Whether painting landscapes and portraits on either paper or on canvas, I always begin with an underpainting. Using yellow ochre and either burnt or raw sienna, depending on the scene, I’ll lay in the light, medium, and dark tones. Then I’ll lay out my palette beginning with titamium white and moving from warm to cool colors. I use a large piece of glass edged in tape and built-up paint for my palette. When painting in acrylic I use Golden heavy body paints and am generous in the amounts I place on my palette. I keep the palette moist with a fine spray of purified water.
Working from nature I’ll do a small color sketch or a pencil sketch with color notes and take lots of photographs for reference to use in the studio. I base my paint choices on these references. I use palette knives or brushes or a combination of both to create the painting. I build up layers of paint defining and refining the image. Sometimes I’ll add additional layers of other media such as oil crayons.
