a little preparation

Continuing from yesterday...
As I started to work on the three little acrylic foundations I posted yesterday it occurred to me that it would be easier to reformat the reference photo from the vertical format to a square. Then, once I started playing with the photo - which, by the way, I am amazed I could actually find in my computer - I couldn't help looking at the composition and values so I used PhotoShop to change the focus of the light to keep it more in the middle. Below is the adjusted reference photo that I will be working from.

next three acrylics

The next three acrylic experiments are on the easel. Color is arbitrary - brushfulls of paint applied to white Ampersand Gessobord while I was cleaning my acrylic palette. I lifted color off using a paper towel and/or brushes. Also, I misted the first one with water and let it run. These three are starting out as the same scene using a reference photo from September 2011- see my sketchbook entry below. The original painting from this photo shoot of the Cedar River was used as an Art Journal Blog post called The value of value.

 

daily walk

This view of the Cedar River from the walk-across bridge is now part of my weekday walk with Annie because it is how we get to the off-leash dog park. We started Home Obedience classes last night so today's walk was slower - not so much pulling. We are learning. And as I mentioned in my last post, thanks to Elizabeth Mowry, I am looking around with new eyes and I see several dog-park scenes for future paintings.