Screech Owl

 "Screech Owl" (pastel, 8x6 inches) bid or buy

Here's the star of Saturday's Paint-Along - the Screech Owl! This one's a little different... Instead of my usual pastel primer underpainting, I used some UArt paper  that had some pastel washed in with alcohol, something I had left over from someone else's workshop months ago. I figured I'd put it to use! So instead of building an acrylic-based underpainting, I basically started with a value drawing of the owl using a black Rembrandt pastel.

 See a quick speed video here!

Zebra Close Up

"Zebra Close Up"  (oil, 6x6 inches)   click here to bid

Maybe, just maybe, I have finally gotten tired of cows... I feel like I'm flittering around aimlessly, trying to find another subject to rest on. Meanwhile, I've gotten some inspiration from the great DPW Challenges. This one is my entry to Taryn Day's "Close Up Animal Challenge".

This was from a photo I had taken at a wildlife ranch years ago; one of my favorite pics and one that I also exhibited as a photograph way back when.
 (here it is with the underpainting, mostly umber with a little blue)

In fact I've found right now that I'm gravitating to all my favorite old photos as references, and in the next few days you may see some widely varying subjects. I think I want to paint whatever takes my fancy at the moment of preparation. You've got to 'paint what you love' after all, right? And I'm tired of the 'painting block' I've been in for a while, darn it!