Sunday was foggy along the coast, but I was able to find something interesting to paint at San Gregorio State Beach. This beach is known for having plenty of driftwood, and beach-goers build really interesting huts and other structures there. It’s well worth a visit. This painting received a lot of comments on my Facebook page, so appears to be a winner! I think people are reacting to the simplicity of it. I hope you enjoy it.
We’re having kind of an odd Spring storm in San Francisco this Easter week, so I’m posting a study I painted a couple weeks ago at Baker Beach.
By the way, next week will be quite busy, as I’m looking forward to seeing many of you at the 2nd Annual Plein Air Convention & Expo in Monterey, CA.. I’ll be both painting a demo (using Arches’ Cobra solvent free oils, which was used to paint the seascape below), and I’ll be giving a talk on Social Media Marketing. I hope to see you there! Say hello!
What I love about being an artist is the opportunity to continually learn and explore. My focus recently is learning to use new and different materials. Royal Talens sent me a set of Cobra solvent-free oil paints to try, and these are my first results. The benefit is I don’t have to use solvents, which even though labeled “odor free” really are not, and it’s nice so nice to clean up with soap and water!
As I explore how to work with this paint, I’m find myself painting with a much thicker impasto technique–and I’m enjoying it! Trying new materials can push artists in new directions and open up new possibilities. I hope you enjoy these studies, all done in San Francisco.
I’ve been back to the figure, having fun painting small studies. Painting the figure is great drawing practice. Enjoy!
Yesterday, I finally had the combination of opportunity and weather I need to paint. It’s been a busy few months, having started a full time job in October. Since I’ll be traveling a lot more, I’m starting to carry a small watercolor kit to take advantage of any opportunities that arise then. I have to say, I really admire watercolorists. It’s much harder than it works. I should probably succumb to a workshop soon.
The sky was just incredible. Behind me was the sea (a normal subject), but looking up the path from the street to the beach, I saw a sight I knew I had to paint. I’m a sucker for intense blue skies!
Just recovered from a 5 day illness. It’s nice to have some energy to paint after being sick so long. This is from a reference photo of Montana De Oro, in San Luis Obisipo County. I paint this location for the annual plein air show at the San Luis Obispo Museum of Art. For this painting, my focus was getting the light/shadow colors just right on the bluffs. Trying to keep it simple. Everything else are supporting characters. Enjoy!
Balboa Park in San Diego is a painter’s paradise. According to Wikipedia, the park is “Named for the Spanish maritime explorer Vasco Núñez de Balboa, the park hosted the 1915 Panama–California Exposition and 1935 California Pacific International Exposition, both of which left architectural landmarks.” The architecture is great, and the park is surrounded by beautiful gardens. I had some fun with this one. Enjoy!
After a great week of painting (although, lots of work and some tough, 100-degree weather), my paintings for the San Luis Obispo Plein Air 2012 show at the SLO Museum of Art are ready to go! I need to choose three of these five for the show. I’ve listed them in order of my favorites first. What do you think?
;
[Update 10/5]: you’ve all convinced me, the last painting below (sunset) is in the show! Thanks for your feedback. It’s really difficult to judge my own work.
I’m looking forward to painting next week on the central coast of California for the San Luis Obispo Plein Air Exhibition at the Museum of Art there. It’s such a beautiful place to paint: coastal scenes, wineries, golden hills of oaks–they have it all. So if you you’re in the area, say hello! The show opens Friday, October 5th, and just runs through the weekend. If I have time, I’ll post work during the week and share my experience. It’s scheduled to be in the 90’s next week, so I’ll probably paint along the coast. 🙂
Whether this is a sunrise or sunset depends upon your perspective, however, I think it’s a false choice. It’s not one or the other–it’s both. It’s sunset in San Miguel de Allende and sunrise in somewhere else. I find this same truth in life all the time, and I try to recognize it when it happens so I can see both sides of any situation. Enjoy!
I’m so lucky to live in a city with so much beauty to paint! I’ve neglected it too long, often looking for inspiration in Carmel, the Central Coast, and elsewhere. I may eventually paint citiscapes again, but for now, enjoying the beauty of the coast. The only work not from San Francisco below is from Alta Lake, a friends home in The Sierras we get to visit a couple times a year. Enjoy!
I will be participating again this year in the San Luis Obispo Plein Air festival at the San Luis Obispo Museum of Art, October 1-7. I usually choose one area to focus on…not sure what it will be. In year’s past, I’ve focused on Avila Beach (cove) and the Rocky Point area (see below). Any suggestions? Let me know!
Here are works from previous years in this show. The painting below “Glowing Bluffs” will be my featured painting in the museum the week leading up to the show.
