If you’re an artist of any kind, I’m sure you have read many books on how to sell what you make - I know I have. Three of the books I read stood out as the best of them all and I want to share those with you.

I have been asked many times to do a video on brush care, so here we go. We usually think that brush care begins after a painting is complete and as brushes are about to be cleaned and stored. I believe brush care begins before we begin painting, as we are setting up to paint.

For me, having a clean brush for each color is the best way to prevent my paintings from getting muddy. To have a clean brush means that proper cleaning during the painting process is critical. Lots of folks fill a large water bucket all the way to the top….

In Part 6, I analyze the painting. Once I know what I need to do to complete it, I get to work making final adjustments to the composition by modifying colors, values and shapes. You can view Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5.

In Part 5, I begin to tie all parts of the composition together by adjusting colors, values and shapes. You can view Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4.

I want to emphasize that this painting is painted wet into wet and none of the paint is allowed to dry. It is NOT painted in multiple layers.

In Part 4 of this continuing video series I continue to add middle value color, add transitions at my centers of interest and continue developing my shapes and colors.

In the previous video, Part 3, I began laying in the dark value shapes and dominant color as well as started painting the center of interest areas.

I want to emphasize that this painting is painted wet into wet and none of the paint is allowed to dry. It is not a layered painting with dry layers over dry layers - I don’t paint like that.

In Part 3 of this continuing video series, I begin the painting. I am using an Analogous color combination of red-violet, red (cool), red-orange and orange. The painting is part of a series entitled “Dusk to Dawn.” I am, essentially, playing the warm colors of light against the cool, dark colors of dusk and dawn to impart a certain mood for the piece.

In Part 2 of this continuing series I put my paint on the palette and mix the colors that I will be using in the painting.

In Part 1, I selected a color combination from the color wheel to use for the painting. For this piece I will be using an Analogous color combination (4 colors adjacent on the color wheel) of red-violet, red, red-orange and orange. Red-violet will act as my dominant color, giving the finished piece a cool, red-violet chromatic dominance.

This video begins another 6-part series illustrating my abstract painting process from start to finish. Lots of folks have been asking for another series, so here ya go! Please keep in mind that this is my painting process, and it may not be right for you. I am only showing you how I work through my painting process and am not advocating for you to use the same process.

Understanding edges is a very important fundamental in painting. When I talk about edges, I mean the perimeter of the shapes in your painting. Edges can be both hard and soft and each has its own function in a painting.

I see abstract paintings on a regular basis where the entire surface is a smothered with marks in a claustrophobic attempt to animate every square inch of the surface. In this case, nothing is special and all parts are equal. If nothing is more important than another, then there is no contrast. Contrast leads to interest and engagement, lack of contrast leads to boredom.