Windowsill

8.75x5.75 $120; e-mail me at www.laynecook@comcast.net

This weeks DPW Challenge is to paint from a specific black and white photo, making sure the values remain the same as in the photo. I took the easy route, staying with a fairly monochromatic color scheme. It's much harder to determine the relative values when you have to contend with multiple colors. I think I may try that later this week.

Bocce Players

                                14x18 Contact me if interested
I cheated a little on this one. I took a photo of the bocce players in Lyon, Spain, but it wasn't a great painting reference. So I made a composite of several photos i found on the internet and painted from that.

Tapas Stop

                                     18x24

This is another painting for my Spain/Portugal series, based on a photo I took in the late afternoon in Leon. Spain. I'm finding it immensely helpful to post these; for some strange reason I can spot things I don't like- and things I do- in the photo better than in the actual painting. For example, I think that there is too much definition between the walls and the sidewalk in this painting. I would like to see more of the wall color in the sidewalk and more of the sidewalk color in the wall. They should still read as separate surfaces, but more unified. I also take note when I receive many or few comments on a piece. I know it's not an absolute science, but it gives me a feel for the appeal of the painting.

Summer Days

                          SOLD        
                                                                                                                                                                   
This week's DPW Challenge is to paint while listening to a selected song and to identify that song. I chose Bob Dylan's "Summer Days" and I listened to the whole Dylan album "Love and Theft" while painting. I find Dylan to be bold and creative, and that's what I was looking for as inspiration for my paint application.

So Cool-Revised

                              6x6 $90
I was unhappy with the intensity of the color in this painting, so I glazed over the whole thing with burnt sienna and then painted into it again with more neutralized colors. It's more pleasing to my eye now; I hope to get some reaction from other artists. You can scroll down to the original version "2 paintings ago". Thanks!

Wine Country

18x24 oil on canvas

This is another of my Spain/Portugal series. While on the Camino de Santiago, we walked through miles of vineyard with the leaves, some with the leaves just beginning to appear and some with grapes already forming. The pattern of the vines and the red soil were more apparent than they will be later in the season when the lushness of the greenery will take over.

So Cool

                   

This is my second entry to the DPW Challenge. I used a lower perspective, added color and changed the apples around a bit.

Three That Made the Cut

6x6 $90  

This week's challenge is "reflections". I couldn't decide whether to paint it from a higher or lower perspective- so I did both.As long as I was changing the view, I decided to change the color scheme as well. I've been leaning toward neutrals lately- maybe the grey weather????- so I went for color on the second painting, which I'll post tomorrow.

Kissed by the Sun

                     24x24 $850; contact me at laynecook@comcast.net if interested

This old truck has been put out to pasture, but still enjoys the warm rays of the sun.

Watching Bocce

 

24x24; contact me at laynecook@comcast.net if interested in purchasing

Here's the latest in my new Spain/Portugal series. These old guys were so fun to see with their various postures. We came upon them as we explored the streets of Astorga, Spain in the late afternoon. 

Still Pumping

Oil on wood cabinet door 18x11.75 $550 including shipping
E-mail me at laynecook@comcast.net if interested

                                            

I've had these cabinet doors for years (I used to be kitchen designer) and couldn't decide how to use them effectively. I thought this subject matter lent itself to a novel presentation, so it was selected. Now I have to come up with companion pieces for the 2 other doors I have.
We went to the airport late last night to pick up a young Danish couple who will be visiting us for a week  (and then moving on to San Fran, Vegas, Grand Canyon, Death Valley, Yosemite). We didn't get to bed until after 2 am. So why was I up at 7:30???? Just can't sleep these days, and it's really frustrating! Hope I don't crash today when everybody else is rarin' to go.

Outside the Cafe

                                         16x16; contact me if interested in purchasing
This is the larger version of one 6x6 I painted a few weeks ago. I just love this lady; I think I will paint her a few more times. I decided for this larger version that her sweater needed to be a bit more varied in color and her skirt needed some pattern.

Let the Fun Begin

SOLD

This is my entry tor this weeks Daily Painter Originals Challenge: "Paint Something in your Studio".

Most of my paint tubes are downright unpresentable, but this one didn't look too bad. I'm trying out the auction format on the DPW site; click on the link above to take you to the site. Bidding starts at $75.

House On the Hill

This is one of the Spain/Portugal series I've been working on. It's 24"x30". Thus far, I've done 3 landscapes and 2 figurative. My goal is to have 12-15 paintings including landscapes, figurative and city scenes- rooftops, street scenes, etc. Oh yes, and one with cows in the street. I have an idea that it could be interesting to display them along with the photographs that inspired the images and perhaps a little narrative about them. At this time, I don't have a venue for the exhibit, but I have some ideas for that as well. Right now, it's just fun re-living the trip through these paintings.