I drove around in my Miata looking for a good spot to paint, and after failing to find anything, it occurred to me that the Miata itself might be a good subject. It’s 29 years old but stlil cute. So I parked it and got out the paints! Especially those reds. :)
Geoff Watson, “Miata,” July daily painting #2, oil on panel, 8” x 10,” 2019.
I paid a visit to Hills Plaza, a pleasant street in Friendship Village, just north of the DC-Maryland line. I liked the way the streetlamps lined up, and I also wanted to say something about the competition between trees and buildings in the background. I was still painting away when darkness fell, so I gave up before I felt I was finished; once again I gave short shrift to the flowers in the flower pot! Not to mention the tops of the street lamps. I will touch them up tomorrow.
Geoff Watson, “Hills Plaza,” June daily painting #26, oil on panel, 8” x 10,” 2019.
I’m always eager to paint cars, but cars are fickle models: they tend to drive away. Today I got a great chance: a car stayed parked for hours right across from my house. Time for a portrait of a Honda Accord!
Geoff Watson, “Portrait of a Honda Accord,” May daily painting #29, oil on panel, 8” x 10,” 2019.
My back has been too sore for me to drive safely, so I’ve been walking to nearby spots to paint. In this case, I was trying to highlight the bend in the road in the top-left, but I also wanted to include the car because it’s just plain fun to paint cars. The trouble with cars, though, is that they always drive away. True to form, this one poofed before I’d finished it. I did my best completing it from memory.
Geoff Watson, “The Road Ahead,” May daily painting #17, oil on panel, 8” x 10,” 2019.
It was a lovely afternoon to paint — until a squall unleashed a torrent of rain. Still, it made for a nice wet street to paint. I went for a semi-abstract vibe.
Geoff Watson, “After the rain,” May daily painting #11, oil on panel, 8” x 10,” 2019.
Not every “daily painting” is going to be a masterpiece, and today’s unfinished effort demonstrates that! I was planning to focus on rain falling in puddles behind the car, but I never got to the puddles, lol. My back started really hurting after about 45 minutes of painting the car, and I called it quits. Hey, at least the car was on the right track. (So to speak.)
Art marketers sometimes say one should never post failures on one’s website. “Only show your best work!,” they say. I think that’s good advice for an art show. But for my blog, I prefer to have an honest conversation with my readers, to talk about what happens when paintings fail, to keep a record of my progress, and to think about how to improve.
Geoff Watson, “Unfinished driveway” (unfinished), May daily painting #5, oil on panel, 8” x 8,” 2019.
I spent the afternoon adding details to trees, improving the drawing, and painting MY car instead of the car that abandoned me in my first session. I also added a figure walking on the street. I'm not sure this one is done yet, but it's getting close; I'm inclined to leave it loose like this. I'll set it aside for a week or so to think on it.
Geoff Watson, "Kenwood Avenue," oil on linen, 18" x 24," 2018.
When I started this painting, there was a car parked on the left side of the road, but of course it drove away after an hour. I may park my car on the road tomorrow so that I have a model to paint.
Geoff Watson, "Kenwood Avenue - in progress," oil on linen, 18" x 24," 2018.
My daughter and I made some emoji in the snow today. These designs raise several profound questions. (1) Is this "art from life"? (2) Does not this artwork reflect an ambivalent attitude toward the snowflake? (3) Most importantly, what surface is this on?
Well, at least we can answer question (3):
