Close Up of Work on Triptych Two

Here is the central rock in this triptych. One of the early stages of the rock and then where I have added many more layers of color. In the shadow side of the rock there are reds, blues, greens, lavendars -- and all of them I tried to make transparent layers so that it would have depth.

The sunlit part of the rock is a little more difficult for me. I want there to be many different layers here also, but lighter colors are more opaque and glazes don't seem to work as well. So . . . I usually put several different light colors in various spots -- some warm and some cooler. I let these dry a little and then scumble a different temperature on top. Building warm and cool in this way seems to help the layering process.

These two close ups are of the very top of the panels -- trees that you can't really see any of the foliage attached to the trunks. You can see the simplicity of the structures and the bank leading down to the water. It is a starting point. Something to build on. I try not to sweat the outer edges of the paintings. Remember, how the eyes see. When you look at something, the peripheral vision is out of focus. So . . . that means less details. Agreed?

Here is a shot of the left and middle panels -- I would say they are about half finished. At least I can now take the left panel off the easel, move the middle to the left and put the right side up with it. Then I can start taking them both to the next level -- what I might say would be about 75% done. I try to get about two layers done on each panel before I take one down and put the other one up. This helps me not get too far done on one panel before bringing another one up to that level.

You don't want to get one part of a painting finished before working all over the painting. Bringing it all along at the same time seems to be the better method of working for me. Not the only way to do it, but it is my way!