# Under The Knife



## DonH

I have been recently working exclusively with pallet knives in paintings. Here are some recent results.
Midnight Pinon









Carizzo Creek









Rabbit Ear Mountain Midnight


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## chanda95

Carizzo Creek is my favorite Don! It just seems to leap out of the page. Using the knife brings a 3 dimensionality to your paintings. NICE.


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## Sean

Don, those are beautiful. My favorite is either Rabbit Ear Mountain or Midnight Pinon. But I think you stumbled on to something. Like Chanda mentioned, there is depth and artistic qualities there. They really look professional, very cool!


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## DonH

Thank you Chanda and Sean! Your encouragement is priceless. Knife painting is at the same time invigorating and frustrating. Control is challenging, but the results are worth the effort. Inspiration came from three knife artists in the gallery I'm in.
Some of the works have been utter failures. Here is onr I did tonight, an amalgamation of four photographs taken this summer near Taos.
This is "The Winds of the Sangre de Christos" 11 x 14 on art board.


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## chanda95

Nice!!! So much movement and feeling to this piece. I am loving your knife paintings!


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## DonH

Thanks Chanda!
This is "Some Ponderosas Remain"









"Oaks of the Tesesquite"


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## chanda95

Love "some pondersas remain"! In comparison to your other techniques...how long does a typical knife painting take you?


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## DonH

Thanks! Knife painting takes about the same time as other techniques. Usually a couple of hours.


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## chanda95

That's awesome. I can't get over how three dimensional they are. Every time I think you have found your niche you get involved in a new technique...these are really lovely. I keep going back to the ponderosa piece. It is really special.


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## DonH

Thanks so much, Chanda! Its a continuing effort to learn.
Here is "The Age of Discovery", work in progress









The final painting.


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## Mike Conlin

I am really enjoying this style of yours. You are really getting good results with this technique. The 3D effect is stunning. Very vibrant. As they say here Mooi man.


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## DonH

Thanks , Mike! This new direction feels good.
I finally added some needed highlighting to "Winds of the Sangre De Christo's"


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## DonH

"A Secret Place". 11 x 14


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## DonH

"Sunset at the Lake". 11 x 14


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## DonH

The last picture was taken in the wrong light... Once more. "Sunset at the Lake"


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## DonH

"Carrizo Sunset". 16 x 20


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## chanda95

Gosh Don. You have been busy! I really really like a Secret Place and the changes you did to Winds of Sangro De Christo's. Really nice!!!!!!


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## WatercolorStain

Loving the texture in these! Especially in the earlier posts. That seascape is really something different and your trees are beautiful as always. Loving those sunsets too. You're taking acrylics and working them to look like oils. Granted, I've been accused of the same, but because of my blending, not necessarily texture. 

Have you tried doing this with actual oils? I've recently made the transition and... erm... let's just say it's a forced transition for me. 
... Though something tells me with your ability to work with the challenging controls of a pallet knife, you'd probably adjust to it well, or at least produce something interesting in the process. My (biggest) gripe is that they're a bit too pricey for me to just experiment with on my less-than-sweatshop wages. 

Food for thought.  Keep it up though! Your work just keeps getting more and more interesting.


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## DonH

Thank you Chanda! I appreciate the comments, WatercolorStain! I gave oils a try. Its posted in the Lone Tree thead in oils. 
These three paintings are from photos in my travelling years
This "Aspen Glow"









"Wasatch Crest"









"Sleeping Giant" (Mt St Helens)


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## Sean

Don, I just fell in love with this. I guess the colors took me first, then the trees and then the mountain. I did not read the title, "Sleeping Giant" until I looked at it for the third time. After I read your title I felt a little different, almost sad for the forest and it took my visual pleasure of those colors away. 
Beautiful artwork. You make me think, which is a good thing, I think.


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## DonH

That was the idea, Sean. I've never felt truly safe around that mountain, despite its beauty, knowing what it has done and has the potential to do again. Its a similar feeling around the others like Shasta, Adams, Hood, Baker, Bachelor. Sleeping giants, all.


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## DonH

"Racing the Wind" 16 x 20 Acrylic


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## chanda95

DonH said:


> "Racing the Wind" 16 x 20 Acrylic


NEW FAVORITE!!!! LOVE IT! You just get better and better.


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## DonH

Thank you, Chanda! This one had a good feel in the process.

This next work came out of my studies of color. Here is an attempt to maintain a blue-green, red-violet, yellow-orange triad. The photo is not quite color-correct, as the sky is actually a blue-green.
"Banks of the Creek"


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## Sean

Yup, I like 'Racing with the wind' also, funny how certain pictures grab you. But still my favorite is the 'Mountain Pinon'. The colors got me, pure and simple.
Don, I don't think you need to worry about colors. If you'd paint an orange green, it would probably look good enough to eat.


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## DonH

Lots of snow here, so I had plenty of opportunity to paint it. lol
"Frosty Morning"









"Buffalo Tree"









The view out my front window, Black Mesa, the highest point in Oklahoma, "Black Mesa Skies"


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## Sean

Don't know which one I like better. 'Frosty Morning' or 'Buffalo Tree'. I love that sky on Frosty Morning, yet the colors in Buffalo Tree are very accommodating to me. Nice Job!


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## chanda95

I love Frosty Morning Don!! Looks about like here. :-( We got 32 inches of snow in a week and it hasn't warmed up enough to melt a bit of it. Had about enough of the white stuff to last a while. Your paintings make me "kind of" like it...lol! 

They are all beautiful. There is just something surreal about your trees. I love them and they are all so incredibly 3 dimensional..nice!


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## Jeff

<agree with chanda - frosty morning is something special. they are all fantastic
dude the knife and you are clearly made for each other.
something very sharp (no pun intended) about this style. I think some of your best work yet is in this thread. WOW! kudos buddy.


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## Michael Graves

I agree! You're killen it right now Don! I looooooove the black mesa sky in Buffulo Tree. Those colors together really move me.


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## Michael Graves

correction,I was referring to Frosty Morning,and Buffalo Tree. Im really feeling that "Racing the Wind" as well. Heck, I like em all...lol. Are you selling these,or are these for your personal collection.


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## DonH

A belated answer to you ,Michael. Most everything i do is for sale that is still available.


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## DonH

These two paintings were done live at the gallery with a pretty good sized audience. I shocked a few folks when I scraped them both down a few times. Still Life painting is not my standard type, but with ideas running low, I did these from imagination. One crusty old guy threatened calling the Sherriff on me if I scraped down the "Aplles in the Light" lol. "
"Apples in the light"










"Roses in the Light"


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## Jeff

beautiful Donny. stunning man.
I bet the crowd loved it!! -wish I was there dude.


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## DonH

Thanks, Jeff! The hard part of it all was that the session was unplanned. I was drafted by the gallery mgr. Sometimes spontenaity can achieve results that careful planning never would. As you can imagine, my unorthodox style stirs up a lot of conversation with the folks there.


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## PencilMeIn

Those are amazing, Don! People watching me draw makes me nervous, lol.


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## DonH

Thank you, Pencilmein! Welcome back, I was wondering if you had forgotten about us.


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## PencilMeIn

> I was wondering if you had forgotten about us.


No way!


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## Rafiwashere

Don! These are amazing! I absolutely love your style!


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## DonH

Thanks, Rafiwashere!


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## DonH

"Riding High" Painted live at the gallery


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## Jeff

kick ass Donny!! Wow man. really really diggin the knife.


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## chanda95

Beautiful Don...as always!


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