Daily Commute

 Daily Commute

6x8"

Oil on linen on board

DPW

Feels like a month since I last posted...and it is:-)  I've been painting, but also doing some rewarding volunteering with a focus on our kids.   And that's all in between Open Studio Events and getting ready for other exhibits.

I loved the forced perspective of this view...picture snapped on Balboa Island by the ferries going back and forth every few minutes.

I'm looking forward to posting some more of what I've been working on!

The Railroad Play House

The Railroad Play House

6x8"

Oil on linen panel

2nd painting of the day Saturday.  Painting up in Naples with my friend Carolyn Counnas and members of the organization SCAPE (whose goals are to have exhibitions to help raise money to protect open spaces, to increase public awareness of environmental and conservation issues, to promote camaraderie and provide education for artists).   

 

Sometimes getting the first painting done opens me up to be more free with the second...especially if I have a limited time:-)

This building, I learned, used to be a playhouse belonging to the girls who lived on this property in Naples on the Gaviota Coast before it burned down.   I don't know if it was right by the railroad back when it was built...would have made me a little nervous Nelly as a mom for sure...

9.3.14 - Treasured Moments

Treasured Moments

(or my husband's choice for a title - Time Sight)

6x8

Oil on linen on board

We got to spend some special time with family on the Cape this summer and the kids got to hang out and spend some very treasured moments with Grandpa.   I did as well, as I was doing my usual lurking around with my camera...lol... always visually composing the world around me for the next painting.   Grandpa was a really good sport about it:-)

 

Painting faces I'm learning that it helps to keep transitions softer, at least as I get started, and here I wiped off some paint to help facilitate that.   Painting on these linen Raymar Panels makes it such a smooth and easy process and I love the way the paint both glides on and can be wiped off easily!

 

 

Carmel Dunes

6x8

oil on linen on board

DPW

I love the work of Terri Ford.  She paints in pastel and her colors and strong contrast of light and dark values really inspire me.   I had some of her Carmel paintings on to help me with this study for a larger painting.

Speaking of learning from other artists,  the other day I read a post on FB from Robin Weiss - Thank you Robin!! - where he mentioned a concept Kevin Macpherson brought up in his keynote address at the PleinAir Convention in April.   At the time I didn't quite understand what "the light should never cross the dark" concept meant, but Robin posted this great link to Liz Wiltzen's blog where she explains it all very well after taking a workshop with Kevin.     Check it out and try the exercise of two values for yourself!   Here is my first attempt.

Mamma 2 values

As you can tell I have a little trouble not adding a little variety in that dark 2nd value :-)

but I totally agree with Liz Wiltzen:

"Once you feel the sweet spot of this approach, you cross into a new world of possibility. You become liberated from the idea that detail is needed to tell a powerful story."

I need to do it again with a marker!!

Happy Creating

Plein Air Convention 2014 - Kevin Macpherson

 Disappearing Sun (Asilomar)

6x8

Oil on linen on board

This was painted on Tuesday when new painting buddies Nancy Duesing Takaichi, Kathy Carlquist and I got out a little  earlier to go to the second day's paint-out...we had sun for just a little bit and when everyone else got there...it was pretty much gone and the wind...it just kept blowing.   Bryan Mark Taylor gave me some excellent advice on having some vertical brush strokes in my waves and Bill Davidson helped all of us out!!

Just a Glimmer

8x10

Oil on Linen on board

Looking back at the PACE 2014 and starting with the key note address

It's been a week or so since I returned from the Plein Air Convention and looking back I must say that it was a whirlwind of impressions!   I learned a lot, I met some great people and I took a lot of notes on painting, tools and techniques, and of course marketing.  Wheew - it was exhausting!!   And with all the highs, the biggest challenge for me was probably dealing with the fact that I was there on my own.   I don't necessarily have a problem getting to know people, which can be a lot of fun!

It was just that by the end of the week I just ended up longing for friends (who already know me inside and out) to whom I could commiserate and complain when I was struggling; with my painting, getting tired of comparing myself to all the great talent there and just wanting to whine:-)))   Not really the recommended thing to do to a stranger, or a new friend, at an event like this I think?!

But before I loose you to my whining - Let's get back to some of the wonderful tidbits I captured in my note book from Day 1:

Kevin Macpherson 

gave the Key note address on Monday afternoon and he started out his presentation with:

"It's a privilege, and a horror" to be here... 

and he just got funnier from there.   I love the way he can make fun of himself and he didn't skrimp on sharing some of his own challenges and of (several) phobias he conquered along the way.   I think he got us all off to a great start for the week ahead as he emphasized the importance of having confidence in your own work - knowing your own voice and mixing your life and experience into your pigments....among many other pearls of wisdom.  Here's just a few:

Show up, you never know when the great one (painting) is gonna show up.

"As you're learning, share with someone else."

"Everything that's not useful in the painting is detrimental."

Areas of Sunlight DO NOT CROSS Shadow....(still trying to figure that one out:)
added /-5/14/14 (Liz Wiltzen has a great post that addresses Kevin's point)

Make all the parts support the focus.

Don't paint things, paint abstract shapes

Contrast adds surprise

Painting consists of dynamic oppositions

Use colorful compliments

and

Don't leave out the most important ingredience:   YOU!

I found this in my notes too...

Your work is changing

=

I don't like it

(not sure whether I just added the second part? or if that's what he said - just the truth of change..)

He kept me, and many more, in stitches and I can't believe he ever had a problem with public speaking...It's comforting to know we can all get there!

Mighty Winds

6x8"

Oil on Canvas panel

On Location at El Matador

To Bid

The winds kept growing stronger.  I was freezing and had to work fast, but even with the sun barely making itself known it was still a great experience.  El Matador rarely disappoints.  It's one of the more unusual beaches in Southern California and even on an evening like this there were still several photographers, a bride and a groom plus a handful of models that had all made their way down the steep stairs.   Carolyn Counnas braved the elements with me and we painted away.     

I can always find something to improve in my paintings, (which can be a problem since it can cause me to work on something too long:).  With this painting I felt happy about the fact that I was able to simplify, change the colors I saw slightly to make things read better and all in all design it so that the painting was a better version of what I saw.   Not perfect, just my vision and interpretation of the experience being there.   It's interesting, for me giving up on making it perfect has brought me more confidence in the way I paint.

What has helped you move to a new level in your painting?

(if you paint that is:)

30 in 30 - Day 21 - Swedish Sun study

6x8

Oil on Gessoboard

Snapped a picture of this view in Fjallvik Sweden this summer.  It was a late evening around 8-9PM and of course the sun was still up creating this strong almost blinding light on the water.  It reminded me of the paintings of Russion artist Bato... and I wanted to see if I could figure out how to paint it to get that effect of strong sun light.  I ended up painting the water almost white...but somehow that didn't capture the effect of the sun as well.  I felt like the strongest light needed to be on the boats and the dock...without the light on the water competing.  Painting is a lot of interpretation and problem solving.  Below is the actual photo.

I might try another version of it.    How would you paint it? 

30 in 30 - Day 18 - Laying Low

6x8

 Oil on Gessoboard

To Bid

Had so much fun painting this one.  Gessoboard seems to lend itself to broad strokes of color and that worked well for this subject.  I also allowed myself using my whole palette of color so that gave me a little more freedom.  Day 19 of Leslie's challenge and 11 days to go.  It's been a whirl wind so far and it's not over yet.

30 in 30 - Day 16 - Just One...

 6x8

oil on linen on panel

 

I knew it as soon as I saw her,  our one little rabbit who hangs out in the front yard.  I knew I would want to capture the light coming through those ears.    For this painting I started with an orange underpainting and I then tried using a limited palette...   I was inspired by the posting of this artist, NJ Darling.  She is also doing the challenge and I loved her cow painting.   

 I have to admit that I wasn't entirely successful in keeping to that palette...a little yellow seem to have found it's way in.   But the next time I do it, I'm going to stick to the red, white, yellow ochre and black, because I was really amazed how many color combinations those few colors can create.  I think I might need to get red oxide to really make it work...

Does anyone know more about that color?

Sunstruck - sold

This little original was painted at Paramount Ranch en Plein air, which is my favorite way to work!   I loved the way this tree was back-lit and stood out against the foliage in the back.   A great day of painting, and I felt even more comfortable when I ran into Joseph Mendez and his painting friend on the same road.

  
I'm really excited about two things this week:  I get to go on a 2-day work-shop with Ray Roberts this Friday and Saturday and I found this great place for floater-frames for my little 6x6 paintings and they just arrived in the mail.   I have to give thanks to Nancy Hartley and her blog Nancy Hartley's Art Adventures which is where I found her post on frames from Franken Frames.   The frames are beautiful and very reasonably priced and I followed Nancy's lead and talked to Roger, from Franken Frames  (800 322-5899) and when I mentioned Nancy he was able to easily figure out exactly what I needed.   Sometimes it's so much easier talking to someone on the phone instead of ordering frames online.   I got the all black, the white-washed maple and the clear maple with black interior and I attached the wooden support piece with 2 screws from the back and then glued the canvas board to that (this can also be attached with silicone caulking or velcro which would make it possible to change a painting out).

In Full Bloom

 For sale at Daily Paintworks

Painting of the trees in full bloom at King Gilette's.   A  paint out day that provided us with a few obstacles before we settled down to paint.   We started out at a different location (Rocky Park), but turns out they were spraying plants there that day(something poisonous?...) so we decided to drive to King Gilette's.  Well there, the road to the blossoms were being paved so we couldn't get in...We then figured out there was another entrance to get in and got our easels out to paint, just in time for the park maintenance crew to set up right in our line of view to trim the trees you see in the back of my painting.
Just a typical day in the life of a plein air painter:-)  Thanks to Pam and Jan for sticking it out!

Standout

This was painted on location and what I liked about what I saw was the yellowish green bush and how it was complimented by the slightly violet grasses in the back so I tried to push that. And I had fun working on being looser with my brushwork on the foliage of the bush/tree. The color of the back hill was a little difficult to capture...

Tree Sketch

I worked on several pieces today but none that got finished and ready to photograph so here's a recent sketch where I tried to leave some of it less detailed.

Open Road

When I first drove on this back road between Westlake and Newbury Park it was a surprise to find this beautiful valley hidden away with farmland and horses. Never knew it was there. I guess it's the nice thing about roads. You never know where they're going to lead. And on this gray rainy day it looked like I was somewhere quite different than Southern California.