I'm trying to paint bolder colors and more clearly define darks and lights. In this painting, from a picture I took, I initially wanted to make the background completely black making the crayons really jump out. After I'd finished the crayons and the jar, I took a picture and played around with it in PhotoShop trying different backgrounds. The one I liked best was a dark gray-blue gradation from lower left to upper right.
This painting isn't loose, but certainly looser than I normally paint especially the colors and highlights in the jar.

Morning Geranium

Our backyard catches the early morning sun that creates a lot of dark, sharp shadows. This geranium is in a terracotta pot that sites at the edge of the grass. The leaves turned out well, but I wasn't satisfied with the blossoms. They appear too dark and not red enough. I beat them into submission.

Post Street Walkers

We got off the bus at Union Square in San Francisco and this well-heeled couple walked by so I snapped a picture. I like the suede coat of the man and how his body is leaning over a bit. I kept the background simple to not take away from the couple. The morning sun coming from the right is emphasized by the light on his jacket, her hair and their two shadows.