Home in the Green Belt

OK, I'll admit I was quite shocked to see my last post was in September. As usual, I ask, where in the devil did the time go so fast. It's December and I' still practicing catch up from early fall. Enough of my short comings and on to the painting. This little painting was accepted in the Invitational Miniature show at Kaewyn Gallery. I tried my hand at a looser form of using my brush and palette knife. This little house sits in my yard and if you sat on the roof you could see Lake Washington...probably more comfortable if you are a bird. Sorry.

The Lower Forty

I've never taken a painting off the easel, photographed it and posted it within about ten minutes of finishing it. I usually wait days and sometimes weeks before doing such a daring thing because I always find something to correct. Does something catch your eye? Let me know, it's all part of the growing process as an artist.

Fall is in the air

Summer is gone, hard to tell since so many of our days were either cold, gray, rainy or all of the above. Oh well, lets try for some lemonade and make the most of sunny days left. I plan to paint outside as long as possible and then use the ton of sketches and photos for those rainy cold days. What are your plans? Care to share?

Visit To Jackson Hole

It's hotter than West Hell right now, this is Seattle folks and I would like a grayer day. Yes, I'm assuming hell has sections , OK, I'll not digress. Because of the warm weather I decided to post something that has cool colors and brings back memories of a sunny but cool afternoon while painting in Wyoming. Hope you enjoy it. Leave a comment and let me know. Thanks.

Painting the real deal

Good grief, we're at the end of the first week of August and I'm really behind in my postings. Sorry about that, it's easy to do when there are so many out side activities. Take this photo for instance. This is a plein air painting done in Sedro Wooley, WA. Yes, that's really the name and a real place, quite a lovely area as you can see. I love being out in the elements until it becomes cold and or rainy but, like a good scout, be prepared. Painting out requires traveling with a minimum amount of equipment. You need only one trip to learn how heavy paints and easels can become and then you become creative in what you carry. It's amazing what you can do without. This photo is two fold, you can see my painting even though very small and, it shows my outside painting gear. It was a fun day and I hope you enjoy it. Send me an e-mail and let me know.

Yarn?

Well, this is certainly different. This is a little pastel done for the Village Yarn & Tea Shop in Lake Forest Park. It's more whimsical and free form than I usually paint. At the Tea shop, we have a group that meets every Thursday morning about 10:00 called, "Church of the Holy Stitch." I kid you not, and it isn't for the faint of heart. We constantly solve the problems of the world among other things. Stop by sometime, have tea and bring your knitting...and sense of humor.

This is one of my older paintings but I've always like it because it has a feel of light and airiness.

Thought I'd share it with you today because it was dreary this morning and now,it's quite sunny. Looking outside at all the rose bushes in the yard reminded me of this little painting. Hope you enjoy it. What's your comment on it? Yes, I really would like to know!

Cove on Camano Island

Well, just let the sun come out for a few days and away I go. Let's see now, where were we I ask? Think I was about to post this little painting done plein air on Camano Island. It's among my favorite places to paint. Hope you enjoy this one.

Natural Highlights

Another painting done in LaConner, WA. The was one of our grey days but the sun was shining brightly, just on the tree. It looked so unusual but beautiful and that's how the title came about. I took the liberty of moving one of the buildings to add balance. Hope you like it. Either way, drop me a line and let me know your thoughts.

Again, thanks for stopping by for a visit.

The Potting Shed

It's July, wow, and the time went where?

This is a small painting done a couple of years ago but has remained one of my favorites. This was difficult to photograph because the underpainting is a gold acrylic. It looks a tad bright on my monitor, how about yours? Let me know and thanks for visiting.

Hawaiian Tea Set

In March, which seems so long ago now, I was going through a shop in Honolulu and saw this beautiful tea set. Since I always carry a little sketch book, I asked permission to sketch and photograph the set and here are the results. I liked the fact that instead of regular tea cups, you have almost a tumbler for your tea. Do you like it?

Last month, our tulips were beautiful and I thought, can warm weather and sunshine be far behind? Well, the answer turned out to be yes, it's way, behind and doesn't look like the word warm will be in the forecast soon. I had planned to paint in the yard and do clusters of roses which are now in bloom but I'm thinking maybe roses in a still life, indoors with a cup of tea? Some plein air painter I am, maybe tomorrow.

This is a small painting I did using a limited palette. It looks lighter on the monitor but you can get an idea of less is more using just red, yellow and blue. In my studio, I often to do small studies mixing colors. When painting plein air weight is important so taking just a few tubes of color works for me. There's also no stress when you're confident you can mix many colors from the few tubes of paint. This works for me, there are artists who will drag almost their entire studio outside. Choose what makes you happy and just paint.

This painting was done in Fall City, WA which is south of Seattle. The original painting has a little more depth in color but you get the idea of the area. I was attending a workshop by Todd Williams, and as we walked across the farm, this little house was sitting there waiting to be painted. I also took many photo's and did many sketches so I will have quite a few good memories as I paint from sketches and photo's of the area. Hope you enjoy it.

This little painting, "Idle Evening" is one of my earlier plein air pieces. This was down by the Ballard Locks that provides a number of possible paintings regardless the direction you're looking. I enjoy charting the progress from one painting to the next. Something is always learned and added into your next work. Guess there is something to be said for brush milage eh?

Lavender

This is a little painting I did and enjoyed every moment of the process. I absolutely love lavender.

The aroma is calming and you'll find it in and around my house in the form of plants, soaps and of course lotions. Anyone for a cup of Earl Grey with lavender?

I tried to minimize the number of brush strokes in this work as well as the ones done with my palette knife. Sometimes less is really more.

Comments?

"Fall Colors" is the second painting accepted in the art show, Live Arts Bothell which takes place later this month. This was a plein air piece done in LaConner, WA. which is about an hours drive north of Seattle. You can become a little spoiled painting here in the Northwest. Once you've decided your venue, just drive in any one of the four directions and without leaving the state you will have mountains, desert, lakes, ocean and depending on the season lots of snow. You don't need a plane or passport, what more could a person want I ask? This is a painter's Eden. Well, at least mine.

Thanks for stopping by and I'll see you another day.

A Place to Ponder

This little painting is one of two pieces excepted in a juried show "Live Arts Bothell" which opens with a patron party on June 25th. It's really rewarding to have your work acknowledged. I'll share the other painting tomorrow.

Yes, water of some sort seems to find it's way into my work.

Tacking

This is one of the paintings from a series I did on sail boats. I've always been fascinated with working boats, unusual since I was raised in Pittsburgh, PA and never grew up around the water. However. after receiving an invitation from a friend to spend an evening on the timing boat for the sail boat races, part of my heart has been captured. Thank you Jeannie. I did a fair amount of sketches while on board and took many photo's. My first attempts yielded either mast tops or, water. Finally got it timed to include the boats and all without getting seasick!

Forgot to add the painting!

My goal for the summer is to do more small paintings, solving problems in composition and color. While I love to travel, my plan is to work in my neighborhood, starting with my own yard which is quite beautiful. We have flowers, a view of Lake Washington and the Cascades and at times a view of Mt. Rainier and let's not forget the Koi pond. I plan to start this project soon and look for your feedback. Meanwhile, I'm posting a painting done at home. While enjoying a cup of coffee one morning, I noticed a space between the flower pots. After trying several objects, my little sail boat model seemed to be a perfect fit. A few pencil sketches later, I started the work in oil.

At the moment, I can truly relate to Alice in Wonderland. What made me start a blog and where in the world will this take me? Hopefully I'll feel better in the morning and get an organized plan to add sensible and interesting things. Meanwhile, you can look into my pochade box, (one of many) and see the colors I enjoy using outside.

Meanwhile...I'm going to find some chocolate.