What I Learned................

Things I've learned during my first "walk" through the pastel box:

Gloves would be good.
Gloves only work if they are ON your hands, BOTH hands ;-)
Perhaps finger painting is overrated.
That look and polite laugh from the manicurist only goes so far.
A magic cloth is a good addition to the setup.
Family criticism can hurt (but not too much, heck it's my first time!)

I think I might even try this again!  The self-engineered pastel setup for my guerilla box is working out great.
 

A Start - for the Virtual Paintout - What FUN??!!

TOOOO much fun, if not talent!  This is an image taken from google maps street view as inspired by the Virtual Paintout website for plein aire painters willing to work from google maps images. 

September's site is Manhattan Island and I chose this fairly monochrome image for it's composition of darks and lights and as my son said "it's all about the white van!!!!"

I think it's just plain fun and this ultramarine underpainting was just a kick to do.  Forgive me if I'm a bit off in my drawing or value - sometimes... "good enough is perfect "  WINK!!  Stay tuned for where this one goes!

Picchetti Winery

Very pedestrian painting - awful, really - but a fun and beautiful day at the Picchetti Winery!  So - I experimented with some fun underpainting colors and techniques.  It was all about the colors today - and no, I didn't achieve anything terrific for which I strived. 

Family noted that the barn roof looked like "snow", ugh.  What color is tin in fall light, anyway???  So - later I added some warmth to settle it down.  Not worth showing you, really, trust  me.

The Fourth in Avalon - last post!

Color touch ups, added the folks, and of course - the flags - which are everywhere during the Fourth of July week on Catalina Island!

One of my most favorite places, and definitely the best for a patriotic fourth and some of the best fireworks anyplace!!

(Not saying the painting is finished, but it was time to post it and "watch" it for a few days before deciding or adding further touches).

The Fourth in Avalon - post three of four

Last night's progress (late night!)  Time to leave it for morning.

The Fourth in Avalon - post two of four

Tinting the canvas for an underpainting and sketching in the basic composition, darks and lights

The Fourth in Avalon - post one of four

So late last night I figured out a new way to sketch a composition!  Black sharpie on the plastic wrapping of a canvas works great!  Then I had to figure out how to carefully cut it off to preserve it and mount it on cardboard so I could see it ;-)

Oldies - not sure about "goodies"

Just a walk down memory lane because a friend asked me about these.  When I was in college studying engineering, we were required to sketch at least an hour a week with pencil on a big newsprint pad (oh, torture me ;-)

These are the only two that survived all the years, tattered and faded and wrinkled (gee, like me?) but like old friends reminding me of some good times gone by and some good friends I still hold dear.

Farm Girls

A sister painting to my last post!  I will call the tower Old Sentinel, but to me these are the Farm Girls.  Which? The barns, the palms?  You decide.  I love the way the morning sun was warming the barn sides and making the palms absolutely glisten!

McClellan Ranch Barn Tower

This is what is on my easel today!  True confessions, though - I've already changed it since this photo.  Now I'm not sure I like my changes!  I liked my distant trees on the upper left (which I wiped out =( but I do like the fact I have added indistinct foliage in the left foreground to obscure the left side of the fence.  It now draws the viewer in better..........stay tuned!  We'll see where it is when I pronounce it "done".