Deadeye

I really enjoyed painting this character study of a cowboy who's eyes give a hint to the condition of his soul. Years of living in the old west has hardened him and his youth faded away along with his dreams. He's found someone he has been looking for making this is a dangerous moment—payback for something everyone else forgot about. He hasn't forgotten. It's as though it happened yesterday.

I wanted his face to be the primary focal point. The shadow color under his eyes is darkened and void of color to give a clearer vision of his nature and intent. This oil was painted on a double primed linen canvas using a lead primer. Very slick to paint on but easy to wipe off when a mistake is made. I allowed the canvas to show through in spots and had a blast playing around with the brush strokes.

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4 comments:

  1. Very nice. Great moodiness in the palette and use of light and expression. It's clear you had fun with the subject matter.

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  2. This is one of my favorite paintings. I see it hanging in a Colorado art gallery.

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  3. This is really well executed. Your brush strokes have a lot of confidence. How did you get that light source?

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  4. This is great but your original is even better. You have a strong voice with the brush.

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