TM8536 On Visiting a Friend 36×48 oil on panel

Last spring I introduced George, my favorite mallard duck, with the painting George Is Back! Well, I guess I’m not the only person who is fond of George.  Folks have responded with the request to bring George back, with Mrs. George. I promise I will send her an invitation to “float” for me, but until then, here’s George, leading us into the gentle season with another painting titled On Visiting a Friend. Details below. Enjoy.

TM8536 On Visiting a Friend – close-up of George

I like to make sure George has plenty of duckweed to slurp – the sound is so cool!

TM8536 On Visiting a Friend – close-up from left foreground with lily pads

TM8536 On Visiting a Friend – close-up from far left bank

TM8536 On Visiting a Friend – close-up of far right bank showing use of layered textures to suggest foliage

Technical painting notes: I find that “sneaking up” on the trees is, for me, the best way to capture them. Painting them directly seems too stiff, but indicating them loosely with scraped out paint (in the initial layer) then using layered textures to suggest foliage seems to allow for more of a sense of movement and life. The first layer had textures pressed into the wet paint, blotted spatters of mineral spirits, and scraping out of some trunks and branches with a silicone shaped scraper. When dry, glazes modulated the color and paint was again pressed into the wet glaze to create textures. This was repeated several times. Trunks were heightened with thin, semi-transparent paint, then branches were added. Sky, seen between the trees, was painted with a more opaque paint.