DAILY PAINTING: I know where the lightest value will be in this composition, and I wanted to create maximum contrast at the focal point by establishing the darkest value. I also knew that, since this composition is largely vertical, I wanted to create horizontal movement as a counterbalance. A good day's work!

DAILY PAINTING: This is a painting I created some time ago but set aside because of more pressing projects. Will need a day or two to decide whether I think it's finally finished. It's an abstract expression of Psalm 95: "If today you hear His voice, harden not your heart." Gold leaf is always so tricky to photograph well. You can't really see the intricacy of the gold lines woven in the background.

HORRIBLE NEWS TODAY THAT THE PARENT OF MY SON'S FRIEND TOOK HIS LIFE LAST NIGHT.

DAILY PAINTING: Lots of work today! I'm working the big shapes, beginning with the darks. You can see that my palette is largely cool over warm. This is a 22" x 28" wood panel, so big enough but not huge. It will be called, "In Memory of" and the theme is about grieving a lost loved one, something we all know about.

DAILY PAINTING: Here's a background for a sketch that's underway for the next painting. I wanted a basically warm field, so I used my painting knife to lay down some color. I have a sketch underway, but I know how hard it is to photograph charcoal on paper. My hope, then, is to create a nearly full scale value study, using this background, which will be much easier for you to see. I mixed some Liquin into the oil to help it dry, so it should be dry enough to start workin

DAILY PAINTING: My goal today was to make the image less hard-edged, to create more interchange between the elements. I feel that the image, as it now stands, has the freshness and spontaneity that I intended, so I'm pleased. I hope to upload the finished piece onto my Saatchi site tomorrow.

DAILY PAINTING: Nearly finished with just a tweak here and there to go. Small studies help only to a point. The full sized canvas reacts in its own way. There are subtleties and nuances in a studio painting that you'll never see in a simple study. But you can answer the "big" questions in small scale.

DAILY PAINTING: Making good progress! I'm working the extreme values first--dark and light--leaving the remaining cool mid-tones. I'll let this dry before the next colors can go on. But looking good so far!

DAILY PAINTING: I have transformed the value study that you saw yesterday into a possible color study, using a very limited palette of pinks, orange tint, along with black and white.

DAILY PAINTING: "Doodles" series You see that I've taken a different approach today. I wanted to see the design in its most simple terms, so I've created a value study, which causes you to see the shapes and relationships in a different way than when you're focused mainly on color. My intention is to keep the black and white. The grays will be replaced by just two colors.