June 6, 7, 13, 14, 11 am – 6 pm. 55 Harrison street, Oakland. www.markethallartists.com
I knew the two ships I painted a few years ago were going to be moved out to other ports, so I went down to Alameda Island with my camera to see if I could capture them again. I happened to get there on the very day they were being moved! I counted myself super lucky, and stuck around to watch & photograph what I thought would be a relatively quick process. 4 hours later, they were gone! I got to hang around with some of the sailers, both women and men, from nearby ships who were happy to see them leave and in high humor. One of the ships is named the Algol. I didn’t stick to “reality” with the colors, as that grey-painted steel can be pretty dreary.
more about the Algol http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SS_Algol_%28T-AKR-287%29
A portrait of a friend’s grandbaby, anonymized to protect the innocent! I still love graphite as a main medium. It’s so malleable that shading is pure fun. Of course, it comes along with it’s smudging capabilities which end up in unwanted places — nothing a coat of paint can’t fix! This will go into the upcoming Pro Arts East Bay Open Studio, June 6&7, and 13&14. http://www.proartsgallery.org/ebos/
The T has a blank in the middle — what should it say?
This is an “alla prima” or “all at once” painting from a few months past up on the Sonoma Coast. It works better from a distance than right up close, as you get more of the feeling of the coast stretching off South. I may work on it some more, in the studio.
I am telling you a bit late about my current showing in Mendocino with the Plein Air Painters of Mendocino at the Annual Whale Festival Art Show & Sale which opened last Friday — the show will be open all weekends in March.
Join us this Saturday evening for our Opening Reception!
Come see beautiful landscapes and seascapes inspired by the natural beauty of the North Coast — two floors filled with paintings, whimsical ceramics and woodwork.
A recent painting from the uplands of Maui, oil on canvas.
Weekend Warriors – 2-day portrait workshop. Randy is a great teacher – relaxed but informative and supportive. I find his work inspiring, wonderful images capturing a feeling of a place without being slavishly detailed, and lots of luscious brushwork.
These are two sketches and a full-day portrait which I did over this intensive weekend. I scrubbed one. It’s good to throw paintings over sometimes, it makes it easier to abandon those which aren’t going in the intended direction. Don’t hang on – move forward!!
a half day portrait30-minute morning sketchGreat model all suited up with a pristine suit of the 1920’s!detail
While painting along the Russian River recently, I headed out to the coast with a couple of friends, specifically to go to Goat Rock. It had been predicted to be gloriously sunny, but in reality it was socked-in, dense coastal fog. We continued towards the rock, but couldn’t see it until getting right up close to it! (This is a large rock!!) My friends headed back inland to Bodega, but I waited for the fog to clear. The visibility actually went down as denser fog rolled in, so I decided to try painting something small and nearby. I found a nice jumble of lichen-covered rocks near the road. On one, a bush’s dry twigs curling around like an enveloping hand, with tiny, red-leafed brambles amongst caught my eye (hey, writers can take liberties too!). Loosely following the form of the objects, I followed my whims and tried to enjoy the process. It wasn’t cold, there were few people around, it was pleasant. The painting is almost evenly divided between fog and land, and appears black and white, but there are actually colors! I like the idea of going a bit abstract, though it may be sort of dark…?
I could have posted about this sooner, but I’ve been super-busy with family in town, and, getting ready for these events!
Scene on the Straight —after a year hiatus, has returned. It is in an all-day (10 am to 5 pm) event which raises funds to hire underserved youth to restore regional wildlife habitat areas. A good cause. I am participating with the Joules, a local group of plein-air painters. Scene on the Straight website. I will have oil paintings and 6 miniatures (watercolors). Located at Martinez Regional Shoreline, Martinez. ONE DAY ONLY!
Silver City Minea mini-watercolor
Valona Paintout 2014 —an invitational paint-out event. What is a paint-out, you ask? A paint-out is a challenge to produce a painting (or 3!) in a specified period of time, in this case, a week. The canvasses or paper are stamped by the gallery at check-in, and you are set on the loose in a certain area to capture something about that locale. There is an upcoming history article about Strendzel Hall coming up, so I tried my hand at making an old, fairly plain-looking building which has been through numerous remodels, look interesting. The C&H Sugar factory is located in Crockett, which sort of encompasses the old town of Valona, and it has many industrial but some beautiful structures. I heard from a local that these giant tanks topped by a continuous tin warehouse was a steam generator for the sugar plant. I thought they were kind of awesome. (Ok, I know my taste is sometimes odd!). This was a funny view, too, because of the proximity of this quaint little Victorian house which has a tiny, octagonal room hanging out over the street. (other people are odd too! Would you build right next to a steam generator of this size??)
Reception Saturday evening 6 to 8 pm, at the Epperson Gallery 1400 Pomona Street, Valona, CA 94525
