One More Coastal Still Life:

 "Tea by the Sea"

8 x 8 inches, oil on canvas

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This piece ends my week of coastal still lives. I loved immersing myself in the natural light of the beautiful studio I rented in Toledo. It's so incredible to take yourself out of your natural habitat once in a while. 

Here are all of the paintings I brought home:

Float On!

"Float On"

12 x 9 inches, oil on canvas

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These glass floats are an Oregon coast antique shop staple. I didn't head to my Toledo residency with these in mind to paint - in fact, I thought I'd be painting fish all week - but that was not in the cards, as I'll tell you much more about tomorrow.

Here's how this painting developed. I sketched in the underpainting with a mix of Cadmium yellow and red, dulled with a tiny bit of Ultramarine blue. I like the warmth peeking through, even though the dominant colors of the piece are cool coastal blues and greens. 

Another Coast Still Life, and Excitement in the Mail!

 "Stone, Shell, Glass, Metal"

8 x 8 inches, oil on canvas

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Conveying various textures is something I talk about a lot in my workshops. The trick to differentiating a rough rock from a smooth blown-glass ball is all in the transitions between values, which sounds ridiculously simple, but it isn't. Really, it's all about observing. The transition from a highlight to a midtone is what shows our eyes whether they're looking at a piece of velvet or a shiny metal pot. Is it a smooth, gradual transition, or a sharp juxtaposition of bright light next to dark? 

Speaking of painting tips....I just cracked open a very exciting envelope from Random House: my friend Carol Marine's new book!

 I was lucky enough to receive my copy early because I'm included in the book! Carol used this funny picture from last year's Bad Art Destruction Party:

Plus, she included one of my paintings as an example of using perspective in a still life.

What an honor! Really, if you paint, or know someone who does, this book is a must-own. Go buy it!

The Ocean Rocks, Yes It Does

 "Ocean Rocks"

8 x 8 inches, oil on canvas
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On my second day at the coast, I returned to Yaquina Head - site of this lovely lighthouse - to capture a scene I'd scoped out on my previous painting trip.

If you stand next to the lighthouse and look to your left, you see this:

 ...And if you stand there long enough without a jacket on, you get VERY COLD, like I am in this picture!

The Sea, The Sea

 "Sea Chasm"

16 x 12 inches, oil on canvas

$350

Available Here

The Oregon coast offers incredible vistas just about everywhere you look - including down! I loved painting the color shifts in this swirling water, and the foamy highlights - so satisfying! 

Here's my start:

These lava cliffs are really a challenge to paint. What color are they anyway? I don't know! I had to make a decision and go with it, instead of chasing what I actually saw - which would have been an endless struggle, since I couldn't even name the colors I was seeing.

I like the way it turned out.

My first Oregon Coast Paintout!

"The Cliffs at Rocky Creek"

8 x 10 inches, oil on canvas

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Well. A warning: this post is going to be long! The only thing that irks me more than overlong blog posts are bloggers who split days into multiple posts.  So here you will get my entire first day at Erik Sandgren's legendary, famous, long-lived, and beloved Oregon Coast Paintout.

First, I packed. And, since my family was joining me for the weekend, there was a lot to pack! On the left you see the essentials: art stuff!

We got to our cute beachfront cottage in time to have Patti over for dinner - she'd already been there almost a week, painting up and down the coast!

The next morning, I groaned my way out of bed for a run I knew I wouldn't regret. Four miles on a deserted beach, leaping over tidepools, following my own footprints back home. 

After a quick shower and some even quicker shoving down of food, I kissed my mom, husband, and daughter goodbye and set off for my first encounter with this legendary Paintout.

Rocky Creek State Wayside was the location of the day. A seemingly-unassuming pit-stop along US 101, when explored further, offered many gorgeous vistas - not to mention picnic tables upon which to stand while painting! The bathroom was more than appreciated by all, as well,

but even better than that were the multiple spots so sheltered from the wind that I found myself shedding layers as the morning went on.

The Oregon Coast is cold. The highs over the past weekend at my house in Eugene, a mere 75 minutes from the coast, were in the 90's. At the coast, we were hoping for 70's. And not too much wind.

In the afternoon, we had an informal critique with Erik. If you were in college with me, and you actually read my blog, I love you! (but no... no one does). If you did, you'd remember me as a fan of a good critique. I absolutely love talking about art-in-progress. And there was some lovely stuff happening this day - in all different media!

artists pictured: upper right Renee Nelson, bottom center Leland John, bottom right Za Vue.

 After lunch, and the critique, I moved on to a less precarious painting spot on the beach head. I did a quick sketch of the ocean and then another of Erik and his wife Katherine painting together on the cliff edge as the day came to a close. 

 

"Artists at Rocky Creek" 

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As I was introduced to more artists throughout the day, (Thanks again, Patti!),  I realized that a large group were staying right across the street from us in Waldport! Of course, they demanded that I join them for a glass of wine that evening, and I was more than willing to comply. These are people that I've been hoping to meet for some time: L-R David Talaski, Za Vue, and Quin Sweetman. Loved meeting you all!

Ready to book your hotel room for July 2014? Just wait until you see my post about the rest of the weekend. Amazing. Summer is fun.