Knifework

On Sunday I had the urge to paint by water. The first 3 places I went to were busy with fishermen but I was looking for solitude. My 4th try panned out and I stopped along the Wickecheoke Creek near Stockton, NJ. I've done about 5 paintings from this exact same spot already, but it's such a peaceful place, I'll never tire of going back. The only thing that disturbed the peace was the sound of a large blue heron taking off from the river behind me - it made such a burst of noise that it scared me! But the sight of a blue heron in flight quickly brought back that peaceful feeling.

"Wickecheoke Creek, August"
8x10 oil on linen panel

Normally I paint with brushes, but once in a while I'll use a palette knife. Painting with a knife is very different than painting with a brush, but they're great for getting your color down cleanly. A brush will tend to mix into any paint that's already on the canvas so it's good for blending. A palette knife can lay down a color cleanly without disturbing the paint that's already there. There can be some mingling of paints, but it's a very different effect. Some closeups which show the knife work a little better: