I had my watercolor class tonight and I brought in some of my paintings for my students to see.  One of my students really liked the watercolor that's pictured below.  I told him that I set up a christmas cactus in some sunlight because the cactus had just bloomed and I only got to work on it for about 10 - 15 minutes before the sunlight disappeared.  I started the painting boldly and by squinting and it actually came out really well.
  I like to work free from "techniques", but I have tested the value of squinting at the beginning of the painting process and I find it extremely valuable in my own practice.  Squinting enables a certain boldness and freshness that acts as a great base for further detail.
​  I'll be painting a bunch more and sharing more thoughts soon.

  So I figured for Halloween, I'd talk about something that I fear!  Well, it's not a fear, but it's something that I have to work on.  It's all about NOT being timid when it comes to getting darker and more accurate values painted in a bold fashion.  For whatever reason, I have trouble jumping to accurate darks, but the darks are vital to the beauty of a painting.  I just painted a small oil study to work on this issue.  Being rough and strong in the values and with the paint is a crucial step that I'm taking from now on in my work.
  Also check out that really cool dinosaur costume that was outside our house!  Happy Halloween everyone, go out and have some FUN!

  A list of a few principles of art that I want to remember for the future:
-Painting and drawing: Broad to narrow, big picture to detail
-Presence in the moment of creation
-Don't worry too much about technique
-Just draw or paint and enjoy
-Do my best
-It's difficult sometimes but that's okay
-Let the painting tell me what should be thickly painted and what should be thinly painted.
-Be myself and keep practicing <3

  I took a trip to the MET this past weekend and was joined by a friend who hadn't been before.  We got to see a lot and I took some photos of my favorites.  One in particularly is a absolutely amazing full length figure by Sir Frederic Leighton titled, "Lachrymae" (1894).  I first saw this painting years ago and hadn't seen it again since this weekend so it was really a joy to see.  The first sculpture pictured below is by Bernini and was notable because Bernini was 16 when he made it!  The other sculptured pictured at the end are just ones that I found entertaining.
  One thing that I took note of is how thickly Sargent paints certain works.  If you look at the photos below, you can see some details that really show this.  He wasn't afraid to apply thick paint.  This is something that I want to take onboard and use in my own works.  I painted my most recent commission more thickly, but I want to go thicker in my paint application.  Just something that I gotta remember..