"Light Sliver," Daily Painting # 32

"Light Sliver," Available (click here)

Oils on Panel

8" by 8"

Process

Today is a day when I had to accept that the process is important to go through to a finish even if the outcome is less than in our control. I've been feeling out of it all day. Perhaps I'm coming down with something. I was determined to work this painting out and so I did rather slowly. I'm most happy with the contrast between the mostly shadowed cooler space and the glory of warm last light on autumn leaves, which often stick around in CA into early winter. I think ultimately this painting could use simplification from the point of view of a clear head. Perhaps I'll be tempted to tweak it tomorrow. ;)

(Hopefully I can put up a better photo tomorrow too!)

Place

This is another painting from a photo I took on a hike on the Julian end of the Santa Ysabel Open Space Preserve. We went on a short hike there on a nippy early winter day. We were determined to go out even if we could only make it right before dark. It was still and sharply cold. We ventured off the path to explore an enormous oak tree. It was a moment that brought me clarity. The graphic quality of the clean line of color through the muted shadows fit that mood perfectly for me.

Next

An animal, I think. I'm hoping tomorrow will be a focused day. I'm excited that more panels in different sizes and shapes are arriving! I've only had 8" by 8" panels left for a little while now and I've been itching for a rectangular composition.

"Golden Pasture," Daily Painting # 27

"Golden Pasture," Available (click here)
8" by 8"
Oils on Panel

Santa Ysabel in Bloom (last Spring)

I didn't end up focusing on the clouds themselves again, but I have been in love with the mood that clouds can imbue on a landscape. Perhaps that is because I'm already wishing for Fall in this heat and I know that I have months to go before Southern California will give in to cooler weather.

In the same valley as yesterday's painting this low spot always has the most blooms. I love the contrast between the overcast sky and cool distant field to the golden glow of the afternoon light on the wild mustard blooms. This valley is one of my favorite places in the world. It changes from month to month, holding onto blooms then greenery in this low spot longer than anywhere around in the dry season.

Hike Through the Painting

Just to the left of this painting on the higher ground of this vast field is the entrance to the Santa Ysabel Open Space Preserve where I have ventured into spaces like this rather than reveling in their views from the side lines. You can even meet the cattle that graze there in person, though I haven't gotten too close as I am the kind of person that recognizes their girth as powerful and respects it. :P ;) It is definitely worthy of a visit and a hike (It is steeper around this area than you might expect.).

Next

Something not a landscape I think. Though don't trust me, I'm in the mood to follow a whim.

"The Field's Golden Exhale," Daily Painting #5

"The Field's Golden Exhale," SOLD, 

 5" by 7," oils on panel

The Field Out My Window

Every time I think this field has finished showing me new colors and new plants it shares something new. I think this may be the last bloom of the year. These beautiful yellow flowers I believe are native to Southern, CA (not the ubiquitous wild mustard plants that actually came over from Spain in the 1600's) and I had never seen so many of them in a field. I feel like after watching this field for a year I better understand nature in the larger area of have lived almost my whole life. I'm hoping the blooms will last a bit longer since we just had a summer rain the last couple of days. Perhaps I can get another painting of them in.

Process

I have never painted a landscape on such a small surface. It was a challenge. I had to make it even trickier by portraying the edge of a tree in the extreme foreground. I'm pretty happy with the results. It isn't all that I hoped it might be, but what painting ever achieves all of my hopes. It was good experience in simplifying shapes and patterns of light and effects of the atmosphere. I still prefer to paint my landscapes bigger, but I think there will be more landscapes in one my one-a-day series. (BTW, don't try to paint out a small paned window, it may drive you to distraction.)

Next

I think I deserve the treat of painting a creature again. 

Sky Transforming

"Sky Transforming," 6" by 12", Oil on Canvas

The Painting

"Sky Transforming"  (for sale on Ebay now) is a painting I did a couple of days ago as I watched clouds forming and disintegrating at colossal rates because of a forest fire some miles away. The clouds directly over the fire look just like thunder storm clouds (and are in fact formed because of heat rising off the fire, pyrocumulus clouds) but further out puffy white clouds of a friendly size were also transforming rapidly and it was those clouds that I focused on to capture this painting.

Despite the clouds indicating a fire was persisting, they have a comforting coolness to their appearance in the mostly arid pale clear blue skys of a Southern California summer.

Plans for More

This quick painting is a preview of what is soon to come. I plan to begin doing one painting daily.  Well, almost everyday. I will take days off. You know, the usual: Christmas, Easter, 4th of July, whim days of exuberant hooky, maybe even days for ordinary stuff like errand marathons. Each painting will be offered for sale on Ebay. I've ordered enough panels to last me just over a month, but I hope to continue to paint everyday for many months to come (maybe years *crossing fingers*). Wish me luck!

A Few New Sketches

African Violet in Blue

Clover So Chuffed She is Fluffed

TV Drawing

Out the Window

Sleepy

Human Stem

Note: I managed to delete this post on accident. :P Obviously it is back up now. ;)

I got back to drawing in ink recently. I had missed that. So these are just a few new sketches to share. I hope you enjoyed them. :)

A Plein Air Painting in Acrylics

The Reason
I had some extra acrylic paint left on my palette, and I thought rather than waste it I'd spend some late afternoon time, in cloudy weather, out on the back deck painting. It was a great chance, and probably the last for the season, to capture a cooler diffused light.

How it Went
This is the first plein air painting I've done in acrylics. I didn't use the open acrylics, so drying time was something to consider. But, it was a fluke couple cool cloudy days so they didn't dry instantly. I think, for me, it is a pretty good effort painting directly in acrylics.

My Plans
I plan to keep doing these quick plein air pieces, to improve my quick direct painting skills. Next time I think I'll choose a view with a few less trees, so I can do a bit more designing. Perhaps I'll pull out my oils. :)