Today was divided between painting still lifes in the Apple orchard and a nightime demo in his studio. I made some progress today. Yesterday he commented that my color was too “raw”. He thought my values were strong, my paint application a little disjoint. He asked if I sold my work, which I took as … Read more
What a beautiful day in Idaho! I arrived at Ovanes’ studio to find cheerful Vickie Reece (Ovanes’s assistant) had set up wonderful outdoor still lifes in the orchard surrounding his studio. They were perfect juxtapositions of shapes, colors and values. The dappled light from the fruit trees made the subject both challenging and inspiring. After … Read more
I’m off today to Idaho for a weeklong workshop with Ovanes Berberian. I’m going to attempt to keep blogging from there, but I have no idea what cellular service or Internet access I’ll have. Luckily, I have both a personal (Cingular) and work (Verizon) cell, so hopefully, one will work. I’m also experimenting with blogging … Read more
I’ve had both collectors and artists ask me about varnishing. In my experience, most plein air painters seem to skip this important step. Perhaps it’s because we sell work right off the easel! No time to let the painting dry… I think varnishing is important, both for the presentation and preservation of your work. I … Read more
Have been invited to yet another plein air paint-out. I guess eventually I’ll get tired of this! I know in talking to others they feel there’s a saturation of paint-out events, but I’m always happy to participate. They’re fun. This one is the “2006 Valona Plein Air Paint Out“. Watch artists paint in the area … Read more
Just back from Sonora. Unfortunately, I didn’t get any painting done. My allergies drove me crazy! I have an appointment today to get new medication. I understand that your body can become immune to certain drugs over time. Oh well. I was in Sonora to pick up work from my show there, “Gold Country Plein … Read more
Wow, what an incredible day today! The light was crystal clear, probably thanks to the unrelenting winds we had. Some neighbors lost tree limbs, we faired well. I needed to find a wind break to paint, so stayed close to home. The Rhododendron’s out in front of our house are in full bloom, so I … Read more
I got off work early today (holiday weekend!) and did this little study near Noe & 15th, while I waited for Mike to meet me in the city for happy hour. I typically don’t like painting architecture, but the colors of these Victorian homes was hard to resist. I think I’ll paint Cafe Flore next … Read more
I will begin showing at Kumquat Art & Home on June 1, in San Francisco. Click here for a full list of paintings available in the show. Here’s one sample. Check out Kumquat, Clement is a great shopping street. Morning Hillside Oil on Linen, 11×14
As written before in this blog, I’ve been working part time for Wells Fargo in San Francisco. I started their first blogging team about 6 months ago now. Luckily, during the past 6 months we had incredibly bad weather, which allowed me to not feel so bad about missing the plein air painting experience. Now … Read more