Into the Morning – Daily Painting
“Into the Morning” 8 x 10 oil on canvasboard
This last week I’ve been waking up dreaming of painting. Years ago, when I produced some shows on dreams for ABC’s 20/20, we learned from experts that ‘day residue’ forms a large part of the content of our dreams. So it’s not surprising that because I spend so much time thinking about painting, as well as painting, that it would slip into my night life as well. A few days ago, I dreamed about visiting a landscape not far from us that I hadn’t been to in maybe 10 years. So, that very morning, my husband and I walked up the trail and I took some reference photos to remember what the light was doing that time of day. No doubt I will return there again soon, to paint on location, now that I know what the place offers. (And I’ll hope no mountain lions will come calling!)
This painting is based on the photo and notes I made yesterday morning. I’ve been experimenting mixing different hues and learning the colors most common in our local hills.
Windy Grove – Daily Painting
Windy Grove – 9 in x 12 in – Oil on canvasboard
In spite of yesterday’s strong winds we found some paintable bits of rural agricultural life very close to Los Angeles.
This painting depicts a stand of protective eucalyptuses bordering a citrus grove. Eucs are commonly planted as windbreaks, to protect delicate oranges or lemons from damaging storms. The mighty eucs were working extra hard on Sunday – groaning and swaying in high winds that drove brush fires in Moorpark, in the Simi Valley.
I’m enjoying painting bits of rural life that are still left in California, in the spirit of the scene painters of the thirties. And I’m really looking forward to painting more of these graceful gum trees.
Based on reading I’ve been doing (Kevin McPherson) and suggestions from Laura Wambsgans and others, I painted this with only three colors and white: ultramarine blue, cadmium red deep, cadmium yellow pale and titanium white.
Now … back to the easel …
Daily Painting – Winter Sun
“Winter Sun” – oil on hardboard – 10 in x 8 in
I seldom paint snow because, well, we don’t have a lot of it in Southern California unless you go in search of it in the mountains. And that only lasts a short while unless it’s a particularly snowy year. But I’m hoping that there’ll be some this year so that I can try some plein air painting. It will be oil – I don’t think I could manage too well with watercolor out in low temperatures, although I did that once at Mammoth Mountain and it turned out OK.
At any rate, this is a practice painting in which I started to get some feel for the textures of a winter landscape. I used a wet canvas reference photo to work from. Unless I come up with something I like better (and soon) it will be my Christmas card for this year …
Chili and the Dumpling – Daily Painting
8 in. x 10 in. Oil on gessoed hardboard
SOLD to a collector in New Mexico
Sure, they’re an odd couple. Chili, he’s a hotty with a sharp, peppery personality. Dumpling, she’s tender, sweet and rounded in all the right places. But they get along just fine. Maybe you know someone(s) like that? I know I do.
Painting a Day – Antique Lamp
“Lamp to My Feet”
5 1/2″ x 11 5/8″ Oil on gessoed hardboard
SOLD
This painting started as an experiment in trying to paint two surfaces which I find challenging – metal and glass.
Road trip
Right now, my dear daughter and friend are on a road trip across the great southwest on her trek to relocate herself for two years at Northwestern’s Kellogg School of Business. Go wildcats! As much as I’d like to have stowed away in the back of her minivan under the featherbed and stereo, I will content myself instead with painting something of the landscape she may be seeing right about now in New Mexico. I painted this last night “alla prima” (all in one sitting) and it will probably take a few days to dry. It’s 9 x 12, oil on canvasboard. I used a limited number of colors – a cad yellow, alizarin crimson, ultramarine blue, thalo blue, white and a little raw sienna. Surprising how many other colors those few colors will make!
This is also my post for the “Inspire Me Thursday” open challenge. My challenge of the year has been to move beyond sketching and journaling into painting. I’ve done a lot of watercolors but this is only my 6th or 7th oil painting. My goal is to paint at least 2 oils a week – more if I can.
