I took the reference photo in a homemade shadowbox. It features a red pear, a Bartlett, and a Bosch pear on black velvet before a textured reddish brown cloth background. The painting is an oil on 5x7 inch canvas panel. I used Ultramarine Blue, Yellow Ochre, Cadmium Yellow Medium, Titanium White, Cadmium Red Deep and Light, Cadmium Green Light, Sap Green, and Lamp Black. I attempted the front where the velvet folds by tapping in texture of both Titanium White and Lamp Black with a mop brush.

Today's oil painting.
4 hour session

Pears on Velvet

5x7" oil on canvas panel

February 2026

#oilpainting #arizonaartist #southwestartist #stilllifepainting #art #painting #fineart #paintdaily

This was 2 of 2 offerings for my third Basics of Oil Painting class. I did the first choice in class (a large green pitcher with three oranges) in class on canvas paper, but I took this one also to do at home. It is a brittle mellowed leaf, mostly flat, but with one "leaf" of the Maple Tree Leaf is bent away from view. There is a curl at the very top of the "top leaf". The leaf is placed in a painted salt jar. The background is Ultramarine Blue with some scrubbed in Lamp Black. The foreground is a soft baby blue. Brittle Winter 9x12 Oil on canvas panel February 2026

Added a second layer this morning. I do not think I will add another, when dry, I think this is done.

This is my fourth completed painting.

More info in Alt Text

Brittle Winter

Oil on 9x12 canvas panel

February 2026

#oilpainting #realism #paintdaily #learnpainting #glazing

In the early 2000's I was an English Teacher. Charles Ellsworth turned up in my Sophomore Honors class. Then he appeared in my Junior CP class. Finally, he was in my Senior English class. He played soccer and football, and I had a hard time convincing him to join my Speech & Debate team (he never did), but we had some great conversations in my classes over the years. Now, he lives in Brooklyn and has several albums. You should check him out, he's wonderful. He writes poetry I wish I'd written. His new record is called Cosmic Cannon Fodder. This painting is a gift for my friend. This is my first surreal piece, and as soon as I lay in the face you will understand.

#oilpainting #surrealism #art #artist #southwestartist #paintdaily #cosmiccowboy #fineart

Cosmic Cowboy

Oil on 9x12 canvas panel
5 hours brushtime
Work in Progress

More details in Alt Text

Oil painting on 9x12 inch canvas panel. Pallet; Cadmium Orange, Titanium White, Cobalt Blue, Pthalo Green, Burnt Sienna, Yellow Ochre, Cadmium Red Light, Cadmium Lemon and Lamp Black. Based on the Charles Ellsworth 'Cosmic Cannon Fodder' album cover. Work In Progress. Only the hat band is left to cover the canvas.

Got going on this piece again today. Put in a solid painting session this morning of about 3.5 hours.

Work in Progress

Cosmic Cowboy
Oil on 9x12 canvas panel

#oilpainting #paintdaily #art #southwestartist #artist #surrealism #charlesellsworthmusic #rocklocal #wip

A tome of a book for any Painter's studio, this beautiful book is hardcover and just absolutely gorgeous showcasing a great deal of the author's personal work, and, like his other book, complete with exercises throughout. Highly recommend.

New @toddmcasey.bsky.social book.
Three days off.
Class tomorrow.

The only thing bringing me peace inside, stillness inside, is painting.

#oilpainting #paintdaily #stilllifepainting #learnpainting

A bouquet of sunflowers in ann old metal dairy container with a mug of coffee, an apple bucket and two granny Smith apples. Oil painting on 18x24 inch canvas

#oilpainting #paintcoach #stilllife #art #southwestartist #wip #paintdaily #learnpainting

Almost there.

Oil on 18x24 inch canvas

This is the assignment painting for Chris Forza's (Paint Coach) Basic Drawing for Painting course. He gets his painting to this stage in about an hour and 50 minutes. It took me closer to eight hours, but I'm really happy with my progress. This photo is also a cool juxtaposition of the final form of the objects versus the straight line stick Drawing to place those objects. I learned a lot during this quick online course, and it is well worth the 47 bucks it cost.

#oilpainting #paibtcoach #stilllife #art #artist #southwestartist #wip #paintdaily #learnpainting

Trying to get the lower half squared away and caught up to Paint Coach in his Basic Drawing for Painting Course. Tomorrow... sunflowers.

Still life of a bouquet of sunflowers in an old dairy canister. Two green apples lie on a checkered blue kitchen towel next to the canister. A mug of coffee sits to the right next to the overturned apple bucket, which is empty. About another 90 minutes into this piece today, but a lot of perplexing.

#oilpainting #paintcoach #stilllife #art #artist #paintdaily #wip

Today, I didnt watch much of The Basics of Drawing for Oil Painting video. Instead I actually viewed my subject. Yesterday's session found me copying the Coach's painting, rather than looking at the subject I was painting.

1/18/2026

4”x 6” watercolor & ink, matted to
5”x7

#PaintDaily
#JustMovePaint
#PlayWithPaint
#IntuitivePainting
#watercolor
#painting
#art

I completed a layer of Pthalo Green Glaze across the blue cloth to bring it back more to Turquoise. There has just been so much learning and editing with this piece i'm surprised I haven't ruined it yet.

#oilpainting #stilllife #paintdaily #realism #southwestart #art #artist #glazing #painting

#oilpainting #paintdaily #surrealism #charlesellsworth #cosmiccannonfodder

I have been excited to start this piece for awhile. It's been a weird start to the year with a piece in it's final stages, and needing to start multiple pieces to have things to work on when others are drying.

A native bowl glued from several pieces shown on a turquoise cloth foundation with a cholla cactus, a wildflower and a desert willow bean pod. A Cadmium deep red provides the background. There has been a lot of learning with this piece, about 12.5 hours of brushtime, but a solid 4 of that has been working out mistakes. Certainly my most complex piece to date.

A culprit caught me painting! I think this is the first picture taken of me painting. Several finished practice pieces hang on the drying line behind me. The Native bowl painting is on the wooden desk easel, and I am working on The Joker painting.

The shadowbox reference photo for The Joker. This is a black and white, matte finish Joker sculpture. He has a BANG gun and is standing on a batman symbol foundation. Black velvet provides the foundation and a paisley backdrop cloth is the background.

2 hours into The Joker. Just backgrounds and deepest shadows to set values.

#oilpainting #paintdaily #learnpainting #stilllife #realism #art #artist #contemporaryart

With yesterday's studio session I completed 100 hrs total brushtime since picking up oil painting on Nov 25. It feels like an achievement. I put another couple hours into the native pot and started #joker.

Oil painting in process of a native bowl (about 800 years old) with cholla, a desert willow bean pod, and a yellow wildflower. It is arranged on a turquoise blue/green drop cloth with a crimson red backdrop. Still trying to achieve correct hues and values, before moving onto the detail phase of this painting. I am estimating this one (my third painting on canvas) will take me about 20-25 hrs brushtime. Right now it's at 8.5 hrs. 9x12 inch oil on canvas panel

Shadowbox reference photo under soft white light for the oil painting. Taken by myself as well, for this project.

Learning a lot with this #oilpainting, specifically about trying to understand #glazing through trial and error. I know I will use glazing on the bowl in the final stages, but I'm still unsure about the other elements. Put another 90 minutes into this piece today.

#stilllife #realism #paintdaily

8 varieties of apples shown in a porcelain bowl, tilted beneath a three bulb chandelier light, causing most shadows ro fall directly down into the bowl. From Left: Red Delicious, Pink Lady, Envy, Gala, Golden Delicious, Granny Smith, (to center and down) Cosmic Crisp, Honeycrisp. This is my second attempt at an oil painting on canvas.

#oilpainting #art #artist #painting #apples #realism #learnpainting #dailypainting #paintdaily #oiloncanvas #gamblinoilpaint

Put another hour into completing the apples project today.

'Dem Apples'
Oil on 5x7 inch canvas
Gamblin 1980 series oils

More info in Alt Text

Oil painting of 8 different varieties of apples on 5x7 inch canvas panel. 10 hrs brushtime, bringing my total practice time to 80 hrs since deciding to learn to paint on Nov. 25

#paintdaily #dailypainting #painting #oilpainting #apples #stilllife #realism #art #artistsofbluesky #artsky

'Dem Apples'

Oil on 5x7 inch panel

Approx 10 hrs brushtime.

Only touch ups remain.

I started oil painting on Nov 25. Completed 80 hrs of brushtime by Dec. 24.

Not bad.

The latest page in my sketchbook

Aware

#art #sketch #acrylic #water #try #tryagain #outsider #selftaught #paintdaily #drawdaily #red #gold #see #believe #fun #quick #free

Internet sugar bee apples. White background and directly above light made this a sub par choice.

Sketched out applie on multi media paper with a quadrant grid.

Completed practice session oil painting. Only Lemon Tellow, Ultramarine Blue, Cadmium Red Light and Titanium White used.

Close up of blended tones. Much less blocked than yesterday but blending without creating mud is going to take a lot of practice.

Day 3

Oil painting practice. Sticking to fruit still life, I tried to improve tonal values and blending today.

2 hours brush time.

I'm just learning a new skill folks, but would love hints and helpful criticism.

#oilpainting #stilllife #artsky
#paintdaily

Tiny Painting. Wild Flowers. #tinypainting #tinyart #watercolorartist #watercolour #watercolor #art #traditionalart #artist #dailypainting #artonbluesky #artistonbluesky #paintdaily #sistersfineart #flowerpainting @traditionalartist.bsky.social

Tiny Painting #38. #art #artist #traditionalart #artonbluesky #artistonbluesky #watercolor #watercolour #dailypainting #paintdaily #abstractart #abstract

Tiny Painting #38. #art #artist #traditionalart #artonbluesky #artistonbluesky #watercolor #watercolour #dailypainting #paintdaily #flowerpainting #flowerart

Tiny Painting 38. #tinypainting #artonbluesky #artistonbluesky #art #artist #traditionalart #dailypaintings #paintdaily #paintingflowers #watercolour #watercolor #watercolorart #watercolorartist #watercolourpainting #traditionalart @traditionalartist.bsky.social

Tiny Painting #37. #tinypainting #artonbluesky #artistonbluesky #art #artist #traditionalart #dailypaintings #paintdaily #paintingflowers #watercolour #watercolor #watercolorart #watercolorartist #watercolourpainting @artonbluesky.bsky.social

Tiny Art
@traditionalartist.bsky.social #art #artist #artonbluesky #artistonbluesky #watercolor #watercolour #traditionalsart #paintdaily #tinypainting #painting #artonbsky

World Watercolor Month. Expresso, Lock and Hat. Ripple #worldwatercolormonth artist #arronbluesky #artistonbluesky #watercolor #watercolour #traditionalsart #paintdaily

Framed Tiny Watercolor. I think it came out quite nice. @traditionalartist.bsky.social #art #artist #arronbluesky #artistonbluesky #watercolor #watercolour #traditionalsart #paintdaily

Tiny Painting #24. #abstract #watercolor #watercolour #painting #watercolorpainting #traditionalart #watercolourpainting #artistonbluesky #artonbluesky #tinypainting #paintdaily #art #artist #fruitart #sistersfinearts

Just a little something in my junk journal...
#artyear #mixedmedia #junkjournal #artjournal #poscapens #acrylicpaint #magazinephrases #paintdaily #bluehues #checkerboard

Tiny Painting #19 #traditionalart #artistonbluesky #artonbluesky #watercolor #watercolour #art #artist #paintdaily #tinyart #artistonbluesky

New references for spring 🌸

New floral reference set for spring 🌸 🌹

#springblooms #artistreferences #artreferenceset #floralreferences #referencesforpainters #oilpainting #watercolor #pleinairartist #paintdaily #paintingpractice #artstudy #artedu #arteducationmatters #artisttips #loosepainting #impressionism #naturalism

#paintdaily A little study of my time a couple Saturdays ago at Kailua Beach Park. Creativity has become a fundamental (literally fun-mental) practice of living a rebelliously fulfilling daily life. That, and being kind. I hope you are well and find ways to thrive despite the times. 💚 🏝️ 🤙🏽