I just finished a workshop with Skip Whitcomb, a great teacher. Here’s a video I posted of a demo he did Friday. It’s on YouTube.

Okay, call me an addict. First, there was chocolate (thanks, mom!), then, my “Crackberry“, now Facebook. What can I say, I get obsessions. Art is an obsession, no harm in that, right?

One of the features on Facebook I’ve decided to try for my “virtual open studio” (ie, cleaning out my studio sale) is “Facebook Flyers”. It’s a neat idea. Remembering that Facebook is built around the idea of friends, virtual neighborhoods and so on: at home, how would you advertise a garage sale? Sure, start with Craig’s List…but you’d post fliers, right? That’s the idea with Facebook flyers. You can post advertisements that feature your sale, and most important: target them to networks, be it neighborhoods or schools.

So, I’ve devised a little test. I’ve taken one of my paintings from my “virtual open studios” and targeted it using Facebook Flyers. The one I selected was my painting of the USS Hornet for the “Jewel by the Bay” paint out this past summer. So now the question is, where do I target? You can target by gender, age group, neighborhood and school. There’s Alameda…yes, I could target delivery of the flyers to people that live in Alameda where the USS Hornet is docked. But I realized there is a school of alumni that may be most interested, the US Naval Academy!

So, there it is. My Facebook Flyer, targeted for delivery (5,000 flyer ads for $10) delivered to only current students and alumni of the US Naval Academy.

I’ll let you know how it goes.  To learn more about Facebook Flyers, check out Charlene Li’s Blog, “Groundswell”.

If you’re reading this blog, chances are you’re familiar with social networks, like Facebook, MySpace, etc. I’ve been following Facebook for a while (as part of my role at Wells), and think it has a lot of potential to connect people/groups in much more meaningful ways than MySpace. So, I’ve set up a group called “Plein Air Painters“, and I’d love you to join us!
The group is focused on the art of painting “plein air”, outdoors in natural light. For now, membership is restricted to plein air artists, of any level. This is a place to learn, make connections and share your experience. We’ll be able to start online discussions, submit photos of paintings to share or critique, and list events–like shows, paint-outs, workshops, and so on.
Here’s how to join:
If you’re not a member of Facebook,

1. Click here to register
2. You’ll then need to check your email for a confirmation from Facebook, click the link in the email to confirm with Facebook.
3. Click here to visit the group.
4. Click the “Request to Join Group” link on the right, below the painting.

If you are a member, click here to visit the group, then “Request to Join Group” link on the right, below the painting. Here’s what the page will look like… See the link “Request to Join Group” under the painting, below right:

It’s time to clean out my studio, and offer paintings at a discount for you holiday shoppers! November is apparently the largest retail month, so I’m going to join in with an online-only, unframed studio sale.

Starting November 1st, I will have web pages set up for this sale that will allow you to select a painting, pay online (using PayPal’s site) and enter your shipping address/information.

I am also going to experiment with online advertising, buying targeted ads on Facebook. (”Facebook Flyers”) For those of you that sell your art (probably the majority of my readers), I will let you know how that works out. If you have any online sales/advertising tips, please chime in with comments. I have noticed a wide variety of sales approaches by other artists, from eBay to specialized art sales sites. What works for you?

I am going for volume here, so these unframed prices are big discounts (hope this doesn’t hurt me later!):

$100 - 6×8
$150 - 8×10
$175 - 9×12
$250 - 11×14
$275 - 12×16
$500 - 16×20

Yesterday was…conflicting. On the one hand, it was an extraordinarily beautiful day–one with the level of clarity you see after a couple of days of rain–and on the other, a very sad one.

I painted the view below of the Golden Gate Bridge from El Camino Del Mar, just past the Palace of Fine Arts. When I was done, I was approached by a stranger, Tod, who’d told me he’d lost his brother two days before in a car accident, 20 yards down from where I was sitting. Thirty minutes before I’d taken a break and walked down to see the flowers left at the tree where his brother’s car had struck, an old Monterey Cypress. Since we’d had our first big rain the day of the accident, and it’s a sharp turn on a steep hill, I can image the slick roads that day must have combined to create this tragedy.

This isn’t the first time a painting has had a special connection with someone. As artists, it’s something we seek, but of course can never plan for. A place remembered or one you’d like to visit is the norm. You’ll never know when that connection will be made. I’m grateful I was there at the moment Tod came back to visit that tree, and hope this painting brings him comfort, some day.

“Brothers” - Oil on Linen - 12×9

My last day at San Luis Obispo Plein Air, I had a relaxing morning and just painted for the fun of it. I needed that, because unfortunately, painting for these competitions can be a bit stressful…a bit like painting a commission–only 6-10 in a single week!

I continue to have fun with the texture of paint, piling it on here and doing lots of re-evaluating, and adjusting.  Sometimes it’s best to paint a stroke and leave it, but other times, it’s fun to continue refinement and use more paint, layer by layer.  That’s what I did here.

Baywood Park Pier (Los Osos) - Oil on Linen - 16×12

Tomorrow, I think I’ll paint in Golden Gate Park again, perhaps the area around Stowe Lake.  I’ve some good luck there in the past, painting the Golden Gate Pavilion (here, and here).

We had perfect weather for today’s Quickdraw event at San Luis Obispo Plein Air.  As happens in many events like these, there was a mix of adult part-time, learning artists and collectors.  I gave away lots of cards, advice to early artists and set up a snow scene near my easel so passerby would see my finished work at a larger scale.  You know how paintings go through an “ugly stage” at the beginning (not unlike newborn babies…parents excepted ….I didn’t want a collector to see that and walk on. I think it worked.  I got lots of praise for “Thanksgiving Day Snow”, which I painted plein air last November.  But alas, no buyers.

I struggled with my painting of the mission for a while, and about half way through the two hours thought that I may not be able to pull it off. Panic.  After scraping a section that wasn’t working (and simplifying…always think about simplifying areas that aren’t coming together), was able to finish something I was very happy with.

Luckily, a wedding was held in the mission church that day, so given I painted a view of the door and steps–complete with wedding garland–I had a nice little bidding war for the piece. I sold for a respectable price to a member of the wedding party.

No luck later that night, however, at the reception’s silent auction. I’ve doubled my prices from last year, but don’t think that was the problem as paintings next to mine at 1/4 the price didn’t sell either.  Sales were terrible.  Following the auction, which didn’t seem nearly as successful as last year, someone mentioned “we’re definitely in a recession”. I don’t know if “The Fed” would agree, but let’s face, art’s one of the first things to go when you’re thinking about your mortgage payment going up and whether your job will be there if a recession does hit.

Oh well. I’m just honored to be here and meet so many talented artists and truly wonderful, giving people.

We’ll see, maybe sales tomorrrow, the last day of the show. I’m painting Morro Bay in the morning for the joy of it.  No competition or sales worries, just painting.

Mission, at San Luis Obispo - Oil on Linen - 12×9″

Okay, I need your help blogosphere! I need to pick the top 3 paintings for the jury, and top 6 for the exhibition. I’ve listed my picks below. This group has done a great job last year, making suggestions and providing a much needed second pair of eyes. You know when you look at your own work too much, you loose some perspective. My personal favorites aside, I need to pick work the judge and collectors will most appreciate.

So, tear pause your Tivo with Larry King’s coverage of Britney Spears and chime in with your comments!

UPDATE [5-Oct]: I left out a painting, Rocks and Surf, below. Is it in the right order? I didn’t put it in the top 3 or 6…should it be? Thanks!

Top 3 for the Judge

Untitled - Oil on Linen - 12×16″

Bluffs (Montaña de Oro) - Oil on Linen - 16×20″

Tom’s Boat - Oil on Linen - 16×12″

Backup for sold paintings

Morro Bay Nocturne - Oil on Linen - 9×12″

Sweet Springs Marsh - Oil on Linen - 12×16″ UPDATE [5-Oct]: I adjust the edges of the distant hills, and better explained the light on the water, lower part of the painting. I think this now reads better (note: this photo isn’t great, the colors aren’t as true as the image above): Sweet Springs Marsh - Oil on Linen - 12×16″

Near Laguna Lake - Oil on Linen - 9×12″ Rocks & Surf (Montaña de Oro) - Oil on Linen - 9×12″

Sycamore - Oil on Linen - 16×12

Cambria Bluffs - Oil on Linen - 12×16

Last night Doug Martin, Walter Porter, Daisy de Puthod and Stephen Sanfilippo and I got together for a dinner and critique as part of this year’s San Luis Obispo Plein Air 2008 competition. The group had wonderful work, some will surely win something. Walter showed us a painting of boats in Los Osos that was particularly striking, although everyone’s work was great. I’m going to apply some of their critique suggestions tomorrow as I frame paintings to hand for the exhibition. Please check my next post, as I’ll be showing a summary of all of my work this week and will ask my readers to chime in with their picks for the show, as well as any critique advice.
This morning I did a great painting! After 4 days, I feel like I’m “getting into the grove” now. I drove down to Shell Beach, a part of Pismo Beach, just south of SLO. I timed things just right, because just as the weatherman had predicted, the winds started to pick up around 11am, making it difficult to paint. Finished just in time and enjoyed a cup of tea from my thermos for a break.

Here’s the finished painting. No title yet. Suggestions? What should I call it? (click to enter a comment)

Untitled - Oil on Linen - 12×16″

The challenge here was to both push color and pay attention to values and ariel perspective (showing distance convincingly, mainly by blue-ing and bringing values closer together.

Great day today! The weather cooperated, my paint cooperated and my mind and brush worked together in harmony. That’s a relief after yesterday. Let me know what you think of these!

I started out the morning in an area of Los Osos called Baywood Park. I’ve seen this spot before. There’s a small shore and short pier, all surrounded by a few small boats. The boat I painted belongs to a one “Tom Freine”. I painted in a sort of portrait style. I stylized the boat and muted the surroundings, as you would a portrait, almost in a sort of Cezanne style. This is almost a study in greens. I brought this to a critique tonight and got some good feedback for a couple of minor changes.

Tom’s Boat - Oil on Linen - 16×12

I drove to Montaña de Oro State Park to rest between paintings. Glad I did, the weather and light were perfect. Several other artists around, too (thanks Daisy for picking me up some lunch!). I decided to get comfortable, so set up my chair and large umbrella.

I’m very happy with this painting, perhaps the best so far this week. The color in the shadows contrasted with the rim light of the bluffs drew me to this subject. The scene had drama, and I think I was able to capture some of it. I also spent some time on the lower right foreground rocks. I wanted to capture a convincing cast shadow and reflected light. Can’t wait to see this one framed!

Bluffs (Montaña de Oro) - Oil on Linen - 16×20″

I feel I’m doing well–it’s only Weds, and I have enough paintings for the show. Thursday and Friday I can relax a bit, which usually means I’ll paint better. We’ll see.

Tomorrow night (Thursday) I’ll post all my paintings for the week and seek feedback from my readers here to help me pick the top 3 for the judge, and 3 backup (for sales). Please check in then and let me know what you think. Cheers!