Sunset No.150

Beginning this project at an arbitrary time in January, and painting three sunsets a week on the same days (mon, wed, fri), I had no idea of the significance of the particular day on which it would end. I only knew I was to paint 150 paintings when I started, I gave no mind to the day it ended until it this day.

After receiving an email from a friend about what this day meant to the world and not just me, I was very surprised. First, I knew the world was supposed to end on 2013 according to the Mayan calendar and the highly publicized reports, but who knew it ended on December 21st? the same day as my last sunset! If anything I thought it ended January 1st. The final surprise, as if the world ending was not enough, was that today was the winter solstice. I had to google winter solstice to even see what that meant. I found that it was quite a significant event indeed, marking the first day of winter, and it is also the shortest day of the year and the longest night. The solstice is in short, the reversal of the gradual lengthening of nights and shortening of days, and also the day the sun heads back in the opposite direction in my case back to the right.

Affirmations are something I look for in life and this was certainly an affirmation to me. An affirmation that this project was blessed, is blessed, and will continue to be blessed. You see this project is about painting, but not just that, it's about prayer, doing the thing you are called to do, and not giving up.

Sunset No.149

Company was a great thing for me on this journey. And this evening I had the pleasure of painting with Blair, the painting student whom I had already done over a dozen sunsets with. Arriving late, Blair finished already, watched as I clipped on my trusty light and began painting the last glow of the evening. The warmth of the sky was beautiful and something I hadn't painted in a while due to overcast conditions. A mere silhouette comprised the ground as the glow in the sky overtook and gave meaning to this one.

Sunset No.148

Cold and grey, with no sign of the setting sun. On days like this I've grown to like adding small bits of color in unusual places. This time the distant street lamps left behind an orange glow that seemed a sufficient and welcome addition to this cold evening.

Sunset No.147

A brilliant orange glow permeated the air from the lower left, combining with the blue sky above creating an intense visual experience.

Sunset No.146

Dark, gloomy, and grey, another sunset with no sun. The lack of color and light was made up by the dim orange glow of a couple street lights in the distance.

Sunset No.145

An awesomely beautiful sunset. Full of blue grey clouds that parted way for a yellow grey backdrop. Under the lighting conditions the ground was dark and rich, while the water caught the light brilliantly.

Sunset No.144

Working on top of a highly textured canvas can be interesting. I used more paint than usual to capture this one, but it was necessary in order to cover the painting underneath.

Sunset No.143

A late sunset, but the light seemed to wait for me. I painted quickly capturing the last minute warmth. My setup was lit by a small battery powered light, I'd be lost without it.

Sunset No.142

A strip of clouds hung just behind the tree line and caught the last trickle of light.

Sunset No.141

What was once thought of as the last sunset, turned out to be a clear sky with a few small clouds of baby blue and grey. Every sunset has been beautiful in its own way, and I'm sure the last will be no exception.

Sunset No.140

It's difficult to find anything but flatness in a sky as dark as today's. Slight bands of color appeared in the sky after I stared and looked long enough, and street lights illuminated small bits of atmosphere bellow.

Sunset No.139

A cold dark sunset offset by a beautiful blanket of grey clouds overhead, and a warm glow seeping in from bellow.

Sunset No.138

A dim sunset but not an ugly one. The rustic colors of the Florida foliage was apparent and accompanied the ripples in the water just right.

Sunset No.137

The sun has moved all the way back to where it was when I started, behind the group of three trees. Now that the sun sets in front of me the motif of glowing foliage is possible but nearly impossible to look at and discern.

Sunset No.136

Glowing clouds hovered over the clump of three trees and bushes. Another cold evening sunset brings me closer to the end of the project.

Sunset No.135

A calm and cold evening with dense grey clouds blanketing the sky. A touch of color and light came from a different source this time, the street lights in the distance.

Sunset No. 134

Arriving late but not wanting to do a five minute painting I realized a new way of working. Intense analyzation of the scene for its colors, shapes and feelings, but just for the moment before its dark. Then I paint as long as I feel I need to, pulling from the snapshots in my mind.

Sunset No.133

A slit in the sky allowed some color through as I quickly dashed in the changing clouds. 

Sunset No.132

The quick fading orange glow was elusive as can be. Memory is my friend on these days as I try to recall certain instances of color and light after they are gone.

Sunset No.131

Ariving a the end of the sunset, I found interesting effects of burning light on the dark clouds over head.

Sunset No.130

As the weather continues to bring colder temperatures I was given another bleached sky. Beautifully bleached and kissed by orange and yellow, the edges of the distant tree line glowed in a magical way.

Sunset No.129

Peeking into the setting sun out of the corner of my eyes as it ascends bellow the distant tree line is no easy task. As I tried to capture the fleeting blast of light and color, I found myself taking mental notes, in order to capture a more complete and comprehensive investigation.

Sunset No.128

A colorfull glassy sky that I painted thickly with exagerated brushstrokes. The pink ribon touching the tree tops was the highlight for me.

Sunset No.127

As the sun sets earlier and earlier as the year comes to an end, it has also moved almost all the way back in front of me. The difficulty now is deciding on when to paint because I now have the option of trying to capture the blinding colors of the sun as it sets or waiting until it dissapears and painting its after glow. This one was painted as the sun was dissapearing behind the tree line.

Sunset No.126

This is risky business, trying to capture the sun while it's still blinding you, before it is obscured by the horizon. Something a camera cannot replicate successfully is a worthwhile journey as an artist I feel, especially in an age where painting is questioned as a viable means of expression. So we will move forward in an effort to capture the light of the sun in it's most difficult moments, and we will try our best to create something of beauty to be admired by all.

Sunset No.125

With thinned paint I washed on the bright effects of the sky as it was still glowing. Moving down to the strip of land bellow, I quickly made observations followed by strokes of color as they were effected by the suns after glow. Usually I like to paint thick, but I kept the drips and thin veils of color instead as I felt they left a memory of the process that I found quit interesting.

Sunset No.124

Monet said he could see changes in light every 7 minutes, I'd have to agree. Once the sun met the strip of trees it sets behind the effect of light starts to change about every 7 minutes, at least a noticeable change. I had to recognize this and commit much to memory and continue painting after the sun was gone to complete the painting.

Preping panels

Preping panels for this weeks sunsets, no.124, 125, 126. Experiminting with three different surfaces: left to right (masonite with gac100 and gesso, masonite with gesso, masonite with gesso stipled on with a chip brush to creat a slight texture).

Sunset No.123

It was nice to arrive early to a cool evening with a super warm setting sun. I had almost thirty minutes of time to observe the scene before painting with one caveat, I couldn't look in the direction of my composition because the sun was naked and un-obscured. By the time I was able to look, I simultaneously tried to make mental notes of things I knew were going to change but I was interested in painting. The optical effect of the sun was my passion today.

Sunset No.122

A gloomy sunset but an opportunity to do something I've waited 121 sunsets to do, paint the moon. Not apparent at first but about thirty minutes into this one and I saw the moon appear. It's brightness took me by surprise this evening, and I look forward to painting it again however it might shine in a future evening. Also of note is the fact that I painted it on the dark natural wood ground giving it murky undertones.

Sunset No.121 (Poe's Sunset)

I had a studio visit with Kelly Gallo an artist friend of mine a few weeks ago and she mentioned something about sunsets I found very endearing. She said that a friend of hers once said that he believed "When you pass away, God lets you make a sunset" I now find that even more meaningful today because our beloved Cat of 16 years Poe also Known as Sosa passed away earlier in the day. This Sunset is dedicated to the most awesome furry friend one could ever have the pleasure of sharing life with. 

Sunset No.120

A calming pink sunset so beautiful it makes me sad to think that some feel sunsets are cheesy.

Sunset No.119

A calm evening with a sky so faded you had to stare deeply to discern its colors.

Sunset No.118

With the sun inching closer back to me every day, I now have an opportunity to capture its intensity unlike the past few months. I did manage to capture the suns glow as it turned the green trees on the bottom right into a slightly more orange green, backlit by a pinkish glow.

Sunset No.117

An almost impossible sunset to capture. At this point iv'e come to find that for me, the more beautifull and light filled the landscape, the harder it is to capture in paint on canvas. through my struggle ive also come to understand ways to use my tools better and the necessity of preperation.

Sunset No.116

A cold, damp, rainy evening with dense grey clouds that covered the sunsets colors. The sky held a warmth that I tried to capture by toning the canvas in a faded orange with layers of grey on top.

Sunset No.115

A sky full of blue and pink over a horizon of faded greens. I quickly laid in the sky as I attempted to capture it's changing highlights. The ground was an automatic response, more feeling than likeness.

Sunset No.114

The sun sets allot earlier than it did during the summer, and it's also moving closer to the composition again like it was in January. Now, my attention is being pulled in two directions, the sky, and the ground full of the new colors of fall. For today the sky won and it got most of the composition.

Sunset No.113

A sort of cold and unyielding sunset. I was left with a veil of stone marble grey, and peaking warmth from the setting suns glow.

Sunset No.112

A beautiful sky of soft whites was my subject for the evening. I thought a reflection would be a fitting piece to the ensemble, reinforcing the skies beauty.

Sunset No.111

How long does a glow last? How fast do the clouds move from one side to the other? As fast and long as nature wants. Memorization, feeling, and speed are my friend. Today I was fast, and I felt something, but I failed to commit important things to memory.

Sunset No.110

An awesome fiery glow permeated the sky and the water intensified its presence. It felt natural for me to include a small strip of water to capture what the evening was all about for me today, fire.

Sunset No.109

A cloudy sunset, appearing mostly blue overall. I captured a rare reflection , I thought it was a necessary addition and a welcomed change from my usual sky and tree tops compositions.

Sunset No.108

Big clouds seem to be abundant lately, they serve as an interesting contrast to the blasts of color that seems ever present above the tree line.

Sunset No.107

One of the more haunting sunsets I've seen so far. The mass of dark clouds just seemed to obliterate the light from the setting sun causing the landscapes trees to turn black.

Sunset No.106

Darkness came quickly, and my friend and I painted furiously taking in every ounce of beauty trying our best to distill Gods light. I made quick impressions as I tried to feel something important from what was before me.

Sunset No.105

Arriving later than I wanted for the third time this week has been tough to swallow. My faith promises me that all things bad and good will work together for good, so although I have fell short this week I mustn't focus on that but instead forge ahead with confidence.

Sunset No.104

The second time this week that I arrived later than I intended. I was still able to capture the last of the fleeting effects of warmth that gently blushed the bottom of the lavender clouds. I have another chance Friday to arrive early, another chance to do things right, thank God.

Sunset No.103

After a day that threatened to keep me from painting, I packed and went to the sunset. The storm from earlier died down and by the time I arrived (much later than I had planned) I witnessed the remains of one of the most beautiful sunsets yet. I quickly set up and tried my hardest to forget about my late arrival as I painted the vanishing beauty.

Sunset No.102

A blue moon was present over our shoulders as we painted a rather bland sunset with prevailing salmon colors peeking through in streaks. A flash of violet color appeared at the end of the blue moon sunset creating an interesting addition of color.