Today's work....

I must be tired. I can't for the life of me think of a title for this 8 x 10 oil. The landscape is San Diego County....on the road to Warner Springs.

Perhaps that would be a good name? "On the Road to Warner Springs". OK - that's it!

"Homecoming"

I painted this small oil on location, 'plein air', at Ace Basin, a wildlife refuge about an hour south of Charleston, South Carolina. This morning, I added the heron.

A Lesson in Edges - for me

A few years ago, I had the opportunity to see a collection of Richard Schmid's work in a private home. I was fascinated with his edges...or lack of them. The only hard edge I can find in each piece was around the focal point.

Since seeing Schmid's work up close & personal, I have been more aware of edges. My purpose for painting this piece, "Wait & Watch", was to make a concentrated effort to keep most of my edges soft.

This is an 8 x 10 oil - unfinished.

FINISHED! "Journey into Night'

I showed this piece here, on an earlier blog entry, unfinished. Here it is finally complete. It is one of my two entries for Birds in Art 2008, at the Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum.....the best of the best avian art exhibitions in the world. My second entry is 'In the Wind' , the painting of sheets and barn swallows that is also shown on an earlier blog entry. We may enter two but only one can be accepted. Results in mid-May!

STUDIO TIP

My friend, Susan Faust, passed this tip on to me. Whether painting outside or in the studio, a rag soaked in baby oil works well for removing oil paint from your hands. I keep the rag in a plastic bag and have one in the studio and one in my outdoor painting gear.

Light through the trees - series

I've been intrigued with light through trees. This is the third piece I've done along these lines, though all are different.

Today's Work-in-Progress

I'm currently working on a 12 x 16 oil of egret, flying at sunset. Tentative name? Perhaps "Journey Into Night". My goal is to keep the edges soft and colors muted, with little detail.
I want this painting to give the viewer the feeling that I had when I saw these egret in flight at Ace Basin, south of Charleston, South Carolina.

"A Morning in May"

Two summers ago, I shared a house with artist friends in the small town of Ecorsaint, Burgundy, France. This sweet little charolais stopped to watch me as I was painting on a beautiful May morning. The charolais cattle originated in Burgundy, where the green hillsides are dotted white with cows and Queen Anne's lace. hmmmmm - that gives me an idea for another painting!

From Start to Finish

This morning I checked the blog of one of my favorite artists, Terry Miller. (www.pencilshaver.blogspot.com). On his latest post, he talks about how he uses reference material to create his work. (as soon as I figure out how to do it, I will post links for some of my artist friend's blogs)

This gave me the idea of showing how I go about 'creating'.

"In the Wind" began as an idea that goes back to when I was a kid in New Zealand. I would lie on my back in the grass and watch the blue shadows change as the sheets billowed in the wind. Over the years, I've painted three sheet pieces, but this is the largest.

I waited for a windy day to hang sheets on a line. Of course, the minute I hung them up and aimed the camera at the sheets, the wind stopped blowing. I waited. It was dead calm. I went back into the studio and of course, it blew a gale. I dashed back to the clothes line and the wind stopped. Such is the life of an artist.

Finally, I was able to shoot about 30 images of sheets in the wind. There is no photo that looks like the painting. Rather it is a composite of ideas from various photos.
My goal in painting, "In the Wind" was to give the FEELING of wind and sunlight, but with little detail. In this piece, I also concentrated on edges - or the lack of them. I saved my hardest edges for the birds - and let the edges of the sheets soften into the wind.

I am happy with the simplicity of the composition - yet it is a strong piece. Hope you like it too!

"Agave I"

I've been gone for several weeks. In mid-February I exhibited my work at the South Eastern Wildlife Exposition in Charleston, South Carolina. The show went really well! The following weekend I exhibited my work at NatureWorks in Tulsa, Oklahoma where I received a BEST OF SHOW award for "In the Wind" (check January's archived posts to see this painting).

Now I'm back in the studio working on new pieces for the Legacy Contemporary Gallery in Scottsdale. (www.LegacyContemporary.com) This oil is one of three agave pieces that will be at the gallery within a week or two. It is 12" x 24" painted on a 2" deep cradleboard. This contemporary look doesn't require framing.