Field Study, Solvang

oil 8x10 inches Along Alisal Road in Solvang the fog was lifting and the light shone through moss hanging from the trees. I took pictures, then drew in the cows quickly. They nibbled away and lumbered out of the picture. After finishing the painting, I added the cows back in by looking at my camera. Maybe they are too small. I'll check that out when I have time. I've been busy with a commission and some violin paintings. Going to Blue Jay tomorrow for a few days to visit/paint with a friend and to return her violin. I'll post again on Monday. Happy Easter everyone!

Saintly Figure

oil 10x8 inches During my weekend at the mission, I kept admiring this weather worn wooden figure of Saint Francis. Finally on Sunday morning the light was just right to paint it. I have drawn him a bit plumper than he actually was. When I paint outdoors I try to work quickly before the light changes. This is just another reminder to slow down and get the drawing right. Anyway, I do like this painting, especially because while painting, I could hear the music and teaching of Sunday mass just behind me. Perfect way to end the weekend.

Courtyard Fountain

oil 10x8 inches This might be my favorite of the mission paintings. The cypress trees provide strong verticals to the design.

Mission Reflection

The mission architecture reflected in the window here caught my eye. The column closest to me was in cool shadow and the wall was hit with warm light. A puzzle in pulling off depth, shallow though it may be. Several of us were talking about the mission's illusive wall color. At times warm white, or salmon, or pink, or yellow depending on the light direction and time of day.

Morning Comes

oil 6x8 inches Saturday morning I couldn't wait to get out and paint. Got up at dark thirty which I usually only do to catch a plane or some fish. High was gonna be 82 degrees. Shorts weather. So I got out there in the field before the sun was fully up and LOVED the subtle color and warming sky. I would have just a few minutes before the sun hit my subject and everything changed. I painted really fast and simple, and I'm happy with the result. Fast was good, 'cause it was 43 degrees and I was shivering uncontrollably! The water droplets were added the next day during the fancy back-of-the-car photo shoot when the painting fell onto my dewy car bumper.

Mission Afternoon

oil 8x6 inches I arrived at the mission at about 3pm on Friday. I was excited to see so many artists already set up and painting. Some had been there since morning. I could tell this was a motivated bunch! Yay, I thought, 'cause I just want to paint too!!! I dropped my stuff in my room and squeezed in this little study before dinner at six. The pepper trees had been damaged by frost and turned that bright red-orange. My intention for this weekend was to practice and have fun, and not sweat over the results. So while these little studies may not be my very best work, they are part of the journey. All of them are in my car right now screaming at me to fiddle with them! I'm leaving the little buggers in there till I get home tomorrow.

Lemon & Leaves

oil 6x6 inches click for purchase information This is the last lemon painting before I left town. I think it's my favorite. I had a fabulous time at Mission San Antonio de Padua painting with about 50 fellow artists. Tomorrow I'll try to get photos of my paintings. Here's a shot of the front of the mission. It sits on 85 acres twenty miles from any town and is the least visited of all the missions. So authentic, peaceful and inspiring. I'm on my way home now with a stop in the Solvang area for one more day of painting, and maybe a danish or two.

Lemons & Twigs -sold

oil 8x16 inches The lemons here came from a friend. I cut some twigs from my ficus tree to add leaves and sticks. I have one more lemon painting to post. Meanwhile, tomorrow I head five hours north for a paint retreat at Mission San Antonio de Padua. No TV, no internet, sketchy cell reception. More time to paint!

Lemon And Blue -sold

oil 6x6 inches click for purchase information Lately I've seen some discussion online about yellow. Funny, 'cause I've been thinking about it myself. I couldn't paint without yellow, but maybe, just maybe I can paint even lemons without cad yellow light or cad lemon. For a long time I've used a cool and warm of each primary, so cad yellow medium for the warm and cad yellow light or lemon for the cool. But in a workshop a while back Jennifer McChristian mentioned that you can make cad yellow light by adding white and a hint of ultramarine blue. After experimenting, I've found that to be true though I doubted it at the time. So here's a lemon that is painted with cad yellow medium. No lemon for the lemon.

Vase With Fruit -sold

oil 6x6 inches click for purchase information This multicolored vase is really shiny and a challenge to paint. I used natural light from the window for this one.

Syrup Pitcher With Fruit

oil 8x6 inches click for purchase information For the last several paintings I've been experimenting with using cool light and natural light rather than a strong warm/cool spotlight. Also, I've been laying in the background and shadows first, then painting the objects from back to front, opposite of my usual process. I really like the resulting softer edges. Found this pitcher at a flea market. I like the rich dark glaze.

The Bread And Vine

oil 9x12 inches not for sale This may be one of my favorite paintings because of its content. I started reading that little brown Bible when I was sixteen. It has sentimental value and the best concordance too. I stuck my neck out putting in a picture of Jesus. I thought it might look cheesy, but being old and mounted on wood, I just might be able to pull it off. I think it fits with the feel of the work, but more importantly, it's crucial to the content. Without explaining away the piece, I'll just say I was thinking about all the scriptures in the Gospel of John linking Jesus, The Bread, The Vine and the Word of God.

Spring Berries

oil 8x8 inches click for purchase information Inspired by our recent warm weather, I painted this high key piece more than a week ago. My mother was hospitalized last week, so going back and forth left me no time to paint. She's doing better now and I got back to my easel yesterday. I painted all day. Felt really good and I'm very happy with the result, which I'll post next.

Still Life With Cork -sold

oil 10x10 inches click for purchase information Here's a low key painting for sure. My intent was to create a strong sense of controlled light. I placed objects half in shadow with their edges disappearing into darkness. Does your eye go right for the green on that apple? For me, the hammered copper mug almost steals the show. I may have to make it the star of a sequel.

Field Study 2

oil 8x8 inches At Newport Back Bay I turned my easel just a bit to get this scene. I liked the rocks, yellow flowers and row of trees on the bluff.

Field Study, Newport Back Bay

oil 6x8 inches Yesterday I painted at Newport Backbay for the first time. I arrived with the mindset to paint small and simplify. Also, I wanted to practice atmospheric perspective: a clear indication of distance, mid ground and foreground. Most of this piece I'm happy with, but the foreground is too busy. It's hard for me to judge what a painting really looks like until I get it home and sometimes even the next day, so I left it alone. I know I'll paint it again another day. I had a snack, and did another painting which I'll post next.

Bouquet Rose -SOLD

oil 6x6 inches click for purchase information From my Valentine's Day bouquet. The red was so deep they looked like velvet. The photo makes the crevices look black, which they are not in the painting. Some paintings just don't photograph well. Much better in person. This is true so often, maybe I'll just start using an acronym: MBIP. :-)

Figure Study

oil 12x9 inches not for sale With this study from my Tuesday night class, I concentrated on natural skin tones. I used the Zorn palette with two reds: cad red light in the lights and cad red medium in the shadows. This helped me mix the temperatures I wanted. I'm really happy with this study in that I was able to get a reasonable likeness and also an emotional quality. FYI, she is blonde and wearing a large black scarf. I was so far away from the model, I couldn't see much detail in her facial features. I was forced to simplify. A good thing.

Yellow Cottage -sold

oil 10x8 inches -sold- Yesterday I met up with about twenty members of SOCALPAPA at Crystal Cove State Beach. It was 80 degrees and chock full of stuff to paint: cottages, hillside cliffs, ocean and tide pools. I wiped out my first two attempts. I felt like I had forgotten how to paint. I was too warm, I needed my shorts and flip flops, coffee and breakfast. Some plein air days are like this. Okay, so I took all my excuses with me to the cafe and had a fabulous lunch. After that I found a perfect spot of deep shade, a new subject and had a great time. Can't wait to go back!

Rain Forecast, Laguna -SOLD

oil 8x10 inches click for purchase information There were some changes I wanted to make to my field study at Laguna Beach. I had felt hurried, painting in between cloudbursts. As usual, the light and clouds were changing, but I was surprised how drastically the color of the ocean changed too. Rather than rework my field sketch, the next day I started new using memory, field sketch and photo. The feel of the weather was still fresh in my mind, and I had brought home sand in my paint. Perfect.