ANOTHER EGG TEMPERA

Unlike a quick sketch, each painting is a journey. I cant say this painting is finish. But one must get on with our life & other projects. After many weeks working on this new painting, I'm exhausted! Egg tempera is a very flexible medium. On the other hand, it is a strong medium. It can show its weakness quicker than almost any other. One cant really fudge it. It would be interesting to see if this image will be a popular GIFT ITEM ON ZAZZLE?

HORSE PORTRAIT

Painting any portrait without a good reference is like pulling a rabbit out of a hat. If this is a perfect world, I would have the luxury of time to study & paint the horse. This aging horse is definately not in his prime. With limited picture reference, I wind up having to refer to GEORGE STUBBS(1724-1806)"Pumpkin" at the Yale Center for British Art. I'm continuing to build the beautiful form of this horse portrait by pushing both the light & dark.

BALANCING ACT

My initial concept was to have equal balance of discipline within a sense of freedom. Right now, I'm stuck on this balancing act of abstraction vs visual reality. A little prayer while I'm painting always help...sooner or later, the painting will come together...this finish egg tempera on the left was one of my earlier attempt at learning how to use the medium.

IMPRESSIONISM

When painting landscapes, I find it helpful to look at IMPRESSIONIST paintings. I manage to spend some time at the Metropolitan Museum over the weekend. The impressionist reminds me how light can be pictured using warm & cool colors. I routinely draw inspiration from the old masters...as a point of departure for my own inspired works.

NEW YEAR ILLUSTRATION

Outdoor field studies can be just a drawing excercise, or it could turn into good ideas for illustration & painting with market potential. There was a request for a horse illustration recently. I finally got around to starting a horse painting. At the back of my mind, I have this sketch of RED BARNS, from Nov 12,2011. With the magic of photoshop, I layer the horse illustration over my sketch. Definately alot faster than creating a finish painting ... that's how a new design takes shape these days.