November 30 - Cloisonne Miniature Vase, 6 x 4 Acrylic

"Cloisonne" This tiny (less than 2 inches in any direction) vase made out of cloisonne I've had since I was a kid. I think my aunt may have brought it back from her Asian travels in the forties and fifties--she was a dietician for the U.S. Army, a career Sargeant. My first memory of this little vase was when I stuck a couple flowers in it and entered it in the Ventura County Fair in the Floral Arrangement category. I was probably 13. No, I didn't win any ribbons for it. Today it is a 6 x 4 acrylic. $100

November 29 - Cat "Blue" 6 x 4 acrylic

"Cat Blue" I spent part of this evening putting together a cat tower for the studio, almost 8 feet tall, with cubbie holes and platforms, making a play place for the kitties, who both are on the sheepskin behind me on the floor. Darn cats won't have anything to do with it yet. Catnip coersion is in the plot for tomorrow. So with kitties on my mind, what could be more natural than this 6 x 4 acrylic of a domestic long hair, either a dilute tabby or a silver, your choice, coming off the brushes. The expression is one saying,"You expect me to rush over and act like I like this new thing?" Gotta love those cats! $100 from the Daily Paintings Page for November.

November 28 - Cozy Onions, Acrylic 5 x 7

"Cozy" 5 x 7 Onions, cozying up to keep warm, now that the weather has changed into cold and crisp. Tonight I'm sore from aikido, and yawning to beat the band, but couldn't get upstairs without doing my daily painting! My being tired still makes a decent piece of work, because more of my intuitive processes take over. This is an acrylic, and painted from life on a gallery wrap canvas. $100

My goodness, I can hardly keep my eyes open! G'night! Oh, almost forgot--the decorator came back with, "Incredible! Amazing! Beautiful! What took you so long??????? It is perfect for my mtg tomorrow and maybe will be the final selection." Doesn't get much better than that!

Just sold to Marlene Frechette of Yuma, Arizona and Alberta, Canada

November 27 - New Places, Oil, 9 x 12

"New Places" 9 x 12 Oil on canvas panel. I received an email from the designer who commissioned the six paintings from me last year, asking for a general idea on a landscape painting with yellows and some blues. She mentioned the Hawaii paintings, and this work would be for a job in Costa Rica. I've been to Central America, including Costa Rica, and know of its tropical nature. Today's painting just literally fell off the brushes as I got back in touch with the forests and sunlight, soul and memory. This one isn't for sale right now, unless it is too far away from the concept. I sure like it, though.

November 26 - Little Girl in a Big World, Acrylic 12 x 9

"Choices" 9 x 12 acrylic comes off the brushes this evening, and I particularly like this one, as it reminds me of myself. I grew up on the edge of a lake in northern Virginia, and enjoyed many a summer looking across the water figuring out what I was going to do. It is fun to paint something that is so much who I was as a kid, yet coming through who I am as an artist today. $300 from my Daily Paintings Web Site for this date.

November 25 - Still Life with Roses, Oil

"Flower Joy" Almost square at 15.5 x 16 inches, this is a nice painting full of the joy of flowers in a bouquet, with a pear (oh, those pears!) and some odds and ends. This actually started out as a monochrome painting (one color plus black and white) but I used color to put that final layer on. Very loose handling of paint, too! $300 from my Daily Paintings Web Site for November.

November 24 - Lesson Painting "Morning Fishing" Finished, Acrylic

"Going Fishing" I think I have the painting where I want it now, and again I ask you to compare it to yesterday's unfinished form. It has many more layers of color, and I feel as if the misty feel and the coolness of the weather are in place. The focal point is complete, the two figures, a lady and a man, are loading their gear in the boat for a morning of fishing. This was completely from my head, without any photo reference, so please be kind! I'm off tomorrow to ride and relax, although not going to the desert as planned due to the traffic and so much to do around this house. I'm not disappointed at all, since decorating for the holidays is always a fun time. And my hubby has built some wonderful shelves for frames and canvases, and I need to fill them! $300 from the Daily Paintings web site for November.

November 22 - Lesson Painting, Stage Two, Acrylic

"Second Pass" Ah, the wonders of acrylic paint! Check out the difference between this painting and the one from yesterday. Much has changed, and in my mind's eye, the story is more powerful and the lighting far better as I move toward reaching the goal of telling a story at a particular time of day. Now how did I get that feeling of light so much stronger behind the trees? Contrast. The trees aren't any darker, but the sky became more pure in color. I put cad yellow and cadmium oirange with only a scosch of white to it, and lightened the distant water with the sun's reflection.
And now your eye immediately goes to the two people in the first boat , because it is human nature to look for whatever has a heartbeat in any painting. Before, you'd look over the boats or tree shapes because they repeat with variety. Still more work to do on this one to complete the water and solidify the boats and folks, yet I'm much happier with it now!

November 21 - Lesson Painting, Lake and Boats

"First Pass" I didn't get the first lay-in on this 24 x 30 acrylic, it went so fast, I forgot to take a picture! This is another water painting in acrylics, and will have two fishermen getting into the first boat on the left when it gets further along. They'll have their gear and rods, too. I know what I want to say with this painting, and that's the story of two early risers going out for a morning of fishing on a pine-rimmed lake. A far cry from the dry, warm weather we've been having here, and not at all the desert coming up this weekend. Tomorrow is the American holiday of Thanksgiving, and my beloved spouse and I will spend it quietly together without guests. This is a far cry from the last couple of years, when we went to see my Mom in her assisted living place, where she arranged to have a cadre of her resident friends come together for a table to create a "family". Some of the residents there didn't have close relatives, and were alone. We enjoyed going over, bringing laughter and stories to the holiday table. Tomorrow will be reflection and love right here. I hope yours will also have closeness and sharing.

This first lay in is done COMPLETELY with the cool palette, lots of thinned glazes of alizarin and ultramarine blue and burnt umber. Very loose and yes with enough realism to keep you knowing what is coming. I'll move to the warm palette to add the final sky, the figures and the water reflections...but that's tomorrow!

November 21 - By the Lake, Acrylic

"By the Lake" This painting is also known as "New Front Brakes" because I painted it while waiting for my truck to be serviced before the desert trip on Friday. Turns out more was needed than just an oil change (sigh), Good thing I took my acrylics with me, as I was able to do this 8 x 10 and even prepare four other 8 x 10 surfaces. Never sit around with a magazine if you can paint! My setup was the same as the one I showed you in Hawaii last month, without the tripod. I just put it on a table and painted away. Now if you choose to do this, be sure to take your MP3 player, or iPod, so people won't disturb you. I got all the way through a Stephanie Plum audio mystery!
JUST SOLD to Elyse Hasznos of Parker, Colorado.

November 20 - Desert Light (Palms)

"Desert Light" I will be heading for the desert for a couple of days after Thanksgiving on Thursday, taking the horse, and my camper, and my dog. I've got my mind on the desert landscape, and painted this to set myself up for the fun of going and painting for a few days. I hope to be able to post the daily paintings while I'm there--going out to a coffee shop--but if I cannot do it, I want you all to know I will be busily painting and sending all of them on Sunday.
This 8 x 10 oil is done with Dorland Art Wax, a jar of which I found in the move and set out to use. Dorland's is a great medium to add to paint to create stiffer texture and to increase drying time. It looks and behaves like Crisco, without the melting issue. I bought mine from ASWExpress.com many years ago, yet it is still as good as new. This is a nice little painting--looking over the other desert pieces I've done, it has the best color. $125 from the Daily Paintings Web site for the 20th of November.

November 19 - Single Pear

"One Left" Yes, two of the three from yesterday's painting are gone. How satisfying it is to have a still life setup serve a dual purpose! Feed the muse and feed the artist. This forlorn little pear in its 6 x 6 inch gallery wrap canvas (oil) is the sole survivor of the feeding frenzy after last night's session...ha!

You see some flashes of blue in the upper left side, they weren't in the painting when I photographed it, but I like them so well, I've gone back and added in the color excitement. Sometimes working in several different media can give that ol' artist muse a kick in the tushie. Works for me! $100
SOLD to Jenna Nober of Chevy Chase, Maryland.

November 18 - Three Pears (SOLD)

Nothing like a day trip to a couple of museums to fire up your artistic juices! Today was my bi-annual "Instructor-Led Field Trip" for my online college students. They meet up with me at museum locations, and we tour the exhibits together. Doing smaller museums allowed me to take in two--the first being the Palm Springs Art Museum. I was totally impressed with the building and the artwork contained therein, and thoroughly enjoyed the exhibits, especially the desert landscapes and Masters of the West wings! Thomas Hart Benton, Clyde Aspevig, Carl Runigus, Charles Russell and Frederick Remington were all well represented! If you have a local art museum, promise yourself to go visit, because there is NOTHING quite like seeing art in person to affect your senses.  
 The second museum was the Riverside Art Museum, and I was not impressed by the contemporary balloon exhibit, and there was only one other exhibit showcasing Hispanic Heritage. Even though there were works by artists I know, I was disappointed that there wasn't more information about the work and artists, since they didn't have docents. 

Today's painting is from life, three pears on a purple plate, and my intent in doing this 6 x 12 study on gallery wrap canvas was to play up the complimentary colors and create dramatic chiaroscuro (grand value contrast) for an old world look. Can't stop with the brushwork, though!  Hope you enjoy it.
SOLD to Nancy Merrill of Salt Lake City, Utah.

November 17 - Mogo the Dachshund Finished!

Here's the commission painting, finished. You can see that I've done major revision to the dog, adding details and making corrections to the left ear, and added the collar. Mogo is a small dog, so I tried to enhance the feel of his smallness by alterin the proportions from the source material to push the feel. I added interesting details to the background as well, and coordinated the color of the shadow to the dog. I hope you enjoy the finished product, while I'm awaiting the verdict from the owner. (She loves it!)

November 16 - Mogo the Dachshund, Stage Two Lesson

I spent my painting time today putting in the major color areas of the background, developing the body of the dachshund with broad brush strokes and refining the outer shape of the dog. Note that I haven't spent any time on the eyes, which will be the focal point. I do this, because avoiding the focal point means you'll spend time thinking on what's important and what isn't important in the rest of the painting. you see, if I can make the rest of the painting beautiful without the focal point, then I'm 80% on my way to a good painting. The focal point just is the icing on the cake. Note the lack of details and sharp contrasts int he background. That keeps your eye on the dog, yet those lovely colors support and uphold the dog in the composition by their brush direction and hues.

November 15 - Going to the Dogs, Dachshund, Lesson Painting!

"Going to the Dogs" This is an ordered commission started for your enjoyment, as I heard so many nice comments on the last painting that went in several stages. A 9 x 12 oil, the owner of this dog is looking for me to capture the essence and vitality of Mogo's personality. Even at this early stage, I think I'm headed in the right direction. Specifics: I started with a tone to the canvas of Australian Red Gold by Artist Spectrum Oils, to both warm and get that high value white outta there. Then I sketched in the dog with broad brushwork (no preliminary drawing on the canvas) using ultramarine blue and burnt umber with about a #8 filbert. I wiped out to correct major errors on edges, and to lift out the placement of the jaw. The blue is to keep me reminded that his coat has a bunch of sky reflections. The upper right darker area is to counter-balance the weight of the dog's position. I'd need a much longer canvas to get the tail in, too! But if I did that, I'd sacrifice the focus on his head and expression. Note that the shadow shapes on the ground are in at this early stage, too. That's because they are very important to the overall design! Tomorrow, more canvas covering.

November 14 - Artwork for the Bathroom, Roses

This morning I woke up to the task of hanging some art work in our home, including some of my own. Picking the pieces that would share positions of honor (a huge Robert E. Wood watercolor, an Ovanes Beberian oil, a Dan Mieduch western, a Zade Pollack of four sailors, and the Ralph Love desert piece) was an easy task.  Finding work that would fill the rest of the house brought up a really interesting dilemma. Here I have what seems like a bazillion pieces of my own work sitting around, up in the racks and framed, and yet I have to fill spaces in the house that seem to ask for a particular style or color scheme that I just don't have! I did a lot of looking over my work, and decided that a lot of it won't fit to make a cohesive whole for the house. Thus today's painting....for the guest bathroom that is mainly white, pink and gray green with a theme of roses. I thought the painting would be boring, as it is so pre-programmed to be one way, yet the actual painting of it satisfied many of my goals. I like the looseness of it, and how quickly it came off the brushes. Now I have something of my own that just fits that bathroom! Oh my goodness, it doesn't match the sofa however. Hahahahaha!! (12 x 9 oil, Not for sale)

November 13 - Morning Sunrise, Texture in Acrylics

Well, here it is, in all its newly added texture!  After that first pass of yesterday, I went into some of the nifty jars of bottled texture that Golden Paints makes, using both glass beads and resin sand to palette knife up the texture.  Then I started painting the "real" painting on top of this, after it dried, of course. I just love what texture excitement does to the human eye!  So much to look at, and SO unusual for a pastoral, calm scene such as this sunset.  The paint skips over the high points and leaves the valleys in between with the under painting showing through. Like a lace overlay, perhaps. Although it has a strong appeal for me, some folks won't like it. But that's OK, because if we all liked the same things, there'd surely be some really crowded places on this planet! I hope you enjoy the idea that having fun with paint is a wonderful diversion from the serious museum pieces that also come out of the studio. 
  This is a 12 x 12 gallery wrap canvas, with texture all the way around the 1.5" edges, so it is very contemporary. $150 from my Daily Paintings website.

November 12 - When in Doubt, Paint it Out

"When in Doubt, Paint it Out" Someone asked me recently, "Elin, do you paint over old ones?" And I sure do. It is especially fun if you have an old acrylic painting sitting around. I don't varnish with a varnish that would negate the opportunity to revisit the surface, so here is the first pass on a 12 x 12 gallery wrap canvas that used to have a lot of texture on it from the previous painting. What this opportunity gives me is a chance to really texturize the upcoming layers after the early lay-in of the basic color ideas. I'm really going to go nuts on this one! However, I'm baring my soul to show you the first pass, when anyone with half a mind might say, "Elin, all that junk is going to compromise the finished surface!" Please hang in there until tomorrow, when this puppy is going to undergo a MIGHTY change! I put the light on it so you'd really see the texture I might be fighting, but not really!

November 11 - Morning Run (Horse)

Back into acrylics! This is a 4 x 6 (think tiny) painting and it is an exercise in painting with muted color to convey the sky. Just a quick study, I wanted to put a horse in it because of the ride I was on today... Four and a half hours in the saddle and dust, and tonight I'm just beat to my socks. Lots of hills and climbing, and steep inclines to descend--works the muscles, and I'm a tad sore. The mare came through with flying colors, though, and this is kind of a "spirit running" thought. Now I'm going to get some much-needed rest!
SOLD to the collection of Karen Bresenhan of La Grange, Texas.

November 10 - Tangerines - Clementines

"Clemintines" I was so pleasantly surprised to see the fall tangerines in the market tonight, so I came home, ate about four of them, and stopped long enough to paint these two on one of my plates. They are both gone now, too! I realized I hadn't painted fruit for a couple of weeks, so it surely was time. Still life subjects bring me homeward, and remind me of the seasons. I hadn't painted a tangerine since they were in the stores last year! Original oil, 6 x 8 inches on gallery wrap (no framing needed)
Sold to the collection of Nancy Merrill of Salt Lake City, Utah.

November 9 - Western Cowboy Makeover, Extreme?

"Extreme Makeover, Maybe Not" I ended up painting tonight rather late, so instead of beginning a new canvas, I took one of my older ones, and tweaked it--been meaning to do this for some time to this one, because although the initial idea of the painting was strong (it was/is called "The Conversation"), the overall abstract design and color bothered me. Now I like the way it focuses the attention where I want it to be--between the man and horse. I've attached the older version as well, so you can compare the two. I sure hope you prefer this version!

Available for $440 unframed by clicking the button:

November 8 - Lesson Painting Finished! "Memories of the Ride" 12 x 16 Oil

"Finished: Memories of the Ride" Here's the finished painting, with all the changes, details, edges foundn and lost, and the great fun of putting the finishing touches on this 12 x 16 oil. you can see how I "knitted together" the distant shore and the clumps of grasses by the taller verticals, both on the right and left sides. I had a LOT of fun with the water, too, adding the sparkles and the reflections that break the rules. The riders in the foreground have had all the details added without changing the inherent values of the underpainting (squint your eyes at the earlier versions and this one to see how one must honor values throughout painting). The sky had another layer added to make it alightly bluer, since now I know just how much (or how little) blue wad needed. Now, what can you tell me about the working methods you've seen here? What's important to remember, and what doesn't get painted until the last?
Available for $450 unframed from my Daily Paintings Website.

November 7 - Third pass on the painting of horses in the riverbed

"Third Pass: Memories of the Ride" Lots more paint on the canvas now, and you can realy start to see the color develop as I move away from the source material (bland photograph) and start to utilize the color system and add the appropriate intensity of hues where I want color excitement. I am laying in the middle values of the water, knowing that the final pass will have lighter sparkles and darker wave forms added. I consiously made the left-most horse lighter, so he would separate from the nearest rider with the yellow slicker. I put a few areas of pure color on the riders, but may tone down that later as well. Had I painted the sky as blue as the photograph, it would be fighting for attention now. Still more changes to go through--it may get bluer! Oh, what FUN! I love to paint water. Thanks for all your kind comments, too.

November 6 - The Lesson Continues!!

"Second Pass: Memories of the Ride" A considerable change from the underpainting's structure from yesterday. I am doing this because I have been asked many times by learning artists to show the steps in my painting process, and I am happy to do so. I started to paint in the atmosphere of the work, without worrying about the focal point. You see I've put in the grayed sky, and the distant shoreline. Note how little of the photograph's details show up in those areas, and that's because they are not nearly as important as the riders are going to be. At this stage I also want to be sure I have the values correct for the areas of the water, so I'm putting in some areas of color that will represent the major hue and value for those areas. All of this is done with color from the cool family. Notice I don't "draw" my subjects, but rather "find" them by painting around and up to their edges. The perspective on this piece shows the riders are below you, because the distant edge of the river is almost at the horizon (eye-level) line. More tomorrow!

November 5 - LESSON TIME! - First Lay In, 12 x 16 Oil, Horses

"Beginnings: Memories of the Ride" The river ride today was over five hours long, and I'm tired tonight! And the mare is mighty quiet in her corral, too. But I'm not too tired to begin what I hope will really be a spectacular piece--12 x 16 oil on linen, of the riders crossing the river. This is the first pass, showing the strength of the abstract structure of the design. There's a LOT going on here, setting up the feel for the coming paint layers. The color excitement will be in the riders and shadows underneath them, but all the mid and lower value areas around the perimeter will play rols as well. I really love backlit subjects, and this one ought to be sumpin' special when its finished. I've uploaded the source material so you can see what's in my head. As this progresses, scroll back up here to refer to this photo, OK?

November 4 - Full Moon (SOLD)

"Full Moon" Did you see the moonrise tonight? The crispness in the air and the autumn breezes coming in....OK, it's 73 degrees right now, and no hint of fall in the air, but this is California, I can dream, right? I decided to do a study of that moonrise with a distant farmhouse and hillside with a flash of the evening light on the pasture near the farm. Fun to do! This complimentary color scheme of lavender and yellow green is a common one for the art deco crowd, and I like it for depicting the mystique of an autumn evening. Hope you enjoy it!
Just Sold to Cats in the Cradle Publications of Murrieta, California.

November 3 - Memories (My grandmother Bessie Dale Thomas )

"Memories" I just don't know WHAT is going on in my head. I have commissions to do, and yet here I am picking up old photo albums and finding images that just MUST be painted! Go figure. The end results are sort of astonishing to me, however; as they come off the brushes with incredible facility and strength. Something going on here. This image is an oil on masonite, and is of my paternal grandmother Bessie Dale Thomas. The source photo was taken in 1911 at Glenwood Springs, Colorado. I love the dressand hat and the pose is pure Thomas. I've been told I look like her. This is a 12 x 9 inch image, and is for sale with all that thick paint, for $250 from my Daily Paintings Website.

November 2 - "Paths" (Autumn Leaves)

"Paths" Doing a demonstration painting for the Canyon Lake Art Association tonight, I spent a good amount of time talking about the daily paintings and how much it has meant to me to have people write back after seeing some of the words and works. I told of how I am so grateful to be able to share my love of art with all of the wonderful people receiving these paintings. Then I did this oil of a pathway into sunshine, in autumn. It symbolizes in many ways my own life, at almost 60 years--approaching autumn, and the gift of people who write to me, warming my day like the light on this path. Original oil, 12 x 12. Just Sold to the collection of Fay Bohlayer of Dawsonville, Georgia.

November 1 - Rain Forest on the Big Island Volcanoes National Park

"Rain Forest" I guess I'm not mentally back yet from Hawaii, as the images that percolate to the surface continue to reflect that recent trip. This is an acrylic on textured board that reflects the moisture and diffused light of the trail by the lava tube in Vocanoes Naitonal Park. I took a picture of my sister and her husband walking on the path, and thought about including them. But then the idea that we all walk paths that take us to different destinations came to mind, and I left the figures out. Perhaps they have already gone on. Original acrylic, 12 x 9. $200 from my Daily Paintings Website with a Paypal click.

October 31 - Paniolo in Hawaii (Cowboys)

Back at our "ranch" now, and yet I'm still thinking about the ride on the sides of Haleakela, and those paniolo cowboys with their rich traditions and history. This is an acrylic, OH! Did I mention that my pill boxes came through the trip just fine, including being in checked baggage? I had some minor leakage around the lids, but all-in-all, the one set of pill boxes lasted me 10 days with refills only on the white and ultramarine blue. Even painting every day! Now I know (and you do too!) that you can travel without tubes of paint!

 Now where was I?  Oh, yes, cowboys and color. One thing I mentioned about Haleakela and the clarity of the air in Hawaii is the brilliant sunshine. I've tried to capture it in this painting, simple in design, with a complementary color scheme of yellow green and red violet, and pushing the values so that the lights are lighter and the darks are darker. That creates more drama which I'm hoping creates that feel of brilliant light.
 The painting is 10 x 20 on board, over handmade paper, and I might hold it for the Hawaiian market. There's a gallery there that wants to carry any paniolo paintings I do. This is the first.

October 30 - Last Sunset in Hawaii

"Final Sunset" Hard to say farewell to the Islands where we have spent our last ten days, and fly back to the mainland to continue with the routine and cadence of our ordinary lives, but how better to convey the feeling of leaving than by painting a gorgeous sunset? I write to you from my living room in Riverside now, having made it safely back after an uneventful flight. Very tired now, and managed to acquire a head cold (my own fault, I rubbed my eyes--I KNOW better than to do that!) so I'm going to toddle off to bed and hope the morning will bring the beginning of routines and reuniting with our animals. Seiko (the "watch" dog) estacically ran around in circles when we drove up!
Original acrylic, 5 x 7 inches, available for $100 from the Daily Paintings Website for this date.

October 29 - Kaua'i Coastal Sunset

"Kaua'i Coast" Our last evening on the voyage was just about as poignant as it is possible to be. The day dawned cloudy and rainy, which continued throughout the day. We sailed from Kaua'i at 2 pm, and went completely around the island. Around 5 pm, we came to the Pali coast of the island, with vertical cliffs rising right from the sea, an area totally inaccessible except by boat. The sun was setting as the six of us came together for our final dinner, and my brother proposed a memorable toast to our parents for creating this moment, and to us for completing their wishes. As the sun slipped away, we had the second of only two spectacular sunsets for our trip. 
 Here is the painting, a 10 x 8 acrylic done from the memory of those cliffs and that sunset. Our bags are packed and the painting rests within the checked luggage, and our arrival tomorrow in Oahu. Available for $200 from the Daily Paintings Web Site for this date.

October 28 - Ocean Surf on the Big Island

"Ocean Surf" Just a 5 x 7 of the memories of the surf on the black volcanic rocks of the shoreline all over these islands. I put in a green sea turtle just to the right of the surf, because IT WAS THERE! Yes, it is the one I painted on location yesterday, but today I spent the morning zipping across rain forest canopies and swimming in rivers beneath the azure skies of Kauai, so painting was not the foremost thing in my mind. However, had it been, I would have been out of luck, since I left my paint boxes in the stateroom! Tomorrow I'll get some good material, and perhaps even get a painting or two done before we sail at 2 pm. I'm not one for shopping (I did buy a Kauai Backcountry tee today) so stores hold little appeal when the island flora and fauna are so unique and beautiful. I have to hold off on putting these up for sale, as there is so much to do until I'm back in California. Thanks for being there to enjoy my trip here!

October 27 - Trail Buddles

"Trail Friends" Here is the finished version of the 10 x 20 lesson painting I started earlier in the voyage. As you can see from the changes that are reflected in this finished version, it has come to be more yellow and more green than the earlier underlayers. But the blue greens and blues still peek through in essential places! Finished for $400 from the Daily Paintings site for this date.

October 26 - My Acrylic Plein Air Setup

I've been asked to share with you my acrylic setup for on=locaiton painting, and so here it is, on the lovely Kona coast of Hawaii. The bag is a backpack with two side pockets. I carry a sturdy photo tripod, and have the Open Box M (mid size) on it. The palette area is a piece of foam core covered with freezer paper, which I cut and store in the bottom of the suitcase until I need to change one. It is folded under and held in place with one piece of postal mailing tape. I have my brushes (hanging on the right side of the palette) in a nylon stuff sack with a draw-string closure. They go in one of the side pockets. The "water containter" is a found plastic cup. I never seem to want for a container, but I do carry a small bottle of water in a plastic soda pup bottle in one of the side pockets.



A closeup of the gear after the painting is done--each acrylic is stored in a separate container of a seven-day pill box, and the two pill boxes are held in place and together with Velcro. To keep the paints moist, I have put a square of adhesive felt inside each lid. I've been working out of these same boxes for over a week now, and the paints are still fine and moist. When I'm not painting, I spritz them a bit with water, close the lids and put the two pill boxes inside a plastic bag. My spray bottle is hooked ont he right side of the palette. Paper towels are held in my left hand when I paint. That's all there is to it! Oh, yeah, good to be in a great place to paint, like Hawaii!

October 26 - Maui View

I was painting on location this morning on the deck of the cruise ship, and did this 5 x 7 of the azure waters off of Maui. It is an acrylic, since I didn't bring my oils, and it was fun to pick the colors to make this truly a tropical water and sky. I had to break a couple rules--using thalo blue instead of and in addition to the ultramarine of the sky and water. The contrast of those colors and how they conflict and compliment one another is what makes this simple composition work. Your eye keeps going between the two colors, one a warm blue (thalo) and the other the cool blue (ultramarine. Can you tell where I used each one? $100 from the Daily Paintings site for this date.

October 25 - Magma and the Sea

Last night's voyage around to where Kilauea volcano has been pouring hot magma into the sea was spectacular to see, but impossible to photograph. Our ship came right by the glowing excitement, with steam and erratic currents, but we couldn't photograph it, not with our digital camera anyway.  So I looked and looked, and then looked some more, and painted this 9 x 12 canvas this afternoon from the visual memory of the heat, color and steam.  It is an acrylic, for sale for $200 from my Daily Paintings for October web page.
I've found the perfect light for painting in the card room upstairs and further toward the stern of the ship (aft) from our cabin. Card players ignore me, which is a good thing.

We're on the island of Maui today and tomorrow. Today we took a drive up to Haleakala National Park, and looked into the crater at 10,000 feet elevation. Over 37 switchbacks to climb from sea level to this height was a dizzying drive! And the air so thin and pure--it was almost impossible to look at anyone wearing white clothes--the light was that intense! I took a few pictures, and may paint something from there as well. However, tomorrow I get back on a horse again on the flanks of Haleakala to ride the rangeland there. 

October 24 - Volcano House Still Life

Quite a full day today for us. The ship came into Hilo on the Big Island of Hawaii this morning, and we disembarked for our day's plan. Rent a car for all six of us and go up to the Volcanos National Park to see Kilauea. Our second goal was to visit the Volcano House, which is a small hotel built right on the edge of the caldera. Our parents spent their honeymoon night there after being married in Hilo, and the Volcano House hasn't much changed since it was created in 1941. Less than a year old, it was the beginning of a legacy that we are celebrating on this trip.
  On the table near the volcanic stone fireplace sat this vase of lovely living Hawaiian flowers, accented by the red antherium, one of my Mother's favorites. This acrylic is 10 x 8 and painted on the handmade paper that's been affixed to the canvas board. Lots of texture!
  As I type this, our ship is coming up on the area where the lava and magma from the eruption enters the sea. It's dark, and the red glow and steam are quite spectacular! I'll mail this after we pass--might get a picture of it, and if it is any way decent, I'll post it on the page for the journal.

October 23 - Lesson Painting, Second Pass

Day Two of Three on the Lesson Painting for you. Compare the vegetation from this painting to the one from yesterday, and you'll see how much work actually goes into the layering of glazes on a painting like this. Each area requires at least three or four layers to create the very interesting textures and nuances of color created by the glazes. I haven't touched the horses and riders yet, because if I create beauty in the surrounding vegetation, the riders and horses will be the solo singers in a wonderful band. Otherwise they'll be singing all by themselves! Every singer needs backup!
The ship is rocking and rolling as we head out from Honolulu and off to the Big Island. I thought the ship was large, but when we get on this open ocean, it moves and vibrates as the wind and water affect it. Our first stop will be at Hilo, where my parents were married in 1942. I hope to paint the volcano!

October 22 - Lesson Painting Time!

Lesson Painting, First Pass - It's the night before we leave for the cruise, and I'm remembering that wonderful time on horseback, so for you I've started a 10 x 20 inch canvas of two riders in the rain forest. This is an acrylic, and I'm using the layering technique because I couldn't/didn't pack all the nifty things one can add to acrylics, such as the textured mediums and the crafty items. I do have a sheet of handmade paper with me--better use that in at least one painting before I get back! Here you see it with the canvas colored with the cartoon shapes, before the actual layering of glazes and unifying colors come onto it. I took a picture of it in the only decent light, and it is missing most of the reddish tones. I'll take a better picture of it tomorrow before I finish it. Kinda looks like a Disney cartoon at this point!
 Today was relax and enjoy a drive in Hawaii day. Nothing special about it, but a pleasure to return to the Kualoa Ranch for a few moments to thank the people who were so kind and good to me there. One of the horse-gals has relatives near where we live, and I invited her to visit when she next comes to the Mainland. Horse people (mostly) and Hawai'i residents are so wonderful!

October 21 - Healing and Horses

"On the Windward Side" This is a 10 x 8 acrylic done in about 35 minutes in between horse riding and ATV riding at the Kualoa Ranch on the rainy/windward side of Oahu. Eight thousand acres of open space, this was just what my heart and mind needed after yesterday, and how better than from the back of a horse? I found peace and great pleasure in communing with the beauty and solitude of this side of the island.
  I bought a day on Kualoa ranch, and spent a couple hours on horse back, one hour on an ATV (going to the valley where they filmed the movies Jurassic Park and Pearl Harbor, and also 50 First Dates), after taking a jeep tour deep into the rain forest in the morning. 
  For me, there is nothing to equal being on the back of a horse moving through scenery that makes your eyes ache to the beauty of it. The quiet, birdsongs, vistas and friendly people filled out the bracelet of the day's events with the connecting sound of "clop-a, clop-a" on the volcanic dirt trails. 
  The story on this is the horse.  His name is Buddy, and he's very old for a horse, about 28 years.  He has permanent retirement here, after doing daily trail rides and working cattle for most of his life.  He was the perfect model, not moving a muscle the entire time--a rare event for live horse painting! He's standing near Monkey Pod trees, the common wood for making all those souvenirs you bring back! Rising behind him is the ridge of the extinct volcano, with vertical walls covered in vegetation. The windward side will ease anyone's need for green growing things!
 Original acrylic JUST SOLD in memory of her own 27-year old gelding, to Gayle Youngs of Orange, California

October 20 - Final Goodbyes - Burial at Sea

"Final Goodbyes" Original acrylic, 9 x 12, not for sale.
A long day, full of emotional content, and I don't know if I ought to try to contain it all in an email. However, perhaps the painting will give you a greater gift than my words tonight.
Today's painting is the culmination of the reason for this trip to Hawai'i, Diamond Head in the late afternoon light, from the ocean side--not the "usual view" from Waikiki. It is approximately here that we dropped our parents' ashes, and said our final goodbyes. Diamond Head remained in shadow until we were well toward her, and then for the entire time we were releasing Mom and Pop's ashes, the sun shown brilliantly on her flanks. The rainbow followed the mountains all the way from the harbor, and stopped just where you see it in this painting. After we began our journey back, Diamond Head again went into shadow, as if to say, "I welcome them to me, they are mine now--you can go with comfort."
  More amazement for us when we arrived to get on the catamaran--the one we were scheduled to take had "sudden engine trouble" and so we were upgraded to the one that carries 40 people at the last minute. Truly amazing. The service was short, with each of us putting 1/3 of the mixed ashes of both parents into the water. Then we scattered flowers and I read this modified poem:

Do not see the ocean and cry; We are not there. We do not die.
We will be the trade winds that blow. We will be the ocean waves below. We will be in Hawai’i’s rain.
And because of you, we are home again.
So when you go on with smiling faces, far away, in other places
You’ll think of this moment when you unpack,
But know this now--You’ve brought us back.
Please do not stand here and cry, we are not here, it is not goodbye.

I have to say, I have this feeling of great tiredness, yet a lifting of my spirit today, for the burden of being caretaker for their corporeal remains has been lifted from my shoulders now. Tomorrow I spend the day on a ranch on on the windward side, for some much needed horse time.

October 19 - At 33,000 Feet over the Pacific Ocean

I'm writing you from about 33,000 feet above the blue Pacific Ocean this afternoon, sitting in first class on this flight to Hawaii. I have never flown first class before, and I could get used to this! The service is wonderful, the flight is gentle, and five hours in the air is literally "flying by". 
So, in anticipation for the peace I hope to find while in the Islands, and the closure I need to bring to this phase of my life, I paint for you a small watercolor of where perhaps my mind will be in a day or two. Not today or tomorrow, for tomorrow we have the chartered catamaran that will take us out for the sunset sail, services and scattering of ashes. I need to hold everything until that moment. Afterwards I can release and relax.
 Just how profound this voyage is for me came today, before we lifted off when the flight attendant needed to move our carry on luggage--I said, "Please handle that with care, in there are the ashes of my parents." The clarity of that thought and its implications allowed me a good cry. Even now I am on the verge of tears as I write this. The journey to tomorrow's closure moment progresses, and I look at this little watercolor (about 5 x 7 inches) and see myself sitting in the chair beginning to enjoy the rest of the voyage. Passages.  Life is all about those passages.  I don't think I'll sell this one.

October 18 - Sunset of the Hawaii Trip's Beginning

"The Sun Sets and the Journey Begins" This was "kinda sorta" the view as we drove in over the hills to my brother and sister's-in-law home to spend the night before leaving tomorrow VERY early for the airport. This is an oil, 6 x 6 inches, and shows such a complementary color scheme of blue/orange! Yet (she says with a grin), the area where your eye goes is to the yellow in the sky! How much fun it is to break the rules in painting!  The journey begins. $100 from the October daily painting page.
  The folks' ashes are in the carry-on luggage, the computer will be packed, and my paints are in the checked luggage for your daily paintings. I'm taking the acrylics and watercolors. I am planning to build a page of images on the site, too, because it may be fun to see the whole shebang while we're gone. I'll post the page link as soon as there's something on it!
  
  It was rough putting the dog in the kennel today, (again) and saying goodbye to the house that has barely had time to become our home, so when this trip is finished, you can count on seeing a bunch of "happy paintings" created when I return to the now-familiar studio space. 

October 17 - Blue Bottle of My Mom's

You ever get one of those days where everything seems to be chuggin' along just fine, and then someone or something comes along and mucks that all up for you? The world's smiling, and all of a sudden there's a rain cloud? I've had one of those days. OK, you know I'm packing to take my parent's ashes tomorrow, and was hip hopping along with no worries, and then I get a phone call. Unexpected and out of the blue, some bad news.  Nothing I can't handle, but it always is a wake up call that things aren't always what you think they are when dealing with organizations and individuals. More may come later. Enough for now to say that my faith in human behavior has been shaken a bit.
  Might make a difference in my painting tonight. We'll see. Well, well. Yessir, a little bottle of the blues came off the brushes (in oil) tonight. This painting is not about the nifty variations of the little glass bottle, but about the shadow shape that defines the composition. Simple though it may be, the "L" shape of the shadow and bottle defines the image, and almost look like a blue hand coming up to pick up the bottle. Hallow'een anyone? Oh, too soon. Sorry!  Freaky day, though. You really find out who your friends are.
  Y'all be safe, now, tuck your loved ones in and have a safe night.
Original oil, 4 x 6 inches, $100, available from the Daily Paintings archive.

October 16 - Monterey Cypress

I'm already thinking about the trip to Hawaii, looking westward over the Pacific Ocean. Today's painting is of a landmark on the coast of California (think "jumping off point") from a reference photo I took oh-so-many years ago. I can't even remember where it is, I think it's along the coast of Northern California.  One of you well-traveled folks will let me know, I betcha! I've been both places, and the reference photos get jumbled in the files. 
 It's an oil, 12 x 9 inches, and what I wanted to accomplish in this one was to have a contrast of soft distance against the stark shape of the pine, without losing the brushwork of the sky and fog. $150 from the October Archives for this date.