Trees 8x10

Painted these when it was a bit too windy in the creek bed.  This is a whole new venture to figure out and show depth and light.  I could do this for a while.  My photo is not picking up the distant light and is looking quite gray.  One of these days I will understand how to fix these things.

Today is my twentieth painting for the month of January.  I am pleased to say I met my goal.  Now I need to evaluate and look at what I learned.

Late Day Light 11x14 oil

I actually did this the night before I painted the last one.  It is the north facing view of the river bed that run through Irvine Park.  It is tricky to paint in late afternoon with the light changing a lot faster then in the morning hours.  I started chasing the light, which is never a good thing.  I managed to stop and commit to the light as it was going down behind the hills.  I ended up with a very cool palette with just a bit of warmth at the focal point.  This one I did not touch after I got home and it has grown on me.  

Morning in the Creek 14x11 oil

I made a few changes based on some suggestions I got. (above) 

I was out in Irvine park on the first real good day in a while.  It was clear and not windy and not too cold.  This is a north facing view.  In an attempt to push myself I decided to work bigger.   I was not able to finish on site and worked on it more at home.  I had trouble with values and then color and in working on it  at home I feel I lost that freshness of working fast on site.  I don't believe that it is finished and I really don't know what to do.  It just does not have the excitement that I felt getting out and painting.

Sox, The Best Dog Ever 6x6 oil

It was the day many families wait for with excitment.  It was about 14 or so years ago when we first met Sox.  She was about 10 weeks old.  We saw lots of puppies that day.  We were overwhelmed and decided to just sit and watch all the dogs as they came running out for us to see.  They were in a pack just running and playing.  Only one dog observed us and then came to rest on my lap and in our hearts.  We always say she picked us.  Don't know if she knew what we needed to learn about life, but she ended up being a fine teacher of the basics.  She was a master of loyalty and trust.  There was no other when it came to guarding our home and protecting our family.  She was liked by most that knew her, even the most unlikely.  Most of all she taught us to love unconditionally, because that is what she did for 13 years.  Our memories remain in our hearts for Sox,"The Best Dog Ever"

Patty 12x9 oil

This was an afternoon model session.  It is more a study than anything finished, but I was happy to get her down on canvas as quickly and loosely as I did.  If I had all morning and afternoon I might have tightened up.

Koi Pond 12x9 oil

Painting Koi underwater with reflections is not easy.  And I can't say that I understand all that is involved.  I need to deconstruct the layers and spend more time understanding what is going on.  I worked from a difficult photo with too many reflections and no order.  Learning to edit and working with good photos are two very important things to consider in the process of painting.  

I don't feel this is a finished piece at all  and I know I don't want to spend anymore time working out the problems.  Posting it sort of ends the torment and lets me move on.  So  will I try to paint this type of subject again?  I will when I have better photos.

DSFDS 10x8 oil

This is the "different strokes from different folks" challenge for the next 2 weeks.  This was a challenge with the architecture.  Pink is also a challenge for me as it feels better to me as a piece of clothing than a large architectural structure.  Later I thought I could have changed the color, but I fear that might be to far out of the box.  So here it is and below is the reference photo.

Paint'n Man 6x6 oil

Thought I could have some fun with my little gray man and brushes.  I love pears, so that seemed like a good idea.  Oh still life.  Trying to set up and paint is time consuming.  I have gotten to the point where I just put some things out and just try to paint it and see what happens.

My goal was to work fast and with few strokes.  Edges are always a concern and one I have difficulty not making them all hard.  I look at artists like Carol Marine who accomplishes so much with what looks like a single stroke of the brush.   

I have been spending time looking at so many blogs and learning from this wonderful cyber space neighborhood.  Karen Phipps has me thinking about mental lists to remember while painting and writing one out and reading it.  Dana Cooper has been producing fresh and painterly still lifes.  These and many artists work hard and share their process.  To work loose and painterly with knowledge and purpose are some of the goals I have been pondering.  There are so many things to consider.  So I paint and wander the neighborhood.  

Jana 6x4 oil sketch

These last 2 sketches were very quick without a lot of fuss.  Good exercise to work out compositional ideas.  Desaturated to look at values.

Jana 4x6

This is another sketch of Jana.  Above desaturated for values.

Jana 8x16 oil

After much time, it is nice to get back to doing the figure.  Being rusty I decided to keep my palette to titanium white, yellow ochre, transparent red oxide and ultramarine blue.  I wanted to just do studies, not finished work.  I don't get many finished anyway, so going into it with that thought process let me have some fun.  I did this one and two very small 4x6's that I will post soon.

Crystal Cove 9x12 oil SOLD

Today was the most amazing January day. It was a day at the beach and a painting day too. With the temperatures at 80, it was not hard to believe that the cove was busy with tourist and locals.

These are old storage sheds that line the pathway that windes you down to the beach. I learned a lot today. I got an idea of what I need to do to move ahead. Now that is exciting.

Rocky Creek Bed 10x8 oil

This was the first day out in a very long time.  The wind was blowing and it was hot.  Not the best conditions.  All in all it was still good to get out.  I felt like I forgot how to paint.  I have been quite comfortable working at home.  So hopefully this is the first of many plein air.

Onions in a Huddle 6x6 oil

These two look like they are planning something.  I am amazed at how long onions last.  These two have been around for a while.  They get more papery as they get old.  

I did this on a black surface.  It takes some time to get uses to, being I normally like to work from a light to medium value surface.  Always good to try something I am not comfortable with and learn enough to make educated decisions for the next time.

Jefferson Memorial 6x6 oil

Thought I would try the Different Strokes Challenge for January 8th to the 21st.   This is a very unique blog and one worth checking out.  I might do it again before submitting it.

Cook's Companions 6x6 oil

A few leftovers and it is time to paint.

Me 6x6 oil

Well here is an attempt at a self portrait.  Wiped it off once and tried it again.  Thought I better just accept that this is all I am able to do today and tomorrow will be different and hopefully better... I feel like Bob did yesterday.

Bob 6x6 oil

This was done from an old photo of Bob.  It is so funny because he totally hates the photo and the painting.  I say it was his angry period and he just looks unhappy with life.  Thank goodness life changes.  He now has long hair and is about 10 years older and wiser.  

This was from a bad photo, but I loved the way his eyes look like he is out of touch.  I wanted to try to paint him.  Next time I will take a new photo.  I like doing these small paintings because I am not overly invested.  Also teaches me about picking bad photos and that the person being painted may not like it the way I do.  I will do lots more and hopefully do him justice eventually.  I need to find photos that don't have a flash, because it is hard to see value and color and the fun of painting for me is light and shadow, so this photo was not a good example, but it got me thinking.

Jumping Jack Flash 6x6 oil

I could not paint Lucy and not Jack.  Jack is our 4 1/2 year old Maltese.  He is Lucy's mentor.  Jack is King of the castle and thinks he is human.  That of course is our fault.  He was the most adorable puppy.  If there is such a thing of loving too much, Jack is the loyal subject of that care.

Painting fur is difficult.  There is this desire to paint the fur as if you were brushing it.  It is so important to deal with the values of the fur as it turns around the form.  The eyes seem to tell the most about the subject.  Jack has very sweet eyes that are always on one of us.  I should have put my reflection in them.

Lucy Lu 6x6 oil

Happy New Year to everyone.  This is the first day back and I am rusty.  It does feel good to have a brush in my hand.  I just wish I knew what to do with it.

This is Little Lucy a Yorkie that came to live with us a little over a year ago.  She is a funny little thing with a loving spirit.  There are times I think she thinks she is a lion.