Gallery Apodaca Blog: New Technique

It's great to have nice weather and nice light to work with.

Thanks to Janelle, she gave me a new idea for the gouaches! She suggested I leave the tape on, instead of tearing it off, which I have been doing to give the images a nice, crisp edge.

So now I am painting over the tape, and they have become something else-- I like them a lot.

This is a great example of always being open to surprises and new and different ways of expressing yourself. I can't stay stuck in a rut- in one way of doing things, just because it worked before.

Every piece is a new challenge. It doesn't matter what size it is, big or small.

The thing is to do something in a traditional manner, but to instill something fresh and unexpected.

Anyway, that was my training.

Surrounded by fava bean fields.

My style is to work fast and fresh, immediate. I don't want to have time to think. I have to, and want to feel the landscape with my own colors.

Here I've found a particular area with lots to inspire me.

Simple line sketch to begin. You don't need much,
you just have to let the paint do the talking.

Different location on the same day.

Below, you can see the new style of painting over the tape on these small gouaches of mine.

I think they are very exciting.

Thanks to the Muse!

On another warm day, I revisited this spot I had painted at 2 years ago.

Back then, they were 8X8 inch oil paintings. I painted 2 versions of these same trees.

Here I am working in the new gouache style, smaller, maybe about 4X4 inches each. If I am lucky, I can translate these smaller pieces into larger paintings back home in the studio.