This still life was painted this morning. The amber, blue, and clear glass were chosen to help me see quickly and register their shape and color. While this exercise is unrelated to the images I paint to sell, it is very useful to let me see what color and shape in real life do. I remember the words of a famous musician who said that if he missed practicing one day, he noticed the difference in his playing. If he missed two days, his critics noticed. And if he missed three days, everyone noticed. The same principle applies to art (or sports, or accounting). When we stop working at it, our skills diminish.

My first drawing I did of any of the modern prophets was of President Hunter.  That was also when I learned that a print could end up anywhere in the world.

I have a brother who served a mission in Thailand.  Part of his mission included the country of Cambodia.  An opportunity came to him when his mission president asked him if he wanted to go to Cambodi and visit some members there.  He was excited to go.

He loved his visit.  While gathering together for some photos with the members, he stood in front of a column.  There on the column behind the group was a small print of President Hunter from the drawing I did.  My brother had no idea how it got there.

This recent print of the modern prophets has been sent all over the world, including Mongolia where my neighbor (who is a missionary) is giving them out to members there.

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The story of Moroni wandering for years of his life is poignant. He kept with him the precious plates and recorded the demise of a once “delightsome” and powerful people. In this depiction of Moroni burying the plates, he carefully cradles them one more time as if he were saying his last goodbye to the ones he loved. Maybe only Joseph Smith would later understand what Moroni suffered to preserve the sacred record.

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“Flower Girl” was painted in the middle of January. It was cold and miserable with temperatures plummeting near zero. I longed for fresh air and warm sunshine. So I painted the most pleasant thing I could think of at the time…a beautiful little girl exploring the world around her.

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When the composition and the surface for the painting are resolved, the next step for me is to actually draw the image onto the surface as it will look for the final painting. This step is critical for the final composition. It also serves as a “startover” point if for any reason I don’t like the direction of the painting as it emerges and I decide to remove paint. When this happens I can go “back to drawing board”.

I usually draw with graphite on the toned gesso. The drawing starts loose. Then it becomes more detailed as I focus on the main part of the image. Not everything is resolved in the drawing stage. But it is resolved enough that I am confident to move on to the next step…which is to actually paint.

This drawing of Jesus is an example of the drawing phase of a painting where I resolve quite a few things before actually painting. When this painting is finished, none of the drawing will show as you now see, unless for some reason I decide to photograph it.

Once I have explored the idea of a painting in small sketches (called thumbnails), it is time to move on to the actual painting. This involves preparing the surface on which the painting will be done, drawing the image on the surface, and then doing the original painting.

I like painting on quarter-inch masonite (tempered both sides), or canvas (see photo). The masonite is very durable and rigid and is coated with several layers of gesso. I like to color my gesso a neutral earth-tone or gray so that darks and lights show up more quickly in the painting. If I want a softer feel with my painting I will use canvas. Canvas tends to be a little more forgiving with edges and allows textures to blend easier as well. The canvas is coated with gesso and toned with color.

If the painting is a landscape I always tone it with a warmer color like burnt or raw sienna. This allows the warm tone to shine through the cooler colors and create a “vibration” to the eyes and makes the painting more “real” looking.

Once the surface is coated and toned, I usually draw my image on the surface with a pencil. It is loose and fluid to begin with, then the details are tightened to the desired amount. This is where the image becomes more concrete.