Santa Cruz Boat Harbor

Overcast morning, but very comfortable.  Except for the fact I had real serious trouble honing in on a subject today!!  And, that always makes me get jittery and feeling a little intimidated =( 
But - I dove in and decided to paint this wonderful "schooner" and try to find some rhythm in the distant eucalyptus trees and the docks in the foreground.  It turned out to be fun - although I just can't do any more with this until it dries - if I do indeed decide to go back into it.

Too Much FUN!

Nope, I just couldn't leave it alone, so I "finished" my rose garden plein aire attempts "in studio" (ha - aka kitchen!)  I had to have a little more fun with these and see if I could learn a little more about how to paint roses!  I'll keep trying =)

Rose Garden Beauties!

Second attempt at real-life plein aire painting!  So much to learn - my colors weren't true at all, since a foggy morning changed to one with me looking straight into a bright sun with a shaded canvas.  Alas, I had so much fun painting today I couldn't resist posting my work even if it is really not that good ;-)  I guess what I should say is that these are "studies" for "real" paintings I will do in my studio, uh huh!  Maybe that's true!

Plein Aire Retouched!

Okay, so yes, it is my very first real plein aire painting, with a few touches back here at "the studio" as it were (my kitchen). I consider it a real plein aire because I was on the balcony of our vacation rental condo on Pebbly Beach Rd. in Avalon on Catalina Island, with my guerilla painter's box and the stuff I thought I needed packed carefully from home.

The light was changing, the boats were bobbing in the harbor, and Dan and Michael were calling to me from below on the street on their rental bikes. What could be better?? I completed this in about 2 hours or so, beginning with the challenge of first-ever use of the guerilla box on a tripod in a cramped space! Acrylics as a base coat, then oils to finish. Clearly I need a BIG lesson on landscape - but you can tell my focus was the Casino.

Did you know that the Plein Aire Painters of America was founded on Catalina Island in 1986? If you love Plein Aire painting - please look for the book "Enchanted Isle: A History of Plein Aire Painting in Santa Catalina Island". It is a treasure!

Cheers to "Firsts"!

During a wonderful art "retreat" with friends, I was able to help construct a still life and paint it with acrylics! My first ever painting from "still life" and also my first ever acrylic painting! I'm not unhappy with this painting even though the paint totally misbehaved in my opinion on the canvas (being accustomed to oils) and I struggled with the light and shadow in my first ever still life painting.

Still- this is a wonderful remembrance of best friends, a beautiful venue, lovely fresh sweat peas, and a fantastic blue and white vase!

Enjoy - more to come =)

Reunion!!

Wow, it's been a while! One should not take such a hiatus from their art "work" - that being the work of doing art! I have been a full six months without paintbrush in hand, so sad. But this past weekend, I had the thrill of oil painting in a workshop with my dear friend and mentor, Buck Paulson. What a wonderful time - and the result being that I am excited and committed to getting back into regular painting - AND - I have a really nice still life seascape to enjoy! Ahoy, Matey - there are some incredible techniques embedded in that piece..............

If you can zoom in, note my personal touches on the sails.

Thanks, professor Buck ;-)

Sisters and Girlfriends

Yesterday I had the pleasure of catching up with a girlfriend I rarely see anymore. A simple hour together, sharing all the going's on of our families - but moreover, learning new things about each other. We never new that we were both into art, being so busy with our husbands and families!

Isn't it always true that from our girlfriends, our sisters, we learn new ways to navigate all the challenges we face as our lives wind their way through time? The act of sharing - opening up about our fears, making each other laugh (laughing at ourselves!), and giving strength in tough times - makes us better people, more open, more confident, more patient.

This painting was done with love for my sister, with whom I share much more than a love of giraffes ;-)