Apr 8 - Another Demonstration using Golden Open Acrylics

I am becoming enamored with the Golden Open Acrylics. I used them today (in their cool and warm pill boxes) for a demonstration for the Hemet Valley Art Association. The end result is this 16 x 20 acrylic you see here, called "Vernal Pools, Santa Rosa". Completely without reference except memories in my head.

What I enjoy about the Open Acrylics is the process of putting paint down that dries less quickly than traditional acrylics, yet still is tacky enough to have drag and blending opportunities, not quite like, but similar to, oils. The drag over the tacky parts is easily visible in the grasses. The blending is there in the distant mountains and water reflections. I talked the entire time during the demonstration, which lasted about an hour and a half. The HVAA were kind to let me come back, since I missed last month!

From the workshop, I wanted to share the moonlight painting that Harmony did on the last day. She really "got" it in this depiction of the waterfall--using a noontime color snapshot she took herself, and mentally changing the light to make this evocative view using the Color System. Just so you know, the paintings I'm showing from the workshop have had less than 5% of my hand, if that. Most, like this one, are 100% from the brushes of the attendee.

If you'd like a look into my life here at Two Trees, my friend Theresa who came through on a visit took these photographs while here. Lots of Chiron, and the workshop, as well as around the yard. I love seeing my life through another's eyes--it is full of surprises! Go HERE.

You can see my entire blog HERE.

My remaining workshop schedule for 2009 is HERE, updated. The June workshop is filled and I've opened another California one that goes over July 4th weekend. It already has two signups. Still one or two spots in Florida and several in September in Maine, though.
Color System information can be found HERE.
If you need to email me directly, please click here.

Apr 7 - Workshop Over, Next One Coming

I just opened the June Riverside workshop today, and already six of the ten slots are filled with deposits. Wow. I know that the Color System is such a needed tool for artists, as I can see that it works; I saw it in students' work this past weekend. I took some more images from this last workshop, and will be sharing their paintings with you in the days to come.

Here is the one I did as the demonstration for evening light, on a 12 x 16 panel in oils, using the Color System to convey time of day on the light falling on the pack mule and the landscape. It is a quick study, roughly done in about 30 minutes. However even at this loose stage, the light is set and the color "reads right" for the warm late afternoon. The students then took their own source material, and spent a half day doing their own paintings in evening light.

Here's Pat's 8 x 10 acrylic which she did from her own black and white photograph. I enjoy seeing every student's painting style in these workshops. And so fun to see the wheels turning in everyone's head as they THINK about painting!

I have a new flyer for the workshop in Florida. You can view it online here, and please share it with your friends "over there".

You can see my entire blog HERE.

My workshop schedule for 2009 is HERE-Florida and Maine!

Color System information can be found HERE.
If you need to email me directly, please click here.

Apr 4 - Color Boot Camp in Progress--Student Samples

After the first full day of the Color Boot Camp ended, I thought you might enjoy seeing some of the students' paintings instead of mine. They say one can measure the success of a teacher by the quality of the students. Everyone "nailed" the morning light lesson, after the opening morning learning the importance of values in designing paintings. Here are two of the students' pieces, both completed to this stage in just under three hours. I asked permission to share them, and they enthusiastically said, "Yes!".

First is Christine's image of an elephant in water. She came in with a standard photograph taken by a friend on safari, and it was a traditionally gray and blue photo. By applying the color system, and relocating the head off to one side, she accomplished the goal of creating a dynamic composition and also set the time of day to morning. She'll add the ripples and define the water and the details on this 12 x 16 oil later. But this painting shows a great "AHA" moment for her, in that she said she'd never think to add the yellow to the right side of the pachyderm.

Second is a morning landscape from an ordinary photograph taken by Claudette. She finished this large (16 x 20 oil) in the afternoon of the first day! Knowing what colors to use allowed her to push forward and really get what she wanted without fighting to achieve the gentle light of morning. All of the students were successful in getting the morning light in their work.

Tomorrow, they'll be doing sunsets and noon lighting. I'll share more of their work with you then, if you like. I'm so pleased with the way the workshop is unfolding for these students. Then there are my demonstration paintings coming, too...

There's still room in the May Florida workshop (Georgia is full), and the September workshop in beautiful Maine. Color Boot Camps for FIVE FULL DAYS!

You can see my entire blog HERE.

My workshop schedule for 2009 is HERE (except for the June Riverside workshop).

Color System information can be found HERE.

If you need to email me directly, please click here.

Apr 3 - First Day of Color Boot Camp

Today ended the first full day of the April Color Boot Camp here at Two Trees Studio. I am pleasantly tired tonight, yet smiling as I do when I know the students had a valuable day behind them. I demonstrated how to make a fairly good old painting I had much better, by the knowledge of the Color System I'm teaching. I took this 24 x 36 acrylic that I painted back in 1998, and with glazes and some enhancement of areas, transformed it from a ho-hum nice painting to a definite morning light piece. I'd painted it in 1998 during the month after my dad died as a series of pathway paintings, coming to grips with losing a loved one, and the path we are all on during this stay on earth.

In the Color System, morning light is suffused with yellow (mostly) and shadows take on some characteristics of the receding night sky. It was fun to change the areas of sunlight and shadow to reflect this, and yet to hold to the integrity of the original painting.

Here's the old version for you to see what the original painting looked like before the demonstration of how to fix a canvas.

You can see my entire blog HERE.
My workshop schedule for 2009 is HERE.
Color System information can be found HERE.
If you need to email me directly, please click here.

Mar 28 - Whitewater Preserve Evening

The second plein air painting for the show coming up on April 2 at Whitewater Preserve off of I-10 for your pleasure! This is a 24 by 12 acrylic, and I painted it SO fast.... Couldn't take any pictures of it in process, as the light changed so rapidly on that rock face on the right. I got that part in first, as I knew that as the light faded, the sun would leave those rocks. And it DID. So I painted this one mostly in the Cool Boxes of the Color System, using traditional acrylics, with just a few accents of warm on the water and wet rocks.

Doing the water while listening to the burbling ripples was such a joy. I was parked near the concrete creek crossing where many people pull off and enjoy the water, but at this time of evening, I was only worried about black bears. Sparky would have warned me, though. In this part of the pass area near Banning, the wildlife come down to drink, and the evening light takes on a special atmosphere. I love to capture it--(the light, not the bears!)

After painting the first oil, I went to leave, and they'd closed the gates on me while I was inside the Preserve! Fortunately, they didn't lock them, so I could come to this location and whip out the acrylics. Fun to do two paintings in two media on one afternoon. Yes, I do paint fast....

The April workshop is fast approaching, and I do have one spot available for anyone interested in a quick three days of INTENSE Color Boot Camp. Let me know... although nine is a good number, too.

Here's Sparky at my set up for the first Whitewater painting...he just woke up and is arching his back in a stretch--thus the strange pose. I hope you enjoy seeing the places "for real" that I paint?

You can see my entire blog HERE.

My workshop schedule for 2009 is HERE.

Color System information can be found HERE.

If you need to email me directly, please click here.

Mar 26 - Whitewater Preserve off I-10, Plein Air

Oh wow, oh wow, wow! I went to the Whitewater Preserve (used to be the old trout ponds) off I-10 west of Palm Springs and Desert Hot Springs late this afternoon. The land up there is gorgeous and rugged, and Sparky 'n' I were out in the middle of nowhere capturing this vista, looking north toward the San Gorgonio mountains. Old sycamores are everywhere, and the valley floor has grasses and brittlebush blooming. SOLD

My Color System is alive and well here in this 12 x 12 oil, yet so tempered by the dove grays and soft value changes that it is hard to find it unless you KNOW it. I'm so pleased with this one, because the recent series of larger studio landscapes has helped me to "nail it" in the field. I may go back once more--the turn-in for this show is coming up on the 2nd, but I'm asking another PAAR artist who's offered to take the paintings in to take mine--I'll be doing the April Color Boot Camp here!

Thank you all for the warm welcome back in your email replies to this post. I truly miss painting when I'm not doing it every day, and your comments help me to keep going!

You can see my entire blog HERE.

My workshop schedule for 2009 is HERE.

Color System information can be found HERE.

If you need to email me directly, please click here.

Mar 24 - Baby Goats and Finished the "Secret Pasture"

I've been tremendously busy with springtime on the "farm" here--planting the raised beds, fertilizing and planting more citrus, and getting everything ready for the next Color Boot Camp workshop here in April. I'm so glad to be back to the brushes now, and finished the 30 x 40 of the "Secret Pasture"--another place where I'd love to spend time. Most of the finishing touches are related to the lights on the sunlit areas, and the addition of one horse off in the distance--thus, the "secret".

It's hanging on the wall behind me and I just so enjoy looking at it from across the room. I'll be back on Fay's farm in May!

Whooee, though...here at Two Trees it's been a long day! We doubled our goat herd last night with the birth of triplets from our milk doe Uke--six days early. From midnight to 2:30 I was on maternity duty with her in the brisk night air. Mom and kids are fine, two beautiful boys and one girl--who is the spitting image of her grandma! The middle boy is huge, and I had to assist to get him and his sister safely into their new world. Here they are only a few hours old, with mama, this morning.

Tomorrow I go out to the Whitewater Preserve to paint on location for an upcoming Plein Air Artists of Riverside show. This Preserve is the newest in a chain of open space parcels to allow the movement of wildlife, and links the corridors of the Mt. San Jacinto range to the San Gorgonio mountains to the north. It's good to be back painting!

You can see my entire blog HERE.
My workshop schedule for 2009 is HERE.
Color System information can be found HERE.
If you need to email me directly, please click here.

Mar 12 - Parent Washington Navel Orange Tree, Plein Air

At the request of one of the PAAR artists, and with her company, I went out to paint a landmark in Riverside today. I have wanted to paint this for over 20 years--the parent Navel Orange Tree that is an historical landmark in Riverside, at the corner of Arlington and Magnolia. This tree is one of two that are the original trees brought to Riverside and into California by Mrs. Eliza Tibbets in 1903. Her husband didn't think much of this project, so she watered the trees with dishwater. She sold cuttings from her trees for $5 each, an exhorbitant amount at that time. This one tree has survived and continues to blossom today. It is cared for by the folks here at the University of California, Riverside. The navel orange tree, and Mrs. Tibbets, changed the citrus industry forever. Available for $275.

This 12 x 16 painting is done in acrylics, and I stood in the median strip on Magnolia Avenue this morning to paint it. If you've ever been to Riverside and seen this bit of history, you'll recognize it right away! Standing in the median with all my gear, I felt at one moment like a homeless person, and then at another as if I were one of those people who hold advertising signs. Hard to ignore the traffic so close, but I had a few nice comments.

On other news, I am going to share that I owe a local art group a huge apology, for missing a demonstration I was supposed to paint on Wednesday. I just feel awful about it. I share this with you to show that even though I consider myself fairly organized, I can miss something really important. It just wasn't "in" my head, even though it was on my calendar. I could lean back on the excuse list of what has happened this past week--trying to save the red tail hawk, house guests coming and going, installation of new siding on the rooms above the studio (here's a picture), and even family health problems have thrown a few pot holes in the road.

But that doesn't take away my embarrassment about it, nor knowing that I let them down. I'm going to offer to do another demo (if they'll have me) for just a small bit of money to cover my expenses when they can fit me in. I love this group--so I am just sharing this with you to let you know that "stuff happens" even to folks who seem so organized. We're all just human, after all. Let's hope they can forgive my foibles. The siding is beautiful, but the pounding above my studio was a bit deafening.

You can see my entire blog HERE.

My workshop schedule for 2009 is HERE.
Color System information can be found HERE.

If you need to email me directly, please click here.

Mar 9 - Back to Horses, but a Tad Different!

Some of you may know that I used to be in illustration, many years ago. This painting is SO not the Color System, but there are parts of it buried in the pattern of colors splashed over the rider and horse. It's a strictly illustrative piece to catch the viewer and bright colors do that!

This is a distraction from the greens of "Hidden Pasture", and is done for the HITS posters for the show jumping circuit. I've been getting their press releases, and like a gnat, finally got out and swatted this 20 x 16 oil off my easel. I hope they like it.

Those of you familiar with the Color System will have a hard time telling what time of day it is. After all, there's a green horse, and look at that cadmium orange on the breeches! And in the shadows, too. ACK! This kind of color rule breaking can make for an exciting illustrative image, where realism takes a back seat to "punch" to catch the viewer's eye.

On other news, we've had an interesting four days doing all possible to save the male red tail hawk that nests in our pines. According to the raptor rescue I called, he was poisoned by eating a still-alive homeowner-poisoned rodent. I cannot tell you how agonizing it is to see such a magnificent bird in such distress and to have such a sad outcome. We nursed it and tried our best, but because we didn't get to it soon enough, we were unable to save him. Red tails mate for life, and I hear the female calling for him. PLEASE, before you put out that poison bait for the rodents, remember this red tail hawk, and know that you DO make a difference, one way or the other. Here's a photo of him in our outer studio, when he was still alert and defiantly beautiful. The dowel was needed to occupy his beak while we fed him. Rat poison doesn't stop with the rats, folks.

You can see my entire blog HERE.
My workshop schedule for 2009 is HERE.
Color System information can be found HERE.
If you need to email me directly, please click here.

Mar 6 - Plein Air Quick Draw (Inside!)

The Plein Air Paint Out in Riverside culminated with all the artists doing a Quick Draw (actually painting) in an hour and a half. This year celebrates a major anniversary of the Riverside Art Museum which is housed in a lovely building designed by Julia Morgan. Ms. Morgan designed Hearst Castle and was a respected architect in an era of few women building designers. So the artists were instructed to paint some aspect of Julia Morgan's handiwork.

I set up inside the central atrium, where Saffron's restaurant is located. The end result of my time at the easel is this 7 x 5 intimate acrylic, showing the dining atmosphere, the artwork on the hallways and the light suffusing from the glass ceiling.

The painting went on to win an honorable mention that morning. It is available in a nice frame for $250.

On other news, the first painting I did in this week-long event won first prize in this competition. "Victoria Avenue Morning" can be seen on my February 22 blog entry (opens in a new window). This PAAR competition continues to expand its awards and I'm so proud to be a part of it.

And the same day, I get notification from the Art Show at the Dog Show that my painting "Guardian" has won the award for Best Entry Depicting a Doberman. You can see that painting on my blog here (also opens in a new window).

Can you tell I'm flyin' right now?

You can see my entire blog HERE.

My workshop schedule for 2009 is HERE.

Color System information can be found HERE.

If you need to email me directly, please click here.

Mar 2 - Mt. Rubidoux - Plein Air Paint Out

From Carlson Dog Park, I looked up in evening light to see the cross on the top of Mt. Rubidoux, here in Riverside. I'd taken Sparky and Onslow to the park for some much-needed socialization time, and yet I had my plein air gear and couldn't resist this evening view of the mountain that embraces the city of Riverside.
This is an 8x8 canvas, cut down AFTER I painted it from an 8x10. It's done in acrylics, and with the palette of the Color System that conveys evening light--but a softer side, since the cross and the mountain are messaging a gentler feel. It still has the characteristic orange and alizarin where needed, but whispered rather than shouted into the lights and shadows. $295 with a lovely custom frame in silvery gray-blue.

You've commented that these have no signatures, and why? Because for this competition, one oor more of the paintings could end up in the Riverside Art Museum show, and for that venue, they've asked that we submit unsigned work at the judge's request. It's a bit odd, but we can do that. Ones that are not selected will be signed this week.

The only workshop this spring that still has spaces is the Florida one at the wonderful Carriage Park near Ocala. I hope there are future Boot Campers reading this, and that you'll find one of those spots for your learning time. I don't think I'll be coming east after this year--for at least a year, so this one in May and Maine in September are your only opportunitites to be "drilled" with the Color System at Color Boot Camp!

You can see my entire blog HERE.
My workshop schedule for 2009 is HERE.
Color System information can be found HERE.
If you need to email me directly, please click here.

Feb 28 - Plein Air at the Air Port

Yesterday's on-location spot was the 1930's Flabob Airport in Riverside. Now, some of you know that my mom had her private pilot's license when she lived in Hawaii before World War II, so I grew up with pictures and stories of flying small planes and pictures of even smaller airports.

Because of that history, I passed right by many of the artists who were set up on the OTHER side of the cafe (with its blue airport logo), driving around to the hangars to get the pilot's view. The management said to stay off the runway, so I set up on the taxi lane, and this is the first sight a pilot will see when he or she pulls in to park their plane. Flying in for lunch or breakfast is a hobby of many pilots, and the cafes at these small airports around the country serve quite good food!

I had fun with the Bonanza in the foreground, the plastic chairs in front of the cafe, and the ubiquitous wind sock. I felt as though I had dropped back in time as I was on the asphalt and carved out this 12x12 acrylic. And I know my mom was looking over my shoulder with a big smile. It is for sale for $350 in a nice custom frame.

The June workshop is now full, and thank you for responding so quickly!

You can see my entire blog HERE.

My workshop schedule for 2009 is HERE.

Color System information can be found HERE.

If you need to email me directly, please click here.

Feb 27 - The Big One Further Along

Now I'm adding the details on this 30x40 oil, and now I'm about half-way through that phase. The contrast of light is beginning to come into play, as well as the contrasts of color, value and texture. I'm especially pleased with how the gates are placed, one painted dark and the other painted light. They seem to be like a comfortable couple of friends.

The open gate may bother some people who are familiar with "range protocol" which is to leave the gate as you find it, either fully open or fully closed. But I wanted to give a suggestion of possible entry into this space with the gate ajar, and just open enough for the soul to slip through. The distant mists are in place, and I'll be finishing up these details and lights after this weekend's plein air event.

Today I did two nice little gems, one of Riverside's Flabob Airport--it was like stepping back to 1930 to be on the taxi-way and painting the buildings and aircraft! That's a 12 x 12 acrylic, which I'll share with you when I get good images of it. The second painting was of local landmark Mt. Rubidoux lit by the last light of the sunset tonight, as seen from Carlson Dog Park (yes, Sparky and Onslow were with me and worn out!). That one, too, needs a better photograph.

Tomorrow I'm painting the Riverside Art Museum for the Quick Draw part of this week's event. I have some ideas of what to paint, not your usual "building in sunlight"... more to come!

There is only one spot left in my June Boot Camp Workshop, and I haven't even opened it up for deposit payment yet!!! The Color System just WORKS....

You can see my entire blog HERE.

My workshop schedule for 2009 is HERE.

Color System information can be found HERE.

If you need to email me directly, please click here.

Feb 26 - Onward with the 30x40 Oil of the Pasture

Your art lesson continues with this 30x40 oil painting. The canvas is now covered with the inherent values of the major areas--there is no true focal point, although the lightest area near the gate, which is painted with the Warm Box of the Color System. This contrast of temperatures gives a distinct depth to the work, with the foreground sunlit areas contrasting nicely with the distant appearing hues from the Cool Box.

When I work on a large canvas like this one, it takes a bit longer to get it all together. Although it is further along sitting on the easel behind me, I enjoy seeing it at this earlier stage, knowing I was on the right track....

More tomorrow!

You can see my entire blog HERE.
My workshop schedule for 2009 is HERE.
Color System information can be found HERE.
If you need to email me directly, please click here.

Feb 25 - More on the 30x40 Oil

I have the title for this one... "Secret Pasture". Many times when I work on a painting, a title will come and sit with me and smile, offering its name, and so it is with this one. Seems I am moved to paint places like this one, seeking out secure and safe sanctuaries during these troubled economic times.

As I continue to cover the canvas, I am more concerned with maintaining the middle values than I am with the purity of the color. I still have NOT opened the Warm Box of my Color System. Look at the way the colors already offer their cool and distant feel, without any friction among them. Am I concerned about edges? Not at this time.

The movement of the arched fenceline in the foreground is repeated, upside down, in the distant edge of the field. Nothing is straight! To create movement in a painting, it is always a good idea to keep things angled, curved or tipped. If your goal is static feel, then make your design lines parallel to an edge. Locks 'em down every time!

On other news (I just love those three words!) my art was selected for the poster for the University of California Botanic Gardens Spring Show. Here's the flyer for it. Funny that the poster comes out with the same complimentary colors I've been using with my latest large landscapes--red-violet and yellow-green. Hmmmm....mystery afoot!

You can see my entire blog HERE.

My workshop schedule for 2009 is HERE.
(June workshop, which still isn't officially open, is filling fast--only two spaces left.)

Color System information can be found HERE.

If you need to email me directly, please click here.

Feb 24 - Still Plein Air Painting and Loving It!

Two for one, today! The Spaghetti Factory building in Riverside is the first painting. I started and finished this yesterday on location, under wet skies, as part of the Riverside Plein Air Paint Out. Most of the other artists picked the diagonal corner across from the building, but I liked the distant sky light above the vined walkway on the opposite corner instead. This 12 x 12 acrylic was done, like the Victoria Avenue piece, completely with the Cool Box from the Color System. The streets were wet, and traffic was light, so it was a fun paint. Took me about an hour and a half for this artwork.

And for your additional pleasure, here's the second pass on the 30 x 40 oil that dominates my studio. I'm quite pleased with the way it is coming along, and will share more images of it tomorrow. I'm laying in the large color fields to get the canvas covered (no mean feat with this large of a surface!) and paying close attention to the mid-range of values that need to fill this area so that the gorgeous backlit foliage will really get attention. Again, I'm completely in the Cool Box as I paint the soft mid tones.
Workshops: I have six people for the workshop in June already, so if you'd like a taste of the Color Boot Camp here in California, please email me your intent. I'm giving a painting demonstration in Hemet next month (March) and I'm pretty darned sure those last four spaces will be gone by then. April's workshop is full with a wait list forming. The June workshop is set for June 4 (evening) through 7th, so you can mark your calendars. Cost is still $195 for three days and lunches. Email me your interest, and I'll hold you a spot.

You can see my entire blog HERE.
My workshop schedule for 2009 is HERE. (The June workshop isn't up yet.)
Color System information can be found HERE.
If you need to email me directly, please click here.

Feb 23 - A Big One - 30 x 40 Oil

I'm using some of the photographs I took in Georgia last year to create this morning light landscape of the forests, fields and fences of the area on Fay's farm. This is the rough design, painted over a scuffed orange wash to get rid of the white.

You can already see the tension created by the horizontal fence line, the verticals of the tree trunks, and the angled fence line taking you into the picture plane. Interesting how just a few lines can already create a feeling of depth on a flat surface. The color will only enhance this! I'll be using the Color System to depict morning light. I know there will be an animal or animals in the composition, but right now I haven't decided where they'll go. I know they'll be back further, so you'll have to seek them out, traveling the design path to get to them. Painting is such fun!

I've decided to open another workshop here at my studio in California--in June--the Three Day Color Boot Camp. Returning Boot Campers are "Repeat Offenders" and three timers are getting "Re-booted"! Looks like it will be from Thursday evening, June 4th through Sunday, June 7th. I have five slots tentatively filled so far, and if you'd like to be a part of the fun, just email me.

You can see my entire blog HERE.
My workshop schedule for 2009 is HERE. (June isn't listed yet.)
Color System information can be found HERE.
If you need to email me directly, please click here.

Feb 22 - Plein Air Week in Riverside

Victoria Avenue in Riverside is one of the most lovely routes through a beautiful city. Today I joined the Plein Air Artists of Riverside who were sited along its length painting on location as part of the Plein Air Paint-Out, through next weekend.

This is a 16 x 24 acrylic, and I completed it in about two hours. The weather was overcast, and no distinct light source defined any shadows. I didn't EVEN open the warm boxes of the Color System! I kept having to lift Sparky and walk into the ivy every time a Sunday dog walker would come by. The little protector was "on duty!"

And I had every plan to photograph this one while I painted it, but just did a head-slap about three-fourths of the way through when I remembered I wanted to do it! I will for the next few works during this competition week, giving you an idea of how they come together. Just be assured that this painting was completely done with only six colors and white--the Cool Box in my Color System--those pill boxes with paint!

The Color Boot Camp workshop last weekend was a great success. Two painters wrote about it, saying the following:
"Who would have thought that the "color system" would be much more than just color. It gives us a formula/map to keep us on track. And it helps us reaffirm our values through the correct color choices. Thank you so much, Elin. You are an amazing teacher. I cannot believe the energy and INFORMATION you put into your classes." - Pat Corbin Chao

“Elin taught us the practical applications of her Color System with bright, lively lectures and our indentured servitude to paint, paint and paint. Elin says that "painting is a journey" and I feel like I'm just starting off on the trail. For those of us that are just figuring out all of the painting stuff, there is an enormous benefit to using the Color System. If you don't know it, take a look. And if you have a chance to attend one of her workshops, don't hesitate. It's a blast!
And you'll learn a whole bunch to boot!” - Randy Smith

There are still spaces in the East Coast workshops--you get FIVE FULL DAYS of the Color System, and "Yellin' by Elin" in the Color Boot Camp.

Congratulations to new collector Ray Castenada of Miami, Florida on his purchase of two 16 x 20 still life paintings from my web site!

You can see my entire blog HERE.
My workshop schedule for 2009 is HERE.
Color System information can be found HERE.
If you need to email me directly, please click here.

Feb 17 - Workshop Finished, Evening Light Demo

This 9 x 12 acrylic was done as the workshop demonstration piece for evening light, using the Color System. Nine participants finished up three intense days of painting from 9 to 4:30, learning the Color System for time of day here in my studio last weekend, and this was from the second day, in the afternoon.

I used the cool box colors to lay in all of the distances and shadows before judiciously putting the warms into the nearby lights and on the meadow. Evening light is showing as the influence of cadmium orange on the lights, and an interesting thalo blue/cadmium orange light on that blue spruce.

The source for this painting came from one of the students in the workshop. I seriously edited the placement of objects to create a more pleasing perspective and eye-path. It was done with mostly traditional acrylics, but there were some Golden Open acrylics in the boxes now, so it was a compromise on which "ruled the day".

The next Color Boot Camp here in California is full (April), but if there's enough interest, I will open a third one in June with the same three-day format. There are still spaces on the east coast in three of my workshops--first in Georgia in May, second in Florida in May, and the third one during the Fall Foliage in Maine, in September. Now's the time to learn!

You can see my entire blog HERE.
My workshop schedule for 2009 is HERE.
Color System information can be found HERE.
If you need to email me directly, please click here.

Feb 13 - Horse in Pasture, Second Pass, Not Done yet!

Take a look at this canvas and compare it with the last post, and see if you can see what I've done on this 16 x 20 oil. I've spent my time going over the canvas, making those large initial color shapes far more interesting.

It isn't finished yet, but coming along nicely. I'll post it when the signature is on, and I've fixed some of the issues that are in my head about it.

One of the six value plans that I cover in my workshops is called "Gradation in large shapes" and this canvas is a perfect example of that. Every large color shape has been made more interesting with colors that are close to the initial shape's dominate hue, and yet are of a slightly different value, creating the gradations. Note the trees for the clearest example--the horse is more subtle in those variations, yet that's what makes it "look" like a horse.

I'm gearing up for the ten students to arrive later today for the beginning of the first California Color Boot Camp of 2009! They start out this evening with a "meet and greet", and then in the next three days we'll be using the theater for lectures and the outer studio space for painting. It will be incredibly busy! I've even made a new dvd for my lectures on both the values plans and the Color System for my lectures!

The April workshop is full already. I still have spaces in both the Florida and Maine workshops, if you want some "Color Boot Camp" treatment. I just love teaching!

You can see my entire blog HERE.
My workshop schedule for 2009 is HERE.
Color System information can be found HERE.
If you need to email me directly, please click here.

Feb 2 - Going to Finish a Demonstration Painting

This is a 16 x 20 oil painting I started a year ago--in August--as a demonstration piece for the wonderful folks up in Sebastopol. I was demonstrating morning light, and painted it to this point in about 45 minutes, talking all the time!

Knowing the Color System allows an experienced artist to make good color choices quickly. However I'm sure you'll agree that this painting is far from finished! Now it's time to pull it through to that finished state by working with the larger shapes to make them more interesting.

On other news, I'm preparing for the first of two workshops here at my studio-- "Color Boot Camps" over the Valentine's Day weekend. Both this one and the new one in April are already full. I may open up another one in June, if there are enough interested students.

And just for fun, look how much Shadow has grown! He's three months now, and this was taken in the studio last night...(those floor tiles are 13" square)

You can see my entire blog HERE.
My workshop schedule for 2009 is HERE.
Color System information can be found HERE.
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Jan 18 - The Dog and Pheasant Painting Finished

The Welsh Springer Spaniel is now in the painting, and I've spent the balance of my "brush time" with the trees and background. I've made those areas more visually interesting by texturizing the areas with similar hues and values.

This image doesn't show the lighter values on the tree trunks, and for that I'm disappointed. There's a lot going on in those darks, and to omit them does a disservice to the work. This 12 x 16 acrylic is called "Flush", and hopefully will be shipped to Wichita for the show in March. On February 4th, I'll know if any of the four got in. Just around the corner!

Workshops in Georgia, Maine and Florida information can be found HERE.
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Color System information can be found HERE.
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Jan 17 - Welsh Springer Spaniel and Pheasant Continues

I've had some surprising comments on these paintings, and I need to share that I did a marathon of painting to get them done before the 14th deadline for the Art Show at the Dog Show. Now I share them with you as they had been developed, and at leisure, so these were all finished by last weekend. I talk about them in the present tense, because I wrote the draft messages while I painted them.

Now that that's explained...I'm still working in the cool box as I paint the pheasant. One way I can convey action in a flat, two-dimensional surface is to lose the edges of anything that is moving--such as the wings of the bird. He doesn't look "stuck on" when we lose edges, but rather blends in well to the rest of the canvas. Why do we feel we need to outline every edge of whatever it is we paint? To do so means we're relying too heavily on source material--generally photographs--and the action captured without the illusion of movement creates a static, flat image. So I spend a lot of time deciding which edges need to be lost to create that feeling of life and movement in my subjects.

I still have a ton of work to do on the background, but the initial values are in place now. And of course you can see the position of the dog, now, too.

The value plan for this one is called a "keyhole" because of the circular pattern with the lights in a generally round shape near the middle of the canvas. As far as which one of the six value plans, it's destined to be a small light, large dark in midtones.

And on other news, an American icon of painting passed away yesterday--Andrew Wyeth--died in his sleep at 91 after a long life of art and expression. His father, Newell Convers Wyeth created some incredibly beautiful works in value and design that made him the pillar of American Illustration of the first half of the last century. Andrew was most well known for his delicate portrait of "Christina'a World"--the young girl in the field looking away from us toward a farm house.

I hope that all my friends in the southernmost area of the country (Louisiana, Florida and South Carolina) will take note of the Florida workshop, where you will live and work for five incredible days on the grounds of the Carriage Museum while we paint the distinct times of day. The wonderful person organizing this workshop will be going on a trip in April, and hopes to have all the slots filled before she goes. If you're on the fence about this one, email me so we can chat about it. I'd hate for you to miss this opportunity!

Workshop Information can be found here.
You can see my entire blog here.
Color System information can be found HERE.
If you need to email me directly, please click here.

Jan 16 - Hunting Dog flushes a pheasant

Can you see the misty morning light? Yes, I'm using the same colors and general design of the earlier "Misty Morning Horses" painting to get this one done quickly for the Art Show at the Dog Show deadline. It's always faster when I don't have to solve complex problems anew. If you look over the total body of an artist's work, you'll see many versions of similar subjects. We build on prior levels.

I'm covering the canvas with the cools--over 85% and because of the warm underpainting, the color excitement is already in place. When I use that phrase "color excitement" I remember one Walter Foster book (#63) by Merlin Enabnit. Even though the paperback is long out of print, I was always amazed at how he could get the "Color Excitement" (his term) for the juxtaposition of various pigments. It was fun to see all the ads he did for the foundation garment and soap industry (1940s) when I googled his name. One can still find his Foster Books on ebay.

You know I prefer to have a good background in before painting the focal points. And that's what's happening with this one. Tomorrow, more layers of color in this acrylic, and the pheasant. Then the painting will go to the dog(s)!

Workshop info for Florida, Maine, Georgia and California in 2009 can be found HERE.
You can see my entire blog here and Color System information can be found HERE.
If you need to email me directly, please click here.

Jan 15 - Acrylic Lesson for the Art Show at the Dog Show

This is the lesson painting for the 12 x 16 acrylic that is entered in the Art Show at the Dog Show. For the next three days, I'll be depicting a Welsh Springer Spaniel. Yet again I'm focusing on the landscape being a strong supporter of the dog in action, flushing a pheasant.

A rough sketch starts me out in acrylics, done over the burnt orange underpainting, choosing a warm because of the predominance of the Cool Box Colors as the painting progresses. I do a cover-the-canvas every time to get rid of the white. I see so many paintings with those itty bitty white spots showing through--very distracting to a trained eye. By getting rid of the white, I have a surface that unifies if/when any of that warm peeks through.

The dynamics of the design are already apparent if you see those vertical strokes supporting the action in the center--just like the curtains on a stage. I'll be using a modified familiar background from another, earlier painting to make this get off my brushes faster. I will be looking for that "aha" moment when you recognize it--and when I paint to deadlines, I don't try to break new ground (except for "Guardian"). One thing about this, I have painted so much, that the repertroire of materials available is vast. If you haven't painted much, every painting is a discovery and challenge. I remember those days!

And as I hear from you about the cold in the majority of the continent, I want to send along an image from our recent 80 degree days. This is our driveway, looking out toward the street, taken in the morning with the outside temperature at 71. I fed the critters this morning in a tee shirt, and will be taking the scooter to the store just as soon as I finish this. I know, we pay for nice winters with hot summers, but it's hard to not enjoy such beautiful weather. I send it to you hoping it will warm up the room a bit.

You can see my entire blog here.

Workshop info for Florida, Maine, Georgia and California in 2009 can be found HERE.
Color System information can be found HERE.
If you need to email me directly, please click HERE.

Jan 14 - "Incoming" acrylic is finished!

Here's the finished painting, dog and girl in bright sunshine on the water, holding a pole and reeling in the red bobber. Compare this finished painting with yesterday's, and you'll see how I developed the three-dimensional forms with the additions of distinct layers on top of the underpainting. This is especially viewable in the distant trees.

On the design, look at the line that the distant water's edge creates. It is just above the girl's knees, showing that we are looking UP at her--and she is drawn with that in mind--her shoulders are in perspective with the nearer one higher than the opposite one. The dog is below the horizon line, and so we're looking DOWN on him. You can see this in action by laying a straight edge along the dock edge and also through her shoulders--the lines will intersect at the water line on the right side!

The entry for the Art Show at the Dog Show has gone to Express Mail, and now I wait for the reply to see if this one or the others are going to get in. While I wait, I can't sell any of these, although you've asked about them. If they go to the show, they can be purchased online through their web site. None of them are over $500, and this one is $300.

I really like the painting, because that kid could be me at about age nine, however the dog would have been a dachshund instead of the wire hair terrier. (And my hair never looked that good!) In using the Color System on human skin, I flip the boxes, and paint the shadows warm and the lights cool--thus she seems to glow with life because of the reversed contrasts of temperature. Come to one of my Color Boot Camps to see this in action! My goodness I have four in 2009, one's already filled.

Tomorrow I share with you the third acrylic done for this art show, in three stages.

You can see my entire blog here.
Workshops for 2009 are HERE.
Color System information can be found HERE.
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Jan 13 - The Dog on the Dock, Part Deux

This 9 x 12 acrylic is further along than I planned, but I got so captivated by the water and light, I just couldn't stop to take a photo earlier. The girl is even being blocked in, and the wire fox terrier even has 3-D form. Dang!

This will be called "Incoming" with the humor in whether the girl will be reeling in something or the dog will be going into the water after it--or both!

Interesting to note that I don't even sketch in the figure with pencil before painting directly on the background layers. I just pick a middle value hue that's close to what I need and put a "cutout" shape to localize the object. Then I paint over that to create the illusion of three-dimensional form. The dog went in as a white silhouette first, then warmed and cooled depending upon light sides or shadow sides.

I love acrylics for the ability to create layers--this is SO effective on water. I love oils, too, but hands down acrylics have it for creating the illusion of depth and transparency. I keep adding layers to the sky as well, continuing to go lighter with each application.

Shadow has settled in, and today (another 80 degree day) finds him saying, "What koi? I don't see any koi," at our pond on the front patio. One of the reasons I love painting water is because I can see and study it every day. Oh, that isn't a real crocodile, but it does make folks do a double-take!

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Color System information can be found HERE.

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Jan 12 - Another Dog Painting--Lesson in Acrylics

The second painting for the Art Show at the Dog Show comes to you with this 9 x 12 board on which I have painted some semi-transparent acrylic layers. The scene is a dock on a river, and there will be a girl and a dog fishing from it. In doing this painting, I want to have the scenery be a strong supporting player, so I've put the focal points up and away from the mid-point of the canvas (they aren't even sketched in at this point).
I'm using traditional acrylics for fast drying time and quickness of application. These quasi-translucent layers are painted over that burnt orange under painting, and are always with the cool box colors. We're off and running with another one!

Pesto, one of the cats in residence, wanted her picture taken since she hasn't quite adjusted to the newest arrival Shadow. Here she poses on the cat balcony off the large workshop room of the studio, eight feet up. She came out a little archway that goes through the studs and onto the large cat tower inside. We built the balcony to exit into the large enclosed "cage" under the eaves behind her--safe from coyotes and owls no matter what time of day! And safe for the songbirds that come to the feeder, just visible behind the bamboo. OK, today it was 82 degrees and sunny. Not even a jacket....

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Jan 11 - Guardian is Finished.

"Guardian" is finished now, and I'm quite pleased with the final image. Why I didn't make the wings black and tan as well? I thought about it (knowing that if this were a real creature, they most likely would be), and then decided that with the amount of bounce light coming and going on the dog and child, the white wings would enhance that, which I really wanted. So white they stayed, even tho' I deepened the shadow sides with the "sky trio" (you Color Boot Camp graduates know which ones!)

Paintings get to me sometimes, and "Guardian" does that. I have a hard time explaining it. In a feeble attempt, I'll say that, to me, it embodies the response of being loved, cared for and safely watched over. I may continue with this concept and express it visually in different ways in upcoming works.

Tomorrow the image goes off to the Art Show at the Dog Show (opens a new window), and who knows whether the judge will accept it? Will he/she have the need for the safety this painting conveys? Some people might think it is too sci-fi. Not me. Now, if it doesn't get accepted, I do not take it personally, nor think less of the work. Sometimes paintings don't fit with the wholeness of a show, or they've already juried in enough of that type. I'm at a point in my career where I paint for me, and if that doesn't please a judge, that's their loss. My work now touches enough people that one or two judges can't dent my belief in what I do.

So why enter juried shows? I find that when there is a gathering of specific people interested in a specific type of art, it is in my best interest to be a part of that. ASaDS is a show where the gathering of dog people validates my entry fee, the shipping and time involved.

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Jan 10 - Guardian covered, but not finished

The Doberman "Guardian" is at the stage where I start to put glazes and additional layers on these first fill-ins to develop and set the light, shadows and design.

It's coming along now,and I could list the bazillion areas I'm going to change, but it still needs many more layers of acrylic paint to really put the "punch" in the lighting. Since I know what needs changing, I won't bore you with that long list, but will get after it to finish it up. That deadline of Monday approaches for the Art Show at the Dog Show (Kansas City)!

In handling this painting, there are two images that are being used as references for it--one of a Doberman that has long since gone to the Rainbow Bridge, and a sleeping child from an old magazine (black and white). The wings are from my chickens who don't approve of modeling, but that's how I get their structure--even tho' fanciful. Now who would think "chicken wings" when guardian angels come to mind? Having the flock out back has been a boon to bird paintings. Hmmm, can they be tax deductible as models? Ha!

The Plein Air Artists of Riverside are here today, and here's a few of them in our back yard...now it's off to see how the pot luck is coming!

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Jan 9 - Doberman Angel in Process - 18x18 Acrylic

The Doberman "Guardian" with the canvas almost 80% covered with the major colors and values that will be there--except for the larger light that I'll put in later. I really like it at this stage, as I can see that I'm keeping the spirit and strength of the dog as I define and edit the large masses. What needs editing is the feeling of danger--even though the dog has wings and is in the role of protector, right now the feedback I get is one of doubt whether the dog means good or evil. That will change as it is developed.

At this point the canvas is COMPLETLY in the cool box--no warms at all except for the underpainting of Quin Burnt Orange and Cadmium Orange. Fun colors to start with, as it really sets off the cools!

Tomorrow the Plein Air Painters of Riverside (PAAR) are coming over for on-location painting at Two Trees and will stay for pot luck and a movie. We're going to be watching "Impressionists - Degas" in the theater. Of course, I'll take pictures of it!

Shadow arrived yesterday, and was immediately adopted by Alberto, who just fell in love when he saw the pup. I was ever so grateful that he took him into our casita last night, as Shadow didn't have to be in the outdoor kennel--right under our bedroom. Yip, yip, howl! After he gets used to the place...

He's settling in today as you can see, parked right next to Seiko, our older Tibetan Mastiff.
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Color System information can be found HERE.
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Jan 7 - Art Show at the Dog Show Entries... Lessons!

Lesson painting time!
I'm starting one of three paintings for the Art Show at the Dog Show with entries due in their hands on the 14th of this month....talk about cutting it close!
Modus operandi, but I think you'll enjoy the stages of this fanciful and spiritual painting. I have always loved the idea of guardian dogs--we have the two Tibetan Mastiffs who guard us and the livestock, and both my husband and I have owned Doberman Pinschers in our past. Since I love the grace and royal demeanor of these dogs, it seems natural to do a painting for this show with that theme in mind.

Here's the first "go-pass" on this 18 x 18 inch acrylic, and the design comes out strongly right away. I'm looking at it over my shoulder, and the strength of the circular movement of the angel wings on the dog and the lifted, protective paw on the sleeping child already form a strong, connected design. Destined to be entitled "Guardian", just starting this painting made me feel sheltered. Even with these thin layers of dark acrylic, the viewer can see the structure of the dog. It will be corrected and detailed as I build the upcoming layers.

I finished my husband's painting, and here is the end result--a 30 x 40 oil. Yes, I'm in it now--second from left--but you'll have to go to his office to see me up close!

WORKSHOP! I've added a new workshop for April, here in my studio, and it is filling already. If you couldn't get into the February one, which filled a week after I opened it, you have a second opportunity. April 3-5, it promises to be another exciting Color Boot Camp. Click here.

You can see my entire blog here.

Color System information can be found HERE.
If you need to email me directly, please click here.

Jan 2 - The Commission of Aikido Continues

The aikido painting continues, and now I know that there will be six seated figures, all friends from the mats of various dojos.

Symbolism abounds here, as our teacher Ace Atkinson is overlapped by the founder of aikido. Rowdy is painted against a lighter, more ethereal wall, and our current aikido friends flank me on either side (that's going to be me second from left).

Now that I've solved the issues with who's where, I can come back and paint in the mats, and detail out the rest of it. Note that I put the Japanese socks on O Sensei (the older man in the foreground), and I had to photograph Alberto's foot to get that part right. Fun how references are needed and found as they occur.

On other news, we are going to be adding a second livestock guardian dog to our critter list--another Tibetan Mastiff, like our Seiko. This pup is a male, and is coming from Shadowmear Tibetans. Here's his puppy picture-- I am fairly certain his name will be Shadow, following the "oh" sounds for most of the dogs here (Seiko, Onlsow, Qso)

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