Brown

Brown, 18″ x 24″ acrylic on panel

It’s the second painting in two weeks. Woohoo! I’m on a roll. Well, not exactly. I’ve got a nasty cold, and I’m trying to make the best of my time indoors. Here are a few shots of the process…

It all started with a pencil sketch.

Then I blocked in the whole surface with a little bit of color.

Whoa, that was a little too light. So, I then darkened it up a bit and added some color variation along the flank.

Then I added a few more layers and highlights.

Next, I lightened the whole piece up a bit putting subtle browns  in the brown trout which couldn’t be complete without a few beautiful red spots.

Finally, I added the reflection, eye detail, and mouth corner. I’m not sure it’s done yet, but I’m done for now.

Self-portrait in Stream

This was a really fun experiment. It’s (8″ x 24″) acrylic on plywood like many of my paintings, but it takes a different approach than most of my work. I sketched a scene entirely from my imagination without the aid of a photograph or any other visualization (that’s a first), I painted quickly (another first), used bold colors, and didn’t fuss over things (and another first). I’m pretty happy with how it turned out. Maybe I’ll do some more like this.

It all started with a sketch done with a Sharpie on a piece of gesso’d scrap plywood…

Quickly dash in some sky and purple mountains…

Keeping the colors bold, add some foothills and a stream bank …

Add some water…

And a few trees…

Finally, put myself fishing in the stream to complete the self-portrait…

Bird of Prey

It’s been a while since I’ve pushed some paint, and this one was inspired by an Instagram photo taken by a friend of mine, Todd Straka, while he was on a trail run.

Bird of Prey, acrylic on canvas, 8″ x 8″, 2012

And here is the original Instagram photograph (http://instagram.com/p/Rl3XIuupvi/). Thanks Todd.

Cold Murder

Acrylic with pen and ink on canvas, 11″ x 14″, 2011

Imitation Is the Sincerest Form of Flattery

It’s been about a year since I’ve finished my first painting, and this is it. I’m posting this now as I’m reorganizing my office, and I’m trying to figure out where to hang it.

It was done in acrylic on plywood (2′ x 4′), and painted over a few months during graduate school. I was originally attempting to just throw down some paint to teach myself about mixing color and getting used to the medium, but I think it turned out pretty good.

This painting was inspired blatantly copied from the cover shot of Catch Magazine, March 2010. The photo was taken by Brian O’Keefe of a nice rainbow being released into the Beaverhead River, Montana. I purchased the image through the magazine and used it as my computer background image for several months before I decided to attempt to paint it.

If you are not a subscriber to Catch Magazine (it’s free!), I highly recommend you check it out if you are an artist or a fly fisher. Brian O’Keefe and Todd Moen have created a beautiful publication that never ends to inspire me to fish, photograph, and paint. http://catchmagazine.net

Nowadays, I usually don’t copy paintings from other works, but you gotta start somewhere.

The Beauty of the Brown Trout

On the surface, a brown trout may not be that beautiful, but have you ever really examined one up close? They are a lot like snowflakes. As a whole, they’re very similar. Study a single fish for just a moment and you start to see the unique patterns and colors each fish possesses. Then compare different trout against each other and you’ll start to see the beauty of this fish. There are no two alike. This series was originally inspired by a day on the Williams Fork early this. I caught two dozen fish in a mile stretch of the river, and I was amazed at the color and pattern difference between those fish…all caught in the same river at the same time. Now, compare a selection of the brilliantly colored fall spawners, and you’d have an ever larger spectrum to enjoy.

The first two paintings were from two trout I caught this year. The last painting was directly inspired by Rocky Mountain Angler Randy Hick’s monster brown he caught on the South Platte a few weeks ago. All paintings were done in acrylic on 5″x5″x2″ primed wooden cradle board…in case you’re interested.

Since you’re here, check out Randy’s nice brown he caught on the South Platte a few weeks ago.

Ten Degrees and Getting Colder

OK, it’s not ten degrees outside, but winter will be here before you can say “Achooo!” Snow is now flying in the high country, and thoughts have turned to skiing and other winter activities. However, late in the season, the snow and the cold temps get old, and folks get “cabin fever” longing for warmer spring days.

Our winters in Boulder are relatively mild, but there’s always a brief spell in January where you might not see the sun for days. Yesterday, the morning sky and cool temps reminded me of one of those dreary mid-winter mornings. I had just gotten back from photographing a few barns north of town, and I needed to thaw out. The mountains, usually visible from my door, are hidden behind a gloomy wall of white. To hell with the mid-morning run. It’s 10 degrees outside with a windchill of way-too-fucking-cold. It’s been snowing gently for two days, but last night’s wind has already scoured the yard of clean of fresh snow. The light is just weird. Is the sun going to come out, or is it going to snow again? Make up your mind, dammit. The icy cold wind cut right through my over-priced performance apparel and answered my question. I cart more firewood into the house.

The scene above (I painted last winter) is from a day like that. I took a photo of this shed out on the prairie in-between snow storms on a bitter cold January day. The light was weird. For just a few moments, the weathered shed was awash in a brilliant morning sun that quickly gave way to another wintery storm on the prairie.

If your ever out on Hwy 52 near IBM in Gunbarrel, you can see the shed for yourself. Right next to it is a nice large barn with an American flag painted on it.

Paradise Found

Paradise Found, acrylic on canvas, 24″ x 48″, 2011

Paradise Found, detail

Paradise Found, detail

Paradise Found, detail

Colorado Coldwater Gamefish

Here are a few pencil sketches I made of various Colorado coldwater gamefish – Brown Trout, Rainbow Trout, Colorado River Cutthroat, Greenback Cutthroat, Brook Trout, and Mountain Whitefish.

Originally, I wanted some art for my living room, but I was too cheap to buy it. I hadn’t drawn anything in years (like 20), and I didn’t really know if I could pull it off. Who would have known that it would rekindle my interest in drawing and painting.

Brown Trout, Salmo trutta, pencil, 2009

Rainbow Trout, Oncorhynchus mykiss, pencil, 2009

Colorado River Cutthroat Trout, Oncorhynchus clarki pleuriticus, pencil, 2009

Greenback Cutthroat Trout, Oncorhynchus clarki stomias, pencil, 2009

Brook Trout, Salvelinus fontinalis, pencil, 2009

Mountain Whitefish, Prosopium williamsoni, pencil, 2009

This work by Sean Hudson is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 Unported License.
Based on a work at unquenchablecuriosity.wordpress.com.
Permissions beyond the scope of this license may be available at https://unquenchablecuriosity.wordpress.com.

Gunbarrel Shed

Gunbarrel Shed, acrylic on canvas board, 11″ x 14″, 2010