Hunter 77: High Key and Saturation with Water Mixable Oils

For a while now, my work has explored a certain mood – often darker, more contemplative. While I cherish those explorations, I felt a strong pull to shake things up, to push myself into a brighter, more vibrant space. With my latest painting, “Hunter 77,” I’ve done just that.

“Hunter 77” represents a conscious shift in direction for me. It’s about movement, energy, and a celebration of color. Inspired by a dynamic cropped image (which you can see in the preparatory images below!), I envisioned a piece that felt like a vibrant, eye-catching poster, brimming with life.

The original image is the first one. My exposure changes is the next and a Photoshop edit to show minimal colors on the last.

From the outset, the goal was to embrace a higher key and intensify the saturation. I wanted to see what would happen if I really pushed the colors, creating an almost electric feel. It’s been incredibly freeing to work with this brighter palette, and I’m excited to see where it leads me.

This painting is also a continued experiment in materials. I chose to work with water-mixable oils, a change that has brought some surprisingly wonderful conveniences. As you can see in my process notes (scroll down!), starting with an acrylic gray ground really helped the paints adhere beautifully.

The best part? No need to lug around safflower oil for brush cleaning! The portability of water-mixable oils is a game-changer for plein air painting. Cleaning brushes on the spot, while surrounded by the landscape that inspired them, is a joy I haven’t experienced in years.

Also, for other paintings I’ve done, I’ve used water mixable oils to return to a brush-drawing approach. I couldn’t do this for years because I don’t use solvents. Now with water and water mixable oils I can draw out with paint at the beginning. Super fun!

But for this piece I drew it out with graphite to get the fine details. Getting the facial expression just right, even at a smaller scale, was a key focus. It’s truly the focal point, and I poured a lot of attention into capturing the nuances.

You can see the detail images below.

While I kept the details on the figure and pelt minimal to keep the eye drawn to the face, it was still a challenge to balance the energy of the movement with the stillness of the portrait. It’s a conversation between these two elements, a push and pull that I hope resonates with the viewer.

But the minimal details in the left side of the painting is essential. This is where I let the viewer in. Where I invite them to come up with their own interpretation.