Pet Portrait -- A dog in oil, 16 x 20 inches

Oil landscape details

Early spring landscape along Floyds Fork

"Early Spring, Floyds Fork at Seatonville Road," 16 x 20 inches.  I finished this today at home after starting it last Friday on site.

I used a limited palette: burnt sienna, ivory black, burnt umber, Naples yellow, red iron oxide, ultramarine blue, titanium white.

I am very happy with the finished product, though this photo didn't pick up some of the subtlety in the tones.

Floyds Fork Winter Landscape (oil on panel)

This is a plein air (mostly...) that I just finished. The weather was cold on Friday morning, but forecast to warm quickly, so I got gear together and went out to the Parklands at about noon.  It was a great day to be out, though windy.

I used a limited palette: Ivory black, titanium white, burnt sienna, yellow ochre, burnt umber, and cerulean blue.

I finished most of this on-site, but did a little fine-tuning and touching up when I got home.

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Landscape in oil, 16 x 20 inches

This was a commissioned work on panel.  I added a little more glazing after this photo was taken; I'll take more photos later, even though the difference is so small most people wouldn't notice.

Cicada painting

This is a small painting I did about 15 years ago.  I recently found it in a stack of stuff.  It's not a great painting, but I feel like there is some really good stuff going on in it.  It's about 6 x 10 inches.

House portrait in pen and ink with watercolor

house portrait in pen and ink with watercolor

This is about 10 x 10 inches.

Recent house portraits

 Watercolor above, pen and ink below.

Painting along Floyds Fork

16 X 20 inch acrylic painting on panel. I stood painting in the field for a few hours, and my neck is burned. I am glad I was wearing long sleeves and a hat. Bumble bees as big as golf balls kept swooping in to investigate, and a variety of spiders wanted to climb to my shoulders to chat with me, but I persevered.

Acrylic landscape

Sycamores by Beargrass Creek - Mark Tabler- Acrylic on panel

Here's a small landscape I completed a few days ago.  It's 12 x 16 (I think! Now I have to measure it when I get the chance, to make sure.)  This is all acrylic, which is rare for me.  Most paintings I've done have been either all oil, or oil over an acrylic underpainting.  I want to work more with acrylics; I need to get used to the fast drying time and how they handle compared to oils, but the payoff will be faster work and easier plein-air transport, I think.

Painting gladioluses

I’m working on a commission that I’ve decided to do primarily with acrylics.  I’ve used acrylics for many purposes, and use them frequently, but I actually haven’t attempted many complete “works of art” with acrylics alone.

This is not a photo of the commission work, but rather a smaller painting that I’m working on alongside of it, only in acrylic.  A couple of years ago I did an acrylic landscape that I was not satisfied with; this will be only my second full acrylic painting (not counting murals) since, oh, probably 1987.

This is also my first flower painting since 1987. Ironically, the last floral I painted was also the first full painting I had ever done with oil paints.  I don’t normally go in much for flower paintings, but I love the glads that bloom in our yard each year and have sort of wanted to paint them.  Also, I hear they are popular, and I’d like to have another painting to display at the art fair later this month. (That’s another reason I chose acrylic: oils would never dry in time for the art fair.)

Old watercolor sketch

 Last night I was going through a box of stuff and found this little tree (about 6 x 9") that I did while playing with some watercolors.  I can't remember when I did it, but I think it was two or three years ago (Don't be misled by the date at the bottom, I put that on last night as an approximation.)  I had been searching for this, but couldn't find it and thought I must have given it away.  It's small and not sophisticated or great in any way, but it's one of the few things I've done with watercolors in decades and I liked the result.  I have been wanting to try watercolors lately, or use inks or acrylics for watercolor effects.

Tree mural...done?

 Well, yeah, I'm calling it done.  I can easily rattle off five things I'd like to change or work on some more, but I am done with this section of the mural. I think I got it to a state where it looks attractive and the family I am painting it for can be very satisfied with it; I will only work on it some more if they tell me otherwise.

Tree Mural, in progress

I'm not far from completing another section of the play room mural I started for someone last year. This is in the same room as the giant Crayola box.  They asked for a tree in this corner, and left the rest up to me.  I liked the idea of putting in something extra colorful, so I chose macaws. I had planned out a mountainous background, but the water was a spur-of-the-moment idea.

 This isn't actually the most up-to-date photo. Last night I put a lot of work into the tree trunk and limbs, giving them a little more color and dimension.  I must get a good photo of the trunk as it is now, because I think it's my favorite thing about the painting.

Next I will add tall grass to the area between the tree and the water, and then some touching up, then I'll be done!

Mural section - completed

 Last night I finished this first section of the wall. This is an art & craft area of a children's play room.  The next section will feature a large tree.

More work on the mural

I worked on the glue bottle today, and it is mostly done.

Mural progress

I worked on the mural for a few more hours last night. The Crayola box is pretty much done; I am pleased with it.

Mural work in progress

The green "grass" was already there.

Thumbnail sketch

 Preparing for another house portrait...

Exterior Wall Faux Finish

Here are before and after photos.

Last night I decided I was done--but that's "done" without really meaning DONE done. I can call it done. I'll stay away from it for a few days. However, there are some little things I want to work on, such as highlights on the window trim, and touching up paint smears on that overhead gutter.  Also, at some point, I may try to tackle the very top of that low wall in the bottom image, which I didn't paint because so much of the wall had dirt over the top.