Category: My Earthy Painting Process

Follow along through the steps I take to create an earthy painting. My process isn’t pretty, as I tend to make mistakes. But things usually turn out alright in the end 🙂

  • The Moment of Quickening

    I’ve been working on this painting for a while now. The sky is the farthest background, so that’s the area of focus. All the while it’s been pretty standard, putting paint here and there, by design or by whim. But …

  • Old Shed with Red Sunset | Painting in Progress

    Old Shed with Red Sunset | Painting in Progress

    This old shed is one of my most photographed subjects. I take pictures of it in various weather, lots of sunsets, and throughout the seasons. Now it’s time for an Old Shed with Red Sunset painting, using my Ozark pigment …

  • Natural Art Supplies | Osage and Rocks

    Natural Art Supplies | Osage and Rocks

    After a flood is an excellent time to look for my natural art supplies.

    On my way home from the office yesterday, I saw the roots of an Osage tree. Of course, I had to stop, and then I couldn’t …

  • What Comes First? The subject, or the palette?

    What Comes First? The subject, or the palette?

    I think I work opposite of most artists when it comes to the way I do certain things. What comes first the subject, or the palette?

    For most painters, I would imagine the subject is chosen and then whatever paints …

  • Fence Lizard | Starting a New Painting

    Fence Lizard | Starting a New Painting

    I’m working on a painting of a fence lizard using my Ozark pigments in oils. This is the page that shows my progression from start to finish.

    During the hot days of summer, there are lots of fence lizards skittering …

  • Narrow Sized Imaginary Mountain Scene

    Narrow Sized Imaginary Mountain Scene

    While working on my fence lizard painting, I had leftover paint on the palette when finished for the day. So I decided to use it to start a new painting on the same size board, a small narrow 8″ x …

  • Progress on a Painting, or Two

    Progress on a Painting, or Two

    Yesterday at the studio, I worked on two different paintings. One I needed to begin, and the other needed progress towards finished.

    Painting to Start

    The first one I worked on is the one I needed to begin. It’s a …

  • Slow Art, Back to Nature Art

    There are a lot of parallels between the kind of art I make and the Slow Food movment from a decade or so ago. My style is also very much ‘back to nature’.

    Why is it ‘Slow Art’?

    Just as …

  • A Pastoral Scene in Progress

    A Pastoral Scene in Progress

    There’s something magical about the way it looks on a misty Autumn morning in the Ozarks. Several years ago, I took a photo of my neighbor’s field towards the bridge for Felkins creek that’s near our house. While going through …

  • A Skink in Ozark Pigments

    A Skink in Ozark Pigments

    Last week in my garden, all of the reptilian (and one amphibious) creatures were out and about. This handsome skink came out to pose for me, so I figured I’d paint his portrait.

    A Little About My Paint-making Process

    Since

  • Cooper’s Hawk | a Blue-eyed Juvenile

    Cooper’s Hawk | a Blue-eyed Juvenile

    Currently on my easel is a portrait in progress of a gorgeous blue-eyed juvenile raptor. It’s a painting of a Cooper’s hawk. As he matures, his eyes will change to yellow, orange, or red.

    A photo of a Cooper's hawk by Tamalyn Wortham.

    Tamalyn Wortham, Photographer

    “The story behind

  • A Tipi Painting for Karter

    A Tipi Painting for Karter

    My granddaughter Karter’s birthday is coming up soon, and this year she wants a painting of a tipi. I love the evolution of subjects the kids choose as they grow up and I hope they never grow tired of getting …

  • Bald Eagle  | Ozark Birds of Prey series

    Bald Eagle | Ozark Birds of Prey series

    Originally posted in 2020. I’m going through some of the older posts on my blog and refreshing them. This one really doesn’t need any changes, but it’s been a while since I’ve showcased my bald eagle painting.

    One day I …

  • Broad-wing Hawk #2 | Dinner Time

    Broad-wing Hawk #2 | Dinner Time

    I’ve begun broad-wing hawk #2, using the same sized canvas and a similar background as the first one. Since this one has just nabbed a frog, the title is ‘Dinner Time’.

    My reference is a photo by the excellent …

  • Brahman Mama #905 | Cow Art

    Brahman Mama #905 | Cow Art

    Today is Wednesday (Jan 17, 2024) and there’s still snow on the ground outside from last week’s arctic blast. The horses and cat are fed, husband and myself already had breakfast, and the hot water lines are still frozen, along …

  • Free Will | Broad-winged Hawk #1

    Free Will | Broad-winged Hawk #1

    While the background is drying on my cow painting, I’m going to start on this 12 x 12″ painting of a broad-winged hawk on canvas. It’s been cold in the studio and that causes oil paints to take even longer …

  • Brahman Cow Art | Painting Little Red

    Brahman Cow Art | Painting Little Red

    Today is start a new painting day. It seems that I’m building a collection of Brahman cow art works. This is Little Red.

    Little Red, the subject of my first Brahman cow art of 2024.
    See the comments to find out how Little Red got her name.

    Not so little anymore, though. …

  • Painting Ghost, another dog portrait progression page

    Painting Ghost, another dog portrait progression page

    This is Ghost, a puppy I once loved. I painted the background in the first photo a few days ago in preparation for his portrait. The rest of the painting took place today, and it’s the first time I’ve felt …

  • Obstacles in my Art Journey | Painting a Portrait

    Obstacles in my Art Journey | Painting a Portrait

    I find it odd that I can paint an animal fairly well, but throw a human into the mix, and if there’s a face, I balk. Human faces are one of the biggest obstacles in my art journey, and I …

  • Painting a French Bulldog Pup | Hugo

    Painting a French Bulldog Pup | Hugo

    I’m currently painting a French bulldog pup. This is my youngest son’s fur-baby. He’s not so little as this photo anymore, but Garrison wanted one of him as a puppy, and then another later as an adult.

    Progression

  • Progression Page | Gail’s House | Memorial Painting

    Progression Page | Gail’s House | Memorial Painting

    I'm painting a picture of this house as a memorial gift for my son. It was his grandmother's home before she died.

    Gail’s House

    This photo taken by my dad is the reference I’m working from. In this memorial gift painting, there’s a lot more bright green than something I’m accustomed to. I’m not sure my pigments will get quite there, but

  • Limelight Hydrangeas in Progress | A commissioned painting

    Limelight Hydrangeas in Progress | A commissioned painting

    This is a 5 x 7″ commission of Limelight hydrangeas. I’ll use my Ozark pigments in oils plus white made from titanium. For the green, I’ll use a combination of the yellow lake pigment that I made from thyme I …

  • Twisted Tree In Ozark Pigment Oils | #1-2023

    Sometimes they’re just gnarly, twisted trees. Welcome to my progression page for a Twisted Tree in Ozark pigment oils. My Twisted Tree paintings fall into a category all by themselves. These paintings have no direction, and I just go wherever …

  • Kings River in Autumn | Ozark pigments in oil

    Kings River in Autumn | Ozark pigments in oil

    A week or so ago, I started working over the underpainting I’d made for this scene. This one is different from the other two in a significant way. I didn’t have any reference photos when I started working on it …

  • Painting of a Screech Owl | Ozark Birds of Prey

    Painting of a Screech Owl | Ozark Birds of Prey

    It’s not often that I get decent pictures of wildlife, let alone birds of prey. Slowly, I’ve managed to find some photographers with photos I can use to reference some of my series-in-progress of Ozark Birds of Prey. Several …