DAILY PAINTING: First of all, I realized--don't laugh--that this is a vertical composition. One of my instructors always said that a composition should work no matter how you turn it. Lots has happened: The focal point is better defined, and some of the extraneous "action" has been toned down a bit (the long white strokes you see in the lower middle is mostly transparent white and should be less distinct when it dries).

DAILY PAINTING: I have removed most of the masks, so you can see how it's coming along. Quite a dynamic composition! Some of the dots will be painted, along with whatever adjustments have to made to color or line, but I really like it so far and know that we're close to the finish line!

DAILY PAINTING: Wow, this painting has just leaped onto the canvas! Some days are just like that. You might remember the pastel studies that I did, and that I experimented with the use of black and white in those. Clearly, that was a good decision. I carefully peeled away some of the mask, just for fun, to see what was underneath, and I think the whole painting is going to be quite dynamic when the rest of the mask comes off.

DAILY PAINTING: This is the abstract you've seen in its early stages (all yellow), and here is it's first coat of oil. My intention was to work quickly and loosely, using thin paint (which you see has run in a few places). But I very much like the interaction of the colors. And once this layer is dry, we can remove the masks. It should be quite nice by then.

DAILY PAINTING: I've been telling you for the past week that I wasn't quite happy with this painting; I sensed that it wasn't "there" yet. On Saturday, I got the idea to use a series of overlapping squares, tumbling through space, to express the process of transformation over time. In my mind's eye, I "saw" the addition of this element, as you now see the painting, and I knew that it would work, that it was the missing piece. Done at last!

DAILY PAINTING: "Transform" You have not seen this painting in a few days, while the paint was drying. As you can see, I've made some important adjustments: it was very busy, overall, so I've used a palette knife with blue to calm and unify the upper third, letting some of the underlying colors "peek" through to add interest and space. I also touched up the foreground and some of the detail work. I'll need to let this sit for a day or two to decide whether it's finished

DAILY PAINTING: I told you that I was not content with the studies as they were, so I have worked into them, and I like both of them much more. I added some black and white, as you can see, and I think that has made a positive difference.

DAILY PAINTING: I mentioned that I might try other variations of this composition, and I like this one much better than the one I did yesterday. Isn't it funny how you can take the same image, the same colors, but use them in different ways and arrive at a completely different artwork? The actual painting, once begun, will take on its own life, of course, but it needs a starting point.

DAILY PAINTING: While the other painting continues to dry, I've shifted gears to this "yellow" abstract that you've seen me work on. Here's a pastel sketch, done on yellow painted paper, to begin to "think aloud" about certain colors in this composition. This is not a very good photo, I'm sorry, but you can see, in a general sense, what might happen. Not sure how I feel about it yet. I have two other sketches prepared with yellow paint so I can try other versions.

DAILY PAINTING: You can see that I've balanced the colors a bit better in the background, and I've firmed up the foreground some. When this paint is dry, the mask will come off, and that will reveal some areas that are currently (but temporarily) covered. So you'll see more detail & variety, especially in the foreground. But this gives you a basic color / value composition. And adjustments can always be made.