My Painting on a Cross Cut Saw!

Last summer, my grandpa and I were in his old tool shed when we came across his dad's old cross cut saw. He really loves the saw and he loves my art work so we pulled it out of the shed. We cleaned it off and started discussing what he wanted me to paint on it. He still lives on the same grounds of his home place and he really wanted me to capture the essence of what it used to look like when he was growing up in the 30's and 40's.
I thought it was a great idea, so I started finding old pictures of the what the surrounding buildings and house used to look like and by the time December rolled around, I was ready to start painting so I could have it ready for him in time for Christmas!
I first primed the saw blade with a couple coats of white gesso. I then started with the sky and came forward with the painting. It was a real challenge because i have never painted something so long, yet so thin. Here are some pictures of how it turned out.......My grandpa loved it....I hope you do do!

Bob Ross is Actually the Root of My Inspiration??

Remember watching that old guy with the affrow painting a beautiful landscape from start to finish all within a 30 minute time frame? Amazing right? To me it was, and frankly still is, even though I know all the secrets to how he did it. Bob Ross, believe it or not, was one of my first inspirations, and even though I don't use the same techniques he uses, i learned a great deal on how to paint different aspects of a landscape I.e. trees, bushes, buildings and even mixing colors on the pallet.
A lot of people will tell you that his style is considered "cheating" in the art world, but I'm here to tell you that if you know what to look for, a beginner artist can take away a plethora of useful information and will be able to apply it to their own unique style.
Even though I don't use his particular techniques when it comes to putting a painting on canvas, I am really glad I watched him and learned some of the bare basics that has really helped me to develop as a traditional style oil painter.

The Thrill of Painting a Portrait

I feel that one of the greatest accomplishments in my painting career is finally getting the feel of how to accurately paint a portrait. I believe that not all artists have a knack of getting that feel of how to put someones 3 dimensional face on a 2 dimensional canvas. I have done a lot of research over the past year and have done 3 portraits to date. I feel like I have progressed on each and I hope to continue to get better the more I do. It really gives me a thrill to see the face coming together, and begin staring me right in the eyes just like I'm actually looking at the person I'm painting. Here are my portraits to date, tell me what you think! More to come! Visit my website www.emoilart.webs.com

Why do I paint?

It would be easy for me to sit here and tell you a list of reasons why I sit in my basement pondering what I can throw on a canvas next, and why I choose oil paint as the medium of my choice. I think, however, the more important question to start out this blog, is why do I even stay driven to paint at all. I have been faithfully oil painting since 2007, but I have been interested in art all my life. I probably have made $150 in total earnings from my art and I have spent much more than that on supplies. Why do I continue to try? You might sit there and think, well, maybe this guys art isn't good enough?? I'll go ahead and tell you to visit my website, www.emoilart.webs.com and you'll find out very quickly that I'm not bad at all. WHY DO I STAY DRIVEN? I love it. Plain and simple. I get a thrill every time I see another one of my finished products. I tell myself every time that "you have got a lot to work on, but your getting better." My question to you, the reader, WHY DO YOU STAY DRIVEN? What keeps you putting paint on the canvas, despite not going anywhere with it. IF you have made money, can you drop some advice for a fellow artist.