Aspen Trunks I

Aspen Trunks I
9 x 18
Oil on Panel Board

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This is a variation on the first small 8 x 16 Aspen painting. Having put green and orange in other paintings separately, I tried them both in this painting.

Colorado Deserts I and II

Colorado Desert II
12 x 16
Oil on Wood Panel

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Colorado Desert I
12 x 16
Oil on Wood Panel

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I finished two more paintings this week and have put them both up for sale at Etzy.com. Look under "Sellers" willscoggins, no space. I love the calmness of these paintings. I have been out in the Colorado desert many, many times during all times of the day and late at night. What a place to be. It shows that one of earths most hostile places can be one of the most beautiful, probably because it is seldom impacted by man in a destructive way.

Aspen Green

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Aspen in Green
18" x 18"
Oil on Wood Panel Board
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This is the third in a 3 painting triptych. See below for the first. The description is very similar to Aspen at Night. They are all ideas from photos I took last fall near Cripple Creek, CO.

Aspen Series 2

Aspen in Summer
18" x 18"
Oil on Wood Panel Board
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This is the second in a 3 painting triptych. See below for the first. The description is very similar to Aspen at Night. They are all ideas from photos I took last fall near Cripple Creek, CO.

Hope you like them.

Aspen series

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Aspen at Night
18" x 18"
Oil on Wood Panel Board
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This painting represents the calmness I search for in every painting. It looks almost monotonal, however there are many colors within. I wanted it recognizable with some depth, but not realistic. This is the first of three paintings that I hope remain together as a triptych. As usual it looks better in person rather than a jpeg on a computer screen. This one and the other two are completely original and I have sold the entire triptych. There is a lot that goes into these. The each panel for example costs $22, I frame them all in moulding which is easily removed if one wants to put a frame of their choice on. The oil paints and gesso are the best you can buy, I use Galkyd for faster drying times and the effect of gumminess while painting, and they are all varnished with 3 coats. A lot of time goes into a painting. And then taking pictures and publishing it takes additional time. That's the way it goes and it is more fun than anything I've ever done in life. I used to be an ultrasound tech, a profession where you make pictures of the inside of a human body and that was a combination of science and art as well.

This painting is finished and ready to sell. If one wishes to purchase it please visit Etzy.com and type in WillScoggins search under "Sellers". Thank you for your attention.

Japanese lady closing the bar

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24" x 18"
Oil on wood panel

The is called "Japanese Closing the Bar". Must check to see if I can sell it because I painted this from a photo I got from a copyright-free and royalty-free web site, but still uncertain of the laws. No idea who even took this photo, it was within tens of thousands of others photos.

I love the simplicity here again, the contrast of the warm colors of the bar and her face, and the cool outfit she is wearing. The radiator in the back, chairs stacked up, you know it's very quiet in here now, all the noisy people have left. Her face is 3" high and had to be repainted several times to get the likeness. Hope you enjoy it too.

Another 2 beach scenes

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California Beach 2

12" x 12"


California Beach 3

9" x 18"

Recent painting of trees

Aspen 1 Series 1

"9 x 18"

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I made some photographs of Aspen last Fall around the area of Cripple Creek, CO and this is the first painting in a series. Previously I posted how difficult it was to make digital photographs of quality good enough to post. Well I took the time to learn how to modify camera settings, ISO speed, etc. in order to post a picture of a painting that closely resembles what the viewer sees on the computer monitor to the actual painting. If one is going to sell paintings online, then the buyer should get a very accurate idea of what they are going to receive. Aspen 1 above is a fair representation of the real painting.

I like this painting because of its simplicity and range of colors. It is started with a drawing using Sienna thinly mixed with thinner, followed by about 3 layers of glazes of different colors. I attempted the effect of sunlight right/upper trunks with shade below. I don't do realism, I try to make a painting recognizable with painterly artistic qualities. This is officially the first painting I have ever put up for sale. This one is truly original, my idea, and a painting that I feel is really not student or amateur work. No offense to students or amateurs, I have been one myself for 30 years. Thank you for your attention. I should be posting more now that I can present decent quality photos.

Four paintings hung in my office

Distant Ocean

Distant Ocean
12" x 12"
Oil on Panel

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Trying to see if the quality of photo is good enough to keep on the blog. A very simple painting not painted from a photo and not en plein air, just put familiar colors and textures down. Partially brushed and partially palette knifed.

Pam's Beach

Pam's Beach

9" x 18"

oil on panel board

This one has some hints of another painting that I got some ideas from. It's in no way a copy and I doubt anyone would recognize it. I gave this painting to my sister. But it still shows taking photos of paintings is a difficult process. But I enjoyed painting this one because it was calming and the colors in the sand came together easily. Some might say, "it's just sand", however, most artists know that the complexity of making visible textures like sand is often more difficult because you can't just spread down one color and call it sand. There is a blending of light sienna's, dark sienna's, and blues that are not as easy as one might think. If you smear all those colors together, you get grey. Keeping them seperate is key.

How I work

I paint solely on wood panel now because I don’t like the way canvas presses in. I painted on canvas for over twenty years until discovering panel and other boards. I usually apply 5 to 15 layers of various thicknesses of glaze mixed from oil paints and alkyd from the famous art supply manufacturer Gamblin. It makes for more transparency and helps the oil paint dry faster. I keep applying layers with either a palate knife or flat brush until the right colors are obtained with a balance of mixing and separation of colors. That means I try to use pure colors without mixing, but then blend when necessary to achieve colors that can’t be purchased.

First Post

"California Beach 1" Oil on Panel Board

24" x 9"

This is the first painting that I have posted. I can see there is a lot to learn about taking photographs of your paintings. Lighting is extremely difficult to get right, but that will come with practice.

Will post more paintings later, just created this blog on 03-03-09.

Below gives an idea what it really looks like in a room.