Car Sketching - 6 of 30 - Harbor Hangout

8x10
Oil on LinenPanel
Sold

Day 6 of 30 - Here's another Car Sketch..."Harbor Hangout" I think I will call it....I enjoyed simplifying this one...painting it almost in a watercolor fashion with different color pools/washes to make up the shadow area and really bright highlights...

Car Sketching - 3 of 30 - Red Snapper

"Red Snapper"

8x10"

Oil on Linen Panel

To Purchase

I loved all the red I saw when I took the photo reference of this one.   Big VW Car Meet and I got the just as the sun was going down...although I'm not a 100% certain if this is a VW...I'm sure someone would be able to tell me:-)...

By the way I'm putting all my car sketches up for the DPW Auction, starting really low...;)

13 of 30 - Dogs and Cars - Wanderlust

Wanderlust

Oil on Linen on board

8x10"

To Purchase

This is more of a camper than a car, but I've been wanting to paint it for a while!  It sort of fits with my general theme of dramatic light...and hopefully no one has noticed I took a few days off from the challenge;)   This camper belongs to a gentleman who stopped by the workshop I took with Colin Page last year around this time on beautiful Balboa Island.   He enjoyed seeing the artists at work, and if I remember correctly he was selling postcards and such on his journey up and down the coast.  He sure has a unique and delightfully decorated mode of transportation!

On another note, I will be teaching a Workshop this April 16th and 17th in Thousand Oaks, focusing on Composition and Confident Brush Strokes.

We will be working on simplifying what we see through several value exercises and, making our brush strokes count!

Learn more here

Barn Treasures

Barn Treasures

8x10"

Oil on linen on board

Got to paint by this old barn of Las Virgenes last year, through a call to a park ranger on the property.  It's a beautiful old barn and when peaking in we ( my painting friend Lyn and I), found a sign from a restaurant that was once open in Malibu....so many stories to be found!

When it comes to the painting...Shadows are an interesting challenge and I worked on the shadows to make them less severe and cut-out looking, which I think helped:-)

Edge of Afternoon

8x10"

Oil on linen on panel

Day 25 - DIY BubbleBath

"DIY BubbleBath"

8x10"

Oil on Linen on Board

DPW

Not sure if anyone has noticed...?!, but I haven't quite kept up with posting every day for the 30 paintings in 30 Days challenge that Leslie Saeta hosts.  I love the daily routine it creates, but this time around I just had to go a little easy on myself and leave time to work on larger work as well.  So - still painting, just not posting it all and partially taking part is still a great thing to do, and better than not painting regularly for sure!

I've been looking into Plein Air Events for this year, hoping to at least do one and this is the list I've come up with so far - Please let me know if you know of a great event that I've missed!

PLEIN AIR EVENTS 2015

February 14-22, 2015 Maui, Hawaii

2015 Schedule of Events - Maui Plein Air Painting...

mauipleinairpainting.org/2015-schedule-of-events   

View the full 2015 Schedule of Events for the Maui Plein Air Painting Invitational event! Maui beaches + outdoor painting + artists and observers = Must see!

May1-11, 2015, Florida

Forgotten Coast en Plein Air 2015, America's Great...

www.pleinairfl.com   

Nationally recognized plein air artists have been selected to capture the allure of the Florida's Forgotten Coast with paint and canvas. Artists will be painting on ...

May 12-16, 2015   Wayne, Pennsylvania

Plein Air Festival 2015

http://waynepleinair.org/index.htm SCHEDULE OF EVENTS: PRESS: JUROR: PLEIN AIR WORKSHOP: ... Member of the Plein Air Painters of America, Laguna Plein Air Painters Association and California Art ...

Apply Jan 1-March 1

May 14-17, 2015

Carmel-by-the-Sea Plein Air Juried Painting Competition...

www.carmelartfestivalcalifornia.com

... 2015 Carmel-by-the-Sea Plein Air Juried ... Carmel Art Festival in Carmel-by-the-Sea, California, 93921. In 2015, ... Gallery Events: Carmel Art ...

June 10-14, Ontario

Finger Lakes Plein Air Festival | painting competition...

www.fingerlakespleinair.com   

Deadline January 30^th

June 14

http://www.paintsanclemente.com/

June 14-22……register by June 1^st…?

June 15-20, 2015, MD

http://www.easelsinfrederick.org

"Easels in Frederick" Plein Air Event. Begining June 18, 2013 artists painted en plein air (in open air) throughout Frederick County, MD. For more information:

June 16th-19th

Los Gatos Plein Air 2015 lgpleinair.org    The deadline for applying is February 1, 2015.

Los Gatos Plein Air 2015. Los Gatos Plein Air 2015 is a fine art exhibition and sale that will be held in Los Gatos, California on ... 2015. Events of Los Gatos Plein Air

July 19-25, 2015

DOOR COUNTY PLEIN AIR FESTIVAL July 19-25, 2015

www.doorcountypleinair.com   

Door County Plein Air Festival event presented by Peninsula School of Art, July 20-26, 2014

July 27-August 1, 2015, Alameda, CA

http://www.frankbettecenter.org/plein-air-paintout.html

Plein Air Paintout - deadline to apply for 2015 is April 27. 

http://onlinejuriedshows.com/Default.aspx?OJSID=388

September 7–12, 2015

Mendocino Plein Air. - Mendocino Art Center, Art Center,...

www.mendocinoartcenter.org/pleinair   

A Plein Air Festival on Northern California's ... 2015. The festival includes plein air painting, ... All events are free and open to the public, ...

September 14th-19th

SCHEDULE OF EVENTS :: Sonoma Plein Air Festival

www.sonomapleinair.com/events.html   

Stay tuned for information about Sonoma Plein Air Festival 2015, September 14th-19th! Artists, the application process opens Jan 27, ...

September 6^th-13^th, 2015, Washington

http://www.paintthepeninsula.org/

September 30-October 4th

Plein Air At The Lost Coast - Plein Air Event

www.pleinairatthelostcoast.com  September 30-October 4th

Plein Air at the Lost Coast Plein Air Event ... 2015. Shelter Cove, CA. Advance registration may be made by mail or phone or you may register at the time of your arrival at the event. 

For advance registration, please complete the form below and mail with your check for $65. 

 

Day 14 - Sunlit Pines

Sunlit Pines

8x10"

Oil on linen board

These pines are making me pine for the many trees on the Swedish island where I grew up.  In Sweden there are 2 distinct types of pine-trees.  The Christmas type variety, called "gran".  And this variety which is called "tall".   Making me a little home-sick...

Day 13 - A Restful Stop in Ojai

A Restful Stop

8x10"

Oil on Linen on board

$275

Had the pleasure of painting with Dan LaVigne and Dan Schultz in Ojai today!  This year is getting off to a fun start with all these paint-outs with friends.  Always great to see how different each artist's take is and what subject matters we all choose.

Here's a great clip on YouTube about how we each have a unique voice and to embrace it!

It starts with Walt Disney quoting Robert Henri and ends with 4 Amazing Disney Artists painting a tree 4 ways.  It's great!!

Day 12 - After David Noter - Exercise Inspired by Catherine Kehoe

Still Life after David De Noter

oil on panel

8x10

Today I painted with Shannon Celia and Wendy Gordin.  So much fun!!  We are all part of the Monday Morning Painters (the MMPs) and this particular morning I brought in an exercise for us to do.   This exercise was inspired by some paintings I had seen of Catherine Kehoe's where she used the work of old masters as a source to fiercely observe and translate the visible, turn objects into simple shapes of color to arrive at the essential.  Translating this image into as Catherine called it "intuitive geometry".

She shared this work in her excellent artist talk last Sunday and since I missed out on the workshop that followed I thought "Why not just paint something inspired by what she does and learn from that as if I were in the workshop?"  I am always on a search to get better at simplifying what I see and this seemed like a perfect way to practice that.

So I found a still life online similar in style to what she had used.

Here is a cropped version of that original painting that I worked from!  "Still Life of Flowers, Asparagus and Lobster" was painted by David Emile Joseph de Noter [Belgian Painter, 1818-1892]

There are always things I'm not perfectly happy with..?!...but this exercise helped me see just how simple you can go with shapes and still have it read.  It was also great practice in seeing - and breaking a complex object into simple flat shapes.  And next time I'll work on going even farther!

If you visit Catherine Kehoe's website, you can see Marine plant still life after Anne Vallayer-Coster :-) and what I was trying to achieve.

Day 11 of 30 - Balboa Island "Early on the Dock

Early on the Dock

8x10

Oil on Linen on Board
$275

This past Friday, I was fortunate enough to get in an actual Plein Air Painting day.  And lucky enough to have my good friend and painting buddy Shannon Celia brave the early hour (leaving at 5:30AM) to come paint as well!  We drove down to Newport beach where we also met up with Kim VanDerHoek on Balboa Island.   Each of us got a painting done before having a nice lunch and getting to talk shop at Picante Martin's Mexican Restaurant.  Check out both Kim's and Shannon's websites to learn more about their work!

I am so grateful for the artists and friends I make on the journey!!  It is at least half the fun of painting for me.

On this particular day I was interested in doing something based on an unusual view and composition, cropping in to get more of an abstract feel.  I also started with my most delicate color and I liked the direction it took for the most part.  

It's such a great challenge to paint water, and reflections, along with all the movement of the water, and the sky reflecting in the water surface.
 There is a lot going on!   
What I noticed is that I tend to lay in all my brushstrokes to describe the water horizontally, and that makes it look really busy.   As I'm always working on getting better at simplifying.....I'm now thinking it's better to save those horizontal strokes for describing just the surface of the water and keep most of the reflections as shapes, just like I saw Wyllis Heaton do the other night in his demo.

 I get a little caught up with all the edges to soon and this new way would keep it more unified and not so broken up.  Something I will get even more conscious of next time I try it:-)

Happy Painting!

Day 7 of 30 - Starting with the Sun

Starting with the Sun

8x10

Oil on Linen on board

So after watching Wyllis Heaton's Demo (see yesterday's post)  I decided that I would start this one with the lightest and purest colors, and go from there.  I'm fairly happy with how the Sun-light through the trees worked out and the simplification of the building!  Might still work on the sky...it needs some help:-)

Day 4 of 30 in 30 - On Surfwatch

On Surfwatch

8x10"

Oil on canvasboard

Olawalu Memories

8x10

Oil on linen on board

This is a fun commissioned piece I did, that almost painted itself:-)   Treasured family-time in Hawaii.   It goes to show that a painting can capture a memory for safe keeping far longer than any photo!   And it's unique and original.

Happy Painting!

Today I go off to take a 3-day workshop with William Wray.   One of my favorite artists - Very exciting!!

By Monahan's

By Monahan's

8x10

Oil on board

Quick little sketch where I wanted to keep the freshness of a plein air piecein the studio and keep my light and shadow areas in mind.

9.9.14 - And that's not a Tatoo. - Favorite things

And That's not a Tatoo

8x10"

Oil on Linen on board

This was an interesting one...I can still see adjustments I would like to do, but I had a lot of fun working on getting a little experimental and pushing the colors of the skin tones as I've seen so many artists do successfully...I'm a work in progress working on bigger brush strokes, not blending everything and being painterly about it all, there's a lot to think about when you're painting faces...:)

This is our oldest son, who has been into animals of all sizes since he was real little and has shown a knack for lizzard catching.

Still Here

Still Here

10x8

oil on linen on panel

This view is from the old barn off Las Virgenes.  So much history and so many stories of the past.  My favorite part of this painting is probably the bluish color on the chair.  I feel that it describes the light seeping into the shadow pretty well...what do you think?

Farm Hound

8x10

Oil on linen on board

DPW

One of my recent goals have been to find ways to paint more in this beautiful local area close by called Hidden Valley.  It's like the name suggests, a hidden oasis, of horse farms and beautiful oak trees between Westlake Village and Newbury Park.   Today I was fortunate enough to have been invited by fellow local artist Kathy Levine along with several other painters to visit her friend Sally's farm in Hidden Valley.   I was such a happy camper!!  And on top of just the natural beauty there, you could also find dogs and more dogs, hens, ducks, horses and several goats,  of which one had just had 3 kids last Saturday...what a treat, right?

There was a truck that seemed to call my name, but I decided to set up and paint one of the many white and red-trimmed buildings from the 30s and 40s.

Here's a photo of this building while the elusive sun was still present.

Besides the charming colors, I was drawn to the light and dark pattern created by the sun in this scene so:

Starting out today, I decided to ask myself this helpful question I learned from Joe Gyurcsak

What is going to change sooner?   The light or the shadow?

My answer was "the shadows" so in order to remember what they looked like and get that down first I started by putting them in with a darker value (see below).

I've been paying a lot of attention to shadows lately, realizing that it's really easy to put them in too dark - and then they look sort of pasted on.

 I also now like to vary them more in color from one end to the other so to speak - get those nice warms and cools playing off each other and find where reflected light bounces into a shadow.

Looking at my painting as I write this...I feel like I need to bring in some of that reflected light into the shadow up top and lessen the contrast of the planks.

I love the work of artists like Tim Horn for his colors and the way he captures light, 

Mark Daniel Nelson for his beautiful values and simplified abstracted compositions, and 

Colin Page for his color combinations and brushwork!  They all paint the effects of light really well and I like to learn from other artists' work, as I always struggle a bit to simplify things more and leave out the details in my own work.

BTW, here are some pictures of the goats:

Sally and Kathy feeding one.

Just a little goat hug!

Wobbling about.

Plein Air Convention 2014 - More Demos

Color Freedom

8x10"

Oil on Linen on Board

DPW

After a tough morning with my own painting on Friday I watched Lori Putnam paint at the All-Day Paint-Out and I was inspired again!  I loved seeing her making artistic choices with color and design - (not slavishly following what was there).  Her color combinations were beautiful and it gave me the freedom to tweak my own happy color combinations!  Thanks Lori!

Here are my notes from some more demos

Randy Sexton and Larry Moore
 The most inspiring part of seeing Randy and Larry paint was to see these two masters using an abstract start to their paintings and then seeing the very unique and different approaches they took to interpreting the subject.  It was a fascinating journey and again emphasizing to me that art is all about our own unique approach and interpretation.

 

 

Randy used an old painting (that looked great btw) and painted over it.  I loved seeing how abstract and loosely he started, working in the big masses with soft edges.  As he said "feeling the masses - from the inside out" and allowing himself to organically find the drawing.

Randy paints on regular birch, that he gessoes as well and will use a rag to wipe out areas.

"When you start out abstract you discover as you're painting what the image is."  Randy likens the painting process to sculpture although he likes when an area turns into a flat space.   

This is something I enjoyed hearing, because it is something I appreciate in other artists paintings, but have yet to achieve to my satisfaction in my own!

Larry started out with Golden Acrylic tints and Acrylic white gesso.  He uses a simple palette with yellow, red, blue and black - finding the info in the big shapes, not going for color notes (and local color) right away, but building up to a color with a contrasting color underneath.  

He focuses on seeing patterns of light and dark - without drawing, having the faith to know the figure will unfold.  He also stressed building dominance and sub ordinance of areas as you go.  In the picture above you can see him using a rubber knife to knock down the importance of an area.  

Softer edges recede and harder edges come forward.

Here you can see more closely the great dark and light pattern Larry achieved.   He uses a whole variety of brushes.    As Larry said:  "There are thousands of ways to attack a painting.  Find your own way - be open to new ways."
"Painting is like a train-ride:  Some take it to the end and other get off at the first stop, your personality decides where you get off."  which I believe he said were the words of Roe Wilson...but I'm not quite sure I got the name right.

Larry's advice, which I wholeheartedly agree with, is to look at other artists work to find your own voice by seeing who's work you respond to.

Larry Moore's painting is on the left and Randy Sexton's painting is on the right.

Words of advice from Dan Gerhartz on painting portraits:

• Find extremes in value, edge and color to start off so you have something to compare to.
• Use color temperature to change form
• Your values need to be consistent, so it doesn't get shopped up - hold on to the unity of that form.
• Keep your shadow and light areas as simple and solidly separated as you can.
• Edge variety is critical
• Use the reddest red for lips
• Moongoose Rosemary brushes are good for blending

Dan Gerhart's Palette:

Zink WHite

Rembrandt Permanent Red MediumTransparent Oxide Brown (a rich transparent dark)

Cad Lemon 

Cad Yellow

Alizarin Crimson

Ivory Black

Ultramarie blue

Prussian blue

Watching Dan paint made me want to go home and immediately start working on doing head studies...from real life,  to build some confidence in that arena of painting!

Charlie Hunter ....tomorrow...

Plein Air Convention 2014 - Another Demo

FogLights

8x10"

Oil on Linen on Panel
DPW

Notes on the

DEMOS GALORE

and all the great words of wisdom...starting with:

 Joseph McGurl

"Nature is a mix of order and chaos"

Order to make it real and chaos to make it natural.

 

 Joseph started his demo with a warm undertone on the canvas.  

He explained that part of creating that wonderful effect of sun light for this painting is making the white warmer and slightly darker as you go back in space and cooler as it comes forward.

(Great tips, because I wouldn't have instinctively thought that the light would get warmer moving back in space.)

 The effect is also enhanced by showing the light reflecting on the cliffs around the lightest areas, lighter at the lower end of the cliffs.

A tree is either in light or in shadow, very little in the middle.

Change your methods - you'll get different results
You can't solve every problem the same way.

When it comes to making the color work, ask yourself:

Is it too light or too dark?

Does it need to be cooler or warmer? 

Tools to try:

A Wallpaper plastic painting scraper - for making straight horizon lines

 Liquin - impasto

longer flexible palette knives - good for introducing that chaos.

Gamblin Flake White Replacement - Stiff Paint good to use on top

Fan brushes

Hansen Yellow - holds the yellow punch

I learned a lot and it is always fascinating to hear other artists' view on their individual approach, as I'm in the quest of finding my own way - or perhaps accepting my own way:-)
Joseph considers himself a Contemporary Luminist and I appreciate what he said about his technique in regards to the surface.   He doesn't want people to know about how he did something so he obscures the brush marks.  That way he continued: "It's not about me and my marks, more about the meaning of life - existence - nature and physics."

As he said that I realized that I do like to see the brush marks, showing the confident commitment to the process, a sense of the fresh impression of something...haha... I don't always achieve it....but I want to!

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!

Plein Air Convention 2014 - day 1 - What do Galleries Look for?

 Loading Up

8x10

Oil on linen on board

DPW

I got up early to paint out on Fisherman's Wharf on Monday morning.   The sun was barely peaking up behind the fishing warehouses and this black fishing boat really caught my eye.  It was a relaxing way to start off the day and I got to talk to some of the participants walking by as well.

After painting I spent the day before the actual start of the convention in the Gallery Discussion Panel and Umbrella Group Meetings on Plein Air Events:

The first panel comprised of Gallery Owners addressed the topic; Using A Gallery as a Pathway to Success...and what galleries look for?   The Gallery Owners represented on this panel were Jonathan Mountainsong from Mountainsong Galleries, Jane Bell Meyer owner of Illume Gallery of Fine Art, and Shaun Horne; both artist and owner of Oh Be Joyful Galleries.
This is what I took away from the discussion:

• It's imperative to figure out what level I'm on as an artist?   Do extensive research to figure out which galleries to approach.  As an example, Mountainsong only represent Signature members of AIS and OPA.  Action - Who can I ask to assess my level?
• Be respectful, gracious and persistent in approaching a gallery.  Every gallery has their own preference in how they want to be approached.    Personal referrals by other artists represented by the gallery make a difference. 
• Be sure to follow, like or friend the gallery on FB.  It's a good way to get on their radar, (especially if you can friend, since they would then get updates on your work).
• When preparing to present your artwork make sure your website looks great.  The gallery can learn a lot from visiting it.   How consistent and how recent is your body of work?  Do you update events?  A rolling - 12 months - In the News is great.   Prices are important - If your work slowly goes up in value (10%/yr), that's helpful.  Do you have awards and a statement that stands out? 
• All three gallery owners had no objections to artists selling their own work.  Self-representations is critical at a certain stage of your career and then you have to figure out if you are willing to give up a % of your sales for the services a gallery provides.  The one thing that is imperative is that your prices are consistent in all markets.
• Shaun mentioned that it's easier representing a newer artist who has great quality work, and is not already in 17 galleries.
• Mountainsong has a partnership with Amazon to sell art online...something to look into.
• All in All - Art needs to be your big focus.  Get experience, do Plein Air Events and Art Fairs.  Awards bring credentials, take great workshops with top-notch instructors - but ultimately find your own direction so that you are unique!

What followed this session was one of highlights of the Convention for me; the Panels on Putting together a Plein Air Event.

I will share more about that in my next post!