Santa Cruz Plein Air Festival

I just framed the two pieces I painted this week for the Santa Cruz Plein Air.  This week was tough because it was foggy and cold most days.  By the middle of the week I figure out it was best to drag my feet around the studio all morning and go out in the afternoon and evening.  After much hunting around and working my way up and down the coast I found two beautiful evening scenes.

"Leaning In"
Pastel, 9x12












"Evening Hour, Pleasure Point"
Pastel, 9x12










 Now I'm off to drive over to the coast to deliver the work.   It's been a busy week with over 500 miles logged on the car so far.

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.

SWA Annual Show

I recently completed this new piece and it was accepted into the Society of Western Artists 60th Annual Show.

"Evening Lull"
Pastel on board, 12x16
Sold

The show is hung at the SWA gallery in Redwood City now through August 15 2010.  The gallery is open daily, but I hear it's a wonderful show so stop in if you can:

        2625 Broadway Street
        Redwood City, CA 94063

From Plein Air to Studio

One of the things I've been working on is the processes of using plein air pieces as source material for larger studio paintings.

Today I completed framing a series of pieces all different interpretations of the same scene. I'm staging for a number of shows. These pieces are all about to go off their separate ways to different venues and it struck me they are interesting as a series. I figured I could publish them here as a grouping as well as talking about the process. Here goes ...

This is a photo of the original scene.



Not a great photo - is it? It's actually hard to discern the main tree that I choose as my subject and I find the photo somewhat uninspiring. If someone had handed me the photo I never would have chosen it as a subject for a painting. This is not an uncommon experience as often photos can't capture the beauty of a scene.

Here's the first 9x12 painting I did on location:













"Softly Lit Afternoon"
Pastel
9x12





A few months later I returned and did another painting on location of the same scene:















"Arching for Sun"
12x16
pastel



Then recently I did a larger 18x24 in the studio using these two plein air pieces and my memory as the only source material (if I had looked at the photo I probably would have lost all my inspiration to paint :-).

"Basking in the Sun"
Pastel
18x24














I didn't even think about the evolution of the the paintings or the extent they incrementally deviated from the photo reference until I saw them all together today. I guess you'd call it natural evolution?

California Juried Open Show

I'm pleased to have had a painting selected for the California Juried Open Show sponsored by the Los Gatos Art Association and held annually at the Los Gatos Museum.

The show is open March 25 - April 24, 2010.

The opening reception is Sunday March 29 from 1-4pm. If you live nearby come stop in and say hello.








"Morning's Silhouette"
Pastel
18x24