Plein Air- Old White House, Old House at Satwiwa, Limited Value Oak

Old White House

watercolor on paper

  9 x 12

 Done en plein air for Landscape Painting.  One of two studies for a larger midterm project. I prefer the colors and composition of this one.  It isnt my original idea but I think it is more successful.  I used Cad Yellow in almost all of my color mixes to help harmonize the colors.   

Old House at Satwiwa

watercolor on paper

  9 x 12

 Done en plein air for Landscape Painting.  One of two studies for a larger midterm project.  You can tell this was done earlier in the day while my other one was done later.  The colors in this are a bit too garish for my liking and I dont feel like the composition works very well.  

 Limited Value Oak

watercolor on paper

  12 x 9

 Done en plein air for Landscape Painting.  This week we are to focus on the values and not so much the color.  This was so hard for me to do as the mountains are so so beautiful right now.  My favorite thing about painting is color and not using color was awful.  I also found it hard to just see value. I added the warm colors in the foreground to help give the piece a better felling of the perspective.

Snakes, and Gnats, and Paints, Oh my! Plein Air- Monochromatic Landscape, Oak on Yupo

Monochromatic Landscape

watercolor on paper

  9 x 12

 Done en plein air for Landscape Painting.  My painting day started of interestingly.  I hit the trail totally ready go and conquer a painting or 2.  Then a guy next to a bike stops me and says "Hey they are 2 rattlesnakes mating on the trail." That stopped me in my tracks!  I stopped at watched the snakes and talked with the biker for a good 30 minutes.  Sometimes it is nice just to enjoy nature without having to record it.  

 This painting came easily.  This week we are to focus on the values and not so much the color.  This was so hard for me to do as the mountains are so so beautiful right now. I tried though.  I added the warm colors in the foreground to help give the piece a better felling of the perspective. 

Oak on Yupo

watercolor and water soluble oil sticks on yupo

  12 x 9

 Done en plein air for Landscape Painting.  I began this one because my inability to use color in the first one frustrated me.  I was also being attacked by flies and this painting help me relieve my anger.  The yupo is funny to work on.  It is like painting on plastic.  I began in watercolor but that wasnt working so well so I tried out the sticks.  They worked a bit better but I was limited in my colors.  Not my usual style but fun to do. 

Plein Air- Calleguas Creek Watershed, Foggy Day at Pt Mugu

Calleguas Creek Watershed

watercolor on paper

  12 x 9

 Done en plein air for Landscape Painting.  This weeks assignment was to work on atmospheric perspective.  It was a perfect day today to paint because of the nice June Gloom fog we have been having.  I had a hard time trying to decide what to paint.  I drove around for an hour and ended up where I have painted a couple of times before.  Of the two I did today this one is my favorite.  

 

 

Foggy Day at Pt Mugu

watercolor on paper

  9 x 12

 Done en plein air for Landscape Painting.  This weeks assignment was to work on atmospheric perspective. It was hard to get the correct feel in this piece and I dont think my colors are bold enough.  It was a very gray day and this is a very gray painting. I have painted at the spot before on a sunnier day. 

Back to School- California Pepper Tree at Camarillo Ranch

Summer classes have started.  For the next 8 weeks I am taking Designing Careers and Landscape Painting. 

California Pepper Tree at Camarillo Ranch

watercolor on paper

  12 x 9

 Done en plein air for Landscape Painting.  School started 2 days ago and I already have my first assignment due today.  Gotta love summer classes.  I went to Camarillo Ranch because I have painted there before and found this cool looking tree.  Overall I like it.  To me it has a sort of Disney feel to it.  I dont know why. 

WIP- Jessica and Baby Evelyn

Jessica and Baby Evelyn WIP

watercolor on paper

  16 x 20

As a Mother's Day present I was commissioned to do a portrait of our friends wife and baby daughter.  Previous step.  

Today I just begin refining.  I finished baby Evelyn, worked on the background, and added some touches to Jessica.  I love the way the baby looks.  There are two spots that are bothering me, her right eye and the hands.  Hopefully I will be able to get them worked out.  

WIP- Jessica and Baby Evelyn

Jessica and Baby Evelyn WIP

watercolor on paper

  16 x 20

As a Mother's Day present I was commissioned to do a portrait of our friends wife and baby daughter.  Previous step.  I have darkened the hair a bit more, worked on the skin tones and the facial features, and began the skin tone and hair on the baby.  A few more days and hopefully it will be done!

WIP- Jessica and Baby Evelyn

Jessica and Baby Evelyn WIP

watercolor on paper

  16 x 20

As a Mother's Day present I was commissioned to do a portrait of our friends wife and baby daughter.  Previous step.   Today I began darkening the hair and worked on the face a bit more.  Its coming along well.  Right now I am thinking the eyes are going to be the most difficult part. 

WIP- Jessica and Baby Evelyn, Gold Rose and Red Wine

Jessica and Baby Evelyn WIP

watercolor on paper

  16 x 20

As a Mother's Day present I was commissioned to do a portrait of our friends wife and baby daughter.  Previous step.  I began working on the skin, darkened the color of the dress, and removed some hard lines around the hair.  I am really liking the progress so far :) 

Gold Rose and Red Wine

oil on canvas

  20 x 16

Way back in 2008 when I took my first painting class (Still Life Painting 1) and first started learning to use oils, I created this piece.  Recently we had a yard sale which gave me the oppertunity to sell some of my not so favorite pieces for cheap.  They were doing me no good just stitting in my house.  I would rather someone actually enjoy them.  Friends of ours actually bought this piece and two others. 

It has been stored for awhile and went through an international move so it needed a little bit of fixing up.  I hit it with a varnish of liquin and burnt unber and I patched up a little line in it that was there from when another painting was laying on it.  I like how the repairs look.  Here is what it looked like before-

WIP- Jessica and Baby Evelyn, Ephemeral Sculpture

Jessica and Baby Evelyn WIP

watercolor on paper

  16 x 20

As a Mother's Day present I was commissioned to do a portrait of our friends wife and baby daughter.  I begin my Summer Semester at Academy of Art very soon and I want to have this done before school starts.  This is just the first step.  I have sketched in the figures and began laying in the big color areas.  The key to this piece will be layers.  The more layers I have the deeper and more dynamic the colors will be.  

Ephemeral Sculpture

e·phem·er·al[ih-fem-er-uhl] –adjective  1.lasting a very short time; short-lived; transitory: the ephemeral joys of childhood.   I have been trying to figure out what to do with my sculpture I created for Sculpture 1.  They are all pretty large and the take up too much room in my too small studio.  I have always liked the idea that art is ephemeral so I wanted to explore this idea with my sculptures.  They will now be living in my garden.  I am excited to see what happens to them over time, especially the clay as it is self-hardening clay and has not been fired.  If anything super interesting happens I will post it here.  /ɪˈfɛmərəl/

Questions: What do you think of the idea of ephemeral art?  Are you excited for summer??