Fresh off the Easel

As the Sun Sets behind Mt. Tam...

2012-02-12T19:47:00.000-08:00

...As the Sun Sets Behind Mt. Tam...

6" x 6" - oil on museum quality panel

Here is a scene from the Richmond Marina. I was inspired to paint this because of that strip of water in the middle that is positively glowing! I love the huge skies here! The sunsets and sunrises are wonderful. In the background is the ship, SS Red Oak Victory, which was build right here at the Kaiser Shipyards during WW II. It is a museum now.

Feedburner did not pick up my last blog post, I have no idea why. I have signed-on with Mail Chimp so that, hopefully, this and future posts will be delivered to your email box. If you want to see the last post, please click to read this on the internet, and it is there. I expect to be posting more frequently in the future.

Also, people have asked if my work is for sale, and how they can buy it, so click on my gallery at Daily Paintworks on the blog sidebar or my Website, and there is a link with a Paypal button. My small works are very reasonably priced, unframed. And the shipping is free! (in the US)

Slurpy Paint and Five Brushes

2012-02-01T09:36:00.000-08:00

Returning--oil painting in progress

Here is an unfinished painting. I am posting it because I had so much fun painting the sky! Most books and articles on painting don't talk about the kinesthetic aspects of painting, but it is the fun part! And the surface appearance is a huge part of the total energy of the artwork. (Yes, they do emit an energy... )

As you can see, there was some painting done before I got to the sky, but I'll save that for a future post.

Now, for the sky! I pre-mixed all the colors from the dark blue-gray to the bright orange, and added enough Liquin to give the paint a slurpy consistency. Then, using soft, rounded, flat brushes (sable filberts) with a different brush for each color, I started with the darkest color using a light touch. These clouds swoosh across the sky, so I used swooshing motions with the brush.

Above is a close-up. I felt like a conductor leading a sympthony, using a whole handful of brushes and letting the strokes swoosh like the motion of the wind--not doing too much blending, because it would muddy the paint. But keeping it light and smooth, so the glow underneath would show through. Just enjoying the feeling of each stroke as the brush glided across the surface. Yeah, slurpy!

Now, back to painting... That water is going to be difficult!

Exhibit in El Cerrito

2012-01-11T07:50:00.000-08:00

...Deepening Shadows...

8" x 10" - oil

I am participating in the ECAA Plein Air Artists Exhibit at El Cerrito City Hall Gallery. This is an Art in Public Places gallery. It is new and really nice! There will be a reception on January 21, which I'd really like to attend... But I'll be at the California Art Club Winter Art Symposium

Ah, so many wonderful things!

Ava

2012-01-02T14:45:00.000-08:00

...Ava...

charcoal on paper - 18 x 13"

This portrait was commissioned by the parents, but the dad told the mom that I didn't have time to finish it before Christmas, so he could surprise her with it as a Christmas gift! Ava is about a year old in this drawing. I made it rather detailed in the face, but kept the rest of the drawing loose and sketchy. In fact, I sprinkled the paper with charcoal powder and sprayed it with acetone to add texture. I really like the effect, and hope to do more with charcoal in the coming year!

Meanwhile, Oscar is delighted that this year he went from Santa's naughty list, to the nice list! (You don't want to know how he got on the naughty list!) I hope he has had a successful rehab... At least, Santa brought lots of catnip!

May you have a wonderful year!

Occupy Berkeley

2011-12-07T16:09:00.000-08:00

...Occupy Berkeley...

oil on linen panel - 6 x 8"

It is early morning at the "Occupy" camp, and most people are not up yet. The few who are up are being very quiet. This is not my usual painting subject! But I couldn't resist all those colorful tents. Wow, were they ever hard to paint! I think it was because they are translucent, with light coming through. The location is the city of Berkeley, not the university campus. It was yesterday, the same day the police cleared the "Occupy" camp in San Francisco. There were no police in sight here, at least not while I was there.

I spoke with one of the protesters, who was very nice. He said that there was a large group of homeless people living in the park before the protesters got there. Knitters come on Thursday mornings and sit with the protesters, knitting. They have a schedule of when things happen, and appear to be quite an organized community.

Above Port Costa

2011-10-30T13:53:00.000-07:00

...Above Port Costa...

oil on linen on board - 12" x 16"

I went out plein air painting as part of the Valona Paint-out. This was painted on a hillside above Port Costa, except Port Costa is looking the other direction, so I'm not sure what we're looking at here... The mountain is Mount Diablo. I was with Leslie Wilson, who did a nice watercolor! It became really hot as we were painting, and wouldn't you know, my umbrella had fallen apart while I was painting the week before! Tonight we will see the paintings displayed at Epperson Gallery in Crockett, CA!

As you can see, the leaves haven't changed to autumn colors. That seems to be how it is here in northern California. There are very few species that change color.

I appologize for neglecting the blog for so long. I really have no excuse, except I just got out of the habit of posting.

Scenes from my Bike Ride

2011-07-30T11:10:00.000-07:00

When I first signed-up for the triathlon, one of my friends said, "Wow, that could engulf your whole life!" And, I thought, "No, there are lots of artists who go for a walk, or do some form of exercise during the day, then spend the rest of the time painting. And often, they get ideas for paintings during those morning walks." Well, this has been a lot more difficult than I anticipated, mostly because years as a couch potato have caused my body to go downhill more that I thought!
I workout with a coach three times a week, and on my own the rest of the week. It is hard! I have wrecked the bike three times! But I am trying to settle into a routine that will allow me to paint, even though I am tired. And there are some beautiful places to run and bike that have me wanting to paint them. Here are a few from yesterday's ride along the Bay Trail.

This is Ferry Point, where they used to have ferry's that crossed the Bay over to San Francisco. It is abandoned now.

Here is a little lagoon. San Pablo Bay is behind the trees, as well as a ship, and the Richmond Bridge.

Another view of the lagoon. I love the shapes of the trees and the light on the water. Bet this would be even better at dusk!

Another view of Ferry Point, this time looking across the Bay, with the city of San Francisco in the distance. Richmond, the city where I live, has 32 miles of coastline! The fact that I stopped to take photos means I didn't get a very good workout this time, but I couldn't resist!

Varnishing Day

2011-07-20T13:49:00.000-07:00

Point Isabel - SOLD - Yea!

Today I varnished several paintings. I like varnishing, because not only does it protect the painting, but it makes the colors look richer. When I am working on a painting, the colors are bright and clear, but as the paint dries, some of the colors seem to sink-in and become dull. This has to do with the properties of the different pigments used. So, it's always exciting to take these paintings back to their original beauty! In fact, sometimes, I have forgotten how good they looked!

The varnish contains a solvent, so the painting has to be throughly dry--or you will have a real mess in your hands!

I use Gamblin's Gamvar varnish, which is what they use at the National Gallery. The Gamblin website has an instructional video on varnishing that is very useful. In fact, the whole Gamblin website is an encyclopedia of information for the artist.

I had recently been thinking that I need something to give me more exercise. So, after years as a professional couch potato, I registered for a triathlon! Now before you think I have totally lost it, (maybe I have...) this is a sprint triathlon, which is shorter than the regular one. It is for women only and beginner friendly. Still, it is a quarter-mile swim, 11-mile bike ride, 3-mile run, which is quite a stretch for someone who has neglected their fitness for so long. My goal is to achieve enough fitness to finish the triathlon, without hurting myself.

I signed up for training with a group of "beginners," but most of them have completed at least one triathlon before! I am the oldest person in the group. Wow! So we train together three days a week, and there are optional assignments for the other days. Today, I plan to go for the swimming drills.

Here in Northern California, we are still waiting for summer to arrive. So, I am excited to see that the temperature is supposed to get to 70 today! Good thing the pool is somewhat heated! I'll keep you posted!

Meanwhile, I hope you can get out and paint!

Flowing to the Sea

2011-07-06T15:25:00.000-07:00

...Point Isabel...

oil on canvas panel - 12 x 16"

Ah, Point Isabel, part of the East Bay Park System... This is also a really nice dog park! It's fun to come here and just watch the dogs! You can see San Francisco and the Golden Gate Bridge from here, but I didn't put it in. There is already a lot going on in this painting!

This is a layered painting that took several days to complete. It's hard to tell from the computer screen, but there are areas of transparent as well as opaque paint. I love playing transparent and opaque against each other!

A Great Evening!

2011-06-07T19:12:00.000-07:00

Sunday night. First of all, we (myself, my daughter and two friends), arrived at the reception for the Crockett Paintout, at Epperson Gallery. All the artists had framed their works, and they were beautifully displayed on the gallery walls. Here are mine:

I checked the sign beside my top painting... an award! Honorable Mention!

The paintings were being sold by silent auction. I checked the bidding... My painting, Carquinez Nocturne, was sold! and for higher than the price I put on it!

Here I am with one of the happy new owners holding the painting! That's my daughter, Shanna in the pink shirt. I'm sorry about the glare on the painting. See my previous post for a better view. I don't know many of the other artists here in California, so I cruised around talking to people. They all were very friendly, and we had a great time!

After that, we went to dinner at a local restaurant called The Dead Fish. Well, by chance, it overlooks the very same view I had painted in the painting that was sold! We were seated in a sort of tent, at a table with a heater and a large candelabra, holding three very drippy candles. We were given bibs, and assorted dead things were brought to the table for us to eat, all delicious! We had to eat the crabs with our hands, and had butter all over our fingers. It's fun to be so messy in public! Then, as it get dark, the scene before us turned into the painting. (Well, almost... actually it was painted from the scenic overlook above the restaurant.)

Here is the scene from the restaurant.

Across the Carquinez Strait

2011-06-03T11:45:00.000-07:00


Carquinez Nocturne oil on linen panel - 8" x 10"

There's nothing like darkness to simplify a scene and add a sense of mystery. This is the view from a "scenic overlook." It was a nice little park along the road, and I had been there several times in daylight. Well it seemed like a perfect spot for a nocturne (night painting): just a few simple shapes and the sky--quick, easy.

Ha, what was I thinking? First, the sky was changing really fast. It got dark very fast. Then a police car came into the park: just checking I guess, he cruised through and left. I decided to leave. I finished it at home. But, I am really pleased with this one. The darkness and subdued color makes the lights shine. James McNeill Whistler, one of my favorite artists, is famous for his nocturnes.

It reminds me of flying at night. I always try to get a window seat because I like to watch the sparkling lights below. It's like a "Welcome Home."

This is my third painting for the Crockett Paint Out. Now, I'll be framing them all.
I hope you have a good weekend!

Would You Paint a Blue Car?

2011-06-02T14:46:00.000-07:00

Burlington Hotel
oil on canvas - 11" x 14"

There I was, at Port Costa, looking for something to paint. And this big old yellow clapboard building with the sun shining on it was practically screaming, "paint me." It's colors were sunny and wonderful: yellow with bright blue trim! All the window blinds were at the same position. It appeared to be closed, but the sign said Burlington Hotel. It stood at the end of the street, so there was plenty of parking.

Well, I consider myself a landscape painter: as in trees, rivers, skies, natural stuff. I try to avoid putting in power lines, liter, cars... So I was disappointed to see cars parked in front of the building. Then, I looked again. They were blue cars! They harmonized perfectly with the trim on the hotel. So, I had no excuse, I had to paint it! I almost titled it "Three Blue Cars."

I had a lot of trouble with the straight lines, and had to fix that somewhat at home. Plan to carry a small t-square in my backpack in the future.

This is my second painting for the Crockett Paint-out. One more to go...

Sunlit Roses

2011-05-30T17:30:00.000-07:00

...Sunlit Roses...

oil on panel - 6" x 8"

Here is one of the paintings I did for the Crockett Paint Out. Crockett, CA, is a charming little town with a lot of older homes in the downtown area that have fancy details on the house and flowers in the yard. Roses especially grow well here. Big, huge bushes, covered with blossoms! I complemented one woman on her roses, and she said she doesn't have to do anything to them! Wow, I remember having a rose bush in WV, and I was always watering, fertilizing and spraying, and it didn't look half as good as these!

I painted these roses because they are joyful. And looking at them gladdens my heart. (Is that an old fashioned expression?). Oh well. That's how it is...

And, I hope, you will have your heart gladdened by looking at this painting!

Who? Me?

2011-05-18T12:11:00.000-07:00

...Who? Me?...

acrylic on Aquaboard - 6" x 6"

This is a painting I did for the Daily Paintworks Challenge. I thought it would be fun to try, especially since I haven't painted many animals. And I haven't done acrylics in years! And this was my first time painting on Aquaboard! (Why not just set myself up for difficulty!) And to make matters worse, my panel holder failed and dropped the painting, just as I was about to add a stroke--so the painting fell onto a fully loaded brush! I cleaned it up as best I could, but that is why there are two black spots behind the kitten's ear on the right. But I do think it turned out fine. I love the expression on the kitten's face!

Unframed, varnished, and shipped for free!

Click here to buy.

The Red Barn

2011-05-15T12:55:00.000-07:00

...The Red Barn...

oil on panel - 6" x 6"

How's this for an "S" shaped composition? There really was a road curving uphill to the barn, but it didn't curve this much. I exaggerated the curve to hopefully make the painting more pleasing to the eye. According to the book, Composition of Outdoor Painting, by Edgar Payne, "The dominant curves and slanting lines in this type generally suggest grace and movement and an easy relation of the parts."

By the way, I have found this book to be one of the most useful books I own. When planning a painting, I like to try out different compositional arrangements in a sketchbook first. I know, the wording is old fashioned (it was first published in 1941), but it has more actual principles that you can use than almost any of the art instruction books published today. If you are a painter who does outdoor subjects, I highly recommend it. I had considered at some point doing a book review on it, but there is so much in it, that would be hard to do in a single post.

I hope you are having beautiful weather and can get out and paint!

Study for studio painting

2011-05-05T20:06:00.000-07:00

Landscape Study

This is my current work. It is a small painting (5" x 7") which I did as an experiment. I am trying some new colors: especially laying in the underpainting with cobalt violet. Since I like the effect, I am doing this painting again, only larger. Also I will work on some compositional problems when I do the larger work. This is why it is good to do small studies.

Oh, in case you have not had your daily dose of cuteness today, I have baby geese!

As you may know, I live in a beautiful place. I am in an upstairs loft condo at the edge of a lagoon.

Well, yesterday morning, I looked out the window and there were two Canada Geese with 13 baby goslings, right below my deck!

See how they come and get under their mother's wing to get warm... So cute!

Of course, Oscar, the wonder cat, was on the case right away!

Here he is, hanging off the edge of the deck to get a better view!

After awhile, the parents took their little ones into the water, and they all swam away.

Here is Oscar, looking very disappointed... Poor guy.

California Wildflowers

2011-04-19T13:27:00.000-07:00

Sunday, I went out painting plein air to a park in Oakland. It was really a gray, foggy day when I started painting, but the sun came out as I finished-up. This was a little area of native wildflowers, which included the bright orange California poppies. There were some little yellow and white flowers that a former Easterner, I don't think I've seen before.

I have some conflict about posting my plein air paintings because I feel that they are just studies, and not as good as my studio works. But they are more spontaneous. When I am outdoors painting in the landscape, I am in the subject, I am part of it, so to speak, so it is a whole different experience than studio painting. In many ways, it is a different art form than studio painting. So, maybe they shouldn't be judged by the same standard.

Okay, I do have a tendency to think about stuff too much! Nonetheless, I am looking forward to my next plein air experience. That's the thing, even if the plein air paintings aren't as good from a technical point of view, they are a record of experience.

Thanks for reading these thoughts. Now you go out and paint! And try not to think about it too much!

Coyote Hills Paintout

2011-04-11T14:45:00.000-07:00

We checked in at 6:30 am and had our canvases stamped. I was glad I had put on five layers of clothing because it was so cold! I had tucked "Little Hotties" inside my gloves. The sun was just starting to come up as I set up my easel at the edge of the marsh.

I took a photo, and this is what the camera saw. Well, the idea is to catch the feeling, more than the appearance, and who wants to paint all that brush? So, racing the sun and painting as fast as I could, I did the top painting!

Here it is in progress.

This event was sponsored by the East Bay Parks, and Coyote Hills is part of the park system. After I completed the first painting, I walked to the top of a very steep hill to do a second painting. Well, now the sun was really up, and people were coming in to the park. They were all making comments about the paintings and how the different artists were painting differently (I think there were about 30 of us.) One guy took my picture, then I gave him my brush, and let him paint on my painting while I took his picture! It was a lot of fun!

Here are some more of the artists.

At 12:30 we all had to stop painting and return to the visitors' center, where we were given a tasty lunch by the park staff. We all were to bring frames and easels to display our paintings. Each artist had to choose one painting to display.

The park staff had set-up canopies so we could display our paintings without sitting out in the sun. Here you can see the artists setting up. People could vote on a People's Choice and bid on a silent auction to buy their favorite painting. Unfortunately, by this time it had become very windy! The easels started blowing over. Then the canopies were blowing over! So we took them down. But we all had a really good time!

Spring Tree--Lake Anza

2011-04-08T17:59:00.000-07:00

...Spring Tree--Lake Anza...

oil on linen panel - 6" x 8"

I went with some friends to Lake Anza, which is in a local park. People were there enjoying the sun and letting their dogs swim in the lake. I really liked this little tree, which was just starting to leaf out, but also starting to fall into the water. The lines of the branches were so graceful.

I set-up my easel and started to paint. I got the underpainting on, but that really needed to set-up a bit so I could put on the next layer of paint on without smearing. So, I came home and finished it in the studio.

Plein air painting along Lakeville Road

2011-04-04T14:22:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, I went out painting with some other artists. It was such a beautiful day! Sunshine at last! I liked the way the light was hitting this barn, and the atmosphere in the distance. Behind that fence in front of my easel there was a field of the cutest miniature horses with their fowls. People kept stopping and taking pictures of the horses. We artists talked about painting them, but they look like out-of-proportion horses, so we would have to title it "Miniature Horses," and still, really not a good subject for plein air, unless you know horse anatomy very well.
Anyway, I got really engrossed in the painting and was concentrating on mixing the colors to reflect the quality of the light. So, the resulting painting was a surprise--

I kept telling the others I don't paint like that. Well, not normally. They seemed to like it. I haven't decided...

New Day

2011-03-23T13:23:00.000-07:00

...New Day...

6" x 6" - oil on canvas panel

If you looked closely at my little layered paintings, this one had a pink sky above the band of yellow light. That layer had dried. I added the clouds on top of that, and wiped back to expose the pink. See how airy the clouds look? I love sunrises!

Back-lit Trees

2011-03-21T10:46:00.000-07:00

...Back-lit Trees...

oil on canvas panel - 6" x 6"

Painting the glow of backlighting can be difficult. But a glaze of transparent paint really captures the effect on these leaves. The ground shadows also are transparent as well as the shaded trees on the left. I made up a lot of this, so I hope it doesn't look too unreal. I'm not going to say what I changed, hoping you can just enjoy it as it is.

3 Cows

2011-03-19T18:48:00.000-07:00

...3 Cows...

oil on canvas panel - 6" x 6"

I had waited an hour and a half for these cows to come into the sunlight. They spent most of their time over in the shade under the background trees. The farmer saw me waiting, camera in hand, and just grinned. But he didn't approach me or ask anything. The cows looked very happy.

This is one of the layered paintings from the shelf in the earlier blog. Most of the paint here is opaque, but the transparent is in the dark of the background and the orangy ground under the grass.

It feels good to have this finished. I actually finished it and some others several days ago, but didn't photograph it till today.

Thanks for reading my blog! Have a good weekend.

All in a Row...

2011-03-13T13:31:00.000-07:00

Works in progress

The opaque layer was added next. Now they're starting to look like something. But they're still not finished.

Five Little Paintings...

2011-03-12T17:10:00.000-08:00

First layer--transparent color

Here are the same paintings from last time. I have added transparent oil colors, thinned with Liquin. Now, they're starting to look like something. How do I know where to put these transparent colors? Well, it's generally the darks, the shadows, the bright clear colors, and the stuff underneath (like the ground under the grass or color of light in the sky). Basically, it's my gut feeling of what would look right... just based on experience. Now, they will dry overnight.

You have a good evening...

Shelves

2011-03-10T14:42:00.000-08:00

I got two narrow picture shelves from Ikea and hung them yesterday. These, hopefully, will keep my paintings safe from Oscar, while they are drying.

This shelf has some 6" square panels with basic underpaintings on them. Even at this stage, it's pretty easy to tell which ones are dark dominant. (The light and mid-value dominant ones are not so easy). Well, it will become apparent in the next stage. Stay tuned...

Low Tide

2011-03-07T14:57:00.000-08:00

...Low Tide...

oil on canvas - 6" x 12"

Here we have stillness, and glowing light, and San Francisco Bay. And each sunset is wonderful! The distant mountain is Mt. Tamalpais, or Mt Tam, as it's called locally. The second little hill is an island. It looks like I painted this with only two colors, but I actually used about five! (Limited palette) I used a lot of layers, and it was interesting to see how it developed, as it changed with each new layer! Reminder to self: Take photos of each layer and post them...

Oscar is happy that I put down a "placeholder" for him so he knows where to sleep!

Actually, this is an empty frame that I use to view works-in-progress in the studio. I never just lay paintings flat on the floor, and now you know why!

Plein Air in Benicia

2011-03-02T15:37:00.000-08:00

...Fish-Riddell House...

oil on canvas panel - 6" x 8"

I went out painting with the plein air group from Benicia, CA. (DaGroup, a really nice group of artists!) They paint at different spots, and this was the subject for this week. The house has a long history, but the woman who lived here was Benecia's first plein air painter. Did you know Benecia used to be the state capitol?

Anyway, I don't usually do architecture, so this was a special challenge. And of course, painting outdoors at the scene is always challenging.

Well, little did I know, but the local newspaper thought our group painting outside would be a good story. So they sent a reporter out to interview us. Since I hadn't been with the group long (this was my 3rd time out with them), the reporter asked about how I paint, etc. There was also a photographer who was taking our pictures, and pictures of our paintings as they developed (no pressure there!)

As luck would have it, the painting came out fine. The sky was the same value as the roof, and at first I had made it lighter, so the roof would contrast with the sky. After I got home, I decided the painting would have more life if I darkened the sky, so this is the final result. The story will be a feature article in next Sunday's Daily Republic!

After the Thunder

2011-02-27T18:46:00.000-08:00

...After the Thunder...

oil on linen - 12" x 16"

I was just amazed by this sunset! The rain was ending, but still sprinkling. As the light of the sunset became red, it illuminated even the fog on the ground. I was sitting on a deck, attempting to do a plein air watercolor. (In the rain, ha!) Anyway, the photos survived, so this painting is from them. I started this painting in Deborah Paris's Painting Skies class, but added about 6 layers of glazes and scumbles after the class was over!

Stretcher Bar Drama

2011-02-27T18:38:00.000-08:00

Today, I had "stretch canvas for portrait" at the top of my "things to do" list. Remember the child portrait in charcoal I blogged about a long time ago? Well, that was a preparatory study for a portrait I was planning to do... before I got sidetracked with moving, etc. It is to be 15" x 19" to match the size of another portrait which is of the boy's sister. So, the first step here is to assemble the stretcher bars. I had the proper size stretchers, which I had ordered through the mail, months ago, when I lived in WV. They were still in their shrink wrap. When I removed the shrink wrap, I saw that there were problems. Can you see what they are?

If you look down the length of this bar, it is warped. (See the slight curving to the left?) A painting stretched on this bar will not sit flush against the frame. Sometimes you even see warped bars in the stores, so it is always good to hold them up and check. Also, there was another problem:

See how where the two edges meet, it is not level? The canvas will form a pucker here that no amount of stretching will be able to smooth out.

Well, those are problems of having to use mail order and not being able to see what you are getting, but now I live in an urban area and can just go out to the art supply store. Yea!!! So, I went to the Dick Blick store.

This was the sign at the entrance to the Dick Blick store. Food for thought.

Well, they had 19," but no 15" bars. However, the extremely nice clerk gave me a list of all the art supply stores in the area! So I went to a small store in Berkeley, Artists and Craftsmans, where they had some very nice, good quality bars, just what I needed!

See the difference? This is straight!

This is level, at least on the outer rim, where the canvas will be touching.

Okay, so I assembled the stretchers by tapping the edges together, carefully, with a hammer. Now it's important that the stretcher be square. So, here I am pressing it against a door frame to square it up.

This, of course, presumes that your door frame is square. If you live in an older house that has settled, it may not be. When I was in my previous house, I had to measure corner to corner, to square it up. Otherwise all my paintings would have been parallelograms!

Measure across each corner diagonally, they should be equal. Sorry about being so long-winded. And there's more!! But I'll save it for the next post.

Storm Break

2011-02-27T18:35:00.000-08:00

...Storm Break...

oil on linen panel - 12" x 16"

I love problem solving, which means I had a lot of fun with this one! Originally, I challenged myself to do the whole painting in black and white and only have the three spots of bright blue in the sky. But when I did that, it was basically a gray painting, and it was rather dull and uninspiring. I like the dynamic shapes of the clouds! They seem to be having a scrimmage in a gentle U-shaped bowl composition. So, I reworked the painting, putting more color in the shadows. Now I am happy with it. For some reason, the idea of two clouds duking it out, makes me smile.

Meanwhile, Oscar watched the whole thing from his high perch in the corner of the loft. It is hard for me to find a place to put paintings to dry, because he goes everywhere. I'm thinking of putting up some narrow wall shelves (too narrow for a cat!)

Deepening Shadows

2011-02-27T18:28:00.001-08:00

...Deepening Shadows...

oil on linen panel - 8" x 10"

This little scene is close to where I live, and it always looks so good! I want to paint it every time I walk by! The place is actually called Meeker Slough, but I didn't think that sounded like a very appealing title. Besides, the subject of the painting is the mood, not the place. The place is just the setting, to create the mood, or feeling. Sometimes I get totally blocked trying to think of titles for paintings.

Right now, we are having a storm with rain and 20 mph winds, and temps in the 30's. All the poor fruit trees got confused by the nice weather and are in bud, so we are hoping the temperature won't drop further. The plants here are usually confused! Some trees just dropped their autumn leaves last week. The spring flowers are blooming along the Bay Trail.

Point Isabel Sunset

2011-02-27T17:52:00.001-08:00

...Pt. Isabel Sunset...

oil on canvas on panel - 6" x 6"

This was a beautiful evening at the dog park at Point Isabel. There were a lot of people there with their dogs (which I didn't include in the painting). I had taken an online class from Deborah Paris on Painting Skies, which was really good! So, I want to do some more sky paintings. This one is quite small because I am trying out the technique and composition to see if I want to do a larger one. It has a fantastic glow, due to the final glaze of Gamblin transparent orange and brown pink.

Greeting the Morning

2010-11-23T16:10:00.000-08:00

...Greeting the Morning...

Charcoal and gouache on Arches paper

8" x 10"

Another little practice drawing... Since my new digs are an easy walk to a shorebird sanctuary, I'm trying to get into the swing of things here. I am not used to having to consider tides when I go out, but they really make a huge difference in the appearance of the landscape. I now have downloaded a tides chart and have high tide marked on my calendar! It only occurs at dawn and dusk about once a month, in the winter. This scene really needs to be in color, but, hey, I'm practicing.

Denis Dutton: A Darwinian theory of beauty | Video on TED.com

2010-11-21T16:56:00.000-08:00

Denis Dutton: A Darwinian theory of beauty | Video on TED.com

Cathedral State Park

2010-06-27T14:53:00.001-07:00

...Young Hemlock...

Yesterday, I went with my art buddies, Judy and Maria, to Cathedral State Park, near Aurora, WV. It is one of the last stands of virgin forest in the state. Ironic, that in the presence of huge 300 year-old trees, I would be most attracted to a young sapling, but I liked its expressive gesture. With all the chaos of detail, simplifying was a challenge. I used charcoal that Maria had made in her grill, from maple wood. It is smoother and gives a more sensitive line than any commercial charcoal I've used. Thanks Maria!

Child Portrait, step-by step, in charcoal #2

2009-11-19T11:51:00.000-08:00

I'm sorry this is not a good quality image, it was still on the easel. You can see I've refined and softened the skin. Still working with vine charcoal here. By the way, the finger cots are not used now because once you get a lot of charcoal on the page, they tend to pick it up, so I have switched to a maul stick.

Ordinarily, I don't like portraits of small children with open mouth smiles, because young children have gaps between their teeth that create a snaggle-toothed look. But this little boy has nice close teeth. This is not really a finished portrait, but a study for a larger oil I will be doing next.

Child Portrait, step-by step, in charcoal

2009-11-15T11:56:00.000-08:00

I like to begin portraits with a charcoal study. Actually I was this far along before thinking my blog readers might be interested, so I'm sorry I didn't take some pictures earlier. You can see the grid lines I used for placement, and you can see I massed in the shadows using soft vine charcoal. I sort of work back and forth with the charcoal and an eraser, putting in darks and taking them out, till it gets to where I want it.

Here is the set-up in my studio. There is the image on the computer screen. I like working from the computer because it is so easy to enlarge the image. Any artist who has tried to work from a photograph, even 8" x 10" size, knows what I'm talking about. As you can see, I made it easier on myself here by converting the photograph to black and white.

For you trivia buffs, I know this looks like a condom... It is a finger cot. I like to use my pinky finger to steady my hand, and this keeps skin oils off the paper.

Trout Pond

2009-10-23T07:54:00.000-07:00

...Trout Pond...

watercolor on 140# paper - 10" x 7"

This is a plein air watercolor of our beautiful WV autumn. Well, at least I tried. I have not done any watercolor painting for a long, long time, and boy, am I rusty! But there is something about the feeling of it, the downright joy of the colors, that caused me to go ahead and show it online.

Watercolors force me think in reverse from the way I have to think when painting in oils. I have to paint negative space and work light to dark, which is really an incredibly good exercise in visual thinking.

Primeval

2009-10-20T07:23:00.000-07:00

...Primeval...

oil on canvas panel - 6" x 8"

Another West Virginia landscape painting. Here is a rocky forest floor covered with moss. It was positively magical! The slanted light was just hitting the tops of the mosses, causing them to glow.

Taking my inspiration from the medieval icon painters, who painted on gold leafed panels (the gold symbolizing divinity), I covered the panel with Daniel Smith's gold gesso, and painted on top of that, hoping some of the luminescence would shine through. Sadly, I seem to have applied the paint too thickly, or perhaps the colors were too opaque. At any rate, the glow is only apparent in a few places. Here is a detail:

Even though I failed in my objective of communicating the beauty of those glowing mosses, I feel the painting still contains some of the magic and mystery of nature. I do intend to try some more paintings on gold gesso.

Purchase : $75 unframed (plus shipping). Please send me an email for availability.

See my other paintings on my website.

Framing

2009-10-17T13:50:00.001-07:00

...Nestled In...

oil on canvas on panel - 6" x 6"

Today was damp and cold, so I stayed in and framed paintings. I have a show coming up at the end of the month, and need to get everything ready. It's amazing how much more complete the paintings look in frames! This one is in a floater frame which shows the artwork all the way to the edges. You can see the pink underpainting.

Blue Ridge Mountains II

2009-10-07T14:19:00.003-07:00

...Blue Ridge Mountains II...
oil on canvas on board - 6" x 8"

Another misty sunset in the mountains. I used Grumbacher Copal Medium in this and really didn't like the effect this time. (It was fine when I was painting the red tulip, go figure.) But this time, every brushstroke seemed to lift the paint underneath.

Click here to buy $75 + shipping, unframed.

Redo--

2009-10-02T13:59:00.005-07:00

...November Earth...
oil on canvas - 18" x 24"

This is a painting that I did last year. I decided to repaint it so there would be more muted color in the distance and the sky. Adding a new layer (scumbling) of light blue or pink in places created a pearly effect that I really like!

Early Color

2009-09-23T13:22:00.008-07:00

...Early Color...
6" x 8" - oil on canvas

This is another plein air painting, started in the field and finished later in the studio. The leaves seem to be turning early this year, probably because it has been so dry. It is easy to get too detailed in a painting like this, especially since there is so much beautiful detail in the scene. I tried to lessen the detail by making the tree trunk on the left the same value as the foliage behind it. Not sure if it helped--It's hard to judge your own paintings when they're fresh.

While I was painting, one of my friends took my picture. Yes, I am using an umbrella in the shade! It really helped, too. There was dappled light coming through the tree above.

Falls Mill

2009-09-11T09:38:00.007-07:00

...Falls Mill...
oil on canvas - 6" x 8"

Last week, I went out plein air painting with some friends. We went to this little waterfall. There had been a mill here long ago, but all that's left of it is part of the stone foundation. At this hour of the morning, most of the scene was in shadow. I had to work really fast and did a quick study, which I finished later in the studio from a photo.

The photo, by the way, was really boring and looked nothing like my quick study. (Did you ever take a picture of a scene you thought was really beautiful, and when you see the photo, you wonder why you took it?) I altered the photograph on my computer so that the colors and contrast would match my study. Otherwise it would not have been useful at all.

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Oh, and here is the plein air study:

Lewis Falls

2009-09-03T14:46:00.004-07:00

...Lewis Falls...

oil on canvas - 6" x 6"

Another scene from Shenandoah National Park... Getting to the falls was quite a hike, but it was downhill all the way. Getting back was another story. This was as much of the falls as I could see, because there was so much brush in front of me, I couldn't see the bottom. As you can see, there wasn't a lot of water.

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Blue Ridge Mountains - SOLD

2009-09-02T05:44:00.007-07:00

...Blue Ridge Mountains...
oil on canvas - 6" x 8"

I can't believe how hard this was to paint. I had to wipe it off and start over three times! And I'm still not totally happy with it. I just keep telling myself, "It's only a daily painting, it's only a daily painting, it's only... "

Maybe I'm being too perfectionistic, but the very slight changes in the value and temperature of the colors, plus all the soft blending made a huge difference in the aerial perspective. The so-called "rules" of aerial perspective, (that colors get lighter and bluer and less intense as seen from a greater distance), seem to have been written on a sunny day with a blue sky. Here, at dusk, there was so much red in the light, there was a lot of purple in the distance. Actually, the color of those background mountains, which appears blue-violet here, had so much red it, it looked pink on the palette.

The sun seemed to be floating on a layer of purple mist. I put a little thalo turquoise in the sun, so it would vibrate against the reds.

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Shenandoah - SOLD

2009-08-30T12:41:00.005-07:00

...Shenandoah...
oil on linen on board - 6" x 8"

I spent last weekend at Shenandoah National Park. Beautiful! The flowers in this painting are black-eyed-Susans.

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Silver Morning - Sold

2009-08-27T13:18:00.006-07:00

...Silver Morning...
oil on canvas - 9" x 12"

I have been invited to take part in an exhibit, Carnegie Painted, hosted by 3rd Street Gallery in Carnegie, Pa. So, I went to Carnegie with Monica, an artist friend, to see what the town looked like. It was one of those misty mornings, and the sun was just starting to burn off the haze. I liked the silvery light shining off the rooftops.

Having grown up in the mountains, I know there is a comforting feeling of being nestled in among the hills, almost like being wrapped in a soft blanket. Their undulations protect you from the extremes of wind, snow, and sun. I lived for awhile on the plains, and it felt exposed, raw, but also expansive, and the sky was huge!

I really tried with this photograph, but can't get the colors to match the painting... Hope it doesn't look too bad on your monitor.

A Surprise!

2009-08-26T06:39:00.003-07:00

Several years ago, when I first heard about Google alerts, I set an alert for my own name. Now, whenever "Linda Schweitzer" is mentioned on the internet, I get an email with a link back to it. Yes, it is usually something that I have put in the internet myself. And of course, it keeps me up to date on what all the other Linda Schweitzers are doing. ;-) Obviously, this only works if you have an unusual name.

Recently, I was very surprised to get a Google Alert for this:

Linda Schweitzer Painter (Nx Power Lite)

View more presentations from ADRIANA CIOBANU.

I have no idea who Adriana Ciobanu is, or why she made the slide show. From what I find on the internet, she is in Romania. She did a very nice job! There is no link back to my website or blog though. I emailed her but have not received a response.

You read so much about people "stealing" your artwork on the internet, it makes you sort of paranoid. So while my initial reaction was suspicion, I am now very pleased! Thanks Adriana!

Mill Run

2009-08-22T16:00:00.004-07:00

...Mill Run...

oil on canvas - 8" x 6"

I was painting with the international plein air artists' group when I did this one. Every year we get together for a week of painting on location, taking turns going to each others' countries. This year the USA was the host country, and we were painting in Western Maryland, near Deep Creek Lake, Swallow Falls and Friendsville which was all beautiful! And the people were so friendly and generous! And, yes, we did see wild bears, but they didn't hang around long enough to pose for a painting (or even a photograph for that matter).

While I was painting, one of the other artists took my picture...

Heavens! I look like I am totally concentrating on it, which I guess I was...

I'm Back

2009-08-20T16:36:00.004-07:00

Thanks to everyone who noticed the absence of new posts and inquired whether I was okay!

I'm still alive, and have been dealing with more home repair issues. Specifically, my bedroom ceiling fell. Yes, really. Hazards of living in a 100 yr old house! Good thing I wasn't in bed at the time! I'm sure my cat would have been killed if he had been sleeping there. Then the washing machine died. Then the doorbell. And I had to have the yard dug up to replace the water pipes so I could get more pressure. But then the pressure killed the kitchen faucet. Anyway, I have been camped out on the sofa for over a month, and just finally got to move back into the bedroom. But, it is now freshly painted, with a new ceiling and light fixture, almost like a whole new room! And the washing machine is a speed monster!

I am still painting, but haven't been posting. Will try to catch-up in coming weeks. Thanks for bearing with me!

This is what the ceiling looked like.

Jake

2009-06-17T04:14:00.003-07:00

...Jake...
Oil on canvas - 6" x 6"

Isn't this the most endearing dog! Who could resist that tilted head and rolled eyes? He looks like a furry person who is about to say something! Jake is a golden doodle: golden retriever/poodle, and this is a commissioned portrait, which is to be a surprise gift to his human dad. I just hope his dad doesn't see this blog before Father's Day!

Allegheny Forest

2009-06-01T13:08:00.004-07:00

...Allegheny Forest...
Oil on Canvas - 6" x 8"

I guess I should explain my absence. Well, without going into a lot of detail, I had to deal with major home repair issues, the insurance claim, and two trips out of town. But the long and short of it is that with all that, I just got out of the habit of painting every day and posting to the blog. It's amazing how once you get out of the habit, it is so hard to get started again!

Here is a painting I did on another trip to Valley Head, WV. It was done outdoors, from life (plein air) and I had to work very quickly because the light was changing. The sun was rising behind these trees, creating a wonderful glow.

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Against the Wall Again

2009-04-27T15:05:00.004-07:00

...Against the Wall III...
Oil on Canvas - 6" x 6"

This is the last of my red tulip against the wall paintings... at least for now. I had wanted to do a series of the same subject, using the same colors because:

They might make a nice set if displayed together.
I wanted to experiment with using a different medium for each one.

If you are not an artist, you might want to stop reading at this point, because here comes some "shop talk."

The mediums were:

Gamblin Neo-Meglip--This turned out to be the most difficult to work with, because the brushstrokes showed in the transparent paint, and the paint started setting up, becoming sticky after about an hour.
Garrett Copal Concentrate--A resin, not really a medium, seemed to make the paint thicker. Really easy to paint with! Strokes blended like a dream. Did not seem to speed drying. Because it thickened the paint, I ended up using more mineral spirits than usual, but that didn't seem to increase the transparency of the paint. (You know the expression, "Oils slip, resins grip")
Grumbacher Copal Painting Medium--After the above experience, I decided to try this medium, even though it is a synthetic alkyd medium. At least it is an attempt to duplicate the effects of a copal medium. It did thin the paint and give better flow. Did not become sticky before the painting was finished. Paint seemed to have more body and less transparency than when using Liquin (another alkyd medium).

So, which did I like better? Garrett Copal Concentrate, though I'm now curious to try Garrett's Copal Medium, which I expect would thin the paint a bit, so I don't have to use so much mineral spirit.

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Against the Wall

2009-04-25T14:40:00.005-07:00

...Against the Wall II...

oil on canvas - 6" x 6"

Here is the tulip from yesterday. It is a different pose and lighting, but still against the wall.

Digital cameras seem to have a lot of trouble with reds, and I had to drastically turn down the saturation and cool the photograph's colors to make it look like the painting. The tulip is supposed to be a true red. Of course, monitors vary in color temperature too...

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Uncooperative Tulip

2009-04-24T12:59:00.007-07:00

...Against the Wall...

Oil on canvas - 6" x 6"

I was going to paint another classic tulip, this time with a red flower. Well, as soon as I got the tulip indoors, it splayed its petals. Then it refused to stand up straight. I finally ended up leaning it against the wall to get it into the right position. It reminds me of those police shows, where the arresting cop says, "Alright! Against the wall!" (Can you believe, when I was in school, we used artificial flowers--artificial fruit too.)

I used a lot of transparent painting here, to get the glow.

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Plein Air

2009-04-23T14:46:00.004-07:00

...First Greens...

oil on canvas - 6" x 8"

I went out plein air painting today with two artist friends. It was our first time out this year and was quite a challenge (translation: learning experience!) The trees haven't leafed out yet, the water here was shallow, so the mud on the bottom was showing. All the colors were grayed, except the bit of green on the marshy land to the right. The geese were entertaining us the whole time with their loud honks and splashing.

White Tulip

2009-04-20T11:58:00.005-07:00

...White Tulip...
oil on canvas - 8" x 6"

After doing flowers in their natural environment, I decided to try a more classical treatment, and go with a plain background. There is a simplicity about this that I really like. The tulip had the most wonderful and exotic fragrance!

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Daffodils II - SOLD

2009-04-12T13:50:00.005-07:00

...Daffodils II...
Oil on canvas - 6" x 6"

I am starting to realize that I tend to group my subjects in groups of two, while as an artist, I know that groups of three, or odd numbered groups are considered more interesting. I wonder if there is a deeper significance here? Or is it just that when working on a 6" square that I want to complete that day, I just don't want a lot of detail. A lot of daily painters just paint single objects... maybe I should try that?

But when you have two, or more, they seem to relate to each other, so it seems to give the painting a story, if only in the viewer's mind. What is the story here?

I've Been Honored...

2009-04-10T11:44:00.000-07:00

I have been honored by the wonderful artist, Carolyn Finnell, with the Passion for Painting Award. Check out her blog and see for your self her colorful still lives and delightful portraits. I first met Carolyn at the Carol Marine workshop, and was really impressed with her commitment and love of painting. Thank you, Carolyn.

Here are the rules:
- List 7 things you love
- Put a link to the one who picked you
- Choose 7 others to pass the award to
- Notify them of their award

Here are 7 things I love, not an exclusive list, however:
My children - son and daughter
My grandchildren - two little girls
Painting, of course!
Getting together with my friends.
The little corners of nature that still exist.
Going to art galleries and museums
Curling up on the sofa with a good movie and a purring cat.

Now, the magnificent seven artists I want to honor. Their work is really worth checking out.
Ali Cavanaugh
Don Gray
Linda Apple
Cooper Dragonette
Jan Blencowe
Qiang Huang
Kelley MacDonald

Thanks again to Carolyn for nominating me!

Back to Still Life

2009-04-08T12:09:00.006-07:00

...Round on Round...
oil on canvas - 6" x 6"

Sometimes my paintings surprise me...

I had been wanting to paint something on this polka-dotted fabric. These mushrooms seemed perfect because their round shapes repeated the round of the dots, and their neutral color seemed a good contrast to the bright pink. Now that I look at it, an alternate title might be "Floating on a Psychedelic Sea."

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April Snow

2009-04-07T14:15:00.008-07:00

...April Snow...

6" x 6" - oil on canvas

It snowed today! I went out to the trout pond, hoping for some good scenes, and was not disappointed. Many of the trees were in bud, causing a little haze of warm reds and browns on the branches. The sky was overcast though, and not reflecting color into the water or shadows. No, the little bush was not that orange. I exaggerated.

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Daffodils

2009-04-05T12:14:00.007-07:00

...Daffodils...
oil on canvas - 6" x 6"

It seems like every time I post a painting, I ask, "what can I say about this one?" And because these little paintings are constant challenges and experiments, the first thing I think of to say is usually, "That was so hard!" Well, of course it was hard! That's what makes it so much fun!

I eliminated thalo blue from my palette, and used the milder Sevres blue (a Rembrandt color). It allows me to get bright greens, but without it being so overpowering. This is actually the second daffodil painting. For the first one I did use thalo blue to get the deep, rich dark greens in the background. Then I realized there was no way I could paint over it (as with the small amount of overlap that would occur when doing the edges of the petals) without it mixing into the white and causing blue daffodils. I almost wiped the whole thing off, but then decided to let it dry, and paint over it later. So, another daffodil painting will be coming in a few days.

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Oscar, Upside Down

2009-04-02T13:16:00.004-07:00

...Oscar, Upside Down...
Oil on canvas - 6" x 6"

It has been so long since I've done a pet portrait that I had to learn how to do fur all over again. In fact, I've never done fur as fine and fuzzy as Oscar's. The fur seems to suck up the light and obscure the shadows, so it is a real effort to maintain the value pattern and give the form a 3-dimensional quality. Of course, the tabby markings don't help.

Oscar was not aware, when I bailed him out of the hoosegow, that his duties as studio cat would include modeling. But being a good sport, he decided to go along with it. This is a pose he strikes quite often, especially when he is about to be fed. He thinks this is a very successful painting, my best yet! He'll say anything for a tuna treat.

Reflections in Glass

2009-03-30T10:50:00.008-07:00

...Pansy...
oil on canvas - 6" x 6"

I wonder how many artists have gone insane trying to paint reflections in glass? I thought it would be a fun challenge, and it was! But these are daily paintings, meaning they are supposed to be simple subjects that don't take very long to paint. I remember taking a workshop with Don Eddy, who made a name for himself painting reflections in glass--row upon row of glasses, in display windows, in a photo-realistic style. Now that he is older, he says he was showing off when he did it, trying to impress other artists. (I know it sure impressed me!) It made him one of 5 living artists included in Jansen's History of Art (4th ed), the standard introductory college art history text. However, he feels that art should have a deeper meaning, and of course that is good too. But there's nothing wrong with showing off, in my opinion. Just shout, "Hey world! Look at this! Isn't it great!" After all, athletes do it all the time.

Anyway, after all this talking, I guess what I'm trying to say is, "Reflections in glass sure are hard," without sounding like I'm whining...

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A New Art Form...

2009-03-29T13:55:00.003-07:00

Here, in the spirit of sharing, and for your amazement, are some very skilled sheepdogs, savvy shepherds, and LED lights!

I think this video has gone viral, so you may have already seen it, but if not, Enjoy!

Forsythia--another view

2009-03-28T09:46:00.005-07:00

...Forsythia...
oil on canvas - 6" x 6"

Here is forsythia outdoors. The only way I could get this view, at the right angle to the light and with the dark trees behind, was to actually stand in the bush. Oh, the sacrifices I make for my art...

The background here is softened and rubbed out with a paper towel. So, the lights you see there are actually the white of the canvas showing through.

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"Horses Grazing"

2009-03-25T13:00:00.007-07:00

...Horses Grazing...

6" x 8" - oil on canvas

I was reading that an artist should tell her viewers where the scene in a painting is located, but, I don't know where I was here... (Somewhere in Tucker Co., WV) And what's more, I didn't mind not knowing, because I do know that if I go a little further, there will be something I can identify on a map. And the people are friendly.
I sort of got carried away on this one, and put in more detail than usual, but all that detail was just so nice!

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"Forsythia in the Window"

2009-03-23T13:32:00.004-07:00

8" x 6" - oil on canvas

This one was harder than the average painting (to paraphrase Yogi Bear). The little antique bottle is glass, but frosted on the inside in some areas. Like all my paintings, it's really all about the light.

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"Quiet Water"

2009-03-22T14:40:00.005-07:00

5" x 7" - oil on stretched linen

Another autumn scene while I wait for spring to arrive...

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"Brilliant Autumn"

2009-03-19T12:50:00.006-07:00

6" x 8" - oil on canvas

Here is the Cheat River again. I paint it a lot. Autumn is the most colorful time of year, and I like to make the most of it by getting a lot of photos. I also kayaked here. The water was so shallow, I could see every grain of sand on the bottom. There are dangerous rapids just downstream. (I don't do rapids.)
I like this one. The evening light had a lot of orange in it. I toned the canvas orange, and was still adding it to almost every color.

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"Grandmother's Baby Shoes"

2009-03-18T13:52:00.006-07:00

6" x 6" - oil on canvas

These don't look very comfortable, but they were the fashion, back around 1910. They have patent leather bottoms, kid leather tops, tassels in front, and buttons on the side. Styling! The buttons required a button hook. I wonder what people in 100 years will think of our children's shoes?

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"Autumn along the River"

2009-03-13T08:09:00.004-07:00

6" x 8" - oil on canvas

Here is another scene from just driving along the back roads of West Virginia. I just had to stop and take pictures. Can you believe this is the view from someones front yard? I'd like to do this one as a larger painting.

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"White Faced Cow" -SOLD

2009-03-12T14:27:00.006-07:00

6" x 6" - oil on canvas

I saw this lovely lady while driving down Route 50 with a friend.

"Crow"

2009-03-11T08:17:00.012-07:00

6" x 8" - oil on canvas

I love skies, especially at dawn and dusk. The crow was an excuse to do a sky painting, which I suppose is an insult to crows everywhere. The light changes so much at dusk that the part of the sky which appears to be blue is actually a yellow-gray. It just appears blue because it is cooler than the warm clouds.

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"Apple"

2009-03-09T13:40:00.008-07:00

6" x 6" - oil on panel

This was an experiment. I used a gessobord panel by Ampersand instead of my usual canvas Raymar panels. This surface is very smooth, and as with doing a watercolor on smooth hot-pressed paper, all the brushstrokes show. Also it is very absorbent, so the paint dries faster. As you can see, it looks different than my usual style. (Probably 5000 more brushstrokes than usual! It took a long time.)

I had not done any still-life painting till I started the daily painting routine, but I like it. Still-life has been called the "celebration of everyday objects." Here, a simple apple, sitting on top of the microwave, has become an iconic object. I loved the subtle color changes.

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At Last...

2009-03-07T13:19:00.005-08:00

"First Crocuses" 6" x 6" - oil on canvas

The arrival of spring is always exciting! While it isn't officially here yet, the first crocuses always bring the first color, and the promise of more new life to come. We had a beautiful day today, with temps in the 70's, sunshine and crocuses.

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"Flower in a Bottle"

2009-03-06T12:35:00.009-08:00

6" x 6" - oil on canvas

Extra points if you can identify the beer bottle...

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"Nestled In"

2009-03-03T10:14:00.005-08:00

6" x 6" - oil on canvas

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I just adopted a cat from the animal shelter. He is an adult neutered male, about 1 1/2 years old. Of course, with an animal from the shelter, you wonder about their past history, and what happened that they ended up there. Well, at first, "Oscar" acted afraid of me, but he got over that very quickly and has now nestled in. (And I bet you were wondering why I was talking about the cat, when this painting is obviously an apple!) Well, the apple has a gesture of being completely relaxed, leaning up against the side of the bowel.

And here is Oscar, completely relaxed on my desk, head leaning on a sketchbook...

"Melting Snow" SOLD

2009-02-25T13:51:00.006-08:00

6" x 8" - oil on canvas

As we were leaving Valley Head, the snow was melting, and this is what it looked like. You can see why this is a great place for landscape painters!

"Storm Clearing"

2009-02-24T13:38:00.005-08:00

6" x 8" - oil on canvas

The title says it all. I was on the edge of a very steep hillside. The wind was still blowing some snow, but the clouds were starting to part, and a little bit of sunlight was trying to peek through. The weather can change pretty fast here.

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"Logan Run Road"

2009-02-23T12:55:00.004-08:00

6"x8" - oil on canvas

On these cool, crisp days, it is truly glorious when the sun comes out! This is another from Valley Head. I tried to keep it loose, with the brushstrokes showing. Some small branches were scratched in.

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"February Light"

2009-02-22T12:52:00.002-08:00

8" x 10" - oil on canvas

I loved the way the golden light was coming through the snow-covered trees. The back-lit trees were in shadow, and appeared blue, while the side-lit trees were reflecting the gold light.

Valley Head

2009-02-21T13:02:00.016-08:00

I'm back from Valley Head. It was beautiful! We stayed in a wonderful B & B owned by Grey Darden and Don Morfitt, and painted every day. There was snow, like the scene below. Believe it or not, this is a color photograph.

So, at least one of my paintings looks almost like a black and white--

"Winter Road" 6" x 8" - oil on canvas

I love the drama of a dark sky with lighter land.

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"Standing Together"

2009-02-17T13:36:00.007-08:00

6" x 6" - oil on canvas

We don't usually think of plants as particularly fast moving creatures, but this one sure was! Maybe because I gave it a big drink of water before putting it in the light, but I had to chase it a bit as it rearranged its leaves. The petals started popping up as I was finishing, but I didn't put that in.

I'm not sure if I will be able to post to this blog for the next two days. I am going on a painting trip to Valley Head, WV, near Snowshoe Resort. But I will resume the blog on my return, along with some "show and tell" from the trip!

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"Buddies"

2009-02-16T14:35:00.013-08:00

6" x 6" - oil on canvas

Here is another still-life in natural light. I was especially interested in the shape and color of the shadows.

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Sunny Snow Day

2009-02-15T13:36:00.008-08:00

6" x 12" - oil on canvas

Sun so bright it hurts your eyes! Strong contrast. Sparkle on the melting snow. Here is one of our fast disapearing rural scenes.

"Golden Tree" -SOLD

2009-02-14T14:56:00.007-08:00

8"x 6" - oil on canvas

Here is the Cheat River in autumn. The one golden tree was just glowing. I did this painting from a picture I took from a bridge. While I was photographing, a man stopped his truck on the bridge, jumped out with a camera, and started taking pictures too. He said he had lived there all his life and have never noticed how pretty it was till he saw me taking pictures of it. Isn't that how it is so often? We take for granted what is in our own backyards.

"Pink Grapefruit" SOLD

2009-02-13T13:04:00.009-08:00

6"x 6" - oil on canvas

Recently, we had high winds, and the power was out all night. Next morning, as I was taking a shower in a cold bathroom, by flashlight, I was thinking, "What will I paint today?" which became, "How will I paint today?" No lights or heat, this will be like outdoor painting indoors. Then I thought... the artists in the old days didn't have electric lights, and they did some wonderful art! So, I decided to do a still-life by the natural light coming in the windows. (Most still-lives nowadays are lit by carefully controlled artificial light, that's part of the creativity in a still-life.) Luckily, the power came back on that morning, so I had heat. Here is the painting, with wild uncontrolled natural light, reflecting all over the place!

"Misty Sunrise"

2009-02-12T12:02:00.004-08:00

6"x 8" - oil on canvas

Here is the sun rising over Cheat Lake. The color of the fog was changing as the sun rose and the light changed colors. Ordinarily, I don't include flotsam in a painting, because people associate it with pollution (and sometimes that's what it is!) But here it was just some floating sticks and branches, and the light shining on it was adding a wonderful sparkle to the scene.

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Stage 2

2009-02-11T14:32:00.003-08:00

Here come the transparent brights. Future layers will look more "normal" because I will be using opaque colors.

Beginning a Larger Painting - Stage 1

2009-02-10T15:55:00.005-08:00

This is an 18x18" canvas, primed with Gamblin Oil Prime, so the surface is less absorbent than the usual acrylic gesso. I sketched the composition with a pastel pencil. Then I applied transparent colors diluted with a mixture of Liquin and mineral spirits. This was wiped off, softened, dabbed, and smooshed around with a paper towel, till I liked the basic pattern. This will be the underpainting. Looks like it went through a wind tunnel at this stage! Lively and full of action!

This is a layered approach, and is different from the process I use with the small paintings, which are completed in one layer.

"We're Orange!"

2009-02-09T15:48:00.004-08:00

6"x6" - oil on canvas

This is one of the paintings I did at the Carol Marine workshop last week. I am using it today because by the time I finished today's painting, it was too dark to photograph it.

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Sometimes My Sense of Humor Gets the Best of Me...

2009-02-08T11:12:00.008-08:00

Cupid's Wisdom
Oil on canvas - 6x6"

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I hope the writing on the purple heart is large enough to read on your monitor. I did it with a 3 haired brush.
This is sort of an "in joke" with some crazy artists I was painting with last week, in Texas, at Andreeva Academy. One morning, one of the guys wore an Abercrombie and Fitch t-shirt with the words DUMP HER on the front.

Then, one of the women, deciding it can work both ways, wrote DUMP HIM on the front of her shirt. This kind of started a mock feud between them.
So, the painting was my way of weighing-in on the subject. But wouldn't it be funny if the candy hearts were as off-the-wall as T-shirts? At least paintings of them can be!

"Snow Fence"

2009-02-07T14:09:00.003-08:00

8" x 6" - oil on canvas

Another snow scene. This time I decided to apply the paint over a magenta ground. If you would like to know where this is, it is in Canaan Valley National Wildlife refuge. The snow was so deep, I was on snowshoes. The clouds and light effects were just magical. However, I did not set-up my easel and paint on location. It was too cold and windy, plus the easel legs would have sunk into the snow too far. I took photos and painted later, indoors, with a nice cup of hot chocolate in hand.

"10% Chance of Snow Flurries"

2009-02-06T13:14:00.005-08:00

This was an almost completely light and dark gray scene. (No white, too overcast). To keep it from being too cold, I toned the ground a light orange. With blues and purples applied on top of the orange, it takes on an almost luminescent quality. Really neat!

8x10" - oil on canvas

John Twachtman, one of my favorite artists, would have loved this weather.

"Pink Rose" redo

2009-02-05T09:56:00.012-08:00

6"x 6" - oil on canvas

Well, not being happy with the first try, I did the rose over again. It seemed like when I added white to the color, it made it grayer. So, to be scientific about this, I only changed one variable: the white. I used flake (lead) white for the second one. I have known for years that flake white is warmer and more transparent than titanium or zinc white, but hadn't been using it because of the toxicity of lead. And usually I paint landscapes.

Just to compare, I mixed each of the two whites with permanent rose, and here were the results:

I don't know if you can tell on your monitor, but the top row is Utrecht White, and it is much duller and cooler in the middle values than the second row, which is Winton Flake White. Funny how you can know things and not remember that you know them, until there is a problem. Then you go, "Ah, yes, maybe if I had done this..."

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"Pink Rose"

2009-02-04T13:19:00.004-08:00

6"x6" - oil on canvas

With Valentine's Day approaching, the stores are full of roses. They are hard to paint, but of course, I regard that as a challenge. I'm not entirely happy with it, but am posting it anyway. Hey, it is my first attempt at painting a rose.

"Morning"

2009-02-03T15:18:00.005-08:00

6"x6" - oil on canvas

This is the first of my daily paintings. I just returned from a Carol Marine workshop which inspired me to create and post small works. If you are an artist, and considering doing daily paintings, I highly recommend Carol's workshops! Of course, some days, if I am working on a large painting, I'll post that too.
This painting was done from a photograph I took in Grafton, WV, on a wonderful autumn morning when a brilliant sun was burning off the mist.

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