Ugh!

I was hoping to be done with this by now. But this is a painting where my original drawing is much bigger than the painting calls for, so I'm struggling this week with getting the size difference correct. This is something you don't get on most other Painters blogs, the admission that sometimes....we aren't so hot. This canvas has been sitting at the other end of the room for me to stare at while I realize it's something I failed at, several times. A constant reminder. But don't despair, I'll get it right eventually, but it's going to take some time. In fact, I already failed at tonight's attempt. But I'll work through, Malissa has reminded me that I've worked through the hard stuff many times before and always figure it out in the end. Now I'm just tired. Ugh.

What to do?

Merry Christmas everyone! Hope all is fine with you and yours. I'm still beating my head with the current painting, but I started drawing the portrait for my next painting. I'm thinking about trying to do some pieces for an upcoming contest with the Portrait society of America. If I could get in it could spring board me to a new level of recognition as a painter in this country. I have kind of a negative opinion of these contests but still, I might. I guess I'll see how good this one comes out. Check out their site, it's the real deal! http://www.portraitsociety.org/

As the leaves Fell She Wept

I'm still working on the new painting, but I decided to show a piece of Cliffs Art history. The is a piece I painted and sold a few years ago. It's one of the internet sales I had, but shipping really bites into any profits so I backed off, but still, I think a lady in Florida owns it now. This is As the leaves Fells, She Wept. It was a small piece had featured Robin at Anglin Falls. She's a fantastic model and a great person. She as kind as anyone ever and for modeling will crawl, climb or anything to make a great shot. A real sport.

New Painting

Still progressing on this new painting. I have to work hard on the face because it's really small in the painting. I'm feeling more comfortable with the fields, I've been doing rocks and leaves for so long I was really used to them. Love Shaker Town.

Sixth and Main Coffee House Exhibit

Stream Walker sold at the exhibit opening Saturday night. It;s one of my favorite paintings, it has my wife in it. Also, I hung out with some my oldest friends, the people who are with me in the bottom picture.

Framing

Once again I find myself up at 2:00am in the garage working on this frame. I've learned some good things from my boss about making frames better and I was able to utilize some of that knowledge here. Big thanks to him. I'm pretty much ready for the show now. And I invited everyone of you, but if you can't come don't worry. I know most people can't, I just want to send out the invite to let people know I'm active and doing something. It's funny how many times people will see me and say "Still painting" or "You need to announce your shows more often". Strange because they are announced here and on me blog. Anywhoo, everyone take care and have fun!

New Painting

Here is the start of the new painting. I love to paint these hills at Shakertown. I just did a little then walked away but I think this is going to be cool. And this is on a canvas too.

New drawing

Here is the drawing for the next painting, or at least half of it. The drawing is about 11 inches tall, but I decided to do it much smaller because of the canvas I chose to do it on. Yes, canvas. I'm try to use them more, it saves me from having to use my time preparing the wood with a frame on the back for strength. I also found a good sale at Micheal's so I grabbed them. Plus, I wonder if people would buy them more if it was on canvas instead of wood. Canvas is so traditional and all. We'll see. Oh, what I did to finish it as a full, yet smaller drawing is scan it into the computer, print it and then draw a skirt, which took about five minutes. It's about six inches as a full drawing now.

Still painting

Here is where I am now. I'm not done but I'm getting closer. I've been working on a frame the last two nights.You can see it above. I've painted it with Stain markers, stain and color pencil. Right now I'm just gearing up for the Sixth and Main Coffee House show. I put another fence in this one. The other was out of proportion. I feel I'm getting better at capturing the day time light.

Exhibits

I shared a "support your local artists thing" earlier on Facebook, and mentioned my upcoming show in Shelbyville, but don't forget to see my art at Christ Church Cathedral here in Lex if you haven't yet. My piece Hunter of the Valley is there. It's not what I do now, but one of my older pieces. I try to keep showing different things, keep everyone on their toes. I don't want to be boring. This is no particular place but based on the different landscapes I've seen in Kentucky while camping and hiking at night. And I also read Great Horned Owls really like eating skunks.

New work

Still working on it but everything is coming together.I'm having fun with the wooden fences. Last year there were two big white horses kept in this area, too bad they weren't still here for this photo shoot.

New Drawing

Here is the drawing for the next painting. I think I made the hands a little small, but I'll deal with that in the painting. I want to get some really good stuff ready for the Sixth and Main Coffee House show. That will be on the 15th, so I have a little time. I have some framing to do too. Oh, and I hope everyone had a good Thanksgiving!

Shaker Hills of Mercer County

It's wild looking at the pic without the figure and then with it, but here it is. I adjusted some of the colors to try and capture the setting sun colors more. I also worked on the fence in the yonder some. I like using yonder when I can. I think I will put this one in the Shelbyville show. It's another tiny 8x10 incher.

Happy Thanksgiving

I thought I already posted this pic, but I haven't so here it is. In the actual painting I have already added the figure, but this is the only pic I have. I also richened the colors a little where they aren't so bled, but that I shall show later. Everyone have a happy Thanksgiving!

New drawing

Here is the drawing for the next painting. It's going to be on a 8x12 inch canvas so I had to shrink the drawing down a lot. I might do a bigger version of it later. I like doing the small ones, but I think the next one will have to be bigger just to give me a break.

Crow's Landing

I just found out tonight that "Crow's Landing", which showed in the "Haunted" exhibit in Harrodsburg in October sold. It was ran by the Arts Council of Mercer County (ACMC). This a lousy picture of it, but it sold so I guess it's alright.

Light

I thought I was done, but now I think I may work a little more on those trees in the background. Funny how you can look at something for hours but when you see it in photo form, it looks a little different. I find mistakes like this often. Some say you can look at drawings in the mirror and see mistakes you wouldn't see otherwise, but that has never worked for me.

New Painting

I went form working a really big painting to a very small painting. This is about 8 by 12 inches. It's another painting from the Shakertown shoot. I feel I'm getting a better grasp of the fields.

October Fields

Finally done with this one.....http://www.facebook.com/pages/Cliffs-Art/131025403608120 for now. I think I will put this one in the art show in Shelbyville this December. It's a big one, 2 x 4 feet. Getting this one right has been quit a chore, but I'm really happy with it now. I just posted it on Facebook and I thought maybe I should put a link here for there. Confused? here it is. http://www.facebook.com/pages/Cliffs-Art/131025403608120

Louisville Show

Still working on the new piece, but I wanted to mention the show in Louisville I'm part of. I took this painting, Haunting Waters. Actually, I thought I sold it already, I've sold enough pieces and made enough, it's hard to keep track of what all I got, AND they are spread around the state. Not bragging, just saying it's hard to keep track of everything. This is one of my favorites and it has Malissa in it. The show is for a good cause, here is the poster for it. http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10151152817569597&set=o.291200090892084&type=1&theater

New art show

I went to Shelbyville KY yesterday and talked with Katheryn, a very nice lady who makes an awesome hot chocolate. She works at the Sixth and Main Coffee house and it turns out that I will be having an Art Show there in December. December wa

s a really good month for me last year, as I sold four paintings at Good Foods, and two others, one as a side effect of the Good Foods showing. Katheryn was very nice and talked with me and Malissa about all the details. Actually, I went into shy mode and after looking at the walls, I was going to email Katheryn later about hanging some art but Malissa jumped right on in there and helped me get this art show. She was wheelin and dealin man! I'd be soooo lost without her it's not funny. And if you find yourself on the way to or from Louisville and stop at Shelbyville, stop at Sixth and Main, it's a good place. They have good books too. http://www.facebook.com/pages/Sixth-and-Main-Coffeehouse/188171458742

New painting

Not done yet, but getting closer. Bobby (the cat) seems to like it. but I have a few things to iron out. I was happy about the shawl, I was a little nervous on how to make it work, but I think it does for the most part.I darkened the field she is in to make the field in the back ground pop more, but I think I put too much yellow in the trees.I was happy with the bracelet too, but I still have more detail work to do on it. I think it will be really good when it's all done.

This guy

I saw this painting in Southwestern art tonight and thought it was wonderful. I just had to share. This Joseph Todorovitch is pretty good. http://www.southwestart.com/wp-content/uploads/Joseph-Todorovitch-Fleet-oil-20-x-38..jpg

So much grass, but I'm getting it.

I always kind of struggle with fields and pastures, but I like them. Had to try some new methods while listening to St. Matthews Passion by Bach, but I reached a breakthrough. It's way better than it was, but I not near done yet. This is a good size too, 2 x 4 feet.

New Post

I haven't had a chance to post this week. Here is the drawing and the beginning of the painting. I meant this to be a horizontal piece making the landscape bigger. My drawing however was WAY bigger than I meant it to be. I didn't' feel like going to Kinko's and making it smaller, they are not always fun to deal with, so I decided to go with the big drawing instead. I think it will work though, I plan to make it my best. Stay tuned.......

Mercer County Reflection

Here's the finished product. I named it Mercer County Reflection. Reflection for the water and it was in Mercer county where I took the reference photo, there at Shakertown. I thought about just Reflection, it sounds more emotional, but I w

anted to keep the Kentucky aspect involved. It's a small piece, about 10 inches wide, but I kind of like working small now, I get done a lot faster. But, I'm about to do a 2 x 4 foot one, so we'll see how long it takes me to do that.

New Painting

I started working on the new painting last night after posting the new finished one. I drew everything out on this round piece of wood, and after a few hours of painting while watching WKRP in Cincinnati, I had a lot done. You can see in the second picture Julie on the little couch and the starving cat we took in on the floor. Julie may or may not be in my lap as I paint, but she's never far away

As Mountians Whisper

Here is a pic of the finished painting, As Mountains Whisper. I consider myself a Kentucky Painter, but I do sometimes paint the Tennessee Smokies. So that's my guilty admission. Actually, I did live for a few years in Memphis Tennessee as a kid, so I do consider myself, at least, part Tennessean. Even though the Smokey Mountains are in the other side of the state, I feel oddly at home in Tennessee, When you lose a parent like I lost my Father in 2010, you look for things from your childhood, when both your parents were young and healthy. I hate death and aging and all that mess. Anyway, this is a small painting that I will probably take to Frankfort sometime this week. I'll let you know more as things happen with that. And I've already drew two pictures from the photo shoot the other day. It went really well. I'm learning how to take better pictures for painting, and used that knowledge well, my wife Malissa came along and helped and did a great job, and the model, Britney, she's just great, I could never say enough good things about her. I'm really wanting to get to a new level in my paintings and I hope you being seeing those real soon.

Modeling

I usually don't show the actual photos from the modeling sessions I base my paintings on. I feel the models may not like their photos everywhere on the inter-webs. I had to show this one though and I asked permission before I did it. Today I did a modeling shoot at Shakertown with Britney, one of my favorite models, and (favorite friends too, she's great!), and while she was posing two deer were running on the hillside behind her. She's giving me a funny look because I was grunting and ohhing and ahhing because I was hoping the camera would quit processing and I could get another pic of these deer behind her. But they ran into the trees at the left before the camera was ready for another pic, stupid technology. Anyway, I thought this was really neat and just thought I'd share. It may also be important to note that it's deer hunting season here in Kentucky, but these guys are safe, there is no hunting on Shakertown property. They do allow a limited quail hunt, but these guys are deer. They could run off the property and get shot on someone's farm, but these guys were right in the middle of the property and very safe.

My Spirit Guide and Teacher

I was watching Kentucky Life on the teli tonight and saw my late friend, mentor and spirit guide , the great Ross Zirkle. He was an artist and lived everything he preached, and I would give about anything to have recorded just one of those sermons. I thought how much I miss this guy. He was an old hippie, lived in the woods for a time, studied fencing, been all over the country, and was about as spiritual than anyone I've ever met. When people saw my space art in the beginning of my art making, they thought Scifi. He saw right through that and understood I was dealing with Nature, God, The Spirits, all things mysterious. Not Scifi. I was really happy about that.  He had such a huge impact on everyone he met, and he met a lot of people too. Just as his career was on an up swing at UK, Pancreatic cancer stole him from us and it hurt a lot of people. I sometimes wonder now how he would feel about some of my choices with my art career, both failures and successes. Wish he was here to tell me. But if anyone was the type to come back as a Hawk, dodge lightning, and touch the Moon, I know it's him. Oh, and you can see some of the art he did before passing on here http://www.ravenwolfgallery.com/RossZirkle/WaterlessGallery/pages/ChannelsII15x11wl.htm

Biking

I took this picture of ours bikes while we were biking in the woods at Shakertown Sunday. I was also out looking for places to photograph and paint later, but this is a great place to bike. Just don't get hit by a deer!

The Smokies

This is what I have done so far on this one. This is based on a picture of Malissa standing on a mountain top past Gatlinburg Tennessee, on the way to Cherokee. I haven't done fog in a while, so this is a nice little exercise in atmosphere. I try to keep bouncing around on subjects, even though it all is the woman in the woods theme, I try something a little different on everyone, or try something I've done before but not too often. Practice makes perfect, they say. Perfect seems kind of high to reach for, I'll settle for nice.

Haunted Art Show

Along with the Crow's Landing painting I just finished, I also put Raven's Home and My Old Kentucky Home into the "Haunted" Art Exhibit in Harrodsburg. I just took them tonight and the Show is tomorrow. If anyone is out and aboot in Harrodsburg tomorrow night, stop by downtown, it's a small downtown so I'm sure you will see us. I added Raven's Home because it fits the Fall season and I added My Old Kentucky Home because the house looks a little creepy. I also think it's one of my more interesting skies. I'm not sure what  kind of crowd might come out, the arts council there is kind of new from what I understand and I think this is the first "Haunted" show ever. Maybe I can be on the ground floor of something good here. We shall see. Here is all the webs info I can find on the Haunted show. http://www.artscouncilofmercer.com/

New painting

Here is work on the new painting. If you can't see it, the drawing is part of the album too. This was based on a pic of Malissa standing on the big Mountain outside of Gatlinburg Tennessee on the way to Cherokee North Carolina. The fog was thick, but I made it a little crazier in this piece. I thought this might work as a Halloween piece, but not the one that will go to the show in Harrodsburg. I'll talk more about that one tomorrow or Friday. I plan on this one to go to Broadway Clay on Frankfort next week. It's time I switch that art out. I've sold three pieces there so I have to keep it together there in our State Capital. They guy that runs it, a guy named Les, is a real cool guy. He's got real long white hair and a beard, and he is always covered with clay when I stop in. He covered with clay because he makes bowls and such on that spinning table thing.  Hopefully I'll get this one done fast so it can enjoy the Hallowed season! BOOOOOOO! Ok, that wasn't scary at all.

Remember this one?

This is a bad picture of this painting, but still. I'm re-doing it a little for that Haunted Show in Harrodsburg. It's looking better already, but I don't have a pic of the improvements yet. If you remember I did thios one last year about this time, but was never quit happy with it. I'm taking care of that now, I'll post some pics of the improvements in a day or two. Everyone have fun!

Crow's Landing

Here is the finished piece, "Crow's Landing". I couldn't get a good pic of it, or this is as good as it's gets. Really, in person, you have to walk close to see the detail on the face of the figure. There are other details in the photo and real life that you would have to loo to find. It's not in Harrodsburg for the "Haunted" exhibit they are having through the Mercer County Art Council. They have a real nice gallery space there that I had  not idea was there. I liked what they had and sometime this week I'll take another piece down there. I'm touching up another piece that I've worked on in the past, but I'll post that one later. It will have a GHOST!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Crow's Landing

More work on the Halloween painting, "Crow's Landing". I thought I was going to pass out an hour or two ago and me eyes are burning, but hey, nothing happens when I do nothing. I added another Crow since last time, actually he, or she, is only about an hour old. I think I need some more strange things to put it over as "creepy". I do have the Crow skull. I want to get the creep factor going without going too far. I'll think more tomorrow, I have to deliver this Saturday. AAAAnd by the way, I was wrong. Last Friday in Paris we only did the Reception night for the Creative Harvest Festival, not the barrels. Tomorrow night the Reception for the barrels will happen, but the paintings will still be on the walls. I think that will produce a better chance for selling a piece. "Resting" is the painting in that one, and it won a ribbon for 2 dimensional piece. I'll take a pic and post it tomorrow or Friday. It's nice to get that.

Halloween pic

I'm trying to make the deadline for this Halloween show in mercer County. This is what I have so far, but it's a bad pic. That's Ok, this is just to give an idea of how it looks, I'm not done yet. I'm hoping to get just enough done to get in the show, and then continue to make it better. Sooo much to do and soo little time. I like the perspective of the figure for this one, I haven't done that before.

Lexington Gallery hop

Tomorrow(also Sept. 21st) I'll have this painting, Stream Walker, at the Christ Church Cathedral on Market Street. It's part of the Gallery Hop and it also runs from 5-8pm. Not sure when I'll be there, but I will as soon as I'm done with my other exhibit in Paris. If you around stop by and see the other Artists too.