Something clicked over the past few days… something very good.  It’s a  personal/family matter related to my mom, who was also an artist.

The results were immediate.

I began creating more art… a lot more art. The next step was a willingness to fail utterly, and to push my art just to see where it leads me.

This sunset painting from Thursday, December 30th, was a step into a new realm for me.

For about 15 years, off and on, I’ve painted the skies at sunrise and sometimes at sunset.

One thing my mom always shared was how amazing the sky is.  Almost every day, she would point to the sky and talk about something amazing in it… the clouds, the purity of the blues, the rays of the sun… something.

So, it’s always seemed natural to paint the sky.  It’s a constant source of inspiration for me.

This painting, which introduces far more contrast and drama into my work, is built on the shoulders of those 15 years of sketching and painting skies. It looks vastly better in real life, btw.

The canvas board is 11″ x 14″ and the medium is water-soluble oil paints over an underpainting of cadmium red.

I’m very pleased with it.

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Note: Though this photo of it doesn’t come close to showing the actual colors and the drama, it conveys the general idea.

I’ve tried taking pictures of it in different light, and none of them really convey how this painting looks in real life.

I’ll be keeping this one, since it’s significant, so — if/when you visit me — ask to see it.  I’m utterly in love with it!