Why "Total Illusion" ? Simply because I like both - Photography and panting and also ultimately like my photographs to be look like Fine Art painting and on other hand my painting to be as realistic as possibly... most of the time. After all everything around us could be at some point real and yet, still be somebody's total illusion..  


   So... Here is my new project. And this is how it all started. Several years ago, I had a neighbors daughter coming over to help me with the kennel and play with my dogs... She was interested in painting I did at that time, so I gave her a canvas with sketch and offered to try my new watersoluble oils. She started her underpainting with big spots of color, but soon lost interest and picture never was finished. 
   About month ago I dropped at our local Dick Blick Art store to pick few items for some of my new projects, naturally we started talking about what I'm planning to do and I mentioned that it still big challenge for me to figure out about "American Art supply". For instance I know nothing about Acrylics and Oil pastels.
Sales Associate almost jumped up. "Oil pastels?!" We have a terrific set on sale, you should try them! I did. My mistake. I know it will cost me a lot. I returned home with my first box of Sennelier "Plane Air", tried it the very same evening, and felled in love. I did few works on a paper and then , while was cleaning up my office found that old canvas with sketch of rocks and waterfall.This is when decided rejuvenate and finally finish this poor thing, but now with oil pastels, since I didn't try them on canvas yet...
   Unfortunately I don't have a photo of painting, how it used to look when it was started in oil, but here is my start with oil pastels...