Leftovers . . . .

"Path to the Beach"

watercolor 22 x 30 inches

Leftovers . . . . .Yep. That is what this painting is. It was still a "start" when I left from the Monterey area last week. Today it is finished!

Oh! Did I mention that it really does have all this color in that locale? There is a fairly new California State Park near where I was staying; Fort Ord Dunes, State Park. This is the outer edge of the old, decommissioned Fort Ord. This locale was the spot where the soldiers club once stood overlooking the Monterey Bay and Pacific Ocean. In fact, I was stationed at this place when I was a young man of 19, serving my military obligation. I cannot remember it ever being this spectacularly beautiful.

Painting this subject brings interesting challenges in color design. If you know much about color compliments, such as red and green, when they come together they neutralize each other and make browns and grays . . .even black! So, the watercolor painter must resort to all sorts of different approaches and tricks to get this sort of color intensity to occur. That said, I think I would have stood on my head to try to make it happen. To see such a scene is beyond what the mind can imagine.

As for the title of this article, "Leftovers," the word conjures up ideas of old food for a meal which has been left over from a previous meal. And, certainly, not very appetizing to many people. I could not resist the title, however. It fits my sense of humor!

Some leftovers, eh?!

Until next painting . . . .

Still on the Edge of Heaven . . .

"Carmel River Mouth"

Watercolor 22 x 30 inches

A hiatus on Wednesday to carry out a work assignment prevented me from painting, but it sure didn't stop me from thinking about being back at the easel while at work! Sometimes, plein aire painting can be a full blown compulsion for me! This week I was certainly in that compulsive behavior zone!

One of the very first workshops I ever attended was at this location some 20 years ago from a gentleman by the name of Gerald Brommer. You may know of Gerry or even attend his workshops. I know that he has given some 600 workshops all over the world. The Monterey area in Northern California (which is where this painting was done) was one of his favorite haunts. It was his paintings of that area that swept me into taking up this delightful pastime. I will be forever grateful to him for his encouragement and for setting an example for me to follow for the rest of my life.

That said, I wish there were spectators attending this painting session. I could do nothing wrong it seemed. It nearly FELL off my brushes. There was a mellow feeling as I set up my gear and proceeded to lay out the composition. Every move, every stroke, every wash and every glaze seemed as though nothing could possibly go wrong! There are occasional moments like that in the pursuit of painting. They don't come often, but when they do there is incredible excitement (almost like a drug high!) that follows and keeps me floating for many days afterward. One would think that after 24 years of painting that sort of feeling of euphoria wouldn't come around much, but it sure does for me. When I think about this sort of reward, I become very spiritual and quite grateful for the gifts I have been given. (amen!)

There are a few more paintings that happened this week, two of which are still in the category of "starts" and must be resolved in order to declare them finished. I will post them as soon as that happens. Meanwhile, I am returning to teaching my ten week class "Watercolor Beyond the Obvious" on Monday of this coming week. So, I must prepare, rather than paint.

Knowing me as I do, though, I imagine this compulsion that throbs within will win out in a day or two!! ;-))

Spending Tuesday in Heaven

"Orange and Blue"

Watercolor 15 x 22 inches

As promised, here is the result of Tuesday's session on a hillside near Big Sur, California. As you can see from the about photo, the ice plant is colorful at this time of year . . . . .and finds itself in the most in hospitable places which, I think, are impossible to reach in order to germinate. But there it is!!

For me, this day was a day of, literally, falling in love! I have been dreaming about putting these images on paper with watercolor for weeks now. And here I was, back to the wind, being cautious not to spill my easel over the edge and into the water. What an incredible, beautiful day!!!

Putting the varied colors of the ice plant into a painting like this is a challenge. There are many greens mixed with reds of varying temperatures and intensities. After many attempts, I find that exaggeration seems to be the only way to intermingle those colors and to carry the emotion of the place. Rocks and water are one thing, but rocks and water with brilliant reds and oranges . . . . . . . .? Now THAT is something to dance for!!

I had to miss Wednesday, but am going back out on Thursday and hope that the forecasted rain doesn't appear until late in the afternoon.

Ciao !

A Little Bit of Heaven . . !!!

"Lobos Rocks"

Watercolor 15 x 22 inches

Some days seem as though I live, literally, on the edge of heaven. Monday and Tuesday of this week it seemed that way.

We are staying as guests of a favorite art colleague right near the Monterey Penninsula in California in a place called Carmel By The Sea. And it really is on the edge of heaven. Some of the most beautiful scenery on the planet is in that vicinity. Pebble Beach is part of that area.

My wife and I are staying there with only one thing on our minds . . . .to paint and to relax. The holidays and various travel obligations have kept us dancing through the coals, so to speak.

While it has been a piece of heaven, it has been COLD ! Beautiful, clear weather, but ice on everything in the mornings. But I am going out painting anyway!! Bundled up, with long underwear, wool cap and everything I can carry from my studio to sit by the sea and paint! Wow !!! The wind bites. The people stop with silly questions, but it is still one of those times for which I am grateful to be alive and able to immerse myself.

So here is the result of Monday's painting excursion. Tuesday's is in the wings ready to show her face, too. Rain is expected, but I have taken enough photos to be able to paint this beautiful place, rain or shine. Sadly, I haven't got internet access where I am staying. So, stay tuned. It might take a few days to get all this stuff posted. Meanwhile . . . . . .Yippeeeeeeeeee!!!!!

Kicking Off 2012 . . . .

"Morning Tide"

Watercolor 22 x 30 inches

Following a challenge by my friend and colleague, David Lobenberg, we have been both painting the same subject from the same photo. When the challenge was issued (by Dave) I wondered about making changes to the composition. The lighting, the value and color changes in the rocks, the foam, the waves, the sky all presented different challenges. I couldn't wait to get at it! It has taken me nearly a week to complete this painting. One of the reasons it took so long was that the original photo had the bottom 1/3 of the image solid dark rocks. In my humble opinion, the bottom part of the image needed a passage of light in order for the eye to get into the body of the painting. So, I created the entire lower third of the piece to bring that about.

I might have jumped the gun a bit, not waiting to see Dave's painting, but have been so deeply involved in "getting it right" that I could not wait to post the results. I am expecting Dave to post his piece any day now.

For those who are wondering "how" this piece was done . . . . . beginning with the sky ten to fifteen graded washes were glazed over each other, using red, yellow and blue. The big rock in the mist was laid in part way through the glazing process then repeatedly glazed over with the various washes in order to 'push it back' and envelop it into the colored mist.

I had a lot of fun working this piece as it was a return to a level of concentration which bordered on being in a trance. . . . . . .which is the probable reason most of us painters paint.

Happy New Year to All for 2012 !