"Sands of Carmel" ©

Finally home for a couple of weeks and back at the easel I started to explore the sands of Carmel that I discovered while painting up there in the festival.   Our sand in Southern California has a warm hue and heavy grit. The sands of Carmel were pristine, almost white and very fine.  It seems like everything about the little seaside town is special.  

Oil on Canvas,  18" X 24"

sold

"Carmel Sunset" ©

While painting in Carmel one evening, the fog lifted, the clouds broke apart and for about 15 minutes the sun had one last hurrah for the day.  I was toasted from painting all day, looking forward to a hot shower and dinner but thought why not and broke out my easel to just paint color notes of what I was seeing.  Maybe someday this little study will become a painting in the studio, who knows?

Oil on panel, 8" X 10"

"Whalers Cove", Point Lobos State Reserve, ©

Home safely from participating in the 19th Annual Carmel Art Festival 2012, as one of 60 plein air painters I have been reflecting on what a great week it was.  Carmel is a tiny town, that is pristine from the sidewalks to the beaches.  Painting in the area is endless and finding spots to paint in a competition is so easy you can almost close your eyes, turn your body, open your eyes and start painting.  The town could also be titled the "dog loving capitol of the world".  It was truly a perfect event and the volunteers that pull it off deserve gold stars, they worked so hard on behalf of the artists. 

Oil on Panel, 11" X 14", $800.

19th Annual Carmel Art Festival 2012

"Creekside", one of the many paintings sold at the Sierra Madre Art Festival and Art Matters, Encore! at the Huntington Library and Gardens, last weekend.  

This morning I am off driving my art mobile to Carmel for the next 6 days as a juried participant in the 19th Annual Carmel Art Festival.  The artists will paint 4 paintings, 2 for judging and 2 back up for sales.  Sunday morning is a quick draw, which is always a challenge.  My car looks like I am leaving home forever, between the 12 wired frames (you never know what will look best till you finish the paintings), painting gear, big coats (I have been told it will be cold) and all the usual traveling gear, it's a full load. 

I am really excited about painting in the area of Carmel, catching up with the artists I know and learning about this event.  Wish me good luck!  

"Tejon Ranch Paint Out" ©

The last couple of days the California Art Club held a paint out at the Tejon Ranch in Kern Country, CA. Laura and Dwight Dreyer put the event together from arranging our admittance to the ranch to lunch served alfresco in the ranch vineyard.  About 20 artists participated, painting from 6am - 7pm on Thursday, ending the day at a great little Mexican restaurant, Los Pinos, in Lebec.  

This little painting captures the morning light on a sea of spring greens.  It was painting in the exact location that a State Farm commercial, including some bison, was filmed.

Oil on panel, 9" X 12"

Instead of getting ready for the weekend shows a couple of day's ago I went painting on the Golden Valley Ranch Open Spaces of the SCV with my buddies.  It's a spot I have painted many times but never comfortably because I have been alone. I know I shouldn't do that and don't need any emailed reminders. With my friends that fear was gone and we had a lovely afternoon, painting to the sounds of birds singing.

Oil on Panel, 12" X 12"

"Sandy Trail" ©

This trail winds under the cypress trees down to the ocean along the Big Sur coast.  I'll be painting in Carmel in a few weeks during the 19th Annual Carmel Art Festival and looking forward to meeting the other artists and painting my "socks" off.  

Oil on Canvas, 14" X 11"

sold

"Creekside" ©

After a week of traveling the state, time at the easel today completed the process of being home.  California is very dry.  The wild flowers are trying with all of their might to bloom, without much luck.  This painting is a spot I have painted many times and will continue too.  The lovely meeting of the trees over the creek create a window to the mountains beyond and that is what keeps bringing me back to this spot.  

Oil on Canvas, 11" X 14"

sold

"Light and Land Show'

"Winter Puddle", Oil

"Sunny Afternoon", Oil

These 2 paintings recently sold at the "Light and Land" show at Segil Gallery. The show will hang until April 28th, so there is another couple of weeks if you would like to see the show. I am headed out of town for a week to paint and ride the rails in our speeder with my husband. His Mom passed a couple of weeks ago and a he could use a break.

"Early Morning on the Rails" ©

Tonight I had the chance to "play" in the paint and just have fun. We are headed on a rail trip, so this was the perfect subject to try to capture.

Oil on Canvas, 11" X 14"

"Rocky Riverbed" ©

Over the past 6 years I have been adding to this blog, very rarely has "life" taken the front seat. We buried my husbands Mother last week and another family member is gravely ill. Artwork took a back seat to all that you do at times like this. I am finally in good enough shape to paint and this rocky riverbed was my first effort after several days away from my easel. It felt very good to disappear into a painting. I am thankful everyday to have art in my life.

Oil on Canvas, 20" X 24"

"Summer Retreat" ©

This location is close to the backside of Aspen Colorado, in the town of Marble where I used to go to get marble from the Yule quarry and carve stone at the MARBLE/marble Symposiums for 16 years. The brochure for the symposium arrived in the mail and fond memories came flooding back. Painting a scene allowed me to remember all the good times in the mountains.

Oil on Canvas, 20" X 24"

"Evening at Vasquez" ©

Tomorrow evening is the opening of my solo show "Land and Light" at the Segil Gallery. I try to stick to the subject of painting within this blog and stay away from mentioning shows. Today is an exception. For months I have been painting for this show. Many of the paintings that have been blogged recently are hanging in the gallery. If you live nearby I would love for you to see the real artwork. My photography is poor at best and with varying resolution /color on everyones computer screens I can only imagine what people are seeing. The reception is from 5pm - 7pm, the gallery is located at 110 W. Lime Ave., Monrovia, CA. The show will hang till April 28th. After tomorrow night, I will be back at the easel happily painting for the next set of deadlines.....

"Vasquez Juniper" ©

Artist George Malone organized a California Art Club paint out today at Vasquez Rocks. The Juniper bushes that seem to grow up out of the desert stone floor caught the mid-morning light and we painted while shadows slowly creeped into the scene. Thank you George for a nicely planned day.

Oil on Linen, 9" X 12"

"Walker Ranch Trailhead" ©

A couple of days ago I checked on the washed out Walker Ranch trail and it was totally repaired. If any of you hike in the SCV this spot might be recognizable, as the trailhead to Walker Ranch in Placerita Canyon.

Oil on canvas, 11" X 14"

"Eaton Canyon Sycamore" ©

Victoria Finlay has written more about color in her book, "Color, A natural History of the Palette" then imaginable. One of the first chapters is on the color Ochre, describing the mines in Australia and how Ochre played a major role in the lives of the Aboriginal people. While reading about Ochre, I used a great deal of the pigment in the painting of "Eaton Canyon Sycamore", making the experience all the more pleasurable.

Oil on Canvas, 18" X 24"

"Peace and Quiet" ©

Last night was the artists reception for the Contemporary Masters Exhibit at the Pasadena Museum of History. The show is beautiful and if your in the Pasadena area would be worth a peek. Today I painted this little piece purely for the fun of it.

6" X 8", Oil on canvas

sold

All of these boxes contain framed paintings for my solo show in a couple of weeks. There are about 10 more now that aren't in the photo and you can see that I have been working hard even if my postings have been slow lately. I don't have a box for the large seascape and will sew up a custom "bag" to protect the frame, for delivery. The show is at the Segil Gallery in Monrovia, the reception is Saturday March 24, 5pm - 7pm. I am really excited to present all of these new paintings to my friends and collectors.

"Back Road" ©

This scene is the back road to Walker Ranch in Newhall. Just around the corner are several white Bee boxes and it's a good idea to skirt the mass of humming Bees and paint a few yards away.

Oil on Canvas, 11" X 14"

"Canyon Lands" ©

Painting the red rocks of Canyon de Chelly, while on break from framing and packing paintings for delivery on the 18th, I was reminded how much I miss painting in the field. Time for a painting trip!

Oil on Canvas, 16" X 20"

"A Little Field of Gold" © Frazier Park

Hard to believe this spot is behind a Jack in the Box, off the 5 Freeway in Fraizer Park. Tomorrow I get to start framing for my solo show, I think I have 32 paintings left to frame. Thank goodness for the electric drill.

Oil on Canvas, 11" X 14"

"Through the Trees" ©

Near Big Sur, California this little trail meanders though the trees and down the hill.

Oil on Canvas, 16" X 20"

"Golden Hour" ©

Yesterday Pete Cole, President of Gamblin Artists Colors, gave a talk on Gamblin oil paints and Mediums at Carter Sexton Art Supplies, in North Hollywood. If you ever get the chance to hear Pete talk, GO. He made sure everyone was comfortable and could see and hear each other. Every question was answered clearly and fully. One of the sample's Pete handed out was a tube of Indian Yellow. I don't usually have Indian Yellow on my palette but you know the lure of a sample, as soon as I got home I squeezed out a bunch. It was perfect timing, because in looking at the inventory of paintings I have ready for my show next month I didn't have enough small warm paintings. I painted my street late in the day when all the wild brush turns gold. Indian Yellow is all over that painting. The tinting strength of the Gamblin Indian Yellow is what really surprised me. I can see many uses for the paint, from under paintings to glazes. Thanks Pete!

"Whitney Canyon Path" ©

So many times I am emailed about blog postings with questions on how I have painted a piece and almost without fail I tell you what I am going to change. That image never seems to make it onto the blog because I have moved on and am so excited about the next painting. With this piece I took a painting that I started months ago and did what I so often talk about in those emails. By comparing the images you can see how I added value, brought in more color harmony and more interest in every area. I also knocked out the stripy path and broke up the middle field with little grasses. In the morning I'll see other issues, of course, are we ever truly done?

(above is the old version, that is gone forever)

Oil on Canvas, 20" X 24"

"Heritage Valley Farmland" ©

Next month I will deliver 40 paintings for a solo show at the Segil Gallery in Monrovia. This place looks like a studio / gallery / framing store, anything but a home where people actually live. I didn't realize until a couple stopped by to pick up a painting today and I saw all of it with their eyes. What can I do? So, I am back at the easel, painting "Heritage Valley Farmland".

Oil on Canvas, 14" X 18"

"Palms in the Desert" ©

I find it amazing that Palm Trees thrive in our Southern California deserts. When you are painting them you can hear the rustling of their skirts in the wind and it's amazing to watch all the little birds and mice scurrying in and out of the shelter of the palms.

Oil on Canvas, 16" X 20"

"Return to the Sea" ©

The tide rushes out to sea in minutes on the coast of Maine. My thought with this painting was to capture the rivulets of water receding from the shore and the emotions one feels at the end of the day as the sun is sinking, the air is cooling dramatically and it's time to pack the gear, heading home for dinner.

This painting started out with just a rough line drawing to locate the major players, trees, cloud, horizon line and so on. I know the feeling that I want this painting to convey and if I can pull that off, I'll feel pretty good about it. I am working from a couple of photos I took while painting in Maine, near Acadia National Park.

Laying in general colors into big areas, I know in the end the trees need to have some lovely deep reds coming though as if backlit, so a wash of transparent yellow earth and transparent red oxide did a nice job.

In this photo it's much easier to see the photos I am using for my resource material. Not great photos but enough information to remind me what the scene looked like standing there on the shore, watching the tide water quickly recede. If your painting in Maine it's a good idea to have a tide ap on your phone, so you can plan where to stand. In a couple of hours you can be underwater if your not careful. Another good ap is the sunrise / sunset ap, again great for planning your painting day.

Oil on Canvas, 20" x 24"

"Sunny Afternoon" ©

Today it was 84 degrees in LA and Malibu was the place to be according to the radio announcer. Painting this scene from "Sunny Afternoon", 9" X 12", (you can see in an earlier blog post) I thought about the warm sun and the sound of the water gently lapping the sand.

Oil on Canvas, 24" X 30"

"Swan Valley" ©

This blog post is about painting Swan Valley, Idaho, from a photo.

This is a great example of painting from a photograph. People ask me all the time if I paint from photos, as if to answer yes, would somehow be a negative blow to my artwork. You can't tell me that if cameras had been available to all the artists in the past, they wouldn't have taken advantage of the technology. Sometimes you just have too, whether it's because you were driving to a destination without time to stop to paint or the light was just so fleeting the only way to capture it is with a camera. I believe it's just fine for artists to use photos, as long as they own the image or have permission.

In the photo above the painting is just staring out with my "line" drawing and the photo on the top of my easel. Sometimes I use the computer next to the easel if I want to see the image in a larger format.

At this point I have paint all over the canvas, in the general value of each area. I can stand back and see if it's going in the direction that I envisioned .

I have this painting as far along as I can go wet into wet paint. I'll let it set up for a few days and go back in to do all of the dry brush work. I can hardly wait, finding all the brush in the foreground is truly a labor of love.

About 7:30 in the morning as I was driving home from Driggs Idaho, last August, I saw this scene in my rear view mirror. Thank goodness for digital cameras, I stopped and took a shot of the valley. Ever since I have wanted to paint this scene and finally I had the chance and loved every minute.

Oil on Canvas, 24" X 36"

"Sun Dusted Creek" ©

"Sun Dusted Creek", is another example of using a smaller painting to create a larger studio painting. The little one is 14" X 18", the larger canvas is 24" X 36". Not exactly the same proportions but close enough.

Just starting out on the painting I scrubbed in a warm yellow wash over the entire canvas, lifting off the area that would become the sky with a bit of Gamsol on a white sheet. The white sheet is a tip, in that it doesn't leave any lint on your canvas. You can see my small painting that I am using for the inspiration to the left of the easel.

Mid-way into the painting. I am finding the areas of light and shadow. Painting color on every section of the canvas.

At this point the piece is well on it's way to completion. I'll find little touches and brushwork to add over the next several days. It is difficult to see all the areas that need attention without a break away from the piece. Tomorrow morning I'll walk up the my easel and see all sorts of details that need work wondering why I couldn't see them. Happens every time!

Oil on Canvas, 24" X 36"

"Onxy Afternoon" ©

Onyx, California is a classic example of our high desert. Sand drifts, Rabbitbush and cottonwoods announcing water in the distance are beautifully lit in the late afternoon sunlight. Marian Fortunati, Sharon Weaver and Diane Nelson Gold were my painting buddies out in the desert last fall and I am so looking forward to a return painting trip to Kernville.

Oil on panel, 12" X 12"

"Rolling In" © studio

"Rolling In" on the easel, shows a good example of taking a small oil "sketch" and creating a large painting from the idea captured in the sketch.

Oil on Canvas, 30" X 40"

My small painting is on the little easel to the right of the larger canvas. I knew I wanted the same proportions for the canvas but didn't have a fresh canvas on hand in that size, so I pulled an old canvas with an idea for a commission (long since finished and delivered) turned the painting upside down to lessen the confusion of waves vs. ducks and starting laying out the seascape.

At this stage the ducks are completely covered and I have laid in the general shapes and color patches, here and there. This is the fun part for me, feeling my way around the painting, making decisions and adjustments.

Here is a close up of the palette. I know it looks like a mess and I am constantly scraping down the glass starting over with a big clean space. The palette is custom. Sounds fancy but in honesty a quick inexpensive solution to needing more palette space. My husband cut a piece of wood and I had the fellow at Newhall Glass Co. cut a piece of glass to fit. I painted the back of glass gray and with not too much trouble I had a terrific palette. I have to give a little shout out for the Gamblin Radiants on the lower right side. Love them!

Oil on Canvas, 30" X 40"