I’m leaving Saturday morning for a week of painting as part of the San Luis Obispo Plein Air 2006 show.  I’m really looking forward to this.  It’s a much smaller group than Estes Park Plein Air, and I have several friends in the show.  We’ve decided to get together for regular critiques during the week (it is a competition), but I’ll also be using this blog to get feedback, so check in the week of Oct 1st, especially towards the end of the week when I have to choose my three best paintings.

San Luis Obispo Plein Air Festival 2006 schedule of events:

• October 2-7. Watch plein air painters paint the area landscape, downtown SLO
• October 7, 9:30-11:30am. Quick Draw competition at the Mission Plaza grounds
• October 7, 11:30-1:00pm. QuickDraw live auction
• October 7, 6pm. Reception at the San Luis Obispo Art Center.

Buelton Farm House (SOLD) - Oil on Linen - 9×12

I usually try to put too much into my paintings. Simplifying my compositions is a focus, as well as taking my time getting color/value/temperature relationships just right.

I was reminded of how powerful simplicity could be after visiting Bart Westgeest’s blog “I Landscape” the other day and his post “2 x Blue“, a wonderful study in restraint.

Today’s painting is the result. It’s small, simply (yes, I did get a bit “dabby”), but I’m happy with the color and value relationships.

Peninsula Hillside - Oil on Linen - 6×8″

This painting is based on a study and photograph I took at the Estes Park Plein Air event. It was a particularly difficult day because the weather was not cooperating, to say the least: thunder storms followed by clouds. Once in a while, the light would find it’s way to ground to create a wonderful glow. This is one of those “glow” moments. I captured some of this in my plein air study and the camera did a good job too. Using both, I painted this one. Not sure if it’s done. Let me know what you think.

Colorado Sky - Oil on Linen - 11×14

It find it ironic that artists are often asked to donate their work to charity events, when we’re among the lowest paid professions.  I wasn’t asked to donate a painting for my company’s upcoming silent auction, but I wanted to.  I’m building a “Silent Auction Blog” for them.  It’s actually a very interesting reuse of blogging software: I take the “Comments” functionality and morph it into a bidding mechanism.  Instead of entering a comment, you enter a bid.  Looks like it will work well.  The software we use at work is Moveable Type.  I image my employer wouldn’t mind sharing the code I wrote, so if you use Moveable Type and would like to build a silent auction blog, let me know.

“Hope” - Oil on Linen - 11×14

I was going through the studies I did at Ovanes Berberian’s workshop last summer and came across this one. While not everything “reads”, I like the abstract nature of parts of it and the rendering of light on the cup.

Coffee Cup - Oil on Linen - 10×8

I spent most of yesterday fixing paintings (based on the critiques I received on this blog) and I started a new sunset painting that isn’t quite ready to photograph.

First, Rocky Mountain Stream. I had some trouble with this one. I felt the color of the stream was too saturated (and you agreed), but when I fixed that problem, it still didn’t feel quite right. I then realized that the stream wasn’t integrated into the composition. Both the level of color saturation and its position in the design made it feel like a “painting within a painting”. To fix it, I both desaturated the water colors, then added the golden ground cover through the marsh reeds to meet the water. I broke that line of reeds which acted as a wall within the painting. This seemed to do the trick. I also made some small changes, such as adding additional light to some of the trees. In all now, I’m happy with this once.

The top painting on the right is the original, the painting lower is the latest…possibly final painting. Who knows, another change may come to mind.

I fixed the Colorado Sky painting. I moved back the trees on the right. Click here to view the latest.

As per previous posts, I’m working on some paintings based on my reference photos and sketches from Rocky Mountain National Park. I hope these are helpful. I should probably take more photos in between stages, but here’s at least three.

Here’s the drawing. I focus on general shapes and identify the darkest area of the painting. For these underpainting darks, I mix Sap Green and Alizarin Crimson until I get a neutral between the two, then I mix a little “California Blue” (a custom mixture of Phalo Blue and Garbazole Violet, a wonderful really dark blue when Ultramarine is not dark enough…BTW, I got this mixture from Brigitte Curt, who in turn got it from Ovanes Berberian).

Here’s the underpainting. I use a medium (again Ovanes Berberian’s, 40% linseed oil and remaining Damar Varnish and Gum Turpentine). I focus on bright color underpainting, varying warm and cool. I don’t focus on values, which is difficult to do.

And, here’s the final painting. I wonder if the water is too garish/saturated?  Perhaps I should neutralize these blues?  What do you think?

Rocky Mountain Stream - Oil on Linen - 11×14

Back from my “Rocky Mountain High“, I’ve started evaluating the hundreds of reference photos I took and planning some studio paintings. Yes, Plein Air painters painting in the studio too: I use reference photos and color studies from the field to do larger works in the comfort of home.

I’m happy with this one. I’m not sure the trees on the right recede enough…what do you think? I learned a lot about painting the sky from Ovanes Berberian, and I used his wash technique here for my underpainting. The drama of Colorado sky is strong and since I love to paint skies so much, I think I should come up with a good series of paintings in the coming months.

I need to complete some paintings for the “preview show” of the San Luis Obispo Plein Air competition, first week of October. Yikes, yet another week long plein air adventure coming up! Should be fun. I met a number of fun artists at Estes Park Plein Air, and since I know SLO pretty well, we’re going to paint together. I think I’ll also suggest some dinner-hour critiques…of course this blog will still serve as a critical feedback mechanism too. Thanks again to all my readers for helping with Estes! I’m still pinching myself, getting over the Directors Choice Award.

Rocky Mountain Sky - Oil on Linen - 11×14

Oh, and this is my 200th blog post! Yahoo!