Barnie

Barnie on a dirt road.
Acrylic on canvas. 12" x 16".

I was asked if I did paintings of dogs, and having never tried, I didn't know the answer. So I gave it a try.
Barnie appears to be a poodle.

The photo I worked from had good contrast but limited in detail and color. Except for the tongue.
I really liked that tongue.
Initially the tongue was a very intense pink and dominating the painting, but I was advised to tone it down so I worked a thin layer of black over the pink to drop the intensity, which worked out well.
(There was also a thin string of drool hanging from the mouth, but I decided it would be best remove that.)

At one point the dog's color morphed into a rich chocolate tone, but that wasn't accurate for the dog's actual coloring, and I worked over the surface to lean it back towards black.

The colors used were burnt sienna and burnt umber, a red oxide, yellow iron oxide, cerulean blue, and for the first time, black. I've had the the tubes of oxides around for a long time, but rarely used them. They behave a little differently from other colors in the intensity and opacity.


I'm pleased with the texture in this painting, and discovered possibilities for using black paint. I have always avoided black because I found it to be too "flat". Layering a black wash over other colors can yield some interesting and effective results.

Raging River Bridge No.1008E, version 4

Raging River Bridge No. 1008E, version 4.
Acrylic on canvas. 16" x 20".
(sold)

I thought this was not finished, but I needed to hand it over to fill a space on a wall for a while and hoped to return to it later and make some adjustments.That never happened.

A winter view of the bridge, standing upstream on the southeast bank, with the bridge framed by moss covered maples and a western red cedar. The river is running fast and full, with most of the interesting rocks submerged.
I was interested in working with the different textures, and getting more practice on trees. The trees are still not coming across to me. They all feel stiff, awkward and a little cartoonish, so its clear I am still not interpreting the forms correctly.

When I cover the stand of maples on the left, I like the painting better. The perspective and sense of depth improves. The problem may be that the mossy maples are the same color and intensity as the trees further back, which flattens the visual plane.
So either the distant trees need to be adjusted by toning down the contrast and intensity, or the maples in front need to be changed. Maybe shifting to a more blue-based green relating to the sword ferns would pull them forward more.