A detail of the palm. It is the part I like the most. Lately I have been looking at old work and realizing that within many painting that seem so so there is a little painting I like even better.
This was in Orange again. I got out late and decided to just do a study. Not well planned, but I do like my palm.
It was an architecture day. Kim Vanderhoek was working on a commission of the library so I tagged along. I think I kept it simple and caught the light, so I was pleased at this attempt. 
This was a fun pose. Susan models for my life painting group sometimes and is a great model. We do lots of gestures first and then settle into a pose for about 2 to 3 hours give or take all the breaks and lunch. This was different in that we used props. We had Degas' work on our minds. 
This day started off gloriously. I was out at Irvine Park at 7 am and painting by 7:30 am. It was a very windy day, but after the winds at Laguna I did not think much of it. Got some rocks and put them in a bag to weight down my easel. I had 2 painting by noon.
I have these toys I keep hidden away in a cabinet. They are a mix of my childhood and things that I have collected as a adult. They are precious little gifts and it is fun to include them in my still lifes. The apple is about trying to make an apple look like an apple. Not as easy as one might think.
Thought I would stay in today and paint a still life. Love my little toy car. It is like a peddle car I remember when I was oh so small.
Another day out in Yorba Linda. This was a day that really nothing was quite right. I was so excited after painting for 3 days with Greg LaRock that I could not wait to get out. I think I left all I know at home...composition, value, focal point????? 
Last painting of the workshop took about 20 minutes with a few details added at home. It is really fun to just zip out a painting without toiling over every little thing. 
This was the last day of the La Rock workshop. We were down on the beach in Laguna and the wind was blowing. We tried to take cover in the rocks along the cliff wall. Some of us had flying paintings and all of us had sand in our paint and on the surface of the wet paint. Know one could deny they were done in plein air. This was my favorite of the 3 days. I spent the most time on it and it is more of a finished painting than a study. 
Another study from the LaRock workshop. Learned a lot about leading the eye into a painting. This is quite grand with the walkway going off the canvas on 3 sides.
This was the first of 5 studies I did with Greg LaRock. I don't have much experience painting boats so I did this one and one more I will post tomorrow. Getting the shape accurate is not that easy. Reflections are another thing. All in all I was happy and would like to do more.
I resently had the opportunity to take a plein air workshop with Greg LaRock. It was a lot of fun and work. The group was about 9 and everyone was very nice. The best part of course was painting and getting help from Greg. We had 3 locations for a 3 day workshop. The weather went from boiling hot to wind blown and it did not matter because it was just wonderful to be out painting and learning new things. I will be posting my studies in the next few days. 
This is a portrait that I am working on with the help and wisdom of artist, Jason Dowd at "The Art Studio". I am hoping to finish it this coming week and post the finished painting soon. Portraiture is something I have always wanted to do. I have taught myself up till now, so it is really nice to get instruction. 
This is the path that takes you into the canyon. This was a very over cast day with the late afternoon sun coming through the rain clouds. Everything was just sorta grey with some changes in values. These are very difficult days for me to paint. I worked on it more when I got home to try to push values and color. All and all I am pleased with the way it turned out. 
I went back to the area I was in last time to get a better look at the machinery. They actually had severalof these all lined up pumping away, but I just wanted to study one. I finished it and the last thing I added was the fence. I thought how it looked like it was in a zoo or museum and I was there to see something that was the last of its kind. 
