California Art Club Paintout - Sold

I painted this at the California Art Club paintout near Lafayette, CA. The clouds were low overhead and for a few minutes you could see sunlight piercing through in the distance.

Good old Keetna - in private collection

I painted this painting for a friend who was loosing her beloved companion to poor health and old age. I had gotten to know Keetna over the last few years and he was quite a mellow guy and had a beautiful coat. Keetna was almost 15 years old when I painted him here in his old front yard; he is sorely missed.

The California Impressionists show Oct 11-30, 2008

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I will be part of the California Impressionists show at the Link Gallery from October 11-30 in Cheyenne, Wyoming along with Carole Gray-Weihman and Rich Gallego. The opening reception will be Oct 11, 5-8pm. Associated with the show will be the William Sitting Bull fundraising action. William is also an artist at the gallery. He has recently been suffering from poor health and is in need of a kidney transplant and is without insurance. Because of the urgency the gallery owner has decided to hold a joint opening and auction where Williams and his wife Bonnie will be auctioning their artwork along with some donated pieces from some of the gallery artists. Many of the gallery artists will also donate a percentage of all sales during the show to William's fund. For more information about the show and William's auction please visit the Link Gallery web site at: www.link-gallery.com.

View from Stubbs Vineyards

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This and most of the other paintings done over the last year by all the artists in Art on the Farm will be on display at Point Reyes Vineyards on October 19, 2008 between 12:30-5:00pm. Food from Marin Organic family farms, Wine and art are available for purchase with part of the proceeds going to Marin Organic Loan Fund and part to the artist. Point Reyes Vineyard is about 1 mile north of Point Reyes Station on Highway One at 12700 Highway One.

Clouds over Petaluma

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This was painted at the Greater Petaluma Paintout in conjunction with the Oil Painters of America. It was a cloudy day with the light going in and out of shadow. I decided to paint the hills looking east and the clouds above them. The sky in this painting was completely done with the palette knife.

Fresh Run Farm

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I joined a local organization called Art on the Farm this last spring. I have been too busy to go on the paintouts until this paintout held at Fresh Run Farm. The organization teams up artists and organic farms with a show at the end of the year where part of the proceeds from sales go to the Marin Organic loan fund and part to the artist. It's always great to paint with a bunch of artists and make new friends but it also feels good to do something for a good cause. The Show is October 19th. More on that in the next Art on the Farm post.

Fidel on a Gray Day.

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This is a sketch of Fidel that I painted on an overcast day. I started by covering the board using a palette knife then switching to a brush. The palette knife helps you block in large shapes and keeps you from getting into the detail too early.

Marta with Umbrella

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The first week of September we host a Peggi Kroll-Roberts workshop here at the l'Atelier aux Couleurs. My partners and I facilitate the workshop and paint once everything is set-up. I painted this study along with 5 other sketches on a 16x20 board and was rather pleased with this one, especially for a quick pose, 40 minutes or so. I did another 20 minute sketch following this one and then went in the studio to get something for one of the students. When I got back I saw Camille and others with a long face and saw my board was leaning against the easel. When I was away a gust blew my easel and board over and the paintings landed face down in the dirt and dried grass. "Oh well", I said and started to clean up my set-up when another gust blew over my paintings for a second time. Doh! This painting and the last sketch where completely covered with debris. I decided to wait til it dried to try and remove the debris and this is what survived.

Late Afternoon Aspens

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On our last painting day in Estes Park we drove to a different area and found this nice grove of aspens with green grass behind them. It was late in the day when we started painting and we had to rush to capture the light as it was moving quickly behind the trees. the effort paid off as this painting recieved an Award of Merit for the Estes Park Plein Air event. This painting and all the other unsold Estes Park paintings are available at the Earthwood Collections Gallery in Estes Park, Colorado.

August Snow

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The area around Moraine Park in the Rocky Mountain National Park is just spectacular. If you walk out in the valley to the winding stream and look up at the snow capped peaks it's awe inspiring. And the mountains look different every few minutes as the clouds go over them, or the rain comes in or when there's fog in the valley. Sometimes the distant mountains are crystal clear and other times they disappear into the atmosphere. This was painted late in the day and it was dark when I packed up. I had to work on it a second time to get the effect I was after which was the way it looked when I first set up.

The Wicker Chair - Sold

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At the Quick Draw we could choose between 3 models, a still life set up and any scene or landscape we could view from the park. I chose to paint this young lady, or should I say the wicker chair as I had not yet seen the model. The models usually arrive shortly before we start painting. We had 90 minutes to paint minus the 10 minute model break. When the whistle is blown you have 15 minuted to frame it, wire it and turn it in to be hung in the park. There was a live auction for all the quick draw pieces in the center of the park. My painting sold as did the majority of the paintings. This was a 14" x 18" oil painting on canvas board.

Twin Sisters

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This was painted off the road between Estes Park and Allenspark looking out at the Twin Sisters. The clouds were a big challenge on this piece as there was a short window when the sun would peak over the top of the mountain and give me the shadow pattern I liked. Too early and all shadow. Wait too long and there was just a little shadow. If the clouds came over during that time I would paint by memory for a while then pack it in. It took 3 trips back for this painting.

Colorado Country

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I started this painting in the afternoon after I painted Colorado Vista. I loved the clouds that were coming over the bluff in Lyons so I quickly set up my gear and got a glimpse of the clouds in my painting. They quickly passed over my head so I used the next set of clouds to use as reference. And then the next set, and the next, and so on. I didn't realize how fast they were moving when I set up but I guess because I am looking up in this scene and the clouds were so low to the mountains it really accentuated how fast they were moving. This painting is available at Earthwood Collections Gallery in Estes Park, Colorado.

Colorado Vista

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This is the first painting I did for Estes Park Plein Air event. I enjoyed the red rock near Lyons and found this spot looking through some trees to frame them. I was excited to have a strong start on my first day of painting and I also started a second painting that I'll try to post tomorrow titled "Colorado Country". Unfortunately the weather turned on our third day and we lost two days due to rain.

All of my unsold paintings for this years event can be seen and purchased at the Earthwood Collections Gallery in Estes Park, Colorado.

Wyoming Mountains - Snowy Range

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We left Cheyenne on Wednesday and Thursday to head up to the mountains for some different scenery. We went up in search of the Snowy Range not knowing what we would find but it sounded good. We were amazed to find this beautiful range with snow still on it in August and clear lakes below it. On Wednesday I started a 16"x20" but there were clouds covering the sun all day along with some rain. On Thursday the light was completely different so I decided to start a new painting to take advantage of having the sun out. I look forward to going back to the Snowy Range to do some more painting.

High Noon - Sold

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For the Quickdraw on Saturday they had set up a model for us as a cowboy. He was fun to paint with his guns and leathers.

Downtown Cheyenne

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This is a building in the downtown section of Cheyenne. It is just down the way from where I painted the Tivoli window.

Immortalized

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While I was painting the Tivoli window Earl walked up and asked me to put him in the painting. I told him I was almost finished with that painting but if he could wait a few minutes I could do a new painting of him. He agreed so I quickly finished the other painting and moved my set up over so he could pose for me. He kept saying "I'm being immortalized" while I was painting. He also ask that I get his cigarette in the painting. He seemed to really enjoy being the focus of a painting and I was glad to have a good model. He held the pose really well too.

Tivoli Window

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This is a window detail of the Tivoli building in downtown Cheyenne. It is a beatutiful piece of architecture and I love the color and simplicity of all the details of this building. I chose to paint the window because of the way the reflected light was bouncing into the shadows.

Sunset Over Cheyenne

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This was a sunset painting I did after a day of heavy rain. I had earlier in the day chosen a scene I wanted to paint and sketched it out in oils. Just when I was about to start in on covering the canvas it started to rain. I was thinking I would tough it out since I had a small umbrella to cover my painting. Just about then a lighting strike came over the hill and then the thunder close belind. I looked around and noticed I was standing under the only power lines around and about three feet away from a power pole with a transformer on it. I didn't think that was the smartest idea to continue to paint but I decided the painting was worth the risk. Then a loud boom came over head and the lightning stike was a lot closer and the rain started to really come down so I quickly threw my gear into the truck and decided to wait for the storm to pass. Several hours later it did pass but it was time to meet the other artists and gallery owners for a dinner on the ranch. I never did get a chance to paint on my sketch.

This painting of the sunset was done after dinner and on our way back to town. We had been wanting to paint a sunset and we thought we might get a good one with the clouds and rain coming down in the distance. I really enjoyed painting this painting and it looks better in real life. I think I captured the rain showers in the distance but they don't show up in this photo of the painting. This painting along with the rest of the Wyoming Plein Air paintings can be seen at the Link Gallery in Cheyenne, Wyoming.

Wyoming Country - Sold

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This is the first painting I did for the Wyoming Plein Air. The location is a little southwest of Cheyenne and the clouds got my attention along with the wide open country. The paintings for the event are on display at the Link Gallery in Cheyenne. This painting sold at the opening reception.

Above Teton Village

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I did the Jackson Hole Art Festival on July 26 & 27. On the second day I set up my easel behind my booth and painted a landscape within view. The previous day I stared up at the pine trees on the green hill side and finally had to paint it. I tried to paint nice and thick and was happy with the painting.

Garden Jewels

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These beautiful canna lilies are at the Alameda community gardens. They stand over 6 feet tall and were a real challenge to paint as they were blowing in the wind.

Still Waiting - Sold

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After getting lunch I saw this charming picket fence being back lit. I decided to pose Marta back lit in front of the fence and try to capture the effect of light.

Lost in the Moment

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This was painted for the Alameda Plein Air Quickdraw where all the artists got together between 10am & noon and painted the downtown section of Alameda. I chose to paint Marta on a bench in Jackson Park.

Bathed in Pink.

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I painted Marta on the beach for the second day of the Alameda Plein Air. It was a nice afternoon and Marta braved the sun. We were joking about how there aren't too many jobs where one gets paid to lay on the beach. Marta did earn her modeling fee as even with sunscreen she received a minor sunburn on parts of her legs. Her pink legs the next day did influence the naming of the painting.

Lagoon Sunset

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This was painted at the lagoons on Bay Farm during the first day of the 2008 Alameda Plein Air event. I wanted to capture the glimmer on the water from the sunset framed by the silhouette of the trees.

Above San Clemente

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This was painted near the spot where I painted the first San Clemente painting. Actually my easel would be in the center of that painting and I would be looking to the right. Carole was painting her award winner to my left.

I was looking for something to place in the foreground and I liked the way the palm tree and the plants around it stood off against the desaturated, distant hills. There was never a lack of atmosphere during this event. This painting is hanging in the San Clemente Art Gallery.

Girl in Sunlight

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This is the painting that I did in two hours for the San Clemente quickdraw. We had a great model in this beautiful white dress against the sunlit lawn. We were lucky to have the sun mostly out instead of the usual marine layer. My main goal in this painting was to capture the effect of light.

Setting Sun

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I loaded my gear into the truck after painting "Palms in the Sea Mist" and then I saw this beautiful sunset. I was out of quarters for the parking meters so I looked around and found 29 minutes on a meter. I quickly moved the car, unloaded my gear and quickly painted this scene. I started with the sun because it was going down quickly. I barely had it in when it disappeared behind the marine layer. I quickly laid down spots of color to lock in the color key and then finished it off as it was getting dark. And no, there wasn't any time left on the meter or a ticket on the windshield when I got back. It was a good day.

It'll Burn Off

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I went back to the beach in hopes that I could paint the bluffs over the beach with a strong light and shadow pattern. It was again overcast so I decided to emphasize the beach instead of the bluffs (which are just off the left side of the canvas). I tried to layer the painting in atmosphere with the deepest, richest colors in the forground and desaturating the color as I go back to the distant bluffs. This painting is hanging in the San Clemente Art Gallery along with another painting I'll post soon.

Palms in the Sea Mist

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It was a sunny afternoon so I went down to San Clemente State Beach. I walked up the beach along the train tracks and found a beautiful sunny scene to paint. I hurried back to the car, got my gear and headed back to find the marine layer was coming in fast. I instead chose this scene to paint because of the nice atmosphere between all the palms and the bluff in the distance. At times the bluff would disappear into the fog. Of course the sun came back out after 30 minutes leaving me to paint from memory to finish the piece.

San Clemente Sunset

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I went up in to the hills above San Clemente and found this vantage point in a neighborhood above El Camino. I went back to get my gear and then started painting this quickly changing scene. I love painting sunsets as you usually only have 30-45 minutes to capture it before it's too dark to see what you're doing. When I paint this way I just go for it as there is no time to over plan the piece. These paintings are usually quite spontaneous and fresh looking with juicy brush work.

Light Play

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The marine layer was thick in the morning; as it is most mornings this time of year. This allowed for some nice atmosphere in the painting. I chose to start this piece with a palette knife because the mist was burning off quickly and I wanted to get my color notes down before it did. I ended up using only palette knife for this piece. Hope you like it!


Note: This painting received Best of Show at the Napa Valley Museum's Biennial Plein Air Exhibit earning me a One Man Show at the museum next spring. Stay tuned!

Napa Vineyards

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The Napa Valley Art Festival is coming up on May 31 at COPIA in Napa, CA. I wanted to get some local paintings done for the festival so I came up to Napa for a few days to paint.

It started out kind of foggy and then it burned off as the day moved along. This scene is just north of the city of Napa.

Vineyards in the Napa Valley

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This is a painting I did in the Napa Valley up near Calistoga. I caught a glimpse of this scene as I was driving by so I went back and found a good place to set up and paint from.

Yountville Vineyards - Sold

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This is a painting I had done a while ago but wasn't quite satisfied with it so it went into the stacks of paintings. I wanted more vineyards pieces for the upcoming Napa Valley Art Festival so I went through the stacks remembering this piece and knowing it was really close to working. So I lightend and intensified the top plane of the vineyard and touch up the trees in the distance. Viola! Now I'm really happy with it and it sold at the Napa event. I know the new owners will give it a good home!

Garden in Alameda

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Alameda had a garden tour and the painters selected for the Alameda Plein Air were invited to paint at these private gardens. About a dozen artists came to the event and we each were given a garden to paint. I was planning to paint at the main garden when I thought I would check out this smaller garden down the street. The owners had done a wonderful job of making a beautiful retreat with many private areas in their backyard. I chose this one to paint.

Edgar Sketch

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Here's another sketch of Edgar in the fishing cap. I spent a little longer on this sketch, maybe 40 minutes.

Edgar in fishing cap

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My neighbor Edgar, who is an awesome artist himself, modeled for my class today. I did this oil sketch in 20 minutes.

Sangha waiting.

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I saw Sangha over my shoulder resting while I was setting up my easel. He was bored and waiting to have some fun. I decided to try to paint him before he wondered off. I think it was the first time where I had to look over my shoulder and behind me in order to capture my subject. It reminded me of fly fishing in a tight spot. He of course got up to say hello to some folks after a little bit but I had enough time to get this little sketch done.

Pink Glasses

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There was an antique fair the day after my opening so I took my easel outside and painted a vendors glassware. They were a peachy pink color and I wanted to see if I could capture the color. I bought some antiques to use as still life props so they should start to pop up on the blog.

Bodega Headlands

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I wanted to have a larger painting for my 3 person show this last weekend so I painted this 20" x 24" painting based on a study I did in October. I started it last Thursday and finsihed it Friday afternoon and hung it Friday night at the gallery. I guess I cut that one a little close. I'm looking forward to starting some larger pieces for the Napa Art Festival coming up May 31.

Helen Sketch with values

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I've added a wash in values so I get a better feeling for my overall values. My original study ended up too dark because I had a bright warm light too close to my canvas. When I later placed the painting in another room I was shocked to see how dark it was. A mistake I hadn't repeated since school days. I want to correct for this now.

Helen Sketch

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This is a start of a 20" x 24" oil painting. I had done a study a while back and wanted to do a larger, more finished version. This sketch is done in oils directly from the 11x14 study.

Katie Sketch

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Here is the second sketch I did Saturday night. Pretty girls are always harder to get the likeness. Again, it was an oil painting sketch on a 12x16 canvas board.

Sketch of Ben Zevaleta

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I've been busy getting ready for my new show in Folsom, California next Saturday, April 19th and haven't been able to post until now.

Today I went to the gallery to bring a few paintings and stayed and did some sketches through the evening. I met another artist there and I asked him to pose for me so I could do a sketch. He graciously stood for me while I did this oil sketch on a canvas board. It was about a 30 minute sketch on a 12 x 16 board. His name is Ben Zavaleta, look him up on google!

Emma in the Park

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We met Emma about a year ago and thought she would be a good model for our figure painting classes. Today we headed out to a local park where I set her on a burgundy blanket in the sun with a shadow of a tree behind her. Of course the sun was in and out and the wind picked up but I managed to get this 2 hour painting done of her. Look for more paintings of Emma in the coming weeks.

Don in Fishing Garb

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I painted this with my frineds down at Marin Art School. I was happy with the block in...

Demo of Don

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This is a 45 minute demo I did in last Thursdays head painting class. I was trying to demonstrate the need of keeping all the values in the light separate from the values in shadow.