Eaton Canyon Oil Landscape Painting Study
Eaton Canyon Color
5 x 7
oil on canvas on board
These small color studies are fun to do when I don’t have time to dedicate to a larger painting. I guess that’s the essence of being a “daily painter” isn’t it? No one really expects us to finish a large painting every day, but, like Jello, there’s always room for a small study.
Although there’s not a lot of wildflower color this time of year, the remnants of autumn brush still glow against the greys and browns of winter. Buckwheat is one plant that adds a ruddy hue to any landscape. I like the white boulders that gleam in the sunlight – I think they add an interesting sculptural touch and provide contrast to the soft foliage.
This small study may be the basis for a larger work sometime soon. And speaking of larger paintings, I’ve been working on a larger Eaton Canyon oil painting, 16 x 20 inches, and I will be putting it here soon.
Aspen Landscape Oil Painting – Aspen Grove
SOLD
Aspen Grove in the Sierras
11 x 14
oil on linen
Interested in this painting? Please write.
This painting is sold, but you can see more Sierra Nevada paintings here
Wow, where did the week go? I’ve been so busy doing various art marketing and selling tasks that I haven’t made time to post. That will be remedied very soon.
This is another in my ongoing Sierra fall series. The aspen grove pictured here is dwarfed by the steep uplift of the Sierra Nevada range, which literally rises like a wall from the Owens Valley floor. I was captivated by the contrast of the deep blue violet mountain in contrast with the warm bright foliage of the aspens. Sages and other late blooming wildflowers, nipped by the frost and tousled by the wind, provided an interesting foreground with some suggestion of motion.
Can you feel the autumn wind blowing down out of those peaks, causing golden leaves to quiver and fly away?
Tomorrow I’ll be taking a painting to White’s Gallery on Honolulu Ave. in Montrose for the Pasadena Society of Artists new member show. I was juried in last April, but the new member show is an annual event, so it’s a nice opportunity to show some work. The reception is January 24, 2-4 pm if you have the time to come by and see the works of 20 artists.
Owens River Fishing Spot – California impressionist oil painting
“Owens River – A good day for fishing”
14 x 18 oil on canvas
SOLD to a lovely couple relocating to Montana
This new panting features what I’ve been told is one of the best fishing spots on the Lower Owens River. It’s near Highway 168 close to a place known to the locals as “Black Rock.” In the background you can see the Eastern Sierras and the Alabama Hllls, the choclatey brown lower range, still glowing in afternoon light. For many years, the water in the Owens River was diverted for Los Angeles. Now, some of the water flows again through local steams in the Owens Valley, and the landscape is recovering. I understand that some of the best bass fishing in California can be had in this spot. The day we were there a fisherwoman was doing well. I don’t have much experience with freshwater fishing, but this place looks like a little bit of heaven.
Because the painting is wet, it’s hard to get the look of the clouds without excessive reflection. There is detail in them; it’s just hard to see. I’ll try shooting this again when it dries.
Here’s a detail of just some of the native grasses:
Colorado Street Bridge Painting – California Impressionist Pasadena Landscape
SOLD
Across the Arroyo
9 x 12 oil on canvas on panel
(The Colorado Street Bridge, Autumn in the Arroyo Seco)
New, and available.
Yes, more sycamores. It’s the time of year when I want to capture them in all their glory, and if I can include my favorite bridge, all the better.
Just looking at this view makes me happy. And painting it, well, I can get downright giddy around these trees.
Arroyo Seco Path – California watercolor sketch
Arroyo Seco Path
7″ x 5.5″ watercolor sketch
For more information about my work, please write
One of the most frequent questions I get about my paintings is whether they are all done plein air style (no) and, if not, what I use for reference. Although I do use photos to catch specific details of trees and structures, especially when painting architecture, one of my most valuable tools is my sketchbook. Because my roots are in watercolor, I usually do plein air sketches using that medium. This is a quick way to get color notes and the general layout of a landscape subject without having to fuss with too much detail.
General color areas are indicated with a quick wash. The colors of the shadows can be added when those are dry (and outdoors, watercolor dries fast!)
Using watercolor as a plein air medium has a long history among 19th century painters, and noteworthy is John Constable. His field work formed the basis for his later oil paintings. Eugene Delacroix followed the same practice.
Watercolor painting has the benefit of being quick and portable, and it is a good way to capture the mood with few strokes. Although I love plein air oil painting and do it as often as I can, it’s not always easy to set up an easel. But a watercolor sketchbook can be opened and put to use in a few minutes. A portable watercolor palette, a spray bottle, a collapsible water bucket and a few brushes, some paper towels and I’m good to go. And I can carry a kit in the car so it’s handy at any opportunity.
Yosemite Painting – Autumn, Merced River Fall Color
“Yosemite Autumn”
15″ x 22″ watercolor on paper
SOLD
See more of my Yosemite paintings here
Interested in this painting? Please write by clicking this link
The colors of fall dazzle when caught, reflected in the serene waters of the Merced River. This large (half-sheet) watercolor takes advantage of the range of Yosemite’s beauty and is a preview of some new work I’ll be showing this year, both in watercolor and in oil.
When I’m exhibiting at a public show, one of the questions that people ask me most frequently is “which do you prefer painting, watercolor or oil?” It’s a hard question because the two media are so different in some ways, yet so similar in fundamental ways. For the sheer excitement of painting with all the unpredictability and opportunity for “happy accidents” you just can’t beat watercolor. Take a look at the luminous reflections in the water, for example, they were created with a wet into wet technique. You can certainly paint water in oil (and I do it all the time) but you can’t get a look exactly like that. Oil allows you the luxury of correcting mistakes more easily. Watercolor (especially when working with staining colors) can be very unforgiving. The short answer is, I love them both, for different reasons and I find that what I learn in one medium can often be applied to the other even though paint handling is different. The basics … color, line, shape, value, feeling, interpretation, composition … these things do not change and translate easily from medium to medium.
Here’s a closeup of just a detail of one of the trees. This would actually make a nice painting, enlarged, all on its own. Hmmmm, wheels turning … stay tuned.
Good Morning, La Canada Flintridge
“Good Morning, La Canada”
9″ x 12″ oil on canvas on board
For more information about this painting, please write
In our small town, the streets aren’t usually this deserted in the morning, but during the holidays and early weekend mornings there’s definitely less traffic. I decided to leave out the random cars for the sake of reducing clutter.
La Canada Flintridge is a “bedroom” community of Los Angeles. Just 20 minutes or so from downtown, Foothill Blvd. is our main street. This is a view of the corner of Foothill and Oakwood, quite near the Vons market on the left, and La Canada Presbyterian Church on the right (that’s the spire that’s visible.)
After all the paintings I’ve done of Pasadena, the Arroyo Seco, Eaton Canyon, Hahamongna Park, Glendale, Descanso Gardens and other local sites, it’s really about time I got around to painting more of LC itself.
The last time I painted a vertical cityscape it was El Molino Avenue in Pasadena, near the Pasadena Playhouse. This one. So maybe it’s about time for another one.
Lake Casitas California Impressionist Landscape Oil Painting
Lake Casitas Sunset
16 x 20 oil on canvas
Available
For more information about this painting, please write
One of the best bass fishing spots in California, so I’ve been told, is Lake Casitas in Ojai, not far from the Pacific Ocean and Carpinteria. The lake is formed by Casitas Dam and offers year round camping and other recreational activities. The day we were there it was late fall and more than a little crisp. I’m looking forward to returning again to be inspired by a different light and season.
What appealed to me about this location were the soft muted colors, slightly warmed by late afternoon light. Just an hour before or after it would not have revealed these jewel like tones.
California’s Rolling Hills – Impressionist Landscape Oil Painting
California’s Rolling Hills
9 x 12 oil on canvas panel
SOLD, but I have more rolling hill landscapes.
Please visit my landscape painting page.
I can’t count the times we’ve driven back and forth through California’s beautiful hills, decorated with stands of live oak trees. When we were first married we took many photo trips up and down the coastline, and these canyons and byways around Monterey were some of our favorite haunts. I never tire of painting them. Soon, these curvaceous hills will be covered with green grasses, a harbinger of spring. It doesn’t take long for the gold to turn to green.
Cottonwood Dawn — California Impressionist Oil Painting – Eastern Sierras
Cottonwood Dawn
(near Bishop, California)
16 x 20 oil on canvas
SOLD
Ths painting is sold but I have others of the Sierras in the fall. Write me.
Although the leaves are now fallen and scattered by the wind, the eastern Sierras still call me and evoke memories of golden glory. I understand that snow sometimes falls in Bishop, in the Owens Valley, but that it doesn’t stay on the ground long. How I’d love to go back there and see these meadows and cottonwoods clad in downy white. Maybe later in the season – I hope!
