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Painting, for me, is sometimes.

What I mean is that sometimes I want to paint something on a really BIG canvas or paper. Sometimes I want to paint something  on a tiny substrate. Sometimes it's watercolor, sometimes it's oil. Sometimes I want to really work hard to capture the essence of something. Sometimes I just want to play and see what happens. Sometimes capturing details is the order of the day. Sometimes the goal is to get there with as little detail as possible. Sometimes, although this is rare, I don't know what I want to paint. Some of my favorite stuff has been created when I force myself to address that particular challenge.

I often point out that I cannot NOT paint.  (I also point out that I am by no means the first nor the only person to say this). The above are just a few of the reasons why.

My latest sometimes adventure has been rediscovering the joy of painting in oil on small panels. There is an indefinable fun working on these little guys, and I've really enjoyed using several of these to

USE BIG BRUSHES

Pearl's Rose - my sister-in-law Pearl grows the most beautiful rosebush at her home in Wisconsin. I used brushes much too big for an 8 x 10 panel to do this one. One of my Wednesday Night Paint Group peeps was shocked at how vivid I went. "You should see Pearl's rose bush." I told her.

HAVE FUN WITH GREENS

Spring Leaf Out - When trees first leaf out the greens are much more minty and pastel than in full summer. Green is the bane of many artists for all kinds of reasons. Actual green paint right out of the tube is usually awful - just doesn't look right. For this one I fooled around with a bunch of different mixes - none of which are representative of any actual leaves in nature - and came up with this.

WORK ON DEPTH

This one is unfinished, hence no title yet.  The scene is Helsinki harbor. If it turns out the way I hope, I'll follow up with another blog about it. This has the image basics blocked out. I hope to do a little light wash here and dab of something there to enhance the drizzly afternoon vibe of the scene - to pull you more deeply into the image. Might succeed. Might screw it up. Stay tuned.