The rains have kept me inside for what seems like forever.  I guess a more adventurous painter would dawn the rain slicker and three layers of clothes and head out, but not me!  I'm a summertime kid, through and through.  Instead, I've been dabbling in the studio.  This time, I took another failed painting and started in.  I made up quite a bit of the light in this....in particular the evening mood.  I figured I had nothing to lose!

Along the American River Near Sacramento  oil on 12" x 9" panel

Terry's Challenge

Accomplished Sacramento area artist Terry Miura recently posted a photograph of a cityscape and invited his blog readers to give it a try. ( http://terrymiura.blogspot.com/ ) Here's my simple verson on 6" x  6" canvas board.  Definately a departure for me in several ways....the first being the very small size.  I enjoyed it.  Thanks for the challenge, Terry! 

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First Portrait in quite awhile!

Using a photo I found on Wetcanvas.com, I painted this small 9"x12" portrait.  I really struggled with it.  It's been some time since my last portrait attempt, and my rustiness is evident.  As I post this photo, I see several areas which still need work...so I may have one more session with the  painting before it's done. 

My effort here was typical of what happens when I let too much time go by between painting sessions.  Rather than laying down a correct drawing and block in and then refining it to catch the final likeness, I found myself constantly correcting and repainting areas.  That's a sure path to failure...or at least frustration.  Well, there's only one way to cure the rust....PAINT! 

Learning From Ruth...Knife Painting

I mentioned in an earlier post that my friend Ruth Andre set off on a new pathway during our workshop in Ft. Bragg and Mendocino.  She did a marvelous palette knife painting (actually, several) and that started a whole series of such paintings.  You can see her work on her Painting Day blog at http://apaintingday.blogspot.com/


Ruth inspired me to try my own, and while it is much less successful than Ruth's paintings, I did enjoy doing it once again.  (I previously posted the only other knife painting I've ever done.  That was a year or so ago, I think.)

Pines on the Edge  Oil on Canvas panel  12" x 9"

And for the heck of it, here's the one I did some time ago.  The difference in these two paintings is that Pines was done from the start with a knife, while the Bodega Bay painting was a plein air brush painting that I didn't much like.  Some time after returning to the studio, I picked it up and when to work on it with a knife...surgery inference intended! 

Another Studio Painting from a Smaller Study (Updated)

Two years ago, on a dark, rainy spring day I was going stir crazy sitting in the house.  I grabbed my camera and went looking for photo opportunities.  As I pulled into Fair Oaks (often referred to as Fair Oaks Village) the sky opened up and the rain came down in buckets.  The warm light from the window of the coffee shop contrasted with the dark afternoon skies and the wet streets.  I snapped several pictures.  Later, using Photoshop Elements, I pasted several shots together to make a panorama.  About a year ago, I did a small study of the scene which I liked.  While I've been loafing around the house all of the month of December experiencing and then recovering from some health issues, I pulled out the study and decided to do a 24" x 36" version.

Rainy Afternoon in Fair Oaks Village  Oil on 24" x 36" canvas

I think it's about done since I've reached the point where I'm not sure what else to do.  I'll let it sit for a week or so and then decide.   Once again, I'm having a lot of trouble getting a good photo of the painting.  I'm not sure why, but I suspect my camera is at least part of the problem.  The other is no doubt the operator.  Anyway, this picture is a bit warmer than the painting, but it's not too far off.  Also, once again, Blogger is clipping the picture edges.  Click on the picture to see a larger and complete version of the painting. 

UPDATE:  I finally quit blaming my camera (Canon A570 IS) for my bad photographs and begin to try to do something to improve.  I went online and read a number of informative articles on taking digital photos of artwork.  Very helpful.  I also spent some time on a proper photo 'setup' including some tungsten lighting.  I now am thinking that I need to built or buy a "wall easel" mounting system and install it permanently for the sole purpose of photographing my paintings.  Finally, using information from the articles I mentioned, I searched my camera for some of the settings mentioned and - what do you know - found them!  It all made a huge difference.   This new photo of Rainy Afternoon is VERY close to the original. 

Painting From A Painting - UPDATED

In my previous posts, I described my recent trip to Ft. Bragg and Mendocino for a painting workshop.  The last painting I did was on the bluffs above the Pacific just mile or so outside of Mendocino.  I liked the painting quite a bit and I decided to paint a bigger version in the studio.   I was disappointed to find that the photos I took that day were almost useless...completely washed out.  My camera is an inexpensive point and shoot, but ususally gives me decent pictures.  In this case, I suspect I had the camera set on manual unknowingly.

I decided to forge ahead using my 16 x 12 plein air original.  I've included it at the bottom of this post.   


I chose a 24"x36" canvas that had an old, very bad acrylic painting on it.  Several weeks ago I had covered the canvas with a  wash of white oil paint so it was handy and ready to go.  Just as I had done with the plien air painting, I started with a red / orange tone of middle value and then started to sketch directly with the brush.

Morning on the Mendocino Coast   Oil on Canvas   24" x 36"

This painting really "flowed" for me.  I covered the entire canvas with basic form and color during the first session of about 2 hours.  I felt like I was doing a plein air painting again, quick decisions, rapid coverage, broad shapes.  It just felt like I knew what the next step, the next color would be, maybe because I had already done the painting in plein air.  This was a fun painting and I looked forward to each session to add a bit more.  It's interesting how different the paintings are...the newer studio version is really done from memory, with only the original plein air painting to help. (I've noticed that this picture is clipped when displayed on the Blog page.  If you click on the picture, you'll get a larger, complete version.  Wish I knew why that happens.)

Here's my "model"....

Third Day in Ft. Bragg.

I set up on the top of a cliff above the crashing ocean.  It was very early and the faces of the cliffs across the way were still quite dark.  The light from the East (right) was skimming across the top of the bluffs beyond and striking a single white building among the trees.  A bit of it caught jutting surfaces on the steep cliff face directly across from me.  I loved the light and the mist that still remained and I tried to capture this.  By the time I was finished the scene had completely changed, but I tried to stick to the original scene and I think I got it pretty well.  I like this painting.

I begin with the intention of trying for a bold painting.  I wanted contrast and color.  To set the theme, I toned the canvas in reds and oranges in a mid value. 

Unfortunately, I'm having a very difficult time getting a good picture of this painting.  For one thing, I find that the camera sees 'blotches' that the eye blends.  The result is a much more 'quilted' effect in some areas.  Contrast is also an issue.  In the actual painting, the face of both cliffs are a step or two darker which in turn makes the areas of light at the top of the far cliff and in the mist much more dramatic as a result. 

The snap shot at right shows my start, including some 'scribbles' ala Harley Brown.  If you look closely, you'll also see that I've started to sketch in the lights and darks and basic shapes.  You can also see that I've indicated the house that I've already decided will be an important note. Taped to the side of the palette is the thumbnail sketch that helped me settle on the basic scene.  I rarely refer to the thumbnail once I've started painting, but it is valuable for establishing the composition. 

The Mendocino coast

If anyone wonders about the allure of plein air painting, these photos should provide the answer.  WOW!

Vicki waits for the verdict, which was..."Outstanding"

In this picture, Howard decides to do a watercolor which turned out disgustingly well.  I think he's done them before! http://howardreesartist.com/index.html