Nutcracker Impression

8" x 10" Oil on linen.
Available.

In the Christmas spirit, I decided to worth this my red nutcracker. The goal here was to work on edges to keep the result "loose". I started with blocking in masses of color and then added detail later. I want to continue in this direction to intentionally reduce tightness/detail. I like the lost edges which give the painting a changing character from different distances.

Vincent's Christmas Tree

8" x 10" Oil on Linen.
On auction at DPW.

It feels almost too early to think about Christmas, but the Holiday Season is already starting. Scary Starry Night made me think of what a Van Gogh Christmas Tree would look like. The technique of leaving juicy strokes with varied color is fun.I think this will make a nice decoration for the coming season.

Nutcrackers

5" x 12" Acrylic on mounted canvas.

These nutcrackers took quite a while to complete. Lots of detail and lots of dots. They are inspired by Van Gogh's Self Portraits, but painted from life. They are a pair of little 8 inch high nutcrackers.

Van Gogh Self Portrait Nutcracker

8" x 10" Oil on linen panel.
Sold.
In Private Collection
Fullerton, Ca.

This painting mashup is styled after the Van Gogh Self Portrait from the Chicago Art Institute. I saw this painting in person at the Kimbell in Ft Worth during my trip in August. It is a stunning piece that changes greatly depending on how close or far you stand. To execute this painting I laid it in from just the nutcracker. Then I looked to both the Van Gogh and the Nutcracker to finish it out. I must admit I did not paint as many little dots as Vincent did. That said, it still took a couple of evenings work.

So, I want to know from my visitors whether this painting is creepy or not. What do you think? It actually has grown on me since I finished it last night and I kind of like it.

Nutcracker

8" x 10" Oil on mounted canvas.
Sold.
In Private Collection
Fullerton, Ca.

I don't think we want to cancel Christmas after all. The decorations have already been in stores for a while. A popular kind the last couple of years has been the decorative Nutcrackers. This one is from a pair of soldiers that I picked up last year. In handling the paint I was thinking about how Van Gogh would have laid down the strokes. This was a lot of fun; I really like the result and I want to explore the subject further.