Exhibit in El Cerrito

...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

...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

...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

...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

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

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

...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!