Jamie -an oil portrait, and...about drawing

oil 12x9 magnify The last painting from my painting frenzy day. Painted from the live model. For most of my figure painting I have used the Zorn palette: white, black, yellow ochre and cad red. I didn't have those with me, so I used my usual primaries: ultramarine blue, cad red light, cad yellow light and white. I was happy with my skin tones, but not with my drawing. Her features are a bit askew. I don't really enjoy drawing. Does anyone else feel like that or is it just me? I draw just enough to be able to paint an accurate painting. This time, not accurate enough! Time to work on that, I decided. So I ordered the book below from Amazon. Here's just one page of my sketchbook showing some of the exercises from the book.

Scott's book is for beginners and the experienced as well. In it he teaches basic principles useful for drawing any subject. I recommend it. Now I know one book will not fix my drawing weaknesses, but practice will! My next portrait showed a lot of improvement. That's coming up in the next post. So how do YOU feel about drawing? IN OTHER NEWS: Southern Californians, mark your calendars! ART IN THE PARK NEWPORT BEACH is coming up on Saturday, October 11th. 10-4 on the Civic Green, 100 Civic Center Dr. Over 100 artists including ME! It will be my first year at this event, so I'm really excited! I hope to see you there. AND MORE NEWS! Tomorrow morning I'm headed off to a workshop in Colorado given by Kim English. Waaaahhh HOOOO! Visiting family too, so I won't be posting for a couple of weeks.

AMY'S HEIRLOOMS - a still life oil painting of tomatoes from Amy's Farm

oil 12x12 inches magnify/not for sale I guess I'd never really seen heirloom tomatoes. The colors were so amaaazing! To me they were as beautiful as flowers, but in a tomatoey way. I painted larger than usual (12x12) to have room for all those color shifts. A few days later their vine ripe juiciness became the most luscious tomato soup. They practically peeled themselves and when I cut into them the color on the outside was inside too. I used a bit of diced onion sauteed in butter. Cooked the 'maters with not too much water, and some fresh basil and oregano. Then a roux to thicken and sugar to taste. Who says you can't talk cooking on an art blog. Soup is an art! Right?

The Grain Bin, Amy's Farm (sold) - And A Painting Frenzy!

oil 9x12 inches magnify One day back in August I took advantage of an overcast morning and headed down the road to Amy's Farm, one of my favorite painting spots. I try to stick with how the scene looked when I started, but the sun came out and added interest to that grain bin. I know it's risky to "chase the light", but I couldn't resist. I'm pleased with the result. At Amy's farm they sell all kinds of organically grown veggies. They had just harvested the most gorgeous heirloom tomatoes. I bought a big bag full and was home by noon. They looked so beautiful on my kitchen counter, their rich color just sucked me in and pulled me into my studio to paint. Finished around dinner time, I ate something quick and headed off to my paint/talk/laugh group. We had a model that night. It was a crazy wonderful day of painting. Plein air, still life and portrait all in one day. Not planned at all! Here they are lined up against my backyard fence.

I'll post the tomatoes and portrait in the next two posts.

Show Weekend

Here are some pictures from the Associated Artists Show at Victoria Gardens last weekend. Thank you to Associated Artists for the oversized display area. Perfect!

My painting, Sunflowers and Eucalyptus won First Place in Oils. That was REALLY exciting!

I painted like a crazy woman and enjoyed talking with so many very interested on-lookers. One sweet lady, Mimi, came back on Saturday morning and stayed through to the completion of the painting; about 6 hours! Here are some progress shots.

And last, but not least, here are some of my biggest little fans. Four of my six grandchildren are pictured. Little Elijah is only 21 months. Doesn't he look happy?

I'll post the finished paintings for sale at a later date. What a great weekend it was! Thank you, Associated Artists for all your hard work. Thank you to my daughter, Shelly and friend Linda for the photos.

Along The Rogue

oil 9x12 inches magnify/purchase Last painting of the trip. The morning was overcast and cool, but the sun was trying to come out. I got so shivery I had to go get a sweatshirt. I can paint when I'm hot (barely) or cold, but if I get cold enough to shiver I can't control the paintbrush! As a native Southern Californian it felt kinda good to shiver in August. This is one of those paintings that looks so much better in person. Full of subtle color shifts.

Simple Fishing

oil 9x12 inches magnify/purchase The last few days of our trip we camped on the Rogue River at Grants Pass, Oregon. This couple went out each morning from the other side of the river to fish. They would float away downriver and then motor back up again within view. I tried to capture this simple, peaceful little excursion in their small shiny boat. What a nice morning for the blue-shirted lady. I think she was just along for the ride. Once I got the scene drawn in, the boat floated away of course. So I worked on the rest of the scene until they returned again and again never in the exact same position. I had to rely on my memory. It was a fun challenge and forced me to simplify the figures. Does the painting make you want to get in that little boat?

Chevy To Market -SOLD

oil 8x10 inches magnify/purchase Our first day in Cannon Beach I noticed this truck in front of Mariner Market. The next day it was in exactly the same place. I took my chances that it would stay there long enough to paint it, and it did! Most of the passers-by wanted to know what I was going to do if it moved. I had taken pictures, but I'm so glad it stayed put! I love old vehicles.

Beach Creek

oil 8x10 inches magnify/purchase Painted on location at Haystack Rock in Cannon Beach, Oregon. Where's the haystack? Waaaay off to my left. I chose this scene for the clouds. My linseed oil was missing from my pack when I started, so I painted this without any. Too far to walk back to camp. I discovered that while manganese blue works well for sky and water in Southern California, I needed ultramarine for these northern scenes. Lots of grayed blues. A HISTORY NOTE: This is Ecola Creek flowing into the ocean. Ecola is the Native American word for whale. The story goes that Lewis & Clark were nearby when they heard there was a beached whale at this location. They traveled to this spot to see it and named the creek. IN OTHER NEWS: I'm off to Victoria Gardens to paint. Last day of the show. I've talked to so many nice art lovers, and done two sunflower paintings so far. Once I have posted all the paintings from the trip, I'll share photos from the show.

Oregon Coast

oil 9x12 inches magnify/purchase Painted on location about twelve miles north of Gold Beach, Oregon. I liked the gray sand in this location. We stayed at a campground very near this spot, called Honey Bear. Privately owned by a friendly German couple. On Saturday night they served a nice dinner in their German style dining hall. Live entertainment before and after included the owner singing German songs. Fun stuff. IN OTHER NEWS: I'm happy to announce that I received First Place in Oil at the Art Show last night for my painting "Sunflowers and Eucalyptus." I was also awarded the Pomona Valley Art Association Award for "Hibiscus High." Thank you to Associated Artists of the Inland Empire for all their hard work putting on a great show and promoting arts in the area for fifty years! I'll share some pictures in the next post.

Camping Among Giants

oil 10x8 inches magnify/purchase Painted on location at Humboldt Redwoods State Park, CA. For more info, see my post on August 28.

Country Road -SOLD

oil 8x10 inches magnify/purchase Painted on location in Buelton, California, just three miles from the little Danish town of Solvang.