Carmel Art Festival

I had the opportunity recently to participate in the 14th Annual Carmel Art Festival in Carmel, California. One part of the festival was a 1 and 3/4 day plein air competition. 60 plein air artists had that amount of time to complete 2 plein air pieces, frame the work and turn the works in for a silent auction. I had a really good time as I met some really nice and talented artists. And of course Carmel, Monterey and what I saw of Monterey County was simply stunning. Overload to tell you the truth, so much to paint with so little time. I spent an entire day before the competition scouting the area for potential sites. It was a great time overall and hope to participate again in the years to come. I was fortunate enough to sell my paintings! Here's what I came up with:

12x16

Oil/masonite

Plein Air

This one is titled Coastal House. It was painted on the Monterey peninsula on the first day. The weather was gorgeous, the tourists were friendly and the view was breathtaking. It's such a beautiful coastline.

11x14
Oil/masonite

Plein air

Pacific Grove Lumber Yard was painted the morning of the second day. Pacific Grove is a little town not far from Monterey. The view caught my eye right off the bat. The day before it was sunny but the day I painted it was cloudy and cool. I really liked the sunlit look the day before, but I also enjoy grey day paintings. A few guys behind the white building were taking their break when I started painting. They were puzzled why anyone would want to paint the building.

A few more pics from the area:

Ocean Beach Life Guard Tower

9x12
Oil/cotten panel
Plein Air

Wasn't too sure about this one when I finished it, but after a week or so it kind of grew on me. It was one of those bright hazy mornings. The distant dark on the horizon was a fog bank that eventually rolled in. What caught my eye was the sand bank in the foreground and the obvious division of foreground, middle and background with a hint of the ocean itself.

McCoy House At Old Town

11x14
Oil/linen panel
Plein air

This view caught my eye wandering through the Old Town area of San Diego. The house is called the McCoy House. Don't know anything about it, just liked the view, the vertical format and the zig zag of the fence.

Hillcrest Dumpster

12x16

Oil/masonite

Studio painting

Here is a alley scene which happens to be located at the backside of the building we live in. In fact, the green dumpster butts right up against our building. The reference picture was taken in the morning hours. I recently rode my bike around the neighborhood snapping pictures for possible future reference. I intended for the dumpster to be the center of interest for this painting. This was fun as it was a break from plein air and because I haven't done many paintings in the studio or from photos in quite a while. I would like to couple both studio and plein air paintings from now on. We'll see how that goes.........

Profile Study

11x14

Oil/masonite

Life study

From my Tuesday group. This one was fun to paint. Upon seeing the shape of her nose I knew a profile was a good choice.

Florida Canyon Trail

6x8

Oil/linen panel

Plein Air

The nickname of the painting is The Green Monster. I've been forcing myself to set up in front of green, a lot of green. Trees, shrubs any green foliage. The purpose is to try and make sense of the overly green scene in front of me, trying to make a good design and especially trying to make good color choices regarding this tricky color (to me anyway). Only one tone of green, both color and value, actually existed in this scene. Trying to separate greens is the challenge. And fun of course. This is one I liked from the last two weeks of painting green scenes.

Carmel Ranch

9x12

Oil/linen panel

Plein air

Painted at an old ranch off Carmel Valley Road, east of the I-5. This location holds many more paintings, especially the barn and stable. A lot of discarded farm machinery and other curiosities will hopefully bring me back to this site. Tried to simplify and abstract the area on the left, which was a pile of farm equipment and part of a tractor. I found out after I left the owner trotted by on his horse and told a few other painters that we were trespassing. Hopefully I can convince him we're a group of harmless artists who will respect his property. I guess a few kids got hurt on his property (they were trespassing) and actually took him to court over their injuries. One can understand his concern.

Village Gallery Reception

Here's a pic from the day of the reception (March 18th). The shutter bug he is, my friend Richard Carter took this picture. Interesting view looking at the gallery from the outside and the reflections of the scene across the street. Of course myself and others are in the reflection chatting up a good time. Can't miss my dome! It was a lot of good fun. Thanks to those who were able to attend.

North Park Water Tower Revisited

10x12

Oil/linen panel

Plein air

I painted this tower last fall and I finally got around to painting it again. It was painted from the same area, not too far away from the original location. This one was a great time, more views to be painted in the future. Of the three I entered, I was recently notified this one placed third in the oil category for Under The Sky, a local plein air exhibit. The reception is this Sunday the 18th from 2pm to 5pm. More info on a earlier post.

Looking Uphill At Upas

8x10

Oil/linen panel

Plein air

Uphill views are fascinating to me. I'm drawn to horizon lines above the viewer, a sense of mystery up there and back there. What a beautiful San Diego morning this particular day was. Just gorgeous. I tried to separate the various greens in this one, not the same monotonous shade of green that actually existed. To me, greens can be tricky to paint. It has the potential to overpower the painting and scream GREEN! It's just a matter of subtly subduing, finding that delicate balance keeping in mind that green can either be a warm color or cool color. All this while cars are zooming down this hill, straight at me at one point and turning at what appears to be the last possible moment. The adventures continue..............

Plein Air Show

Come one, come all to the La Jolla Art Association sponsored Under The Sky plein air show. This exhibit will feature many talented San Diego plein air artists who painted, on site, many different areas of San Diego county. I submitted 3 paintings and all 3 were accepted. This is my first group show and I am looking forward to showing my work and meeting art-minded people. It should be a fun time. Hope to see you there!

Georgia Street Bridge

6x8

Oil/linen panel

Plein air

Here's a scene I painted a while back without much success. Thought I would give it another shot. I'm definitely happier with this outcome, for the most part anyway. I'll probably end up painting the other side of it someday. There's also a great view on top of the bridge looking straight up the street on both sides. That would be a challenge! This bridge was built in 1914.

Serra Museum

6x8

Oil/linen panel

Plein air

Here's a mission style building built in 1929 that sits atop Presidio Park in San Diego. It's the site of the first mission and fortified settlement in present-day California. Been trying to push myself to simplify, abstract and not get so caught up in details. I particularly like the railing on top. I was looking up at the building from below. It was an interesting but awkward angle. Ahhh, the challenges...........

India & Vine

8x10

Oil/linen panel

Plein air

Taking a break from my miniature portrait spree, I painted this one to get outside and loosen up. It's not as loose as I had envisioned. I think maybe doing so many small portraits lately has caused me to tighten up outdoors. The one I painted after this is also a bit tight. You would think it would be the other way around. Oh well, it was still fun none the less.

Storage Shed

6x8

Oil/linen panel

Plein air

Here's a quick little study I painted at Balboa Park, nearby where I live. There's a horseshoe club at the park and that's what I originally intended to paint: some old guy throwing some horseshoes around. Nobody was out that morning so I painted this little shed right next to the horseshoe grounds. It's not terribly exciting, but I do like the simplicity of it. Been cooped up painting some miniatures for a show my Tuesday group is having in late March. I have been painting mostly portraits and some landscapes in 5x7 and 6x8 sizes. Maybe I will paint some larger. Painting in these sizes is challenging, for me it's much easier to paint larger. Not as large though as those HUGE drops (60 feet by 30 feet) I used to paint in the theater world!

House On The Hill

8x10
Oil/linen panel

Plein air

This one can also be titled Sick Painting because I was quite ill that day. Started the new year off with a terrible cold. It's been over four years since I've had a cold, but everyone around me had it. I was cooped up for days and wanted to get out of the apartment for a while. It's a little more colorful than usual and I believe the drugs in this case might be the reason. Maybe I should take Claritin before I paint! Another Marian Bear Park painting. Can't get enough of that area. The house on the hill caught my eye. The light was coming from behind, creating the purple-ish shadowed hill in the foreground. I was surprised how purple it was and how vivid the other colors were that morning.

Rob

10x14
Oil/masonite

Life study

This plein air portrait was painted right before the end of '06. The last painting of the year, actually. The usual Tuesday portrait group wasn't meeting because of the holidays so I painted this one on my own. My friend Rob was kind enough to sit for this one, right on his front porch. I was going to use the Zorn palette but upon seeing all those fantastic colors in Rob's face I turned to my expanded palette. The colors that appear in the skin en plein air is awesome. It excites me to see a fleck of color that wouldn't otherwise exist with controlled indoor lighting or from a photograph. Rob has sat for me a two times already, making this the third time. He'll be the recipient of one of the portraits I painted of him when we get up to five. Can't ask for a better model as he did very well. What are friends for, huh?

Park & Robinson Revisited

10x12

Oil/Linen panel

Plein Air

Took another stab at this one, this time in a horizontal format. I think the tarps on the building add a bit more interest, something to break up the yellow a little bit. Of course the painting wouldn't be much without the crane (which of course moved a few times). Again, another fun time. Hope to paint more construction zones in my neighborhood.

Van

10x14

Oil/masonite

Life study

Another painting from my Tuesday group. This guy is always fun to paint.

Regents Road Freeway Bridge (East View)

11x14
Oil/linen panel
Plein air

This was a classic fall day in San Diego. Brisk air, cool breeze and fall colors. Oh yeah, and a loafer out of no where who made me pick up my palette knife in case I had to defend myself. Hope I get that taser gun I wanted for Christmas! I'll have to hang that gizmo on my paint box whilst I paint. Sometimes...........

Rail Road Crossing

8x10

Oil/linen panel

Plein air

This location is at the bottom of Washington and Pacific Highway. Kind of got into detailing the sign. That was the really fun part! There are several other paintings I would like to do in this area. Soon I hope.

Park & Robinson

8x10

Oil/linen panel

Plein air

I was on my way to a certain paint location when I passed by this construction zone. It's in my neighborhood, not too far from my place. I was instantly struck by the composition: the towering builiding, the crane above and the the office trailer. I'm really glad I painted it. There are so many condos and apartment buildings currently under construction in Hillcrest, at least four I can think of. In the last year and a half about 4 have been completed. The architectual landscape is rapidly changing in my neighborhood. This would be an interesting way to docment growth in the neighborhood. I plan to paint more of these. That crane was fun to paint!

Freeway Bridge

11x14

Oil/linen panel

Plein air

I am fascinated by bridges in general. They are a subject I routinely paint. The way a bridge fits into the landscape with the surrounding foliage makes for an interesting painting to me, especially where it intersects into the land. When I painted this I was standing underneath a trolley bridge for shade. Earthquake-like conditions when the trolley passed over! More bridges to come...........

Palm Study With Hut

8x10

Oil/linen panel

Plein air

This was painted at Marian Bear Park, just off highway 52. It was early morning and the sun was intensely bright, I mean really bright. The light was bathed over the scene from behind, the sun directly in front of me, thus creating a back light effect. I really enjoy painting palm trees, especially the ones that have dead fronds hanging from them. So many interesting colors in those dead fronds. The little hut on the hill adds a bit more interest.

Alley Off Vermont Street

6x8
Oil/linen panel
Plein air

This painting was done in my neighborhood. So many cool little alleyways around San Diego. So many alleys, so little time!