An approaching storm....

The way our weather has been lately, I am so very glad we keep our camera out and ready to go at a moment's notice! Two nights ago, we had tornado warnings and my husband got some gorgeous video of the black clouds rolling in. No tornado, but for half an hour the wind was pretty remarkable! This morning, I was awakened by more wind gusts. When I looked in our backyard and saw the sunlit trees with a backdrop of storm clouds....it was a race to get the camera. The sky was actually more multi-colored that it shows in the photos! So if I were to do a painting of these scenes, I would definitely show that!

I love how, in both of these photos, the trees look as though they are glowing against the stormy sky. And now.....20 minutes later....the sky looks nothing like it did just a short time ago. The storm threat seems to have dissipated...in just a matter of minutes. Very glad I keep my camera at the ready....you never know when that one glorious "photo op" is going to happen!

Toronto motorcycle show....

I'm having a fun time working on a commission at the moment, so I can't post photos of that piece. However, I decided to put up some photos of the motorcycle show I attended earlier this year. For anyone with a love of bikes....this was the place to be. The custom cycles were absolutely magnificent. So much work went into each and every one....I cannot imagine how long it took to not only build each one, but all the airbrused artwork on them took my breath away. I love the photo on right! The lighting on the bike is so dramatic that it makes for a wonderful photo....and hopefully a painting in the future.

The bike on the left has some wonderful airbrushed artwork. The portraits of Jimi Hendrix and George Harrison are beautifully done. Doing a portrait is challenging enough....I can't imagine how difficult it must be to do one on a bike!

Motorcycle madness nearing the finish line...

Yes....the end is in sight!! It looks like this painting WILL be completed before the snow falls! *sigh of relief*

I left the tire and the black glossy floor until the painting was nearly done. I knew those areas were going to be difficult, but I needed to get the chrome of the bike firmly established with the correct perspective first. The painting wouldn't work if those areas were done incorrectly. The deep black of the tire and the black glossy floor had to look a different "black" than the black reflections in the chrome. I wanted the tire to read like it was made of rubber.....to be made of a different material than the other black surfaces. Not an easy task, for sure!

So I mixed a deep black, took a deep breath.....and laid down the color. I did wet the surface first to help the paint flow....and worked quickly to prevent backruns. I wanted to include the reflected gold color in the tire...I loved how it looked and it helped prevent the tire from looking like a dead solid block of color. Then I used a similiar mix of deep black and laid down the glossy floor. After painting those sections....I set the painting aside to dry....and to give me time to just look and see what to do next.

Now that those sections are done....I can see that I need to deepen other sections of the bike to balance out the values. For one....I want to deepen the red flames. They looked so bold earlier....before the deep blacks were painted. Now they look pale in comparison.

So I am not done yet........but I will be done very soon!! And no snow!!!