Sunset Oil Painting

My blog should be called "A painting occasionally"; but yay! today was occasionally. From a photo
9x12" oil on panel

Acrylic landscape edge of the yard

Fun in the am. 9*12" on gessoed Masonite.

Pic test

A photo taken yesterday, posted via my new Android smartphone.

Storm Clouds Above Lake Ca acrylic painting

Took some photos with my new Nikon last spring; we get some great stormy weather out here. It's lovely to paint a cool scene like this when the weather is summer-hot outside!
Chroma acrylics on cradled birch panel, 18"x12".

$235.00 thru Pay Pal with free shipping in USA.

Art project

A fun project is available to artists here. it's an arty calendar for 2011 and each page is decorated by a different artist; it's free to join in but the deadline is July 1st for images so be quick! I chose my daughter's birthday as my page to design, Jan 3rd. Artists can put a website or blog address on their submission so it's a bit of advertising as well. http://www.fantazya.ca/diary2011.html

"Clouds over Mountains" acrylic landscape

A light and airy piece using acrylic like watercolor; painted en plein air near the community garden in Lake California. The interactive acrylics are versatile and fun! 11"x14" on artfully wrinkled mulberry paper mounted on masonite.

"Top of River View Drive" acrylic landscape painting

My fav plein aire piece so far this year, I painted, appropriately, from the top of River View Drive in my community, Lake California. I used the interactive acrylics on a collaged paper surface on masonite. 11"x14"

acrylic landscape painting Lake California

Another in my new series of acrylic landscapes using Chroma Interactive Acrylics. This was painted near the equestrian center in Lake California. The surface is collaged paper on masonite, 11"x14". An honest plein aire painting, no tweaking at home.

acrylic landscape study and studio painting

I have been working with the interactive acrylics lately, am beginning to really like them. They are versatile, spontaneous yet changeable. I bought a stay-wet palette which helps to keep the paint at a workable consistency. Did this study at Discovery Park in Red Bluff, then did a larger studio piece
from that.
study 9x12" on w/c paper
painting 16x20" pintura painting panel

morning photos

A lovely cloudy morning in Lake California; unusual for this time of year and perfect for taking photos. In this photo I like the tall onion stalks and flower bulbs against the diagonal box board, wood chips and my garden behind. I would have preferred to focus on the onions, but didn't set the focus correctly. Anyway, I had an hour of fun taking pictures this a.m. and for that I am grateful!

Near Red Bluff Acrylic Landscape Painting

Got a chance to go out to paint in a Red Bluff park; used the Chroma Interactive acrylics and really enjoyed the whole experience! Life has been really hectic this year, a high school graduation/college selection process, a wedding and moving house have sucked much of my free time away. This painting took about an hour, it's 8x10" on Ampersand Clayboard.

Oil Painting Chloe the Sheltie

Just finished in time for Xmas, a commissioned oil painting, 16"x12" of a relative's adorable Sheltie. Chloe is beyond cute and full of life; she even enjoys posing for photos! What a good girl!

Orchard Paintings Accepted into Show

My two olive orchard paintings done for the Extraordinary Ordinary Show at Avenue 9 Gallery were accepted by the owners, yay! The show runs from Dec. 11 thru Jan 16th. Avenue 9 Gallery is located on ninth ave, just off the Esplanade, in Chico, Ca.
Both oil paintings are 8"x10" done on masonite and will be for sale at the show.

2 oil paintings, after the workshop

Created a new version of the lighted path in Cohasset painting and went out this a.m. to paint in my community, Lake California. Both 6"x8", oil on Yupo synthetic paper which I prepared with 2 coats of acrylic gesso. A smaller size than normal for me; and I like it!
I did drawings first to test ideas, maybe 10 min each. Both paintings were completed using a limited palette of Cad Yellow Lemon, Quin Red, Ultramarine Blue, Ivory Black and Quick Dry White. I tried to pay attention to shapes and intervals and values, oh my. This old dog seems to be learning a few new tricks, hurray!

"Lighted Path, Cohasset"
"Top of River View Dr, Lake California"

Lenn Goldmann Painting Workshop

I attended an awesome painting workshop this week, sponsored by Avenue 9 Gallery in Chico as a part of this year's paint-out event. The workshop was held at a beautiful estate in Cohasset, a tiny community in the mountains about 20 minutes from Chico. The instructor, Lenn Goldmann is a highly qualified successful artist and teacher with 40 years painting experience; as if that were not impressive enough, he brought an artist friend, Waif Mullins, who is an accomplished pastelist and oil painter, to help out. The class was primarily about design; Lenn lectured for 30 or 40 min, gave us some great handouts explaining how to create pathways in our paintings, etc. Then we chose a spot on the grounds and painted or drew for a couple of hours. Lenn and Waif came around to each of us, offering suggestions. After a lunch break, some of us chose another location for a second painting; soon we gathered together for a critique session. There were about 8 people in the workshop and everyone chimed in with ideas, it was a pretty relaxed, friendly group. I feel this workshop has re-energized me in regard to my painting work, am planning to do a lot of painting this weekend. On Sunday I'm going to a paint-out on a ranch in Orland, yippee! The photos are the paintings I did, tho the lamp one I re-worked @ home.

Color permanancy test Hansa Yellow Light

A couple of years ago, I began using Hansa Yellow Light in my paintings. It is semi-transparent and I like the way it mixes with other colors. Soon after I started using it, I heard some reports that this pigment has a tendency to fade, but couldn't really tell from the pix on the web how much. So I decided to give it a test myself. I painted a swatch on a piece of gessoed Masonite; when dry I covered a section with opaque paper and hung it on the wall. The room it is in gets a few hours of sunlight per day, tho I have a translucent curtain over the window, and the sun does not directly shine in. About a year ago I checked the swatch and it looked ok to me; I just checked it again and I am sorry to say the fading is definitely noticeable. Although it just occurred to me that the paint under the paper may have darkened. I'll try painting a fresh swatch nearby to see if it matches either. I may be replacing this pigment on my palette.
The photos do not show the extent of the difference that is discernible by the eye.

UPDATE: I had to paint some gesso over the spot where the scotch tape holding the paper pulled it off, sheesh. Then painted some Hansa Yellow light over the new gesso, below the 2 year old HYL paint swatches. it's had a week or more to dry, and to the eye there is a definite difference. the new paint swatch is very saturated, while the older swatches seem duller and the paint under the paper has become an orangey yellow.
I am now using Cadmium Lemon Yellow on my palette; it is more expensive but has proven it's reliability over time.

Collage Landscape Postcards from Lake California

Postcards from Lake California, small treats made from art, scrap and recycled paper. Each about 4"x6" with torn and deckle edges, glued to 140# watercolor paper. Available in my Etsy Shop, $15
each. Handmade, unique, fun!

Plein Air Oil Painting "Deer Trail, Fall"

A Sunday morning treat, painting in the backyard! One of the benefits of living in Lake California. 12"x6" oil on stretched linen canvas, 3/4" gallery wrap. No frame needed. $85 thru paypal, includes US shipping.

2 colors, one oak tree oil painting study

A painting experiment using only ultramarine blue and raw sienna plus white. The canvas is
12"x6" stretched linen; the subject is a dead oak tree.

oil landscape painting, "Manzanita in the Yard"

Oil painting in the morning, ahh, it smells like art! 8x10" oil on a raymar panel. The morning sun lights up the rugged golden fields here in Lake California; I'm really feeling the beauty today!
$95.00 thru paypal. Includes US shipping.