Daily updates from the studio
Applied the first base layers today. The warm orange underpainting is really setting the mood.
The studio smells like linseed oil and possibility. There’s something magical about watching the first layers go down - it’s when the painting starts to come alive.
Read entry →Started with rough sketches today. The composition is beginning to take shape.
Playing with the balance between foreground and background elements. The warm orange underpainting will set the mood I’m going for.
Read entry →My studio routine: coffee, silence, and thirty minutes just looking at yesterday’s work before touching a brush.
The morning light shows you things you can’t see at night. Mistakes become obvious. But so do small victories.
Today I’m seeing that Forest Morning needs more warmth in the shadows. Back to work.
Read entry →Let’s get painting
Read entry →Today was all about foam and spray. Layer upon layer of white, each one a bit more opaque than the last. Used a combination of brush and palette knife to get that chaotic, natural look.
The trick is knowing when to stop. Too much and it looks like soap bubbles. Too little and there’s no drama.
I think I’m close.
Read entry →Got the underpainting down for Forest Morning today. Used a warm orange-brown to establish the overall temperature. Even at this early stage, I can feel where the light wants to go.
The hard part begins tomorrow - building up those luminous layers.
Read entry →Some days the canvas just stares back at you. Rain hammering on the studio roof, grey light, and nothing feels right.
So instead I’m organizing brushes, cleaning palettes, and letting my mind wander. Sometimes not painting is part of the process.
Read entry →Spent three hours mixing and testing burnt umbers today. Finally found that perfect balance - warm enough to glow, but not too red. It’s going to be perfect for the shadows in the autumn series.
Sometimes the best days in the studio are just about getting one color exactly right.
Read entry →Today I rearranged the studio for winter light. The north window gives me that perfect, consistent glow I need for color mixing. Added a space heater near my easel - can’t paint with frozen fingers.
The smell of linseed oil and turpentine feels like home.
Read entry →Started sketching compositions for Forest Morning today. Did about 20 thumbnail sketches trying to find the right balance between the trees and that shaft of light.
I think I’ve got it - vertical format, trees framing the light source just off-center. Now to transfer it to canvas.
Read entry →Started Coastal Storm today. Laid down the darkest darks first - those deep, threatening waves. Using palette knife to get texture right away.
My studio smells like the sea. Or maybe that’s just the cold wax medium. Either way, I’m transported.
Read entry →Three hours with the copper pot today. Blocked in the main shapes and started on the darkest values. Already I can see where the light wants to sit.
There’s something meditative about still life work. No drama, no grand vision - just you, the object, and the light.
Read entry →