New WIP: Bull Moose Commission

I am currently working on what is the first in a pair of 24"x30" moose paintings I have been commissioned to paint. My client is kindly letting me share this piece with you as it progresses. The client wanted a bull moose in a mountain setting so I am using the Grand Teton range as the backdrop for the handsome moose. It is still in the block-in phase... just laying in the first layer of color. As you can see, I need to finish blocking in the mountains and a few more trees. Then, I will start to go in with the next layer and refine as I go.

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Finished: Goldfinch and Thistle

My apologies for not getting this posted sooner! I've been very busy with a commission (more on that later). I finished this one early last month I believe. This was quite a fun piece to do. I really liked playing up the texture of the thistles and the fluff with the use of a palette knife and one of my new favorite tools - an angle chisel Colour Shaper. I also used an old credit card for scratching into the paint along the edges of the thistle. This piece will be on its way shortly to Grand Teton Gallery where it will be available. 


Goldfinch and Thistle, 14x11, oil on linen
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Goldfinch and Thistle (Detail)
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Liebster Blog Award

I have received the Liebster Blog Award from the Swedish painter Måns Sjöberg. Thank you Måns! With an economy of strokes, Måns creates beautiful watercolors. I admire greatly artists that can do this because it is so difficult! I especially enjoy his bird paintings.

Per the rules of the award, I must now choose 5 bloggers whom I think deserve recognition. They all deserve it because they are fantastic artists that capture the beauty of nature in their art. Please check out their blogs and you’ll see why: John Mullane, Jim Bortz, Matthew Hillier, Cathy Sheeter, and Jason Tako.

These are the Liebster Blog Award rules: 1. Thank the person who gave you the award. 2. Link back to their blog. 3. Copy and paste the Liebster Award to your profile. 4. Pick 5 blogs that you feel deserve to be in the spotlight. They must have 200 followers or under. 5. Blog about it and leave a comment for your nominations to let them know that you have chosen their blog.

WIP 3: Goldfinch

Here's where I left off on the goldfinch painting yesterday. The bird is pretty much done either than his foot. I started in on some of the thistle and added another layer of color to the background.

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WIP 2: Goldfinch

Before I get started working on the goldfinch this morning, here's the work that's been done so far.


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WIP 1: Goldfinch

Here's the beginning of a new oil painting I started today. It's a male goldfinch on thistle. I just laid in a loose sketch with some thinned burnt umber and burnt sienna. I will let this dry overnight and then start adding color tomorrow.

Red Knobbed Hornbill

I recently completed this watercolor of a male Red Knobbed Hornbill. Sorry there are not any progress shots of this one. It seemed like everytime I wanted to snap a progress shot outside, the weather was bad. So, I just kept working. This piece measures 22x15. I painted it on a sheet of handmade Twinrocker paper. It was my first time using their paper; it was different than the Strathmore 300 lb paper I'm used to. It buckled easily, which I was not happy with. Doubt I will be using it again. My reference for this painting was obtained from the San Diego Zoo.


Red Knobbed Hornbill, 22x15, Watercolor on Twinrocker paper
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Detail - Red Knobbed Hornbill
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