I'm exicted (as usual) as I begin this painting today -- July 26th. My gallery in Aspen asked for a "big one" -- 48x72 --so I want to do something that will knock their socks off! That way they will be ready to dip their toes in the cool clear water I'm planning for them to see. 
I started with a sketch - just a little 7x10 panel, something to splash some color on and work out the design. I'm really happy with this sketch, and will finish it out as a "mini" painting pretty soon. But I am too anxious to get going on the big one, so it will have to wait.
The next step is to stretch the canvas and prep it. I usually add some gesso and then tone it with warm colors to fill in all the little white canvas grain holes.
Then I begin painting it with some browns to design it, looking often from a distance to make sure I'm getting it in the right spot
You can see the little study painting sitting on the easel at the bottom of the canvas. I can't describe the sense of anticiapation I feel at this stage. In just a few hours it will take shape and look similar to the study... I'm hoping.
I'm contiuing to "paint by the numbers" in a sense... looking at my study and the photos of the real landscape as my lines and numbers. It is really helpful to have colors called "pine tree back lit in the sun on a cool light day" and "shallow water red" etc.... for painting this?!?!?
After a long day on my feet... with much enthusiasm... I have reached the "look" that I was after. I feel like this has captured the look of the study... and that is all I'm after for today. I used a paper towel to rub down edges to soften things up in the back ground
I am roughing in a bear and her two cubs from a photo that I took in the Northwest at a bear habitat. It is tough to get good photos for paintings like this, so I often use the same one twice, so this time I am putting one of the cubs on the other side of her mother, where it looks like it is looking back at the waterfall. Whooppeeee mom, lets go play!
A few days have gone by. I've been helping my oldest son paint his grandparents house.... Always painting ! As you can see I have just been "detailing" what was painted in the "block-in" stage. This is one of the new adventures in painting for me. I'm not where I want to be, yet, and am trying to push myself in this "thicker" direction. I want to lay down thick paint and then manipulate it into the right spot that looks like detail, but still maintains the "block-in" free and loose look.
Even on this painting I am learning. I came into the studio this morning and Landon had dabbled some wonderful colors on my palette that reminded me of how I want to paint that way. Thanks Son. It is working already!This area is the sunlit bush just to the right at the bottom of the leaning fir tree (above the bears and slightly to the left) You can see the "multicolor" strokes and the thicker build up of paint. YUMMY!
Wow! What a day I had painting. It was so fun to be dipping in these piles of color and loosely laying them side by side. I think I can push this even further and stir up more appetite for this painting. I believe it will be one of my strongest ever.
A new day... new piles of color. This has been the greatest help to me to accomplish painting looser and more colorful. I premix about thirty different colors. Mixing these brilliant and pure combinations of my tube paints gives me several choices to draw from, dipping in two or three piles with each brush stroke keeps the paint vibrating, alive and wonderfully thick.
I'm beginning in the upper left corner of the painting today. This photo is after about 3 hours of more detailed blocking in. I'm looking at some photos from the Smoky Mountains, and just peicing it together. I'm not making anything up.
I put in two 14 hour days because I had all these yummy piles of color and couldn't stop playing! The satisfaction of completing a piece like this is terrific. I think I will hang this in my Studio for quite some time... might even keep it.
