TEN more to go!

9x12
Avalon Harbor #83

I finally photographed all the work I did while I was in Catalina.  We had some foggy days, as you can see, but overall the weather was amazing.  I don't think I actually completed a painting - I was so focused on the "Paynes Grey underpainting" and the distant mountains, that I often neglected the foreground.  (for example, the photo above ended in a "rub-out" of the basically the bottom half)

9x12
Descanso Harbor #84

9x12
Avalon Harbor #84

9x12
Shark Harbor #85

9x12
Shark Harbor #86

9x12
Avalon Harbor #87

9x12
Golf Course #88

9x12
Avalon Harbor in the fog #89

Unfortunately, I got a late start today and only had an hour and half to paint.  

The weather at the Headlands was perfect; windless AND fog-less!

9x12
So, I did a Paynes grey underpainting of Rodeo Beach and counting it as #90!

Back to Work!

9x12 Study of Avalon Bay

 What a week! The workshop with Joe Paquet in Catalina was great.  We painted all day for 5 days and learned a ton.  Joe is a stickler for using the prismatic palette and for beginning each painting with an underpainting.  I quickly learned that I need to draw more and work on form, along with a host of other things.  The subject matter was crazy complicated (see above) it included almost everything you could possibly imagine, so editing was key.  I feel like I took a few steps backwards, before I felt like I was moving forward.

9x12 Study of Shark Harbor

We took a bus to the remote side of the island and it was beautiful.  It looked a lot like Point Reyes, but more arid.  Anyway, he focused on the underpainting, as usual.  You can see below what an underpainting looks like.  The purpose is to get your form drawn correctly and your shadow values correctly identified.  This can take a very long time...

An underpainting of the headland

Here are my comrades.  Most everyone was from Minnesota and they couldn't have been nicer and more inclusive to the "new person"!

 Joe was a great teacher and I'll continue to develop my skill at the underpainting.  I can see the benefits.  When the week was over, I asked him what was one thing I could do that would help me improve the most and he said, "draw the figure (from life)".  Well anyway, as I was driving by College of Marin this morning, the electronic sign flashed that registration was still open, so I signed up for a figure drawing class!  So, there I was this afternoon, drawing the figure from life - for 3 hours.  Yes, that's right, 3 hours.  It was heavenly, and I hope after 6 hours  a week of figure drawing this semester, I will begin to see signs of improvement!  It may cut into my daily painting, but I think it's going to be worth it.

Wanda, our beautiful model.
She is much more beautiful than my stiff drawing shows.
Plus, she has a face.

Fast, 1 minute gesture drawings.

Joe Paquet Workshop

A painting by Joe Paquet done on Catalina Island

I'm headed off to Catalina Island tomorrow for a weeklong workshop with Joe Paquet.  So, if you don't hear from me, that's why.  I love his paintings and he also paints with a prismatic palette. Hopefully, I will learn so much that I'll be whipping out paintings like the one above in no time!

Pomegranate

6"x8"
Pomegranate #82

Well, this pomegranate was a lot harder to paint than I had expected.  I set the trusty timer for an hour, and was no where near finished when the alarm sounded.  In fact, I ended up rubbing the whole thing out and starting again.  I couldn't seem to paint any "light" on the pomegranate.  When you add white to red, it turns pink.  So resorting to white for light, was clearly not the answer.  After the "rub out" I switch to a #8 brush (BIG) and intensified the red (NOT PINK) and it looked way better.  I'm really into the dark backgrounds these days, but I think the pomegranate would look better on at lighter ground - at least bring in some contrast to make the painting more interesting.

I'll try again tomorrow if it's hazy.  But, if the sun will actually ever come out from behind this annoying haze, then I'm going to go up to Las Galinas and paint with my painting buddy - fingers crossed!

Winter White Camellias

6" x 8"
White Camellia #81

I'm getting back into the flow after my holiday hiatus.  The camellia trees are also in bloom, so I thought I'd mix it up today and try my hand at painting one, instead of another lemon.  I think I captured the strong light and I really like that black background for the white camellia blossom.  I painted this with a big #6 brush and kept an eye on the time, trying to keep things loose.

Back to the rose bushes this afternoon.  I am on a pruning rampage (the main reason for my painting procrastination).  January is the time to cut those babies back, so you still have plenty of time.  But don't delay! It's very therapeutic and your roses will love you for it.

Happy New Year!

6"x8"
More Lemons #80

After a week of procrastination I finally kicked off the new year...with some more lemons!  My Meyer lemon tree is overflowing with lemons, so it's hard not to grab a few for a still life. 

I want to thank EVERYONE who came to my Art Show before Christmas, "THANK YOU"!  It was so much fun to have all my friends there and an extra big thanks because everyone had to brave the nightmare traffic and the super-scary winter storm - remember long ago when it actually felt like winter?  So, thank ya'll for your support and encouragement.  It truly means a lot.  I'm ready to get back on the daily painting program.

6" x 8"
Bolinas lagoon #76

 Here are the four paintings I did over the holidays.  My plan was to paint everyday, but Christmas just got in the way.  We were at the beach and had an amazing view of Bolinas lagoon - it was like watching the Discovery Channel all day long.  The tide was extreme and the wildlife was abundant, plus, the weather was just amazing.

6" x 8"
Bolinas Lagoon Lowtide #77
(I decided not to paint the snorting seals on the sandbars)

6"x8"
Bolinas Ridge #78

6"x8"
Bolinas #79