#24 - 30 out of 30

"Chickenator I"

oil on Arches OLEO

(very wet paint)

6" x 6"

I keep finding out that if I wait to paint 

til later in the day - 

like today, I run into all kinds of issues.  

I always underpaint with red oxide, 

almost always, anyway.

Today, I had the bright idea (I thought) to use a 

blue/green acrylic.  

I was looking to maybe help the ground in this painting...

it was a dull gray/drab photo of my hen Chickenator.

Learned that I shouldn't do that one..

made everything cold and gray and drab.  

Although as I stated yesterday, 

Chickenator is a great camouflage bird, 

she blends in with the ground - 

so I had to push the colors - 

but didn't push them enough.

Tomorrow I am going to paint her again (#25)..

using red oxide undertone and a little different pose.  

If I paint my animals, they always end up 

on the wall in my house.  

I put these three chicken paintings up 

against one another.

Queenie - 1st one done..kind of tight, harder edges 

and it took many hours..

Harlough, finished yesterday, looser, less fuss with color, bolder brushstrokes...several (but not as many) hours..

And today - finished in 2 hours - very loose, 

lots of paint on the brush, more uncalculated and wilder 

brushstrokes...go figure...

it takes me awhile to LOOSEN up - 

loose and painterly - I like that alot.

This last one seems to have movement - 

AND shows how cold it was yesterday.

And why are they all facing the same way?  That's

where the sun is in the afternoon, in the 

southwest on the south

side of the coop 

where I take my photos and observe from.

So maybe I have found my niche  

as to 'how I can loosen up and get more 

bold with brushstrokes and less hard edged.'

Paint faster - have less time involved.

All in all, it was a frustrating time at the easel, 

BUT I learned a few things!!