I’ve been teaching a Saturday afternoon oil painting class at GalleryOne in Ellensburg, WA. We started with a small still life of a lemon…. not so easy, but everybody did great. The second Saturday we got a good start on a landscape, learning to simplify and look for values. Next week we’ll dive into a portrait. It’s an interesting process to figure out where people are at and what they need. I hope I’m doing a good job.

Lemons

Sunny Kiss 10×8 watercolor

We’ve been socked in with winter fog for days. This morning the glorious sun hit the hills outside our kitchen window. I’m trying to narrow down my view in a few small watercolors trying to catch one fleeting effect. An enjoyable hour with morning coffee at the kitchen table.

Snow on the Hills 8×10 watercolor

I needed some new charcoal for my next paintings. Thought I’d try a few types of our local wood.

Carving sticks for charcoal

The cut pieces were put in small metal boxes and into the deep ashes after a bonfire. I left them for an hour to see how it worked.

They work great. The pine is a bit harder with a nice gray color and the willow is awesome, very black and smooth. Overall a success.