Unexpected Beauty in a Roadside Ditch - NEW Water Lily Painting in Progress by Mark Nesmith

Here’s the view from my easel today. I drew up a couple of large views or water lilies from the drainage ditch past Winnie on the way to the coast. I love finding moments of beauty in otherwise overlooked places. This one is 30” X 48” and I can’t wait to get painting!

Caprock Canyon - NEW Southwest Daily Painting featuring the Vivid Orange Caprock Bluff Against Clear Blue Sky by Mark Nesmith

Caprock Canyon
By Mark Nesmith
Oil on Canvas
12” X 16”
2020

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It’s been a few years since I’ve made it out West, but lately I’ve been daydreaming about Caprock Canyon. Caprock is a beautiful state park in West Texas.  Ever since I went camping there with my friend Jon I’ve had the vivid red rock formations etched in my mind. I took hundred of photos as we hiked the rugged terrain.  Recently as I was cleaning up my external hard drive I came across the unedited RAW images and once again found new inspiration.

I began this 12” X 16” oil painting Monday. By the afternoon the canvas was covered and I decided to leave it for the night. This morning I came in and realized I hated it. I took a palette knife and scraped everything off. People often think I’m crazy when they see me erasing an entire painting like this, but sometimes you have to destroy in order to create. The second time around the painting felt much better. I stayed after work a couple of hours and finished it up the same day.

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Oracio del Sol - NEW vivid sunrise oil painting - thick impasto with cool blue and violent tones contrasted against bright yellow and orange hues by Mark Nesmith

Oracio del Sol  by Mark Nesmith
Oil Painting on Canvas
20” X 20”
2020

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I started this 20” X 20” canvas inspired by mornings spent at Galveston Island State Park a year ago. The sky went in with ease and I thought I’d finish it in a couple of days. One thing led to another and it seemed like I was always getting a sidetracked into another project or a new natural disaster in SE Texas. The painting sat quietly in my classroom waiting for me to come back to it. Thus week I finally put it back on the easel and started laying in the water. Again it felt like it almost painted itself. I think it was worth the wait and just goes to show that it’s never too late. The next day my temperament favored thick paint and I spent my time at the easel playing in the water.  I developed deep impastos in the waves with scrapes and stokes of the palette knife. My bristle brushes added loose strokes and scumbles of thick, buttery color. The cool blue and violent tones contrasting against vivid yellow, orange and pink notes lend a little of Van Gogh’s intensity. 

Painted on 1 1/2” deep gallery wrapped canvas, the sides are finished in a neutral tone and the painting is wired and ready to hang.

Skyfall - New Daily Painting of the Sunrise After a Storm by Mark Nesmith

Daily Painting 1/23/2020

Skyfall
by Mark Nesmith
Oil on Canvas
6” X 6”
2020

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After finishing a 20" X 20" beach sunrise I'd been working on yesterday I had lots of little piles of lovely color mixed on my palette. I decided to see what I could make of them and was inspired by my morning commute. This daily painting is a view of the sun starting to rise after a stormy night. Our little slice of Texas has been very wet and dreary as of late. I'm often searching for the slightest ray of sunshine above the trees as I drive to Port Neches to drop my son Samuel off for morning workouts before school. Here the warmth of yellows and orange starts to spread from the horizon to the remnants of the cloud front above, bathing the dark, cool clouds with splashes of red. Sunrise is always a welcome sight, but I find it especially exhilarating after a storm. I wanted to keep this one fresh and loose and made myself work quickly, spending just over an hour with my brush. Even amidst the hustle and bustle of rush hour there’s time to look to the skies and appreciate our beautiful world.

Skyfall is an oil painting on 1 1/2” deep gallery wrapped canvas. I’ll finish the edges in a neutral grey and wire the back to hang.

Back in the Saddle Again

It’s been a while, but I’ve finally decided to free up some time and get back to my blog. A lot has happened the last few years, not the least of which is getting married to my love Elizabeth.  She’s not only beautiful and smart but is a talented painter in her own right. I’d like to introduce you to her wonderful watercolors and her newly created site on Daily Paintworks.

Elizabeth Nesmith
Blue
Watercolor on Paper
12” X 9”
2018
Click HERE to bid in the DPW Auction or Buy It Now

Here’s her first offering Up for DPW auction. . “Blue” is one of my personal favorites from her and was shown at Third Coast Gallery in Galveston as part of our two-person show there. Stop by and check out her new DPW site and stay tuned for lots more of her wonderful watercolors!

https://www.dailypaintworks.com/buy/auction/1032343