Torrit Bird

Torrit Bird
Torrit Bird – oil on panel – 5×7 – for the annual Gamblin Torrit Grey contest
Torrit Bird Too - 6x8 oil on panel
Torrit Bird Too – 6×8 oil on panel – not entered in the annual Gamblin Torrit Grey contest

Each year the Gamblin paint company cleans their filter and makes paint out of the pigment they collect.  They put it in a tube and when you buy their paint, you receive a free tube of this random grey paint.  The color can be different every year.  They call it Torrit Grey. (I believe Torrit is the filtering system.)  Also every year Gamblin paint company holds a contest and you can see the rules for yourself at their website:  www.gamblincolors.com.  There is a link there to see past shows and winners.

Basically you must paint with the current year torrit grey paint and you can use any white and a black.

My Torrit Bird paintings were painted with just the torrit grey and white – Gamblin’s Flake White Replacement.

Even though they allow you to enter 3 works, I only entered the top bird – he was my favorite.

 

Worldwide Paintout

Jupiter Inlet
Jupiter Inlet, DuBois Park, 14×11 Oil on Panel

Done last weekend for the 10th annual world wide paint out.  Went down to DuBois Park and set up toward the inlet.

DuBois Park facing inlet
DuBois Park facing inlet – notice the partiers to my right – they never even offered me a hot dog – not that I eat hot dogs.

It was a nice day but there was a storm coming in from the ocean.  That gave me a great cloud to work on though. It sprinkled a little while I was there but as soon as it started to thunder I packed up and left.

 

The Sungod and the Parakeet

The Sun God and the Parakeet
The Sun God and the Parakeet – Pastel – 18×24

This still life is a collection of thrift store finds, ebay purchases and a contribution from my friend Nancy.

The parakeet is an absinthe pitcher and was the one that I settled for, not that I don’t love it.  The first one that caught my eye, on ebay, was a bit different, probably older with an open beak and his wings were starting to open.  He was magnificent and my $45 bid came nowhere near close to what he sold for.  That started my obsession with figural pieces, like these tiki mugs.  The mugs weren’t expensive, but fun.  The little sun god (that would be the brown one, that is more like a statue than a mug, is double sided – the same on both sides.

It’s definitely one of the most colorful still lifes I’ve ever done.

The painting is on Kitty Wallis sanded Museum grade paper and I toned the paper with two colors of pigment dispersion.