Tools oil painting in progress

This morning I awoke ready to paint -- there's a lot going on this year (already!) but one thing that isn't getting pushed aside is time to work on paintings and prints. Just a few hours at the easel or carving a block is intensely enjoyable, and clears my mind for the more business-oriented illustration and design work.

Here's a painting I started years ago - I never got around to taking beyond the initial sketch. Here it is at the underpainting stage (not a good photo, I am afraid) and then the work I completed today.


I know a lot more about painting now than I did when I started this, and the underpainting wasn't done as carefully as I might do it now. Not that I would want a lot of detail in either case, but now I can visualize the result and plan accordingly. However, I was able to move things along quite nicely. Can't wait to take it to the next stage!


I'll soon have a number of canvases to rotate through when the painting urge takes me. Nice to smell the linseed oil! I've moved the easel up to the front window where there's great north light, particularly in the morning.