Puttering Day

"Surf Stump"

oil on linen on panel, 8" x 10"

SOLD

Big family events are afoot. Today we are meeting our daughter's future in laws and entertainting them. As well, Daughter and mom are out seeking wedding locations for a not so far off date. I got stuck with tidying up. Stuck might not be the right word. Shall we say 'elected?' ;-)

I know what will happen this evening. Everyone will want to go to the studio to see what goes on there. And it is a big mess. I gotta git bizzy!

Today's painting really isn't done today. It has been held back for a few weeks waiting for a day like today when I simply cannot paint. I almost got my feet wet doing this one. I was perched on a rock with my easel and the waves were lapping at my feet while I tried to characterize this 'stump' of a rock and how it is being clobbered every single minute of every day.

enjoy!

Reflections and Light

"Reflective Surfaces"

oil on linen on panel, 6" x 8"

SOLD

Today's piece was out of necessity. Necessary because I didn't go outside to paint today. Now that I think about it, I should have. It is beautiful weather! I also promised I wouldn't paint more ocean cliffs.

Elio Camacho, an extraordinary painter who really understands the characteristics of color and working temperature, intensity and value simultaneously, is gracing my paintings with some truly instructive critiques. So, when I went to the studio today, I had his crits in mind and set out to put some of that stuff to work.

Ouch! I got lost in making the reflections work!! And value relationships. I am going back to the studio, pulling out another study canvas and painting colored blocks and going to work on temperature contrasts.

Am going to fool around with cobalt turquoise and indian yellow and quinacridone rose. That should give me a start toward making something new and exciting happen with color.

Why Fascinated?

"Nearing Sunset"

oil on linen on panel, 10"x 8"

Sometimes there are subjects that defy logic or conventional formulas . . . .like rocks and broken faces of cliffs . . .and evidence of layered strata in cliff faces with all the random planes. I suppose that is why this subject held my interest in watercolor for so many years. And, I guess, it is the reason I keep going back and back and back and coming away less than satisfied.

In short, it is a tuff subject to paint. The painters who do the Grand Canyon amaze me. Those who do Sadona and Zion, etc make me stare in wonder: How do they do thaaaaat?

All this work in the past few days has been in answer to that constant fascination. Each day, it seems to get a little easier. Today, some things fell into place. Light and shadow is the part which complicates matters. Separating the two and keeping them separate is a big part of it. Another is working with color relatives inside those areas . . .or so I think. Cools and warms. Value and color transitions. Edges. Sheesh! This gets complicated! Oh, but there is more! I won't go into it now, but you get the idea.

And you are bored with looking at this subject? Okay. I'll take a break. But not for long.

Macpherson Was Right!

"Try Another Path!"

oil on canvas, 36" x 24"

sold

Kevin Macpherson was right. The power of doing little studies outdoors, then using them as reference in the studio is the only way to go.

This is the largest piece to date . . .and I itch to get really big . . . .at 36" x 24" I had to reach to get at it (okay, I'm a short guy!) . . .

Those studies I did over the weekend in the wind, and the photos I took set this piece in motion. I used the photos for a few minutes to get a general idea . . .then in the drawings, stretched the height of the big cliff to exaggerate the feeling of altitude.

Then I buried the photos. Yup! Totally hid them so I couldn't be tempted to get near them. This painting had to come from the heart. I propped up the studies (the three posted paintings from the last few days) . . .looked at what I liked and didn't like and set some small goals for this studio piece. I let the plein air pieces be my guide then improvised from there.

We can always improve on everything we do, but I think this painting says what I wanted it to say. It is loose in areas, tight in others, the colors are harmonic and there is a sense of space and atmosphere that works. Could it be better? Of course! But considering the few pieces I have done so far to date, I am happy with it.

Now, of only Macpherson would say the same thing!! :-))

(P.S. I wonder what I'll say a year from now!)

Terrible Tuesday

"Pink Toes"

oil on linen on panel, 10" x 8"

Tuesday. It arrived too early this morning. I was involuntarily aroused while painting in my sleep. I sprang awake at 2:45AM and with my mind in high gear. I was awake. For the day!

:-(

So, I did what I always do when that happens. I got up and went to the studio . . . . after a cup of joe, first. Now, however, I am stumbling around and bumping into things. Just too little sleep, thank you.

This is a rescue from the weekend workshop. A little sketch piece that needed work.

I also began a larger version of one of the weekend's pieces and am nearly finished with it already. It needs tuning yet, but most of it is in the finished stages. Maybe tomorrow or the day after, I'll post it.

Meanwhile, to rescue this one, I used a hint of pink and violet to stir it awake.

Some Days Are More Difficult

"Before the Wind"

oil on stretched canvas, 16" x 20"

Sunday was the same as Saturday. Wind, Wind and more wind!

I have terrible difficulty seeing the colors on the palette in bright sunlight. So, with the wind, I couldn't put up an umbrella in the wind. It was a struggle. Then, I got caught in the details . . .and I know better!!! So, an hour in the studio this morning, tweaking values and reducing the details helped immensely. Not that a night's sleep and rest from the wind had anything to do with it!!

This piece might be a little too illustrative, but what the heck! It's a workshop piece. One thing I did notice is that I hit the right values and colors early in painting then, stupid me, I painted right through it! Serves me right for not stopping soon enough.

I could stand on those cliffs and paint for weeks on end! In fact, I could make a career out of the 50 mile stretch of our coast line! What a place we live in!!!

Testing My Grit

"Cliffside"

oil on stretched canvas, 16" x 20"

You saw the last post. Who wouldn't be excited about painting thaaaaat?! I sure was. That photo was taken last week at about 2 in the afternoon. Placid water. Warm day. Gorgeous sky. From that visit, I was exited. I flew out of bed at 5:45 AM with no alarm. I had loaded car the night before and I was psyched.

I left later in the morning with shorts on and a light summer shirt. When I arrived a brisk breeze was coming in off the sea . . . .a cold sea! We painted long after the morning demo. We started at around noon. Prior to that, several easels had blown over and the wind was now at 15 to 2o mph and carrying large quantities of dirt and sand. I found a 40 pound rock to hold in my easel weight pouch so it wouldn't go over, but still had to bungee it down to a root at one point.

The wind disallowed puting up any sort of sun shade (Umbrella) as it would have become a very efficient sail! Short version: we painted till 4 PM and willingly threw in the towel. It tested every bit of patience I had . . .and my grit. The canvas bucked and wobbled the whole time.

As for the final test? To be sure I could stand it, nature sent me home with 1/2 pound of grit in my back pack . . .every pocket . . .every cranny . . .every wrinkle, on me and my belongings had grit in it. And . . . you know what? . . . . . .

I had a BLAST !!!! :-)

Saturday and Sunday

80 to 100 feet to the bottom. I wonder if there will be waves on Saturday.

Here's where I'll be on Sat & Sun. There are cliffs and rocks and lonely beaches all around this area. This is the first view from which we will be painting. Thought you'd like to see how beautiful it is. Enjoy the weekend!

Painting Light

"Pepper and Pitcher"

oil on linen on panel, 6" x 8"

I have an acquaintance in the UK . . .Paul . . .his link is here on my list (Learning to See) . . .look for him. He is a disciplined painter from whom I should take lessons. Right now, he is painting blocks . . .wooden blocks . . .and testing his skills at nailing values of light. He is very good at it, yet he studies more.

There is much to this idea of painting. Waaaaay more than making pretty pictures, that is for sure! Painting the right value and color of light (Not Things or places) lifts a painting into another world. This white pitcher was a great exercise for me this morning. That is an exercise in seeing. I am sure I didn't nail it, but am getting closer and closer. It takes practice. Lots and lots and lots of it. Painting the shadows first, in the right value, I was convinced that the shadow portions on the pitcher were the wrong color and tooooo dark! As it turned out, they weren't too dark . . .they were actually too light! One learns to trust one's self in this game. When all the colors were on the canvas, I could see instantly that the relationships between colors and values were right enough to make the pitcher appear to be white. In fact, there is no pure white in this painting. Interesting, eh?

Tomorrow I won't be posting until late, if at all. I am going on a weekend plein air 'painting intensive' to paint cliffs, rocks and surf in a workshop environment. I love being near that stuff, much less painting it. So, this weekend might produce a few nice pieces . . .then again, maybe not. If I get something out of the weekend, I will post on Sunday evening . . . hopefully.

Hurried Practice

"You're So Transparent!"

oil on linen on panel, 6" x 8"

This morning was rushed and I was panicked that I had not posted yesterday . . .or painted yesterday or today . . . . . .soooooo . . .I had to get busy!

A promise is a promise. Daily is what I signed up for, so Daily is what I have to do. Anything else is an excuse. I have to fold it in with everything else. My drive to create masterworks every time . . .and save embarrassment if I goof it up . . . .is huge. But I also know in my heart that this is just another practice piece. And, as I have said before, it still counts toward mastery at some point.

So here it is. Bad drawing and all. Serves me right for rushing through it. That's another lesson I must learn . . . . .to remove myself from all else while I paint. It doesn't pay to rush because what I get in the end isn't what I am looking for in improvement. This time, as in others, it was those lousy douzy elipses!!! No scraping today. No time!

Color Harmonies

"Casino Dawn"

oil on canvas, 16" x 20"

Today's piece was a serious one. Not just practice, but one that I hope will be accepted into a museum show honoring the 100th anniversary of the "Boardwalk" . . .an amusement park here that boasts an old wooden rollercoaster . . . .and the site of several movies in the past.

I have been 'working on' this piece for over a ten days without ever lifting a brush. I mean it! Really! I looked at and sketched several points of view. Went to the site several times, but never in this lighting conditions. Then photographs were taken because there was no way I could paint from this angle without being squashed by a car or truck. It just wasn't possible. So I had to use a photo . . .something I almost NEVER do. (I shall save that commentary for another post.) Once the drawing was done, color harmony and value emphasis had to be reasoned through before I painted it. I wanted the feeling of dawn with golden light, while the streets are empty and I wanted the emphasis to be on the building with the dome . . .the casino, as it is called. . . . .or the Coconut Grove. Reasoning wasn't enough . . .I had to resort to a very abbreviated palette and force myself to stay in it so I could establish relationships between every single color in the piece. Cad Orange, Cad Yellow Medium, Violet, Cad Red Lite and Green and, of course white. Every brush load was a mix of at least two of these colors and most often of three to insure it would all relate. Frankly, as I worked through the painting, I was amazed at how many different colors I was able to arouse on my palette. Again, it seems I am gaining some ground in this new medium.

They All Count!

"Strawberries"

oil on linen on panel, 8" x 10"

This weekend, while doing everything else, I went to a quickie workshop . . .just 3 hours . . .and made this fast piece with just a few intentions: focus on technique, paint quality and color. If I can pick up some of that stuff, the rest (design) will fall into place from my other painting and art experience . . . . . .well, at least, I'll have a start on it. I am not sure anyone ever truly masters that stuff. We just get better than last year. In order to become better, we must build experience . . . . from that viewpoint, every painting we do as painters, good or bad, counts! That's right. They all count. Even if they never see the light of day ever again. Even if they end up in a dumpster. Every painting counts toward getting better.

So this little guy was a 'hurry up' painting. I wasn't concerned about making a great piece. Just deliver the paint, work on strokes, improve color.

Stay tuned. They will, eventually, get better. I just have to do many, many more. Life is great, isn't it?!!!!

Last Day of Event

"From The Stairs"

oil on canvas on panel, 12" x 16"

This is my last painting for the plein air event here in town.

Having never tackled urban subjects much, I figgered (yes, I know how to spell it) I'd give it a shot. The cool thing about this piece is that it is a very unusual point of view of the town center. As paintings go, it is hardly a prize winner, but the light and the subject will have great local appeal.

As you might guess by now, I don't care to paint comfortably. It just isn't my style to crank out paintings without challenge . . .even when the painting is going to a show. I'd rather put it all on the line in favor of forcing myself to overcome the next painting challenge. I learned a bunch with this piece and will paint it again and agin. Next time, I intend to exaggerate sizes more and add some lively activity to the intersection. Meanwhile, I will prolly fix the windows and clean up the center of interest on this one before Monday afternoon.

South County . . .

"Thompson Road"

oil on linen on panel, 8" x 10"

This was one of those days that when we drove round the corner, the voice in my head screamed YES!! Right here!!! We had the glorious shade of a biiiig oak tree, a pull out on the road and perrrrfect light. We could **smell** the mist lifting off the hills!!

Yesterday . . .

Fixed it!! "Don't Back Up!"

oil on canvas on panel, 12" x 16"

It is a crummy feeling to go to bed with a feeling gnawing at you that the painting just posted was a huge mistake. I dreamt all night about it. My painting Buddy, Bill, and I discussed and disected the piece in the morning to no avail . . . . .until I turned it upside down and saw it out of the corner of my eye . . . .Values were wrong and the shape of the dark chasm was wrong and blah blah blah!

So, instead of posting yesterday, I took the painting of "Don't Back Up" back to the studio . . .(yes, to go backwards!! ;-) ) to fix it. But, before that, Bill and I scrambled to our morning painting location 25 miles south of here. Upon returning, I painted some more . . . .I fixed the 'back up' piece, punched up the piece I had just painted with Bill and did a 20 minute study for a bigger painting I have in mind. No post yesterday, but there was a flurry of painting activity.

Feel free to comment and critique. I have been painting for a long time . . .not oils . . .and can sort out the wheat from the chaff, so go ahead and scald me if it is needed. I can see something that still irritates me a little bit in this painting, but am not sure how I should correct it . . .or if I should at all. Go ahead. Say it. I am asking for it.

Don't Back Up!

"West Cliff, 9 AM"

oil on canvas panel, 12" x 16"

I live in an unbelievably scenic place. Deciding where to paint is a major decision. Being in the local plein air event here has been fun and completely compelling. Suddenly, I have shifted from making simple, daily practice pieces to paintings that have to be shown. Performance anxiety lurks about my heels and occasionally nips me. So, I am prone to take on more complex pieces . . .and thus occupy my thoughts until the paintings are completed properly. Sometimes these pieces require a little bit of studio manipulation for me to concede their public freedom.

This painting was done standing on the high rocks a mere 40 feetstraight down to the surf and jagged rocks. Being the compulsive, completely focused painter that I am, I sometimes find myself backing up from the easel in order to 'see' it better . . . . .not a good idea here!!! One must keep one's wits tuned when on the rocks.

I must apologize for the color balance in this photo. The lit surface of the mid ground rocks is not as orange as it appears here. My photoshop skills need development, for sure!

If you are ever painting in Santa Cruz, or standing on the rocks, remember this admonition . . .(it really is fair advice for living too): Don't Back up!! :-)

Nearly Wet Feet

"Pelican Truck Stop"

oil on linen on panel, 8" x 10"

Yesterday afternoon, my old friend Bill and I painted on the rocks while the surf was busting at our feet pushing the tide inward. I know of no greater pleasure than to be out there in the fresh, salty air and watching the light fly about as it reflects off every wave and every ripple. The white foam can be mezmorizing. . . to the extent that the waves surprise you. Wet feet on the rocks can be a big problem.

I have a question about pthalo blue . . . .if you know the answer, please comment . . .and, yes, only for oil paint. Last evening before bed I looked at the painting once more. I thought it was my imagination, but the white appeared to be tinting bluer in the foreground and loosing value. When I awakened this morning, only the thickest white showed up! I was shocked. I used Pthalo blue in the water. Does it creep into the white and stain it progressively? Or could it be the quality of Titanium White I am using (Utrecht)?

In watercolor, Pthalo blue is evil! Extremely high tinting strength and a vicious staining power that will ruin all the other paints in their wells if they are contaminated with this blue. Gotta be very careful with it!

Stubborn

"The Edge of Morning"

oil on linen on panel, 12" x 16"

Sometimes, to make a painting behave, you don't have to be talented. You just have to be stubborn.

After finishing this piece, I found (by surprise ) that I had divided the picture plane exactly in half and had two different paintings. Arrrrgggggghh!! I had painted this en plein air and never saw the division until I put a frame on it to critique the piece. I had a problem that had to be fixed before the paint dried. In between weddings, out of town visitors, plein air affair meetings and household stuff, I was being squeezed. But it got done. I had to be stubborn!

Tropical Mosaic

"Tiled Pineapple"

oil on canvas, 20" x 16"

First, I made the underpainting with Cad Orange and Cad Red and made a mental note that this would be a blue green painting lots of tropcial colors.

The idea was to make a painting design built upon the pattern on the skin of the pineapple. Looking closely, there is almost a spiral upward of rows of small pentagons. Within them are protrusions, and spikes and dents and all sorts of repetitive tracks.

You can see immediately why it was so labor intensive.

Someone out there has a home in Hawaii or has a tropical decor and would like this painting in an honored place. Please contact me via email if you would like to consider acquiring this piece.

No time today!

Yes, I did paint today. In the early morning, in the beautiful, bright sunlight outdoors I painted. I am participating in week long plein air event . . .my first ever . . . .and it seems this one is a strange one because it stretches out over 5 weeks to a finale sale and gala for the museum that is staging the event.

I didn't finish the piece, though I am close. Real Estate business, family business, social engagements and plein air painting all came together at once! Crazy! I have nearly finished the third pinapple, too. So, while I will have to wait a day or so to finish today's painting (making very necessary corrections) (and not show that here) I will, at least give you an idea of the beginnings of the pinapple piece and ask you to wait until Saturday to see it . . .and maybe the plein air piece.

Believe me, it doesn't show you much!

Can you wait? ;-)

Testing the Limits

"Persimmon Tree"

oil on canvas, 12" x 16"

I have been looking back at my paintings over the last month and find them to be lacking in some ways. By setting little challenges or goals of some experiment, instead of just painting another picture of something, I find that each painting can be a profitable learning excursion.

I have been seeking thicker paint and a more buttery look to my pieces. So, I tried two things: coating the gessoed canvas with diluted acrylic mat medium to retard or stop the absorbance of the gesso and canvas. Secondly, using a big one inch flat brush with tons of paint . . .shovel loading the brush sometimes. As I attacked this painting, it was clear I could not opt for detail, so by creating internal shapes in the leaves, weaving deep darks through the composition and working with color contrasts, I put this one together. I used a photo, taken over two years ago, to get a general idea of the proportions and shapes of the leaves and persimmons. The photo was useless beyond that.

A little scraping had to be done here and there in order to keep clean color . . .and to make the darks come to life with warms and cools. The end result was a buttery painting with some eye grabbing color contrasts. In a frame it sings! Sealing the canvas seemed to be a big help. Testing the limits of the big brush (and my courage) made for some romping good fun!

Carried Away?

"Pinapple"

oil on linen on panel, 8" x 6"

This is getting to be absurd! Well, maybe not.

I have a mentality that is constantly seeking the 'different' from the norm. That same mentality has affected my painting fiercely for years. I suppose it is what sets my paintings apart from others and gives me my 'style' . . . .at least it is that way in my watercolors . . .see my website. I call this attitude reaching "beyond the obvious." In other words, I seek to carry most of my paintings away from actual 'reality' and create some of my own Art. Notice that is spelled with a capital "A." You see, there are literally millions of paintings created daily by those who lust for the obvious . . . .wellllll, maybe not actually lusting for it . . . .but, instead of allowing their own ideas and personal music to creep into the painting, they avoid it.

Don't get me wrong! There are some painters out there who work very hard at traditional realistic work. They are in my links. Each brings something MORE than the obvious to their work. Paul in the UK, Jeff Hayes, Karin Jurick, Carol Marine and many more offer up reality but in a way that is enticingly their own version of it. And that is what makes Art with a capital "A" in my opinion. Look through the links list here and drink in the rich artwork that is being created! You have your own private art gallery right here!

So, a few days ago I began my pinapple painting . . .that should be plural! . . .remember Saturday's post of the sketches? It is there. I have painting this one today, and am working on another that is truly 'beyond the obvious.' Every now and then I come accross something that throws ideas at me faster than I can process them. Such is the case with the pinapple. This little painting is part of that . . . .the other I am working on in the background is much more labor intensive and required some thought about design. So, depending when I finish it, you'll get to see it soon enough. I am even taking progress photos as I go along. Who knows? Maybe it will be an abject failure. D'ya think I am getting carried away?

The Pinapple Attempt

"Dual Shadows"

oil on stretched canvas, 20" x 16"




Okay. Here it is. I am sticking my neck out with this one. I have been painting realistic, traditional stuff till now. After 13 or 14 sketches on Saturday last, I came up with this composition. To place the attention on the shadows instead of the pinapple, I used intense colors and a little bit of texture. To repeat those colors, I put them into the light on the table top, slighty reducing intensity and creating shifts of cool / warm. Overall, the object and the shadows (which really did appear in double because of my studio lighting) form a single shape that connects three edges of the canvas. Also, there is a repetition of the triangle shapes in the negative spaces, which helps the unity.



I had fun with this piece. I must admit, though, while I don't mind stretching reality or abstraction, sometimes I am not anxious to put them out in public right away. So, I am going for it . . . .(yes, I signed it!) I'll be very interested in your comments.

On Naming Things . . .

"Apples"

oil on linen on panel, 6" x 8"

SOLD

Sometimes, I chuckle to myself when I am painting. Sudden realizations show up at the silliest times. While doing this painting, I found myself saying "Oh, my Gosh! What color is the meat of an apple?! I never thought about it before this moment!" It 's funny that I still, after years of painting, have to have a name in my mind for a color. That is the left side of my brain working overtime. Other times, I will look at something and see that there are several colors there and know precisely how to mix them . . . .without naming anything.


Names of things get in our way as painters. The moment we name something, then it MUST be that THING . . . .instead of a shape of this color in that value. When we stop naming 'things' is when the creative muscles start to act . . .and that is when our paintings become something unusual. Letting go of names gives the freedom to compose without being "wrong."


Am working on the pinapple in a larger format. (See Saturday's post). I had to set it aside to do today's painting. The naming business showed up to try to trip me up in that painting. You'll see in a day or two what came out of that.

P.S. Carol Marine has been painting a long series of apples. Her work is really alive. I left her a note that you can almost smell the apples, yet one can sense her expert hand in each painting. In my opinion, the artist's hand (as I call it) is what sets her work apart from 'reality' and makes the ordinary and mundane very exciting. Check her out!

Bananas and Light

"Bananas and Light"

oil on linen on panel, 6" x 8"

SOLD

Here is today's painting . . . done yesterday . . . .yellow as promised in yesterday's post. This painting was just plain FUN! The color variations are myriad in this piece, yet it all 'looks' yellow. I really got excited about the outcome on this one!

A Glimpse Into Thinking

I have always been interested in seeing into what makes an artist tick . . .or how their processes function. I can remember seeing a show at a museum of Edward Hopper's work . . . .his sketchbooks were on display in glass cases. I could hardly pull myself away from inspecting every mark in that book! I could see how that artist reduced his ideas to the essentials that made his paintings bark at passers by. Was it genius in that sketchbook? I am not so sure. Hard work? Absolutely!

I have watched my self slave away in my studio . . .or outdoors . . .and come up with a poor composition or what I call a "Ho-Hum" painting. The sketchbook and many trials before painting can often be the determinant factor between "ho-hum" and "Wow!" And yet, those 'ho-hum' paintings were most often preceded with no preliminary trials in the sketchbook.

I purchased a pinapple a day or two ago, to eat, of course, but also to paint. After an early rise this morning, I took the pinapple to the studio to paint. . .all the while with a nagging feeling in my gut that I would have to do something unusual with this object to reach the "wow" factor . . . .and was in doubt as to how I would do that. I needed to put a few ideas on paper first.

Here are two pages from my sketchbook and this morning's brainstorming process in the studio. (I wish I could get my students to do more of this stuff!) I did twenty different sketches of the silly pinapple. Well . . . .actually I wasn't sketching the pinapple, I was experimenting with different shapes and their attitudes inside of the canvas format. Different directions, flat shapes and forms, compositional ideas and virtually NO DETAIL worries. Just answers to the question "What approach will give me what I want . . . .the "wow" that I am seeking. There are two or three compositions that hold promise here. My thoughts are beginning to turn to color and value schemes now. My suspicions . . .and that is often all there is to spur me forward . . . .just a hunch that says 'this might be it' . . . . are urging me to spend more energy on the shadow with tropical colors and close values . . . . .maybe! When that is the case, I have to be very careful to insure that I have a path planned or it could end up worse than a 'ho-hum.' I tell my classes that it is NOT the details that matter. (they really don't believe me!) What matters is how the artist handles value patterns and shapes and directions and color schemes . . . .or patterns and textures. It all has to work together to make visual music. Leave one of the vital elements out in your planning and you end up with a flop.

So, here is the beginning of my pinapple thoughts. It may be a week before something materializes on canvas. My notions are flying about in my head, so it could possibly be sooner. Then again, it might die a natural death and never make an appearance. I just have to work through the trials and errors to find the breakthrough . . . . .and quantity of trials is what makes the biggest difference. I have to take this beyond the obvious. It is way more than just the pinapple! It's really about the feelings the final piece will generate from the viewer.

Sour

"Sour"

oil on linen on panel, 6" x 8"

SOLD

Here it is June First, already. Many of the things I had planned for the year haven't even begun yet. Where has the time gone?

Little did I realize, as I looked at lemons being painted by other painters, how difficult they are to paint. One must be in absolute top form as an observer to see the extremely subtle color changes on a lemon. Here is my attempt . . . .I am sure there will be more. Yellow is considered by most art instructors to be the most difficult color in which to paint objects. There is a very small range of value (light to dark). (Ya just can't make yellow dark and still have it be yellow!) So, temperature variations and hue shifts seem to be the order of the day. Tomorrow, I'll try another yellow subject to see if I can improve.

This month, I will be participating in my first plein air event. Having never done that before, I am open to any advice you plein air event painters can offer. (Please!)