Work in progress: Glazing has begun on Peter Is Called to Ministry and Martyrdom; I am on my twenty-first glaze in this photo.

Glazing is the third and final step in my painting process.

I usually work from far to near (background to foreground) or from top to bottom (as in this case). In this painting the sky, the shoreline, and the medieval papal crown are already fully glazed and embellished. I embellish and work in details wet-on-wet--I love the sensation of doing so, and I also love how the slapdash strokes and apparently random blobs of paint synergize into sharp focus as the viewer moves four feet away from the work.

There's still a lot to get done, and I'm glad my hands will be full through the end of the holidays.

Note: The throat and blade of the oar are not Galilean. It's an oar I saw at Pagsanjan Falls many years ago.