Alleys

As a child, glass marbles that we played with were usually called 'alleys'. They originally got their name from Alabaster, which is a soft stone related to marble. Alleys have come to mean very good marbles, or marbles in general.  If you can't remember how to play 'alleys', here's a refresher course.


In between ideas for larger pieces, I revert back to marbles lately.  Quick, easy and satisfying to paint, they fulfil the everyday need to paint and don't let me over complicate things. They look simple initially, but a sphere is always challenging.

This is about an hours worth of painting on this one.  Once this layer dries a little, I'll intensify the darks and call it done.

Its in oils 8 x 8" canvas panel.