I've begun working on the first color pass. As you can see I'm painting in the cloth first. Simply because it was the furthest object in the background. I tend to paint background objects first and work forward so that I can layer on top of what has already been painted. 

On another easel I have started a drawing for the next wave painting. I'm making good progress and should have something to post up soon. This one is going to be a challenge but I'm excited to give it a try.

Here is my current progress on the wine still life. Probably another day or two before I start working in the first color pass.

My current arsenal of colors. I don't use all of these each time I paint. The selection usually fluctuates depending on what I am painting at the time.

My new mahl stick aka lob wedge.

Things are starting to settle down a bit in regards to the new baby. I wish I could say the same for work though. Since I've been back from paternity leave I've had to work through two weekends and countless days that end at 2 am. I'm really hoping things start to slow down soon.

The little bit of free time I have had recently has been spent preparing panels for upcoming paintings. I've been wanting to give Art Board panels a try for sometime now and decided to purchase a few for my upcoming paintings. They are a bit pricey compared to other panels, but the quality seems to be really good. I read online that it is a good idea to seal them with shellac before priming (If anyone has an opinion on whether or not this step is necessary I'd love to hear it) to prevent support-induced discoloration. The above picture is from the shellac session.

Now that the panels are done I am starting to work up some drawings. Tonight I worked on the preliminary drawing for a still life commission. I hope to start laying down some paint later this week. I'll be sure to post up some pictures as I progress.