Shameless Promotion . . .

"Low Water"

Watercolor, 22 x 30 inches

SOLD

That time has come again. OPEN STUDIO at my house and studio.

In the haste to prep for OPEN STUDIO over the last several weeks . . . . . . .(Oh, yes! There is a ton of work to be done; framing, cleaning, setting up, arranging everything, cleaning and tidying and . . . .gads! The work is overwhelming! ) (Yes, I mentioned cleaning more than once.) . . . . . . . . . . .but where was I? Oh yes, In the haste for prepping for OPEN STUDIO, I found myself terribly distracted; to hell with cleaning. I wanna PAINT !!! I couldn't resist. So, I managed to sandwhich it in while I was doing my diligence.

This painting came as a result of several small studies I did at the easel while I was procrastinating getting ready for OPEN STUDIO. My mind was on a few other things, like lessons in value organization and composition for my classes. Those studies revealed this composition which has some merit, I think, for value discussions. But that is another subject . . . . . . . .

OPEN STUDIO IS THIS WEEKEND (OCTOBER 3&4) FROM 11 TO 6 PM. If you are in Santa Cruz, go toward Felton on Graham Hill Road. Once past the horse grounds (2.5 miles) you will see the green signs, with "BAILEY" on them, directing you directly to the house. Coming from San Jose, take 17 over the mountain and get off on the Sims Road / Graham Hill Road Exit . . .turn left on the frontage road. Proceed to the stop sign at Sims and turn right. At the end of Sims at Graham Hill Road, you will see the green signs. Follow them.

Can't make it this weekend? We are also open October 17 & 18 11 to 6.

In addition to OPEN STUDIO, my work is on display at Kuumbwa Jazz Center in Santa Cruz and County Bank of Santa Cruz. There is a reception at the bank's main office the Friday evening.

Okay. I admit it. I am promoting myself and my art here sans shame. (Last nite I was a guest on a local radio program to promote it, also). Nope!! My modesty could be noted as a weakness, I suppose. But Hey! Let's forget all that and let's party at my Open Studio!! Be there or be square, as they say!!! :-))

Resurrection

"Edge of Summer"

watercolor, 22 x 30 inches

SOLD

At this time of year, I clean out my flat files to find what to exhibit at my annual Open Studio.

There are always a few unfinished paintings on which I became stuck, or unable to finish for one reason or another . . . . .usually it is some design indecision and huge doubt about continuing that causes me to stop and put the painting away. Often times, the painting will lean against my studio wall where I can see it. Eventually, the idea becomes stale and the painting ends up languishing in the flat file . . . .sometimes for 5 or more years!!

In the clean out process, I will invariably come across one or two that yell out to me to finish. And they do so with instant knowledge of what needs doing. You might even say that this is a resurrection from the boneyard because many simply wait to be destroyed and thrown out.

It is nice to be able to pull one out, now and then, which speaks to me so loudly. This one did . . . . . . .and I'm now happy that I saved it for the time to let my knowledge catch up to what was needed in the painting.

Elhorn Road Value Experiment

oil, 8 x 10 inches

I recently watched and listened to an artist do a demo (in oil) and sat bolt upright suddenly, as if I had been slapped, as he mumbled something about value relationships in landscape painting.

Huh? What did he mean by relationship? Oh, did he ever explain it and demonstrate it!

He made something become so very clear that I was absolutely struck by the revelation. Mind you, some of you out there will simply say, “Oh, thaaaat? Of course I knew thaaat,” and wonder why I have been so asleep for the last 20 years. I may have missed it more than once, but this time I really heard it.

The revelation was this: A painting has four kinds of ‘planes;’ the sky plane, the ground plane, upright planes and angled planes. Tall trees can be upright planes or a solid cliff. Just so it is vertical. The ground plane can be the top of a bush, too if it is near parallel with the ground. His mumbled wisdom was that the sky is the lightest valued plane in the painting. The ground plane the second lightest (that is slightly darker than the sky), while the vertical planes were the darkest.

He went on to say that there were accent darks and accent lights which were the darkest of the dark and lightest of the light . . . . .to be used most sparingly.

The point was simply that the ground relates in value to the sky, as do many of the highlights. The angled planes are darker than the ground and, thus, relate. Inside all of these four sets are the values of shadow and light. In the verticals, the darkest shadows occur, while on the angled planes there is a subset of shadow values lighter than the dark vertical set of values, which are related between the ground and the verticals. Another way to say relatedness would be to use the word **compared.**

On he went. And it was amazing to me. I grabbed a painting that I had done en plein air a few weeks ago and put it up on the easel and saw immediately why I wasn’t happy with it. The value relationships were all wrong! In ten minutes I glazed over the painting following the above wisdom and VIOLA ! What an incredible difference! The painting not only worked, but it sang!! Today, into the studio I went to whip up a similar composition using a different color scheme, but promised to paint those relationships of value. Whooopeee!!

This is so worth practicing and making careful note of the values as I mix them on the palette. There is more to this, but for now, I am jazzed to be fiddling with the basic relationship proposition. I can already see that the foreground is much lighter than the sky. . . .and that bluish background shape needs to be a lighter value. What an incredible tool!

The Power of Line

"Sax and Line"

Watercolor, 11 x 15

"Still Doodle 100"

watercolor, 15 x 22

Line has been used for centuries to create various kinds of art. In drawing, of course, much of that discipline is controlled by line. In painting, also, line plays a vital part in causing the mind to ‘see’ the artist’s intention. And, line can be both expressed directly, or it is often implied by ‘points’ or objects, where the mind imagines the connections and, therefore, can ‘see’ the ‘lines.’

As an element of design, line is often the first element put into play by the artist as he or she sketches or outlines objects and placement thereof onto canvas or paper. It isn’t until later that shading (values), texture and color are added to express some visual feeling of form and space. Line itself can be the dominant element in a painting. If used in certain ways, it can suggest, without actually delineating, shape or form through simple gestural movement in the picture space.

It is often challenging, enlightening and entertaining to select a single element from the list of seven elements and bring it to prominence in a painting. What is more, such choices can often set up ideas for new paintings.

I have shown some line ideas here in these two doodles (that’s what I am coming to call experiments that have no purpose of ever becoming a finished or a “work of art.” Notice how shape is merely suggested with line. Also, you may find some of the lines worthy of noting simply for their own ‘beauty’ or character.

Line is used in the still life doodle to show contour, surface, texture, direction and even shadow. . . . . .all of those things without actually saying any those things expressly. The other piece, line is used as a gestural suggestion without defining shape. The mind has to fill in the blanks.
Enjoy thinking about it.