Wet Paint, Plein Air ...

  

   I did this quick little 10x8, oil/canvas this afternoon in the back yard as a rumbling thunderstorm was blowing through just to the north. I worked with a limited palette of Titanium White, Ivory Black, Cad Yellow Medium, Cad Red Light, Ultramarine & Ceruleun Blue. I used Liquin as my medium. The sunlit edges of the dense clouds shined against the blue of the sky. I also liked how the sunlit hotness remained constant on the blowing bamboo and kept the heat of the reflected light in the shadows.

Black Tea Pot

   In my never ending tinkering with my medium, today I used Liquin for the first time. Sure, I had heard plenty of testimonials to its virtues, but I can be stubborn... I found it added a smooth flow in laying out the thin underpainting and I was able to build up some nice layers of paint without creating a drag or mucking up my colors in this 12x12, oil/canvas. So far, so good and we will see what tomorrow brings....

Bit Plum On Red

     

     Since I still had two of the plums in the fridge from my earlier still life, I decided to take a bite (well, two, actually) out of one to see just how the flesh color would look against the dark purple skin. I thought it looked pretty interesting and felt it needed to sit on something bright and reflective... I do like shiny things. I went through Ken's shelves of stained glass panels and found this opaque Chinese Red piece.

  The glass took on a life of its own reflecting the white wall of the studio while casting a pink glow onto the wall and saving its intensity for the reflecting darker parts of the plum.... 8x6, oil/linen panel. 

Wet Paint, Plein Air...

                                                        

    These red Bromeliads seemed an appropriate choice for this 10x8, oil/linen panel painted on the Forth of July. The intensity of the hot day added vigor to my brushwork in this attempt at catching the morning's backlight.

Rosie

                                                            Private Collection

      This is Rosie, a Golden Doodle and the little sister to Sally & Janie, both Labs. The three of them share their home with my friend John Peter and take him for walks. I say I don't really do pet portraits, but this one, 7x6, oil/linen, is now hanging with the two little paintings of both Sally and Janie, so perhaps I do... well, for special occasions anyway... Happy Birthday, John Peter.

Plums

  

  Summer has arrived, bringing hot humid days and frequent thunderstorms. It is perfect weather for painting indoors with a glass of iced tea. This still life, Plums, 10x15, oil/linen panel is the first of what may become a regular series here in the studio during these coming hot, dog days.

Little Prince

   Despite the fact that this little Buffo Frog has a face only a mother frog could love, that he has an abundance of upholstery, and that he is poisonous to dogs, I had to do this 6x6.5, oil/linen panel, anyway. This guy showed up here one day, sat still long enough for me to take a photo and then went on his way... no harm done. There is a lesson here somewhere...

Wet Paint, Plein Air...

      

    The back lit glow of the early morning sun was my main interest in this 8x10, oil/ linen panel.

Another View...

 

   Since I had a week of stuff other than painting, I am putting up some images of what I use to do.. mural work and furniture building. These are photos from the last few years of doing these types of projects. My painted walls were done mostly with latex and some acrylic. I remain amazed at what a pleasant surface drywall is to paint on. Wood working is a skill that continues to provide a lot of pleasure and satisfaction... 

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Wet Paint, Plein Air...

     This 10x15, oil/linen panel was an exercise in looking for the warm and cool values on the dormer and roof while keeping the colors clean. The simplicity of the subject matter was deceiving once I began dealing with the perspective and all the various reflections in the glass, the roof and even the shadowed areas ...

A Clean Start

   

  I see this gentleman every Saturday morning when I paint downtown. He skillfully washes away the residue of Friday night's celebrations and provides a clean start for those who see the morning light. This is an alla prima oil/canvas, 18x18.

Crape Myrtle

   The sun came out this morning and allowed just enough time to paint Crape Myrtle, 10x8, oil/linen panel...  the sudden downpour let us know our paintings were done.

No Wake Zone

    The rains have set in here in South Florida, so I have been working in the studio lately. No Wake Zone, 24x24, oil/canvas is the result of my efforts. I painted it while holding on to the  Italian phrase " il dolce far niente " or, " the sweetness of doing nothing "...  time well spent, in my opinion.

  The photo I took one afternoon last Summer, provided the info I needed to work on the glowing effects of the sun as it reflected on the water and backlit the idle guys. I used a limited palette and enjoyed the challenge of  finding and combining the neutrals with the "glow" in what I hope is a harmonious manner.

   

   

   

Reaching Out

    

   These large old trees seemed to be growing out as opposed to up, hovering close to the ground with their protective canopies and keeping each other in check. The early afternoon sun lit up the trees inner foliage in this 9x16, oil/linen panel.

Southeastern Paint Out, Day Five

                                                         Fourth & Broad

      We had lucked out with four beautiful days of painting in North Alabama, so the Friday morning thunderstorms were an opportunity to see things differently and to stop chasing shadows. Local Artists, Craig Reynolds and his wife Estra  were kind enough to share the awning at the corner Pawn Shop where they were already set up, dry and painting. They were in the front looking down Broad Street and I was on the side looking across toward the old Print Up Hotel.

    My first composition had an old pickup truck sitting at the corner behind the street sign... it looked like it had been sitting there for a while. Once I had my pallet set up and with brush in hand, I looked up to see it was gone! I should have known.. I have yet to paint a boat that didn't set sail. However, it was fortuitous once I saw the trolly pull up and realized it would  be there every half hour. His scheduled and on-time visits gave me all the info I needed  for the trolly while finishing in between his stops the watered down street scene in Fourth & Broad, 12x12, oil/linen panel.

Southeastern Paint Out, Day Four

                                                          Condo On The Coosa

 

 

                                                               Coosa Sunrise

                                                                    SOLD

     Since I didn't take any photos of Day Three, painting the historic neighborhoods, I will go to Day Four... painting on The Coosa River. The Coosa , a major energy source for these parts, moves like a slow Southerner as it meanders through Gadsden. It provides scenic beauty, recreation and is home for an abundance of wildlife, both in the River and in its backwaters.

   I was envisioning painting a sunrise here all week having been greeted every morning by a clear and welcoming sunrise. This day, however, was a gray drive all the way there... until I parked and got out with my easel... the clouds parted and I had a two minute window to get set up in record time and quickly blocked in the rising sun and its reflection. Working on a panel toned with orange and with a minimal pallet plus the addition of Holbien's Grey of Grey, I was able to get the proper tones of the sky before the clouds overtook and calmed the glow. Then it was a matter of putting in the darkest parts of the landscape to give me the info I needed to bring Coosa Sunrise, 12x12, oil/linen panel, all together as the morning got brighter.

   My second painting of the day is Condo On The Coosa, 12x12, oil/linen panel. I wanted to make this overlooked old building with its pink rose bush take center stage over the landmark Broad Street Bridge in the background. Very few people knew of its provenance as the ticket booth for the Alabama Princess Riverboat that once gave rides up and down the Coosa.

   While I was rapidly painting Coosa Sunrise, I was mildly aware of a few vehicles parked at the dock where I was painting... apparently people taking in the sunrise, a few waiting to fish. As I was packing up my days work later that afternoon a white SUV pulled up beside me. The driver told me she had sat there for a while that morning watching me paint. She picked up her three young sons at school and brought them down to see the artist painting. Her middle son, she told me, is autistic... he couldn't write his name but he could draw beautifully anything you put in front of him. I was only too happy to show them the paintings I had with me as he then held out some little drawings for me to see. This experience totally made this trip worthwhile as well as confirming the value of having plein air painters visible in the community.

                                                                                   

Southeastern Paint Out, Day Two

                                                         Vineyard Gold

     The second day of painting was held at Wills Creek Vineyard, where they make Muscadine Wine. It is located in the beautiful valley of Duck Springs.. unless you are a local who is holding on to your proud Southern heritage, then it is in Duck Sprangs... my preferred pronunciation, by the way.

      I arrived at the vineyard shortly after sunrise, with the first light taking a glowing chunk out of the mountain and casting long shadows across a pasture. My first painting was a pastel, 8x16 of that pasture with its shadows and a stand of trees in the distance. Since I don't have a photo of Duck Springs Sentinels, I will tell you,... it was outstanding!

   My second painting of the day is Vineyard Gold, 12x20, oil/canvas panel. It is still early for the Muscadine Vines, so their leaves were just beginning to pop out. Standing on a rise to the side of the vineyard, I could see a field of glowing yellow wild flowers through another stand of trees. This photo was taken on site while still on my Take-it-Easel, the clip is showing at the top. This is a wonderful easel for working in the field since it is virtually topple proof, even with my umbrella attached. It is a remake of the Glouster Easel and will accommodate a large canvas.

   It was a great day painting in the open valley. Even after consuming six bottles of water, I still felt dehydrated by the intense sun. Stopping at the gas station on the Chattanooga Highway that I used to ride my bicycle to, I of course, got a 32 ounce Coke on ice and had it finished before I got home.

Southeastern Paint Out, Day One

                                                               Wild Azalea

                                                                   SOLD

                                                              Little Falls

     The week I spent painting in the Alabama Plein Air Festival was really fantastic. It was a well thought out event with a different location chosen for each day. I did nine paintings and met a terrific group of painters. Unfortunately, I was so wrapped up in the momentum that I didn't photograph all my paintings nor did I properly photograph the ones I took! Nonetheless, here is my first day's work painted at Noccalula Falls....

   When I heard this would be our first location, I immediately thought of how much I loved going down into the gorge of the Falls as a teenager... I even knew of a "secret" trail! With my Soltek, back pack and Raymar panel carrier strapped to my shoulders I set out for the 45 minute hike down the rocky trail into the gorge and to my envisioned destination. My youthful enthusiasm was amused by the realization that this hike was a heck of a lot easier when I was 18... but I was not disappointed by the effort. It was unbelievably beautiful down there and I went directly to my spot where I did Little Falls, 8x10, oil/linen panel. The emotional connection I felt by just being there made this painting a blast to do. This waterfall was one of three  tucked into the rocky ravine that tumbles down here in the canyon.

  I could have spent the week at this one location but I simply packed up and got off the rock I was standing on in the middle of the running water and painted Wild Azalea, a 6x8, oil/linen panel. From this spot, I could see the ravine with its waterfalls to my left and the rapids of the creek rolling with intensity from all the Spring rains to my right. This day was going to be a hard act to follow!!...

   

Wet Paint...

     I finally got out again with the Saturday Plein Air  Group and painted yesterday. We went to Old Fort Lauderdale Village downtown on the New River...  I did this 11x12, oil/canvas of one of the historical homes located there. This was an attempt to reel in the vivid Spring light that we have down here, and present it with a softer edge. All the colors seem to be magnified ( see previous post! ) as a last hurrah before the Summer drives away their intensity, along with the Snow Birds... Hmmm, I'm looking forward to Summer, now that I think about it...

Plein Air, Wet Paint...

       Going out to paint today, I got a late start without a certain destination in mind. I drove around and wound up at a wooded park close by.  I walked around a bit to see what it had to offer since I had yet to paint there. My late start put me there at almost high Noon, which proved to be right on time to catch this lake illuminated head on in all its questionable glory... this really is the color as it appeared !! The large turtles swimming all around seemed to be enjoying their vivid  environment as much as I did, along with the occasional Blue Heron and jumping fish. I did this 11x14, oil/canvas board and was home by 3:30...

  By the way, the first spot I checked out today, a nature preserve on a canal, didn't appear at its best for painting this late in the morning. However, the Mother Manatee and her Calf swimming leisurely by as I walked out on the dock , stuck their noses up out of the water letting me know that I was there right on time as well ...