROYO SECO AFTERNOON" - Now available as an archival giclee print from THE HIGH ROAD PRINT CATALOGUE. (BUY TWO, GET ONE FREE).

9/9/09 -- Have had good intentions all week, but unable to get into the studio. Making green chile chicken soup for daughter Mary and her husband's visit tomorrow. On Friday a visit from my favorite "little people". Am going to relax and enjoy them all, knowing that there will be many winter days when I will wish they were here. In the meantime I will post images from my print catalogue.

Birthday Roses in the Morning Sun

5 September 2009 -- Another year! Friend John sent these roses from LA -- they are brightening my kitchen bookcase this morning -- making me smile. This was one of those BIG birthdays that brought up a lot of strange feelings of getting older -- one remedy for that is for me to get back to painting this coming week. Have replenished my paint supplies -- gessoed my boards and canvases -- have new material for new work. I want to continue with my 100 SMALL PAINTINGS and have several larger paintings in progress. Will begin new posts Tuesday - stay tuned.