Coast of Mysteries

I should probably "finish" this one, but I like it the way it is.  I'm not sure what the dark shapes in the center are; I wonder if they are friendly?

The initial wash worked perfectly for the reeds, which are scratched in with a paint knife.  Now the trick is to figure out how to use it at will.

20"x16" canvas

Slough in Morning

My paintings so far have been a bit supersaturated.  This is an attempt to paint with more gray.  A cold, slightly foggy morning in the slough near Bear River in Cache Valley, Utah.

20"x16" canvas

Forest stream

I liked my previous forest stream study well enough to try again on canvas.

20"x16" canvas

Study: Sun and Moon

This motif has been in my head waiting for paint for a while.  Early sketches can be found in my mission journal.  (For those of you wondering why on earth a missionary would have that sort of thing on his mind, I can only point out that I was engaged my entire mission.  I arrived trunky, and got married one transfer after getting home.)

12"x9" acrylic paper

Study: Lonely Moon

The title only makes sense when paired with the next one.

12"x9" acrylic paper

Study: City on a Cliff by the Sea

First one with my new painting knives.  It's always interesting what people see in these.  Dad saw three tires, and figured it was a race.  When I tell people my name for it, quite a few see the yellow as sand.  I see it as the sun on the water.

9"x12" acrylic paper

Study: The Artist Contemplating a Day of Overtime

I had a couple of weeks working overtime.  One morning in the shower, feeling a bit lumpy and misshapen and with a head full of cotton, I suddenly wondered how I could capture that feeling in paint.  I shower in the dark, so there's no light (would be scary anyway :), but I figured I could probably capture temperature and emotion.

9"x12" acrylic paper