Back in Business

After a 2 year hiatus from the Blogging World, I'm back at it.  Everyone in the Cancer Treatment world, said it would take two years to recover, and they were right-on.  I'm not sure if you ever fully "recover" - you certainly experience a new standard for "normal".  But, energy and enthusiasm do return, and that is a very good thing.

In May 2015 I was diagnosed with Breast Cancer.   I was lucky to have a slew of good doctors, amazing friends and an uber-amazing family.  (I'll save that story for another blog).  For now, I'm more than happy to put that behind me and move on...into the studio.

I'm working on a series of Abstract Landscapes; acrylic on paper.  I paint on super thick paper, so I don't get too bogged down with the "preciousness" of a stretched canvas, plus I can sand, scratch, carve,  layer, glaze, and try different things. I make a lot of bad work along with some good.  It's exciting to start something new.

Please check out my website, www.BlairTylerPeters.com.

All the Best!

Closing in on 100

18" x 22"
Lisa from drawing class. 

 Well, it seems like I'm taking a detour and going the round about way to get to the finish line.  I've been painting up a storm in the studio, but haven't gotten to 100 paintings yet.  Technically I have, but  I want the last one to be painted from life.  I'm totally into the large scale abstract paintings that I started a few weeks ago - they have freed me up a lot.  I completed the diptych below for my living room and started several more commissioned pieces for an office lobby.  However, I got side tracked - again - and started one on an un-stretched canvas for Tom.  I don't know what came over me - it just kind of happened and I went with it.  It's still a work in progress, but I'm happy with where it seems to be going.  I'm going to hang it with some large industrial clips and not bother with building a stretcher for it (see 2 below)

8' x 6'
Cy Twombly inspired diptych for me

6' x 5'
"What is Red?" TP's birthday present 

9" x 12"
#99 Las Gallinas

I should have started this post with number 99!  I painted this out at Las Gallinas last week with my painting buddy, Jill.  It was a gorgeous day, as usual around here, and we painted the north side of Mt Tam.  The mud banks were glistening - they looked like snow, but were lavendar!
Below is a large tablescape I started today.  It's our homework assignment for my painting critique with Tim Horn next week.  I thought I would try a larger format and see how it goes.  I did the underpainting just like Mr. Paquet says to do.  So far, so good - although that napkin looks kind of strange in the photo...tomorrow I'll put some color down.
I'm having a blast with everything - art all day/every day! It feels like art school and that's a good thing. XOXO

24" x 24"
Tablescape oil on canvas underpainting

Morning Fog = More Lemons

6" x 8"
Lemons #98

I toned it down a bit today and stayed away from the Alizarin...much better.  Hopefully, the fog will be gone tomorrow morning and I can get outside again.  I'm anxious to paint some distant hills and apply the results of my experiment from yesterday.

Several Shades of Grey & PINK

8"x10"
Lemons #96

I think I went a little cray-cray today with these lemons.  Pink anyone?

9" x 12"
Redo-Las Gallinas #97 

Today, before I went berserk with the Alizarine,  I spent the first part of my studio time doing a little experiment.  I re-painted the painting (above and below) that I did last week in Las Gallinas.  The version below was done on sight.  Well, when I brought it into the studio, it looked kind of blah, and the mountains seemed a shade to dark.  I really wanted them to sit further back.  So, I lightened the value and greyed them out with a violet-grey.  Plus, I reworked the foreground a bit and I think, overall, it all added a bit more light to the piece.  I like the touched-up version best.  Which is a good thing because there's no going back.

9" x 12"
Las Gallinas #97

9" x 12"
Las Gallinas #92

In the painting above (#98) I lightened the hills with a greyed-out blue - much better.  I also played around with the middle ground and added more depth - definitely better.  Only 3 more to go...

#92,93,94,95

9"x12"
Eucalyptus #92

The scene at Las Gallinas

It's been a while since I last posted, but I promise I have been doing the work!  I met my painting buddy, Jill Trear (we'll just call her JT from now on) at Las Gallinas this morning.  Well, I didn't even know where that was, and let me tell you, if you have never been up there, you need to go.  It's beautiful a spot with so many birds, JT could hardly even focus on her painting!  There was this Harrier Hawk that kept swooping down and flying all around, plus all the Geese and a million other birds, it was hard to concentrate at times.  It was so great, that we are meeting up there again tomorrow.  I attempted a row of Eucalyptus - I have always wanted to paint those and have them actually look like Eucalyptus.  I liked it better on site, but that's usually the way it is.  I may try it again tomorrow and really focus on setting those mountains back.  They were glowing this cobalt blue color and my painting does really convey that.

I went to rodeo beach yesterday and painted the giant black rocks.  It was sunny then some clouds came, and then the wind started howling, so I had to pack it up.  I'm happy with how the headlands fade back in the distance.  I'm beginning to really appreciate the Paynes Grey Underpainting that Joe Paquet made us do.  It really helps establish the values and form before adding color.  There's so much to learn!

8' x 10"
Rodeo Beach #93

8" x10"
Rodeo Beach #94

 Here's an underpainting that I did the other day at Rodeo beach, but ran out of time.  I want to go back and finish putting color on it.  I didnt even get a chance to put the sky in and thats the best part! I'm telling 'ya, the weather out there can be harsh.

Here's what Rodeo beach looks like for those who have never been.  I love this beach .
It has big weather, so you never know what you're going to get, but it's not too far away.
If its too windy or cold,  I can always bail and head to my studio.

8"x10"
Anthony #95

Well, I went to figure painting last night and painted the figure for the first time in about 20 years.  Needless to say, the figure drawing class I'm taking helped a ton, not to mention all the painting I have been doing.  I did the Paynes Grey underpainting, then mixed up some flesh color and went at it. I did ask my Mentor earlier in the day, what color to use for flesh - why reinvent the wheel? - and so I used his colors and they seemed to work.  Now, don't focus on the face, because you will see that I freaked out when it came to painting that and kind of left it blank.  When I showed up at drawing class today I told my teacher that I had to learn how to draw a face.  So, she stood behind me on one of the longer poses and talked me through it.  This sounds crazy, but it was so stressful, then I got it!
Again, you have to draw what you see, NOT what you think you see.

I feel like I'm on a roll.  It's like art school all over again and I LOVE it.  Never been happier.  If I can keep this up through the spring, I think I'm going to see some improvement.  It's like going to the gym and working out everyday to get stronger  (that's kind of not happening right now) but anyway, practice makes perfect, and all of that.

Oh, and one last thing.  If you have actually read this far, take a second and look at Colin Page's website. His work has gotten me so fired up - I just love it.

Blue Bottle

6" x 8"
Blue Bottle #91

I havent completed a painting in quite some time.  So, when I launched into this painting today, I was happy to discover that all this drawing I've been doing, is paying off.  I was able to render the image in much less time than usual.  Then, I took my time doing a value study/underpainting, and it seemed to payoff.  There is much more contrast and a stronger sense of light in this painting, than in my "pre-Paquet" paintings.  I even attempted the blue glass bottle that I have been so scared of -
No Problemo!

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

Lemon Slices

6" x 8"
Lemon Slices #75

I cut up one of my many Meyer lemons this morning and practiced translucency again.  But first, I worked out the composition, so I didn't find myself in a fix like I did yesterday - that was terrible.  I like these little slices - they have lots of personality.  If they're not all dried up, I may paint them again tomorrow, but on a different background.  (I frequently get caught in a rut, for those who you who don't know me well)

Four Little Tomatoes

6" x 8"
Four Cherry Tomatoes #74

I decided to bail on the lemons today and painted cherry tomatoes instead.  It was a nice change of color.  Plus, I used a complimentary color for the background, just as my Guru suggested the other day.  Everything was coming together nicely, when I stepped back from the painting and realized I had made a dreadful compositional mistake. Let me explain.  At this point, I had only painted 3 tomatoes - the 2 at the top (the eyeballs) and the one sliver at the bottom left (the nose).  I had painted a tomato face!  It was awful.  Once you see something in a painting, you are never able to get that image out of your mind! SO I had to perform painting triage, and quickly added another slice of tomato in the bottom right and kind of salvaged the whole thing.  Edgar Payne would certainly not approve of this composition, but it gave me a chance to practice my tomato painting technique.

The Loose Lemon

6" x 8"
The Loose Lemon #73

I set the timer on this baby; 45 minutes from start to finish.  I think it's one of my best because it's so loose.  Setting a timer and sticking to it, makes me efficient with each brush stroke because each stroke matters.  There's no time to waste, goofing around with bad color or an incorrect drawing.  It was finished just in time for my critique!  The main feedback for the past 3 lemon paintings,  is to get "more color in the shadows".  The one above does this the best.  The other suggestion is to play around with colored backgrounds that will make the lemon pop.  I'll get on that tomorrow.  

Here's our painting Guru, Tim Horn, showing us his work.
We are all drooling in the front row.
Everyone stands when Tim puts up his work.

White on white

6" x 8"
Lemon and Mug #72

I thought I'd add a mug to the mix today.  I can't begin to tell you how challenging it is for me to paint a dumb mug.  Well, the painting is not that hard, its the drawing that's a real doozy.  I tell myself all the time, that I just need to draw a mug a day,  until it becomes easy.  That, along with sit-ups, meditation and walking the dogs.

An Abundance of Lemons

6" x 8"
Lemon #71

 My little lemon tree is about to uproot itself from all the lemons hanging from its branches.  I love this prolific tree.  Every year it bursts forth with so many Meyer Lemons, you just wouldn't believe.  It lives in a terra cotta pot, tucked away in a corner of the front terrace.  Most of the time you don't even know it's there, until it's covered in bright yellow lemons.  So, get ready for some lemon paintings!
Thank you all who braved the scary storm and the nightmare traffic to come to my show Wednesday night! I can't tell you all how much it meant to have so many of my most favorite people, all together in my studio, surrounded by my paintings.  THANK YOU.  I had such a blast and can't wait to do it again.  Maybe next time we should crank it up a notch and have some live music -make it more of a party. (Wait a minute, I'm getting way ahead of myself)  In the mean time, I need to get back to work and finish the one hundred paintings and then start another one hundred paintings...

Seventy!

6" x 8"
Olive Branch #70

I hit Seventy today with my silver cup and an olive branch.  I struggled with that cup, but finally found a color that seemed to work.  I've been busy getting ready for my show on Wednesday and of course, it's taking a lot more time that I had originally thought.  I'm going to try to paint tomorrow, but I need to photograph some of the work before I hang it on Wednesday.  First, I need to track down my tripod...that could take a while.  (I rarely use a tripod anymore because my usual subject matter doesn't like to sit still for very long -unless they are watching TV).

Art Show
10 Liberty Ship Way Bldg

Bay 1  Suite118

Sausalito

Wednesday Dec 10 

5pm-8pm

ART SHOW

I'm having an Art show at my studio next week!

The First One Hundred Days

Come to my studio to celebrate 100 consecutive days (almost) of painting

There will be good wine, good friends and a few good paintings 

10 Liberty Ship Way Bldg

Bay 1  Suite118

Sausalito

Wednesday Dec 10 

5pm-8pm

Almost Seventy

6" x 8"
 Almost Finished

Today was my first attempt at painting Staffordshire.  I had to leave before I could finish, but I'm off to a pretty good start.  However, now I see some glaring drawing errors, and I while I was there,  I could not paint that persimmon on the left to save my life - it kept floating off into space.  I could not make it sit down and look round!  I finally had to walk away.  It will be good to return again in the morning with fresh eyes and make corrections.  I'm going to set a timer so that I won't fuss with it too much!

The Set-up 

Mary Catfish Cooling her Jets.  She didn't seem too stressed about painting Staffordshire today.