I thought it might be interesting to show how I develop a painting. It is 48" x 24".
The first layer establishes rudimentary texture. This is done with acrylic washes.

In the next few days, I'll show the different steps as I go to finish.

I layed the beginning layers and skin tones for the face with thin washes. I like to do this early to establish a focal point as well as add subtle layers to the "weathering" process.

For those interested in keeping track of the developmental stages of my new paintings, click on PAINTER AT WORK under the "catergories" side bar. I'll try to shoot and post photos regularly as the finished paintings emerge.

I've just moved to a very functional art space where I'll be producing as much new, BIGGER work as I possibly can.

Watch out...this may get messy.

Adding another layer of "grime" puts the focal area farther back into the "stone" wall. Since I'm shooting for a trompe l'oeil effect, "Build. Destroy. Rebuild." is my theme.

The next phase will be putting new shadows and highlights into the face.

Right about here I start jonesing for details I may use later on. I darken certain areas and the facial features get alot of attention. I consider it a dry run for the emotional value I'm shooting for. At this stage I'm getting a sense of how I want to finish. It may sound odd, but this is when the painting TELLS ME where to go next.

I wanted to soften the profile with a twined leaf wreath. It adds a neat dreaminess (Puck?) to the face and gives me a chance to introduce a cool (that is, "not warm") complimentary color to such a reddish composition (so far).

I'll be darkening the canvas and adding more texture next go round.

48" x 24"
oil on canvas

So here's the finished painting. Thanks for putting up with my little experiment. I got a kick out of all the comments.

I'll be trying this again soon.

This is what I do: I load up a brush full of pigment and let 'er rip. And no....it ain't rocket science. It's more like alchemy.

And God is watching.