“You don’t get hung up on the scalple if you’re a surgeon. You get hung up on what the scalple will do.” – Artie Shaw All group painting activities I’ve been involved in has included discussions about equipment. Everyone is always checking out everyone else’s setup. We all face too many obstacles when creating art, … Read more
Yes, the weatherman lied yet again. A “partly cloudy” forecast ended up some sun, with lots of fog. Oh well. In the end, I’m happy with today because comparing a painting done on a gray day with one on a sunny day is a good lesson. I’m sure you’ve heard artists say, “I paint the … Read more
The other day I wrote about painting with the “brush in front” technqiue. I use this to get accurate color/value. The paitning is now dry, so I was able to get a digital scan to post. These scans (I use a Cannon Scan Lidi 20, about $60!) are much more accurate than taking a digital … Read more
Found out today I got accepted to the prestigeous Telluride Plein Air Festival! This is just a bit intimidating. A great group of artists participated last year, including many friends such as Keith Wicks, Kevin Courter, Clark Mitchell, Charlie Muench, Paul Kratter, Barry John Raybould, and Jeanette LeGrue. See here for a list of the … Read more
“A good composition can be seen at a glance” – John Carlson “Things should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler.” – Albert Einstein Great paintings have a great underlying abstract design, typically based on 3-7 large abstract shapes of value. If you’re a representational artist, don’t fool yourself: perfectly painted detail only … Read more
Got two studies done today, here was my setup. I don’t have great photos of the two, so will post later. Today I really focused on color and value using the “brush in front” technique. Basically, I start by dip the opposite end of the brush in black and hold the brush between the me … Read more
Painted a couple of studies today. I started the morning searching for a combination of ice plant, sand and certain blue-green bushes I saw on the way here. Didn’t find them, so painted a long view just south of Rocky Point, then an ice plant study in the late afternoon. Gracie and I had a … Read more
Great painting day today in Pacific Grove. The light was perfect, very little atmosphere/humidity made for clear color. Of course on days like today, you need to invent distance (ariel perspective) so your painting will read well. I tihink I got the distance to work here (although the rocks/surf where not that far away).I took … Read more
Yesterday, I visited the “California Impressions” exhibit at our beautiful new de Young museum in San Francisco. The exhibit had some nice work, but not the most impressive I’ve seen of this genre. I came away with a new appreciation for William Keith (1838-1911), although their collection of “Society of Six” works was a bit … Read more
This is the first of ten planned observations on plein air painting. “A work of art which did not begin in emotion is not art. Emotion is the starting point, the beginning and the end. Craftsmanship and technique are in the middle.” – Paul Cezanne. “When love and skill work together, expect a masterpiece.” John … Read more