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Lakes Edge - Daily Painting by George De Chiara

Lakes Edge

 This was my first finished painting since taking a little break for Thanksgiving. While I enjoy the time off, I really struggle when I get my brushes back in my hands. Painting, like many things, requires constant practice to stay sharp. I first set out painting a different scene that was across the lake. This spot offered the best view of it, but after wiping my canvas three times while I struggled to get my painting legs back under me, I finally gave up on it. It was around this time that I noticed this nice little pattern of rocks right off of the shore where I was standing. This time the painting came a little easier and I was able to finish this one up without having to wipe if off. Whew! 

Lakes Edge

 
Painting Details:
Larger Version available here
Size: 5 inches x 7 inches on canvas panel. 
Medium: Original Oil Painting
Frame: none
Availability: Click here to go to auction. (Starts at 8PM on 11/30)
Initialed on front. Signed and dated on back.

Clear Fork Barn - Daily Painting by George De Chiara

Clear Fork Barn

 I actually painted this one yesterday morning. We had very heavy cloud cover in the morning and the sun was just starting to peak in and out when I started this. For me, these are some of the hardest conditions to paint in. It's very tempting to chase the sun as I'm painting and I need to constantly remind myself not to do that. I still do though. I guess that's a lesson that will take a little while to sink in. While I was painting this the rancher stopped by and talked for a bit. He told me that he moved onto the ranch in 1968 and this barn was already on the land. I knew it was an old barn, but I wouldn't have guessed it was that old. All things considered, it's held up quite well.

Clear Fork Barn

 
Painting Details:
Larger Version available here
Size: 8 inches x 10 inches on canvas panel. 
Medium: Original Oil Painting
Frame: none
Availability: Click here to go to auction.
Initialed on front. Signed and dated on back.

Last Light, Lake Arlington - Daily Painting by George De Chiara

Last Light, Lake Arlington

 Today, while going to pick up our daughter at day care, my wife commented that it looked like we might have a good sunset tonight and came up with the wonderful idea of taking our daughter to the park so they could play while I painted. Who could argue with that plan? So off we went just as fast as would could since the sun was starting to set. As soon as we got the the park, I quickly grabbed my gear and headed off to the pier to catch the last of the sunset. I had to paint really fast since the sun was going quickly. There's nothing like watching your subject fade off just as fast as you can sling paint onto the canvas. Still, I must admit that I really enjoy trying these sunset paintings from life. They are a true adrenaline rush!

Last Light, Lake Arlington

 
Painting Details:
Larger Version available here
Size: 5 inches x 7 inches on canvas panel. 
Medium: Original Oil Painting
Frame: none
Availability: Click here to go to auction.
Initialed on front. Signed and dated on back.

Orchid Study - Daily Painting by George De Chiara

Orchid Study

 I'm working on a commission for one of my collectors and she wants orchids in it. Having never painted an orchid before, I thought it might be a good idea to do this little study first. I'm working from silk flowers with this one, which have a unique set of issues, but since I have my doubts on keeping the real thing alive long enough to paint, it's the best I can do. That being said, I have tried out my green thumb in the vegetable garden, but sometimes things just don't work out for me when it comes to flowers.

Orchid Study

 
Painting Details:
Larger Version available here
Size: 5 inches x 7 inches on canvas panel. 
Medium: Original Oil Painting
Frame: none
Availability: Click here to go to auction.
Initialed on front. Signed and dated on back.

Second Breakfast - Daily Painting by George De Chiara

Second Breakfast

For the last few days I've been thinking about trying a painting of a cow field. I like the way the dark cows contrast against the golden ground cover we have here in Texas as our fall colors continue to turn.  I was determined to capture this scene today.  After an hour exploring the countryside, I finally came across a great little pasture full of cows with a safe place on the side of the road that I could paint from. Since this was the first time I tried to paint cows from life, I thought I it might be a good idea to work small so I could suggest the cows form while I studied them to learn their anatomy.  The next time I try this, I think I can go a little larger and get more detail and accuracy into the cows.

Second Breakfast

 
Painting Details:
Larger Version available here
Size: 3 inches x 5 inches on canvas panel. 
Medium: Original Oil Painting
Frame: none
Availability: Click here to go to auction.
Initialed on front. Signed and dated on back.

Nanners - Daily Painting by George De Chiara

Nanners

 I was suppose to have a roofer come out to the house today to look at a leak we have, so I knew I'd have to paint in the studio while I waited.  I've thought about painting bananas  a few times, but could never come up with a composition I was happy with. After a little messing around, I came up with this because I liked the way this arrangement gave slightly different views of the fruit.

 I think anyone with young childen will know where the title for this one came from. Our daughter is just starting to be able to say a few words and every now and again she'll point at the bananas and say "Nanners!".

Nanners

 
Painting Details:
Larger Version available here
Size: 3 inches x 5 inches on canvas panel. 
Medium: Original Oil Painting
Frame: none
Availability: Click here to go to auction.
Initialed on front. Signed and dated on back.

Weatherford Hay Bales - Daily Painting by Geoge De Chiara

Weatherford Hay Bales

 I'll be honest with you, after looking at the the last two hay bale paintings I did last week for a few days in the studio, I wasn't very happy them. Mostly, I really struggled with the values and the color and knew I could do a better job. Today presented that possibility, so I went back to the first field I painted that had the drilling well on it. When I got there though, the well was gone and so were the workers. I guess they were taking the well down last time I was there. Anyway, in their absence, I was able to access almost all of the hay fields that surround this area. I liked the way the light was hitting these bales, although I did have to move them when I painted them to get the composition I wanted. I'd like to try a few more before all of the farmers pick them up from the fields, which could be anyday now. I noticed one of the fields I've wanted to paint no longer has any bales in it.  Well, I guess another lesson of plein air is that you have to strike while the iron's hot.

Weatherford Hay Bales

 
Painting Details:
Larger Version available here
Size: 5 inches x 7 inches on canvas panel. 
Medium: Original Oil Painting
Frame: none
Availability: Click here to go to auction.
Initialed on front. Signed and dated on back.

Last of the Peppers - Daily Painting by George De Chiara

Last of the Peppers

 I set this still life at the end of last week with the intention of painting it over the weekend. However, our little girl, who's 13 months old now, has recently discovered the joy of running around at the park and the weekends are the best time to take her since both my wife and I can go. Besides everyone needs some time to just play! With the weekend over, I couldn't wait to get to painting. I've been watching the peppers continue to change colors every time I walked by them. These are the last of the peppers I think our garden will produce this year. There are a few still growing, but their production has really slowed down this week. The eggplants, on the other hand, are still going strong. In fact when I went to check on them today, they had new flowers on them and a half dozen more fuit growing. None of them are very large, but they sure are plentiful this year.

Last of the Peppers

 
Painting Details:
Larger Version available here
Size: 11 inches x 14 inches on canvas panel. 
Medium: Original Oil Painting
Frame: none
Availability: Click here to go to auction.
Initialed on front. Signed and dated on back.

Lake Arlington Boat Docks - Daily Painting by George De Chiara

Lake Arlington Boat Docks

 While I still believe that determination is a primary component of plein air painting, sometimes no matter what I do,  the weather just doesn't cooperate.  Last night I went to paint the sunset again on Lake Arlington, but the first real cold front of the season moved in instead. The clouds and the wind rolled in, making the lake a choppy mess and obscuring any hope at capturing the sunset. That wind was blowing with such force, I wasn't even sure I could keep my canvas on the easel even if I thought I could have stood in the wind and increasing cold long enough to paint. But determined, I looked around for a place that I could paint from while staying out the elements.  In the end though, I decided to call it quits for the night. I did go back today with the proper clothing and painted the private boat docks that I could see from the public park. There's another set of docks on the other side of the park that I want to try and paint one day too. 

Lake Arlington Boat Docks
Painting Details:
Larger Version available here
Size: 5 inches x 7 inches on canvas panel. 
Medium: Original Oil Painting
Frame: none
Availability: Click here to go to auction.
Initialed on front. Signed and dated on back.

Sunset on Lake Arlington - Daily Painting by George De Chiara

Sunset on Lake Arlington

 Heavy cloud cover and plein air do not mix.  It literally took me all day today to find something I wanted to paint. I started out this morning by driving my wife to work and then heading out to the less developed areas of town to see what would catch my eye.  There where little bits of sunlight peaking through the thick clouds, and, when it did, the fall colors just lit up.  But as soon as I caught up the light and found something that I liked, the clouds would roll in and the colors would flatten while shadows disappeared. So, without success, I picked my wife up from work and headed home.

 On the way, I decided to go up the street to Lake Arlington to try to get the clouds to work with me by painting the sunset.  I dropped my wife off and headed toward the park.  Because it had a great view of the sun going down, I walked out to the end of one of the piers. Now, it turns out that painting a sunset on a swaying pier has some interesting challenges.  Sometimes,  I would go to make a brush stroke and would sway one way and my easel the other. And to top that off, just as I started to lay down paint, the clouds moved and I found myself staring right into the setting sun instead of the beautifully back lit cloud that had originally caught my eye. I could hardly look at it! To round out the challenges, I had to paint rapidly to catch the moment.  There's so much energy in a sunset. I didn't even notice how fast I was working until right after the sun slipped below the horizon. Suddenly, I felt a calm in air and was able to slow down and add the final few brush strokes before heading home. Once back in the studio, I made a few adjustments to this one.  If this story illustrates anything, it's that determination often dictates the painting. 

Sunset on Lake Arlington
Painting Details:
Larger Version available here
Size: 5 inches x 7 inches on canvas panel. 
Medium: Original Oil Painting
Frame: none
Availability: Click here to go to auction.
Initialed on front. Signed and dated on back.

Fall Hay Field - Daily Painting by George De Chiara

Fall Hay Field

After I painted those hay bales yesterday, I was still in the mood to paint a few more when I came across this field.  It was just off of a rural road where I had a few horses that were across the street watching me the whole time.  Luckily, I was able to park on the side of the street and paint without causing any problems for the handful of cars that came be while I was there.

 Fall Hay Field
Painting Details:
Larger Version available here
Size: 5 inches x 7 inches on canvas panel. 
Medium: Original Oil Painting
Frame: none
Availability: Click here to go to auction.
Initialed on front. Signed and dated on back.

Round Bales - Daily Painting by George De Chiara

Round Bales

 I've driven by these hay bales which are next to Lake Weatherford twice now. Both times, I stopped to look at them and thought about painting them, but for one reason or another, I would drive on to another location. Today, however, I stopped and finally painted them. They are in a field next to what I think is a gas well, which is still being drilled.  If the drillers were paying attention, I must have been quite an unusual sight.  Because the day was very bright, I had to face away from the field to keep the sun off of my canvas. The whole time I was looking at a gravel lot, and had to turn around to see my subject and then turning back to my canvas to paint. It's a small field and these three bales are all it produced. Hopefully, the well does better.

 I am unhappy with the image of this painting and will update it this week. I'm not sure what I did wrong with this one, but it looks very grainy and flat. - Updated on 11/10/2010. This is better then the last photo.

Round Bales
Painting Details:
Larger Version available here
Size: 5 inches x 7 inches on canvas panel. 
Medium: Original Oil Painting
Frame: none
Availability: Click here to go to auction.
Initialed on front. Signed and dated on back.

Pin Cushions - Daily Painting by George De Chiara

Pin Cushions

 Hmm... this is a new subject for me...sewing supplies. We seem to have a lot of them around the house.  I haven't a clue to how to use any of them, but Lord knows we have 'em. I was attracted to the great colors of the pin cushions and threads.  It seems like it takes me a few tries to get to get comfortable with new subject matter, so I'm sure I'll revist the sewing supplies again. My first paintings of new subjects never really come out exactly as I think they should, but then I go back and make a some adjustments to the composition, color, perspective, and so on and so on.  I really do find satisfaction in making progress.

Pin Cushsion
Painting Details:
Larger Version available here
Size: 8 inches x 10 inches on canvas panel. 
Medium: Original Oil Painting
Frame: none
Availability: Click here to go to auction.
Initialed on front. Signed and dated on back.

Desktop - Daily Painting by George De Chiara

Desktop

 I'm not sure why, but it took me forever to set this up today. I originally started off thinking this would be a painting of a teapot and a cup. That set up led me to get a couple of books so I could have the teapot and cup at different heights. Well, that set up felt like it needed something else, but I couldn't put my finger on what it was.  So, before you know it, in went glass bottles, a bowl, a vase, more books, and a desk lamp. Eventually, the subject really started to emerge of an organized little desk, crammed, but neat just waiting for the return of the reader.

Desktop
Painting Details:
Larger Version available here
Size: 5 inches x 7 inches on canvas panel. 
Medium: Original Oil Painting
Frame: none
Availability: SOLD
Initialed on front. Signed and dated on back.

Win a free painting...

 Would you like to win one of the paintings below? It's easy. Just sign up for my newsletter, if you haven't already, and I'll enter your name into the drawing. If you already subscribe, have your friends and family sign up and I'll enter them. You will get another entry too! Just have your friends or family tell me you sent them. The more people you recommend the better your chances are. How easy is that?

 What's in the newsletter? Well, I try to have some special content just for my subscribers, like exclusive step-by-step progression photos of my paintings, special offers on paintings, free painting drawings like this one and so on. I send them out about once a week and usually include all of my new paintings from that week.  If you don't like it, you can always unsubscribe.

 The drawing will be at the end of November. Good Luck!

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Autumn Classics - Daily Painting by George De Chiara

Autumn Classics

 It rained here again into the afternoon, so I painted a still life. Since our little pumpkins are still relatively fresh, I wanted to use them one more time. These varieties of gourds have spots of color that are a real treat to paint. When I set the painting up, it seemed the compostion called for the pumpkins to be at different heights to create interest. So I went to the book shelf and picked out two nicely leatherbound books.  Thanks to  Charles Dickens "Oliver Twist" and Tales of Edgar Alan, coming up with a title was pretty easy.

Thoughts of Spring - Daily Painting by George De Chiara

Thoughts of Spring

It rained here all day, and with the weather getting cold, I couldn't help but think back to spring time. Hopefully, the weather will dry out a bit later in the week and I can get out and paint again.  I wasn't in the mood to do a still life today, so I painted this from a photo I took at a near by park early last spring, right when the new buds are blooming on the trees. The spring is a great time to get intense color as the trees flower in the early spring. It's a beautiful sight here in Texas. We sometimes don't get those great fall colors that other parts of the country are blessed with, but I've never seen another place that gets such great spring color.

Cool new tool from FASO - Is that person trying to scam you?

  My web site provider, FASO, made this great free tool to check if the person emailing you is trying to scam you or not. It's geared toward art scams in particular which there seems to be a lot of these days. I'm not sure why these guys like to target artists so much. I guess because we all get so excited about a sale that we sometimes overlook signs that should make us think twice about who is contacting us. Now we just have to put the email address into this tool and if the person is a known scammer it will let us know. How cool is that? Thanks FASO!

Fall Breeze - Daily Painting by George De Chiara

Fall Breese

  Today looked like the nicest day of the week according to the weather forecast, so I wanted to paint outside just in case I'm stuck indoors rest of the week. I returned to Lake Weatherford and painted the shallow end this morning. 

  I have fond memories of this side because when my wife and I first started dating, we use to take her dog, Tramp, to this part of the lake where he loved to swim and chase the ducks.  He would swim and swim, sneaking up to the ducks, at which point the ducks would look at him disdainfully and casually fly away a few feet.  Later that summer we had a bit of a drought, and part of the lake dried up.  My wife and I realize the lake is only a foot or two deep for most of this area, and suddenly, this explained a lot.  No wonder Tramp enjoyed his "swim" so much!  He could basically walk up to the ducks on his hind legs and steer his body with his front paws.

  Anyway, there weren't any ducks today, but the fall color is definitely coming in. I'm going to try and get back again later in the week since there are at least 2 more spots I want to paint. Be sure to stay tuned.