The Window Well

The Window Well

This is a deep set window in a Castle at Chorey, France.  The softness of the light grabbed me.  The bearing wall was the thickness of the well, down on the ground floor.  I just loved this small little space.

It's always an adventure...

Edge of Town

Edge of Town

From my photo overlooking the edge of a village in southern France.  An opening in a large black cloud seemed to spotlight some of the roofs.  It caught my eye and I took it with my cheapie pocket camera.

It's always an adventure...

Charcoal study for Provence Harvest Afternoon

Provence Harvest Afternoon

This is a light/shadow study for a photo I took in Provence several years ago.  The late mid summer's day light is on the stone wall, casting the most sumptuous peach color.  The light in Provence is truly very special.  I would so love to go back and paint more of it.  It's like the Creator is saying  "...Go ahead, just TRY to capture the beauty of this if you can...".

It's always an adventure...

Charcoal study

Chateau Neuf du Pape Study

Right before switching off the light in the studio late last night I stopped, sat down for 15 minutes and sketched this out.  It has been haunting me and I had to get it down on paper.  

From a photograph I took in that small southern France town, famous for the wine of the same name.  I had to reconstruct the shadows since I couldn't wait for the sun to come back when I walked by the first time.  I may have to computer model this in Sketch-up to get it right.  I just remember it was striking when I came upon the view into the courtyard.

It will be an oil painting eventually.  Stay tuned.

It's always an adventure

Parklane Gallery - December

These works will be on display at the Parklane Gallery in Kirkland for the month of December, 2012.  Most of the art work at the gallery is on special sale through the end of the month.  There is also gift wrapping available.  I'm 'on duty' December 28 from 4 to 8PM.

It's always an adventure...

Street Steps

Street Steps

This is an oil of the study done oil pastels.  Don't know if its better - just different.  I tried to be very efficient with brush stokes and knife work, let the canvas show through if it wanted to and quit before getting muddy.  

Detail - 6 strokes

(yeah ok, I got lucky)

It's always an adventure......

Soggy Morning (re-shoot)

Soggy Morning (re-shoot)

Lighting is better this morning (ironically quite soggy after the rain here too) for taking another scan of this one.  I put my art on a music stand and set the camera on high-res on my tripod.  Can't do it when it's raining/

It's always an adventure...

Soggy Morning

Soggy Morning

Just finished this one tonight finally.  I need to photo the work in daylight, however.  I'll post another one.  It's getting that time of year in Seattle where we have 7 to 8 hours of daylight, and most of that is really only light grey at best.  This is oil on 16 x 20 canvas board.

It's always an adventure...

Barn Door

Barn Door

This is using my oil pastel crayons on gesso board, 8 x 10.  There was something about the light in this that made me want to try to capture it.  

It's always an adventure...

Afternoon Market

Afternoon Market

This is an oil pastel on watercolor type paper that can accept oil base without bleeding into the paper.  I did this from a photograph I took in a village in southern France a few years ago.  I'm still experimenting with technique and what does what to what with colors, paper and other media.

This will be on my wall at Parklane gallery in December.  Our gallery discounts will still be in effect.  This one is 11 x 14.

It's always an adventure...

November at Parklane Gallery

November at the gallery

I have 5 new works up this month.  Main Line Open is oil.  The others are oil pastel, which is a new medium for me.  You can scroll down my blog and see these individually and on full screen.

Parklane Gallery is going to do special holiday discounting starting right after Thanksgiving this year.  Some works will be a flat $100 bucks.  Some larger work will be going at a good discount, depending on the artist.  The gallery is a Co-op, so every individual sets their own prices and, this year, discounts.  

Check out the website for more info:

www.parklanegallery.com

Note:  I will be tending the shop on Friday November 16 from 3 to 7pm, and Saturday November 24 from 3 to 7pm if you want to stop by and say hi.

It's always an adventure...

Lunch with Lauren

Lunch with Lauren

This is my first oil pastel on gesso block, 12 x 12.  From a photograph taken in southern France, my daughter Lauren sitting in the sun at a B & B.   This will be at the Parklane Gallery during the month of November.

It's always an adventure...

Main Track Open

Main Track Open

I finally finished this painting which has been languishing as I've been learning about oil pastels.  It's from a photo I took in Salina, Kansas.  I tried to capture low light spilling onto the open-ness along the tracks.

It's always an adventure...

Lefkara Street

Lefkara Street

This is from a photo I took several years in Lefkara, Cypress.  Actually I did it from a pencil drawing of the same photo.  Oil pastels on Canva-Paper, 12 x 16.  The towns on the island of Cypress are a photo-rich environment.

It's always an adventure.

Light Shaft (revised)

Revised shadow

Got a very helpful comment yesterday on my street shadow.  I think this shadow is better than the pencil I did before.  I really appreciate getting comments/criticism.  

It's always an adventure...

Light Shaft

Light Shaft

I thought this picture was really cool.  Love how it takes you in.  

Oil pastels on gesso board, 8 x 10.

It's always an adventure

Afternoon Light

Afternoon Light

Another oil pastel study on some photos I have of Venice.  The shadow makes a strong composition element to the vanishing point at the edge of the water.  I used a lot of linseed oil in the water to smooth it out.  This is really cool stuff to work with.  

It's always an adventure...

Mountain Barn

Mountain Barn

My second go with oil pastel crayons.  I'm working on different ways I can learn to blend.  A dab of linseed oil on a rubber tip brush works pretty well.  I'm experimenting.  These are really sketchy, but fun because they're so fast.  Only have 14 colors (including b & w) so I'm looking forward to getting a bigger set.

It's always an adventure...

Arles Morning

Arles Morning

pastel oil crayon on canva-paper

So I was looking for something in my art junk drawer, can't remember what, and I ran across this pad of "Canva-Paper".  Then I ran across some old, old "Cra-Pas" art sticks that I have had forever.  

This is from a photo I took in Arles, France.  I have a painting halfway done of this scene in oil right now, but I thought I would just see what these oil crayons did on the same setting.  I only have 14 different colors, so it's limited but I dunno....I thought this looked kinda cool.

It's always an adventure............

Abandoned

Charcoal study for 'Abandoned'

I was going to put more "stuff" in the foreground like a wheel, maybe some junk.  I thought stark was better.  doorway needs something.

If anyone wants some of these I'll let them go for a reasonable price.  They're mostly just on newsprint, 18 x 24.

It's always an adventure

"Around the Block"

These are my entries at the Parklane Gallery for October.  the web site with more info is on the flyer.

It's always an adventure...

Parklane Gallery - October

I have 3 new works for October and 2 repeats (Rainstorm and Sunflowers).  These images are raw, without frames to save space on the page.  Rod's Lake is oil, One Headlight is charcoal and Red Door is pastel.  (I just started pastel work, so am going through a first stage learning curve.)   Although, everything is a learning curve now, isn't it?

It's always an adventure...

Charcoal study for Main Track Open

Main Track Open

Tracks heading east from Salina.  I took out alot of detail and moved the switch to experiment with composition.  Almost has a B&W negative effect using my eraser on the trees and grain elevators in the distance.  I did this whole thing in 20 minutes so it's pretty loose.

It's always an adventure...

Too Far Gone...charcoal study

Too Far Gone

The loneliness of this small barn on the prairie was striking to me.  I added a man sitting next to the ditch, his thoughts left to the viewer's imaginings.  This study is for a future oil/watercolor, possibly a pastel.

It's always something...

Night Falls study

Charcoal study for Night Falls

I wanted to do something a little different in oil (for me), so I did this study.  Not sure about color and texture just yet.  I did this in about 30 minutes so I didn't go back and fix stuff that needs fixin'.  These are fun to do.

It's always an adventure...

Rod's Lake

Rod's Lake

This is really not Rod's lake.  Rod took the photograph.  I've just always called it his lake.  It IS a lake somewhere but that doesn't really matter.  What matters is the fun and (of course) learning I got while doing it.  I like sky and I like foreground so I guess that's why my horizon is always sort of in the middle.  I need to venture out from that maybe.  

It's always an adventure...

Soggy Morning

Soggy Morning (charcoal study sketch)

Every artist has done a road and puddles with a mailbox before.  This has been bouncing around in my head so I finally sat down and drew what I saw.  Tested it in photoshop with various "blurs" and the light and form holds strong so - onward.  Probably a 16 x 20 when I get to it.

It's always an adventure...

The Cannon Art Studio for September

September 2012

This is from my monthly flyer showing September art at the Parklane Gallery in Kirkland.

It's always an adventure...

Back 40 Shed

Back 40 Shed

This is the last of my midwest pastel series for awhile (unless I can find the ones I misfiled).  Glad to be back home in Seattle (AND we have one more week of nice weather supposedly coming up).  Soon to be grey and gloom and shut inside my studio for a winter of work.

It's always an adventure...

Cottonwoods

Cottonwoods

I tried to catch the essence of big cottonwoods along an unseen river beyond.  Pastel on creme medium tooth paper, from my photos.

It's always an adventure...

Desert Truck

Desert Truck

More experimenting with pastels.  This is 5" x 5", for a 12x12 frame.  Pastel is more difficult for smaller size drawings, especially when you only have the large soft sticks and working on mom's dining room table.  Yes, I'm getting in trouble for the mess.

It's always an adventure...

Prairie

Prairie

Simplicity.  Prairie.  One in the same.  It's hard to describe the Zen of the Great Plains.  Going just a few feet from a country road one is completely alone - and very, very small.  Hard to capture.  Need a bigger sheet.  Pastel on plain tooth 140 lb. paper, 11x14

It's always an adventure.

Out of Gas

Out of Gas

An old abandoned gas station outside of town.  Quick sketch.  

It's always an adventure...

Cafe

Cafe

An old abandoned cafe somewhere in the Southwest.  Fun to try to capture with pastel.

It's always an adventure...

Quiet River

Quiet River

I am in Kansas through mid September and will be experimenting with some pastels.  This is a river outside Salina, from a photograph.  Pastels - we'll see how this goes.

It's always an adventure...

Kids in a Car 1914

Kids in a Car - 1914

I was commissioned to do an art work for the Eastside Heritage Center from one of the archival black and white photos they have of thousands on file.  Fun to do another charcoal again.

It's always an adventure...

detail

study for Red Truck

quick study for 'Red Truck'

I made this one up from my cranial midwest memory banks.  Need to work on proportions a bit.  Kind of an old, monolithic group of colorless farm buildings - with a red truck for an accent.  The truck isn't in the composition yet.  We'll see how it goes.

It's always an adventure

Low Tide

Low Tide

The view path zig zags from sunlit sand, around rocks, out to a rough sea.  I tried to do this one with as few strokes possible.  Combination of knife and brush.  Love the accidental little tide pool rock reflection.

detail

It's always an adventure...

Gallery art for August 2012

At Parklane Gallery

August 2012

Here are my works on display for the month of August.

Parklane Gallery

130 Parklane

Kirkland, Washington

Roof Dance

Roof Dance

I took my photo of some roofs in a French village and painted them without my glasses.  Have to kind of squint to see the original photo.  Just used a palette knife on this so you can't get too fussy - just let the paint do the talking.   A learning experience always.

detail

....and - it's always an adventure

Sleepwalk

Sleepwalk

I love doing these.  They just are what they are.  It's like when you were a kid and seeing images in clouds.  I saw a sleepwalker in this one.  

More art coming on the blog soon (August gallery work is in process of completion this week.)

It's always an adventure...

Venetian Alley

Venetian Alley

I'm back to watercolor for a while.  Trying to improve my versions of water reflections.  Love the shadows in this.  Best way to make bright, bright light is just to use no paint.  I guess those things are old piles - should have left them out maybe.

It's always an adventure...

Market

Market

Another study of light.  the objects making the shadows are off the view.  I did this painting quite fast, ignoring much of the detail.

It's always an adventure....

Venice Afternoon

Venice Afternoon

I painted this from a photograph that a friend of mine took in Venice.  Love the depth and light on the wall.  It's currently hanging in the Parklane Gallery the month of July.

It's always an adventure...

Luxembourg Flowers

Luxembourg Flowers

detail

I sketched this from a photograph I took in Paris in 2004.  It started as a study for a future oil, but I thought I'd frame it anyway.

It's always an adventure...