Impressionists Show at San Francisco De Young Museum

I visited the impressionist show at the De Young museum last month and was struck by a number of the paintings.  Although I've visited the Musée d'Orsay two or three times over the years, there were a number of striking pieces that I don't recall ever seeing.  It could be I didn't see this work (perhaps it was out of rotation), but I suspect it has more to do with circumstance.  Lighting conditions and gallery positioning can make or break how a painting is perceived and received.

I just found an image of a Monet (a painting of turkeys) that I found striking at the show.   This image doesn't do the painting any justice - this large piece just glowed with beautiful lighting.  This is just another example of how reproductions just don't cut it and why one needs to see work in person.

If you have a chance, go see the show before it's gone.  I think it runs through September.

Pastel Landscapes Show

I'm in an all Pastel Landscape Show June 1-30th, 2010 in Woodside, CA.

"Brightly Lit Barn"
Pastel
18x24

It is a beautiful show with a couple of terrific pastel artists including:

• Kim Lordier
• Linda Roth
• Teresa Ruzzo
• Vicki Coe Mitchell

There is an opening Saturday 6/12/10 from 4pm - 7pm. Come say high if you have a chance. The address is:

        Allegro
        3056 Woodside Road
        Woodside, CA 94062
        650-529-1800

3 Paintings from the coast

Yesterday I headed over to the California coast to get in some plein air painting.  I went to Davenport just north of Santa Cruz. 

I realize that I haven't been posting paintings that I've just recently done plein air because I'm getting pickier and pickier about my own work.  It often takes me weeks or months of contemplation and a few passes making small (or large) changes before I frame new work.  It thought it might be healthy for me to just show some raw work - so here you go ...

I thought the sequence was interesting because I painted all 3 in the same general location but I moved closer and closer into the grove of trees as the day progressed.  I've noticed this tendency in the past where I unintentionally move in tighter and tighter on a subject.  I don't do it on purpose.  In fact between each of these pieces I was in the car out scouting for other locations.  It just so happened in each case that I returned to a same subject/area.