Lifeguard

I painted this as part of the "Different Strokes Challenge". One of the things I like most about doing these paint outs is the variety of subject matter that I would not ordinarily have thought of using.
I used a very heavily textured canvas panel, 4x4 for this. Its listed on my Bonanzle for sale here

Night Visitors

I was feeling so maternal towards my little crop of peppers and tomatoes. We had tended them and feed them and watered them everyday.The first few large green ones were just a few days of hot weather away from being picked. But the renegade deer that stalk about had been watching them too. Devastation! Evidently the heavy rains had washed away the stinky deer repellent. In a last ditch effort to save the crop I cut up a bar of Irish Spring and sprinkled it about the plants. Will keep you posted!

On a more productive note I did this little painting for a paint out challenge on Wet Canvas! If you haven't visited this artist site you're missing out on a lot. This is in the Open Critique Forum, my second home.

Plein Air ...Day 2

Isn't this incredible? This is the site I choose on Sunday morning. I'm at Heritage Farms where they raise daylilies and Christmas trees and have wonderful Autumn Festivals.

A few of us set up in the distant fields and got to work. One pastel artist, two oil painters and two watercolorists - and me with my acrylics. Amazing how all the finished products all looked so different!

I arrived with a canvas primed with red and plans to use a floater frame so I knew I wanted something simple and clean. All entries had to be complete and framed by 5:00pm so a good plan was needed from the start.


We were each allowed to enter two paintings. I choose the first one I did, "View from the Patio" and this one.

The Show opens July 2nd and I will take photos of all the entries. The ones that I saw so far were incredible... and two sold as the artists were turnng them in!

"Before the Rain"

Plein Air .... Afternoon Day 1

The sun came out and I ventured down the road a bit to a convenient bench that offered a view of the rain swollen Cuyahoga River. The bridge is part of the towpath bike/hike trail. Historically this site has been the center for traffic and trade in Peninsula. I have seen old photos of a covered bridge that was once located here.

The current was very fast and the water all shades of brown and tan. This was one of the times where the experience of being outside painting was a lot better than the finished product. The breeze was cool, the spray refreshing and it was fun to talk with all the visitors who stopped.

But I was painting on board and acrylics dry very fast on that surface....and the increasing sunshine did not help. This painting is 12 x 16"

"Cuyahoga River"

Plein Air ...Morning Day 1

We had such terrible storms come through Ohio Friday night and early Saturday morning! But twenty Plein Air painters came out to the National Park ready to do their best.
Here I am first thing Saturday morning - choosing to stay close to shelter and hot coffee. I set up on the patio of the Peninsula Art Academy and decided to paint the dirt driveway and mailbox of Elements Art Gallery across the street.

I was just looking forward to getting started and covering that white canvas. I chose an 8x10" to begin with - nothing too big.

There was no strong light source.... but at least there was no rain.

A few more details and I was ready for that coffee and a new location.

"View from the Patio"

Show Update

Heres a link to the Hudson Society of Artists Blog where you can see photos of the show.
http://hudsonsocietyofartists.blogspot.com/2009/06/art-show.html

The show was very well attended. I sold three paintings (two of which I posted here yesterday) and bought a beautiful water color on canvas by fellow HSA artist Lori Hess. I could not resist it!

Clothesline Art Show

HUDSON SOCIETY OF ARTISTS
The Clothesline Art Show and Sale
June 18, 19 and 20, 2008 (Thursday – Saturday)

The annual Clothesline Art Sale Show is a sale of ORIGINAL SMALL UNFRAMED artwork. The show is held at the Hudson Middle School Commons, 77 N. Oviatt Street Hudson OH

as part of the June Days Festival.

I am ready! I have a dozen varnished, signed, wrapped and tagged pieces ready for delivery.

If you are in the area come by. The Garden Club hosts a wonderful plant sale and the House and Garden tour is a tradition. Everyone will be at the Ice Cream Social Friday night on the Green.

Here are some of the pieces I will be bringing to the show:

Gaston LeCrayon

The artist's life is not always an easy one!

Docked

I primed this little ACEO red and then used a pretty limited palette.
It seems like there is so much going on these days, not enough time to paint. That will have to change!

Garden Path

A day in June... soft misty colors, cool nights, sunny days. Wish this would last all year. I painted this ACEO in acrylics.

Do you all know about the Plein Air website http://pleinairartists.ning.com/ I joined it this week and I'm finding my way around the site. Wonderful fresh art, really nice people.

Information Clearinghouse

This is a great site for everyone who loves art ~

"The Painter's Post" ....

A Daily Aggregation that Artists and Other Creative People May Find Useful "

It is the brainchild of Robert Genn and can be found here

If you do not get Genn's newletter "The Painters Keys" you are missing a lot. There is a link to it on "The Painter's Post" .

This and That Friday

If you are in the Valley stop by The Peninsula Art Academy to see the

Planes, Trains and Automobiles Show It runs May 30 thru June 28, 2009

I have two pieces in the show - will get some photos posted soon!

Here's a new Sailboat painting - an ACEO with colorful Caribbean tones.

A Sliver of Time

Today was suppose to be the first day of the Ladies Nine Hole League. I had arranged to come to work late on Thursdays so I can play. But Mother Nature had other ideas. At Tee time it was a brisk 48 degrees and the ground was a bog from the past few days of rain. So Mature and Wise Ladies that we are,we decided to start the Ladies Nine Hole League next week. This gave me a little free time to go to the warm studio and work on an ACEO or two with a hot cup of coffee. And here they are:

Scotch - Rocks

This is an ACEO 2.5 x 3.5" this comes after the long bike ride ;-)
Its about reflections and dark against light

Mental Prep Time

Producing a painting is not something you start when you sit down at the easel. For me it begins with an idea, an image, an experience that I take in and think about and play with and rework in my head over and over.
It was a beautiful day Sunday - a perfect day for geting the bikes out and riding on the Towpath in the Cuyahoga Valley National Park, one of the best places for getting inspiration.

I stopped a few times for photo ops along the trail. Look at the texture and vertical lines in this scene and the play of greens.

I almost missed seeing this guy. It was the reflections that first caught my eye and I hit the brakes and then I noticed him. I think the attention annoyed him. He was probably afraid that I'de scare the fish away.

This is a bend in the Cuyahoga River just south of Boston Mills. I took two widescreen shots and stitched them together. Can't you just see it on a 15 x 30" canvas?

I'll be doing a Plein Air Paint Out in the Park this month. Look to see similar scenes in my portofolio.