We are painting this Sat (tomorrow) at Golden Gate Park at Stowe Lake/Strawberry Hill, starting at 9:30AM. I will paint either the rock stone bridge or the Chinese pavillion.

The next one is Sat, April 26th at Pescadero State Beach (~30 miles south of Half Moon Bay).

If you attend and would like a demo or paint with me, track me down.

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:

We had a good turn out at today’s Verde Artist Guild paint-out, dispite the thick fog.  We all managed to find something to paint, and in fact many of us painted a house across the street from the park, at the corner of Buena Vista East and Dolores.  A long-time resident walking her dog told us the house belong to a former US ambassador, and that he’d purchased several homes on the same street for his children. Nice guy!

Joining today was (left to right), Richard, Christin Coy, Karen, Julia Seelos, New Person (sorry, can’t recall her name!), Cathy Boyer and David Stonesifer.  I managed to paint to small studies below.

Monterey Cyrpess’ in Fog - Oil on Linen - 8×6″

“Looking Down Dolores” - Oil on Linen - 10×8″

I can’t attend this event myself, but thought others that read this blog local to Northern California may be interested in this Call to Artists, from my good freind Andy Skaff:

North Tahoe Arts in partnership with East West Partners through the Tahoe Mountain Resorts Foundation, Truckee Gallery, and the Truckee Donner Land Trust plans a month-long celebration of the wonders of Martis Valley at Lake Tahoe in October, 2007. As part of this celebration we are planning a three-day “paint out” at various locations throughout the Martis Valley the weekend of October 5, 2007, culminating in a sale and cash awards ceremony at The Village at Northstar at Tahoe on Sunday, October 7, 2007. East West Partners, the developers of the new Ritz-Carlton Highlands Lake Tahoe and The Village at Northstar hope to make this an annual event drawing regional and nationally known artists and collectors. As you may know, early October is a glorious time in the mountains when nature is at its best. The painting opportunities should be wonderful. After the Ritz-Carlton, now under construction, is completed, it is anticipated that it will be the venue for this annual event.

Low-cost housing at Northstar or home stays with local Tahoe artists will be available on a first-come first-served basis. There will be no entry fees for participating in this event. Please let us know, by responding to this email, if you have an interest in participating or have any questions, please send us an email at the contact number below”.

Andy Skaff
530/525-4937 (Tahoe)
925/254-5656 (Orinda)
510/325-6019 (cell)
andy@askaff.com
www.askaff.com

We held our (roughly) monthly Verde Artist Guild paint-out today with about 7 artists attending.  I started in complete fog on the Peninsula side of the bay, and funny enough the ocean side (over Skyline Blvd) was beautiful!   I ended up doing two small studies, one of which was a “scraper”, the other is pictured below.  This is just an okay photograph. Once it’s dry, I’ll do a digital scan.

I’m off tomorrow to Lake Tahoe for Thanksgiving week. I’m hoping for snow, but the forecast is for sun.  I called Andy Skaff and he’s out of town, so if anyone else up in Tahoe will be around Thanksgiving week, send me an email or comment here.

Fitzgerald Cliffs - Oil on Linen - 9×12

Verde Artist Guild members painting away….

Had a great time painting with Verde Artist Guild on Sunday.  Great group of artist’s showed up.  And wow, what a great day. I started early–about 7:30AM–and the light was so perfect.  Hollywood film director’s call it “golden light“, when the light is lowest on the horizon, in the early morning or late evening. The color of the light is so striking.

So, as I said, started my painting of a Eucalyptus early. As artists starting arriving, as the host, I thought it important to be social and say hello to everyone. Glad I did, but by the time I returned to my painting, it was really striking how the color of the light had changed–from a warm orange to a flat, grey-ish blue.  Undeterred, I finished the painting’s color harmony from memory, and from what I’d done so far.

I’m particularly happy with this small passage.  As you can probably see, my work is loosening up. I’m trying to see as the great American Impressionist Charles Hawthorne advised, whereby you don’t see “things” you see shapes of color.  To get this effect, I’m painting without my glasses most of the time.  I see my canvas just fine, but the subject in the distance is blurred.  I’m near-sighted, and would never consider lasix eye surgery now.  It’s too great an asset to take my glasses off and see in the abstract.

Don’t you just love the way abstract bits form the final image, below?  I haven’t decided whether this painting is done yet.  It’s sitting in my office at Wells Fargo (where I’m working on a contract basis for a few months to save up   I think I may add some fallen branches to the grassy area at the bottom, as I feel the tree comes out of the ground a little to strongly, seems isolated to me.

We had another great paint-out at Stanford this past weekend, and a good turnout.  Here are some pictures.  We’re thinking of painting at Gamble Gardens next month (April), as there should be plent of blooms by then.  Spring is officially here!

This is a great way to narrow your scene down to something manageable.  Notice she’s doing a thumbnail sketch (notan) right next to her viewfinder. Good idea!

The paintout I organized between Verde Artist Guild and OPA (Oil Painters of America) was featured in PleinAir magazine (now called Fine Art Connoisseur)! Here’s the writeup and picture.