What a Day!

First of all - the snow!  By the end of the day, we had 16.3 inches, and I feel personally acquainted with each and every inch.  I went out twice to shovel the plough's pile of snow in front of the mailbox and the various walkways; thank Heavens it was light, fluffy snow!  Because it was easy snow, I was able to enjoy the beauty while working.  And hallelujah for the benefit the snow gives our gardens and trees.

Then I was able to spend some time in my studio working on the oil painting of the Tibetan monk.  Excitement was in the air because I had purchased not only new but also a new kind of oil brushes and today was the first day I used them.  So far, I like them much better than my old bristle brushes, but that really isn't saying much as I really dislike those.  These are synthetic (which makes clean up ever so much easier) but still quite stiff.  I did think they'd be a bit softer and was a trifle disappointed. However, this was the first day I used them so I'll withhold judgment for a while.

Today I worked a bit on finishing touches on the chickens, a lot on the monk, as well as the roof.  My phone was not feeling well (had to turn it off and then on again to make it feel better) so the photos are "off" a bit:

Here's a closer look at the lower half.  I really like the way the corn/grain is dropping down from his hand, and I've scattered a bit on the sidewalk near the chickens to make it look as though he started feeding them in one place and then just kept walking.

I had a hard time with his face.  It was partly the brush and partly not being able to see what I was doing; it's a very small area for very fine detail.  It isn't finished but -

So he has no eyes yet, poor man, the application of paint is blotchy in a bad way as it makes no sense in relation to the contours of the face.  

And oh, those eyebrows!!!