".....home from the sea." Oil on canvas

"...home from the sea" started as a photo taken from my Hotel balcony in Ft. Bragg, California this fall.   I did a small oil study (8x10) to try out some approaches to the night scene and then did this 20 x 24 final painting.  The study was actually the second I've done of night scenes in Noyo Harbor and this is the first larger painting done from either.  I plan to start the second one shortly.

I've really enjoyed trying to capture this night scene.  The fact that there is some intense light in the scene which illuminates other portions of the painting to differing degrees adds to the challenge.  The water is Ultramarine with Thalo Green added to darken the value...and just a touch of Cad Red Medium to gray it slightly.  I used Rembrandt Cold Gray extensively in mixes with other colors, particularly in the buildings and dock of the middle distance.

Overall this image is slightly lighter than the painting, and even of the picture used to import the image, but it's reasonably close.  

home from the sea   20 x 24" oil on stretched canvas

This painting is available framed or unframed.  Please contact me by email for more information. 

This is the 8 x 10 study done in preparation:

Home from the Sea  Oil Study on 8 x 10 canvas panel

My Art Site: Bruce Hancock Fine Art

Night in Noyo Harbor - Oil Study

Each time I've traveled to Ft. Bragg, California to paint, I've stayed in a motel that overlooks the Noyo Harbor.  And each time I've taken many pictures of the harbor from my balcony.  My particular favorites have been at night, when the lights from the restaurants and other businesses, as well as a few lights from the fishing industry buildings, sparkle in the deep dark of the valley that surrounds the harbor.  I've often thought of painting from the photographs, but I've never tried a night painting before.

Today I decided to do a small 9 x 12 study as a practice, with the thought that I might try something bigger if that worked out.   Here's my study, done in about 1 1/2 hours this morning.

Night in Noyo Harbor - Study   9x12 oil on canvas panel 

I used only a few colors here.  Primarily, the darks are Ultramarine with Cold Gray to lighten and red or Alizarin to darken.  Of course, there are lights done with Cad Yellow Lemon, Cad Yellow Deep, and some Cad Red Medium.  Here and there are some hints of green done by mixing the yellow and blue.  


My Art Site: Bruce Hancock Fine Art

Dolphin Cove Morning

As I mentioned in my previous post, I had an opportunity to paint with friends in the Ft. Bragg and Mendocino areas just this October.   On the last morning there, we visited Dolphin Cove, which is just a little way further up the Noyo River from Noyo Harbor, a place I have painted many, many times.

When I arrived at the Cove at about 9 in the morning, it was still in deep shade.  The high bluffs and fir trees forming the east and south rim around the harbor blocked the sun even this late in the morning.  However I could see that the track of the sun would soon bring it over the ridgeline and the light would begin to reach the boats in the harbor.  I set up my easel at the water's edge and by the time I was ready to paint, the sun had reached the boats on my side of the docking area, while the boats and the hillside on the other side remained in shadow.  It made a dramatic scene of light against dark.

I painted a 12 x 16 plein air piece of two of the boats in front of me.  It's posted below.  After returning I decided I wanted to do a slightly larger and more finished studio version of the same scene.  Fortunately, I had taken a couple of pictures to use along with the plein air painting as reference.

Painting in the studio, I was able to carry the painting further.  In particular I wanted to emphasize the brilliant intensity of the morning light against the dark background.  Of course, my studio painting does not have the immediacy of the plein air experience, but in exchange I was able to develop areas and details a bit further.  At the same time, I tired to concentrate on maintaining some looseness in areas of the painting...and to be careful not to over paint.

Dolphin Cove Morning  20 x 16  Oil on stretched canvas

 This is the plein air work of the same scene.

I've begun to pare down my palette lately - both when painting in plein air and in the studio.  Both of the paintings above were done with the limited palette for the most part. I'm not rigid about it and I feel free to add any tube color I feel might be useful, but I am generally using only about 4-5 colors plus white.  I've borrowed Kathleen's Dumphy's palette pretty much, which she generously shares on her blog along with huge amounts of wonderful information about her painting experience and technique.  The palette is Naples Yellow Deep, Cad Yellow Lemon, Cad Red Medium, Ultramarine Deep, Transparent Oxide Red, and Titanium White.  All of the colors are Rembrandt except the Cad Yellow Lemon, which at Kathleen's suggestion is Utrecht.  The TOR is my addition to the palette.  It's a color I find invaluable in so many ways.  I would have a difficult time painting without it...and it's easily my most used color. (I'm cutting way down on white also, except when it is an obvious color in the scene, as in the two paintings above.)   Kathleen rounds out her limited palette with Rembrandt Cold Gray.  I have it on my palette too, but I haven't learned to use it comfortably yet.  I will be taking a workshop from Kathleen in April and I hope to remedy that!

I rarely have a tube green on my palette.  Mixing greens from blue and yellow and modifying them with red or TOR gives a nice variety and I don't often feel the need for the tube greens.  I still find uses for Viridian....it's a distinctive color that I can't mix.  For many years I used large amounts of yellow ochre and I still squeeze it out nearly every time out of habit.  But I'm finding less and less need for it and I'm now wasting way more than I'm using.

I find the limited palette very comfortable.  As I said, I don't feel constrained to use only those few colors...this isn't some kind of challenge or test...but the more I paint with the limited palette,the less often I feel the need for other colors.  


My Art Site: Bruce Hancock Fine Art

Four Days In Fort Bragg, California

Once again I journeyed to Ft. Bragg to join good art friends on a four day painting trip to Ft. Bragg and Mendocino.  It was another workshop by artist instructor Howard Rees of Jackson, California.  A quick scan back over my 170 blog posts shows that this was the fourth such trip I’ve recorded here.  Many Ft. Bragg trip veterans showed up: it’s become something of an October event and gathering as well as a workshop.

The weather forecast in the week leading up to the trip was grim.  Every day was forecast as cold and overcast, with rain on the two days smack dab in the middle of the time.  But as we got closer to the time, the forecast began to change slightly for the better.   In fact, the plein air gods smiled on us and we had simply beautiful days the entire trip except for the second day of the trip which was very overcast.  

Our first day was a Monday morning.   First we did an exercise Howard wanted us to try and it was a good reminder of some fundamental rules for plein air.   The idea was to paint a small landscape on 8 x 10 canvas using no more than 50 brush strokes.  And you had to put a dot on the side of the canvas for each stroke.  In other words, PLAN every stroke, EXECUTE with plenty of paint every time, and NO NOODLING and LICKING!  Put it down and leave it!  As you can see, the idea isn't to produce a great work of art, but to loosen up and begin to think before you paint.  Great ice breaker exercise!  
 

50 stroke practice  oil on 8 x 10 panel  Sand and insects borrowed from Ft. Bragg

Then we moved on to the mouth of Noyo Harbor and I painted this 8 x 16 view of the buildings at the entry of the harbor.   

Entering Noyo Harbor   Oil on 8 x 16 canvas panel

 On the second cloudy grey day, I really struggled.  I’m not sure why, but it was one of those days when I simply forgot everything.  I didn’t have a plan, I started without an end in mind, I mixed color and applied paint without thought and as though I had never done either before.  I wiped down both paintings that day.   That’s a lousy feeling and something I HATE to do.  Giving up is the wrong decision always.  I know that, and yet I could not get past it.  The next day found me with the same listless feeling and I thought for a while that I would crash and burn again, but the day was beautiful and I worked my way through the funk.  Thanks go to Howard too…he’s been there done that…and he wasn’t going to let me chicken out again.  “No wiping,” he said. “ Finish what you start and bring it to critique tonight.”   Well, I had to have something to show up with, so the die was cast.  I painted a two simple landscapes on a smaller panel…which was a good choice.  It sure was a nicer feeling to complete something.   Here’s the first of the two:

Mendocino Memories  Oil on 9 x 12 canvas panel

 To PURCHASE or BUY "Mendocino Memories", please click HERE.

The second was almost the same view, but much closer to the tree and the cliff.  However, other than the lighting, it looks virtually the same as the first.  Crazy as it seems, I didn't even realize how similar they were until I was home.  It probably reflects that I was not all there even on the third day! 

Mendocino Afternoon   Oil on 9 x 12 canvas panel

Our last day was back in the harbor again, but this time a little farther up the river to ‘Dolphin Cove”.   We only painted in the morning, then enjoyed a terrific lunch at a diner in the Cove…and then it was head for home time.  In the morning, the sun was blocked for several hours by the hills and forest above the cove, but finally it reach the boats at dock and I painted this 12 x 16 of one called “BBBeezy Bill”.   I think it was my most success painting of the trip.

 

Dolphin Cove Morning   Oil on 12 x 16 canvas panel 

     

It was another fantastic outing with good friends and talented artists.  My thanks to Howard and Janey Rees for patient mentoring and making sure the trip was a success.  And a sincere thanks for the painting memories to Ted, Norm (and Dianna), Ruth, Julie, Vickie (and Jack), Andy (and Cindy), Renee (and Noni) Brian, Judy (and Larry) and Bob Engle, who drove from Texas (I'm serious) to be with us again. 



My Art Site: Bruce Hancock Fine Art

Early Morning in Noyo Harbor - Plein Air

I've painted in Noyo Harbor at Fort Bragg California a number of times now.  There is so much great subject matter there that I can't resist, even though  finding places out of the way isn't always easy.  The light in the harbor can be difficult at times also.  It is surrounded by cliffs and high hills so that it is in shade early and late in the day.  At times I've found myself wishing for some light on the subject.  At other times, like the morning I painted this study, the light is very intense, almost blinding.

On this day I set up at the very mouth of the harbor, looking into it from a distance. Even though it was about 10 am in the morning, the sun was just reaching the harbor basin.  The low light streaming in from the left created a bright reflection on the morning mist that blocked most of the buildings and boats in the inner harbor from view.  There were intense reflections in the water as well.  I was hesitant at first to try to paint the scene because it was difficult to see into the harbor at all, but it was very striking and I couldn't resist trying.  As I painted the mist lifted and a few more of the distant structures became visible.  I omitted some for simplicity and barely suggested others, letting the light dominate.

This was a quick attempt to capture some of the feeling of that morning light.

Early Morning in Noyo Harbor   Oil on canvas panel   8" x 16"

My Art Site: Bruce Hancock Fine Art

Mendocino Again....in WATERCOLOR?!!

During my recent trip to Ft. Bragg and Mendocino, only one of the group, Judy, used watercolors.  It was interesting to see her daily paintings.  Some 40 years ago, I did paint in watercolor, learning from books by John Pike and Charles Reid and other fine painters, and I've always liked it.  My artist friend Howard Rees paints in both oil and watercolor.  In fact, he does quite a few watercolor workshops which are very popular.  Howard and I have frequently discussed watercolor and he has encouraged me to give it another try. I've resisted a little bit, thinking that it would be an unnecessary  'detour', but each time I see his watercolor work, I'm tempted. 

Recently I found two books on pencil drawing the head and the figure  and I've been doing some of the beginning 'lessons' on drawing the head again(more on that in another post).  For some reason, drawing with the pencil made me think about watercolors and Judy's nice work from Ft. Bragg.  I have a small kit of watercolor paints and brushes and a few sheets of watercolor paper gathering dust in the studio, and I couldn't resist any longer.

Yesterday, I found the reference photo I took of the buildings along Main Street in Mendocino, dug up the watercolor stuff and did my first watercolors in several decades**.   What a lot of fun.  It's so incredibly different than painting in oils.  In some ways, it feels like sketching...very immediate and quick.  The colors are so bright and clean too...except where I overworked them!  Many forgotten lessons and techniques came back to me as I painted...most of them only after I had done it wrong!  Anyway, here's my watercolor attempt at some of the same buildings I painted in oil in Mendocino (previous post).  I can't wait to do some more!

Main Street, Mendocino   Watercolor approx. 11" x 15"

 
(**Well, that's not entirely true.  I took two watercolor workshops about two years ago.  One was a two-day workshop and the other, mercifully, only one day.  If anything, they dampened my enthusiasm rather than energized me.  I had purchased some new w/c supplies for the workshops, but packed them up afterward.  Fortunately they were still there yesterday, waiting and raring to go for a fresh start!)  



My Art Site: Bruce Hancock Fine Art

Main Street, Mendocino, CA

 In a previous post, I described my recent four day plein air painting experience in Fort Bragg and Mendocino, CA.  What a great time with amazing weather, the incomparable Pacific coast scenery and old artist friends.  

On the second day, we traveled the few miles from our home base in Ft. Bragg to Mendocino to paint.  Having painted the ocean the day before, I was interested in something different in Mendocino.  I've painted there before so I knew what to expect.  I had in mind that I would walk toward the ocean from Main Street and then turn around to paint the store fronts of Mendocino.  When I did that, I realized that the scene was not quite as dramatic as I had remembered.  I did a quick pencil sketch and changed some of the elements....moving the watertower, omitting some buildings and changing the relative size of others.   I also decided to try a 10" x 20" Ampersand Gessobord.  I love the 1:2 ratio for landscapes...it seems to depict the scene the way we naturally see it...but Gessobord was a little bit of a wrinkle.  I've painted on smaller Gessobord panels, but I had no experience with the larger format.

As a result of the different painting surface and the realization that I was 're-imaging' the scene anyway, I did something much different than my normal approach.  I painted quite broadly, trying to catch the essence of the scene...the lights and darks...without attempting to represent even a rough level of detail.  The result is a significant departure from my 'norm'....not a bad thing at all!

Main Street, Mendocino, CA   Oil on panel  10" x 20" 

 SOLD

My Art Site: Bruce Hancock Fine Art

Ft. Bragg and Mendocino in October. Spectacular!

McKerricher State Park just north of Ft. Bragg

For the third time (fourth??) I joined many artist friends at a Howard Rees workshop in Ft. Bragg and Mendocino.  October is a magnificent time on the coast, and this trip was proof!  Cool mornings, warm afternoons, and just one windy afternoon (an understatement...a couple of easels went over.) to  remind us that plein air painting is not for the timid.

Here are a few of the wonderful scenes that greeted us each day....and a some of the artists and friends who were along on the trip.  Not pictured....Julie, Vickie, Judy, Barbara, David, Renee. 

Bob ..traveled from Dallas Texas!!!

Andy

Ruth

Howard, Bob, Ted, Norm

And here are some of the scenes I got to paint...

Mendocino  (This painting sold) 

Along the coast near Ft. Bragg

Mendocino

None of the pictures do the trip justice, but they do give a hint of the incredible scenery and beautiful weather we had.  I wish I had taken more pictures of the painters who came from Washington, Dallas, Berkeley, Vallejo, Rescue, Jackson, and other places I'm no doubt forgetting.  As you can see below, it was a great group!!

Dinner with friends in Ft. Bragg, CA October 2013. 

More from Ft. Bragg and Mendocino Trip

It was three and one half spectacular days of painting with friends.

On the second day, we painted in Noyo Harbor, directly below the hotel where we stayed.  I did another 16 x 20 oil on canvas.  Again, I was striving for a more finished painting than is typical for me when painting plein air.  I think I managed it fairly well.

Final Rest in Noyo Harbor  Plein Air Oil on 16" x 20" Canvas

On day three we traveled down the highway a few miles to Mendocino.  I didn't want to do a seascape, although there is plenty of temptation everywhere you look in this lovely spot on the California coast.  Finally I walked down toward the sea and looked back up at the town.  The big crisp light on the building in the foreground captured my attention.  This picture was taken with my iPhone onsite. 

Mendocino Post Card   Plein Air Oil on 16" x 20" canvas

Our fourth day was also getaway day, so we only painted until noon.  For convenience we returned to Noyo Harbor.  For the first time, the morning was overcast.  I set up and begin to paint in a shadowless muted environment, but by 11 am, the sun was out again and I was painting in intensely bright light without an umbrella.  When I got it home, I was surprised at how very dark my painting was.  This is a lesson I should have already learned...since it's a mistake I've made more than once.  You MUST put up an umbrella to shield your canvas and palette in bright sunlight.  If you don't, you're likely to be amazed at how dark your painting is once it is returned to room light or defused sunlight.   I spent about 1/2 hour in my studio at home lightening the painting carefully.  Essentially, I added a bit of light in the foliage in the background and some light touches on the pier, selected pilings and a few objects in the foreground. 

 Noyo Harbor Memories  Plein Air on 12" x 16" canvas panel

Back to Ft. Bragg and Mendocino

For the second year in a row, I joined the Howard Rees Workshop in Ft. Bragg and Mendocino. 

The weather couldn’t have been more beautiful.  It was sun every single day.  We did not see a cloud or a fog bank until Thursday when it was gray in the early morning, but blue skies and fluffy clouds by 11 am.  The group was small, but all good friends from the previous workshop and many others: Rusty and Elaina, Andy and Cindi, Renee and Noni, Barbara and Mario and of course, Howard and Janey.

For this plein air excursion, I set the goal to push my boundaries a little bit and also to bring my paintings to a more finished state (I don’t want any more half- done plein air paintings).  For the first goal, I tried hard to loosen up in the beginning with very broad abstract lay-ins.  I think it helped…but I still have far, far to go.  I was most pleased with my results on the second goal.   I used 16 x 20 canvas and did only one painting a day.  Most days I was done early…probably around 2 pm or so…but I tried to take my time, relax, think and refine without overworking.   On Thursday, with only the morning to paint, I used a 12 x 16 panel.   With the exception of the Mendocino painting, I think all of them are finished right from the field.   I like the Mendocino painting, but it needs a bit more work in the middle and foreground. I'll wait until it sets a bit and then try to refine it a bit more. 

On the first day we went down to Point Cabrillo, about halfway between Ft. Bragg, where we were staying, and Mendocino.  It was a spectacular location with lots to paint.  I felt my painting on this day was very successful.  With some very good tips from Howard, I think I got a good plein air effort.  It has the looseness generally associated with plein air, but consistent with my goal, I think it is a bit more finished.  I tried to bring lights and darks into sharper contrast and to model forms more than I usually do, yet not lose the freedom of plein air work.  I'm pleased with the result.  

Pt. Cabrillo Morning   Plein Air Oil on 16" x 20" canvas

Howard and Andy

 UPDATE:  This painting was DONATED to the Sacramento Fine Arts Center for the "Ars Gratia Arts" fund raising event, November 2012. 



 Below are a few of the folks from the workshop.  Missing is Barbara.  I don't think I took a photo of her, but I don't know why!  Also missing are all of the patient spouses Janey (Howard), Cindi (Andy), Elena (Rusty) and Noni (Renee).  A great group!

Rusty

Renee