Having Fun With Palette Knives

Well, I wanted to go in a different direction with my paintings, and I certainly have. I'm working mostly with painting knives instead of brushes, laying down spots or notes of color next to one another instead of blending. I like the concept of letting the viewers eyes blend the colors, and its a much more spontaneous way for me to paint.

This is so much fun to do, and I really like my first attempts.





"Summers Last Lavender"
24" x 30"





"Abandoned Beauty"
24" x 30"


The painting I'm currently working on, shown below, demonstrates a closeup of the color notes I lay next to each other:








http://www.barbarasryan.com
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New Direction

Now that I've finished my 120 Paintings Project, I feel like going in a totally different direction. The Project was fun, but something new and different is now in order. So, I've decided to go more towards the Impressionist direction, concerning myself first and foremost with color, the juxtaposition of colors next to one another--color vibrancy and the effect it gives to the painting. I also want to experiment more with using a painting knife instead of just brushes. The knife seems more immediate and clean, easy to wipe and switch colors.





My first attempt--

18" x 24"
Oil on Canvas



http://www.barbarasryan.com
http://www.etsy.com/BRyanPaintings

120 Paintings Challenge 50% Complete

As of today, I have finished half of the 120 paintings in this Challenge that I've undertaken! Yay--that's a big accomplishment.

The biggest thing that I believe I've accomplished is the ability to execute more pleasing compositions of the objects I've chosen to paint. I also have discovered that I really enjoy the whole "Still Life" genre a lot more than I thought I did. I just had never spent much time exploring it until now.

Here are a few examples of some finished paintings: they are all 6" x 8" oil on panel.














http://www.barbarasryan.com
http://www.etsy.com/BRyanPaintings