In Which I have a Rockstar Moment

 "The Apple Barn"

12 x 24 inches, oil on canvas

Framed, $700

Click to buy

I'm just going to say this at the outset: I'm really proud of this painting. We artists all know the feeling: a piece is working right from the beginning. I say, "It painted itself," "It fell off the brush," or "It was a rockstar moment," but I think the best description of this particular magic is that I felt in control the entire time I was painting it. And that doesn't happen all that often - maybe once every 20 paintings? 

As you can see, it was a heartbreakingly beautiful day - one of those fall afternoons that make you feel grateful to be alive.

I started with a 3-value sketch - oil paint in my sketchbook. This was extremely helpful, especially when it came to painting mid-value areas like the grass and distant hills. Green just doesn't feel all that light to my eye - in general, it's a mid-to-dark value color, and it's very saturated and beautiful in the sunlight. But, referring to my sketch, I told myself to keep it as light as those rooftops. 

 

Understanding that color has value - and how that works in our paintings - is a huge benefit of practicing in black and white. So, if it's been a while since you went back to basics, give it a try....you might have a "rockstar moment" yourself!

Plein Air Washington County, Take 1!

 "Plum Hill Barn"

14 x 18 inches, oil on canvas

I just got back from a fabulous paintout! The Plein Air Washington County event happens every fall just outside of Portland, Oregon in an extremely scenic area chock full of rolling hills, gorgeous vineyards, and farms.  

With so much to choose from, it took me a while to settle down and pick a spot, but I finally did: a weathered white barn on the property of Plum Hill Vineyards.

  

I knew I wasn't going to need a lot of greens for this kind of landscape. Two reds, two yellows, two blues and a bonus purple. My kind of split-primary palette!

 And my secret weapon for all plein-air painting: Radiant Blue, by Gamblin. It makes gorgeous skies. The anonymous guy on the far right is Ultramarine blue, by the way.

I started with a notan sketch, in a mixed dark paint, just in my sketchbook. If you think you can't oil paint in your sketchbook, give it a try sometime! I can't say enough about how helpful these preliminary sketches are - so be forewarned: I will be saying more. Because there were two more days of painting after this one, which I'll save for future posts.

So now that I've covered the future, I'll bring up the past.  Here are my posts about the first and second time I did this paintout. And obviously, the third time's the charm: this painting was awarded an honorable mention by judge Eric Jacobsen - and I do indeed feel truly honored!

No Rain

 

 "The Flower Stand"

8 x 10 inches, oil on canvas

$250

Click to buy

My second painting from the flower farm. The sky was pretty crazy, with some ominous-looking clouds moving through. It never rained, though - not that we couldn't use it. Yes, this is Oregon, and YES, it rains a lot, but not from July through September. By August, the ground is always fried to a crisp! It kind of works for me - I can use my repertoire of flesh tones on the brown patches.

 

At the Flower Farm

 

 "Sparhawk Flower Farm"

11 x 14 inches, oil on canvas

Sold

Sparhawk flower farm, at the base of Mt. Pisgah, is a spot I've been wanting to revisit since last summer, when I painted this view of it from above. It's a lovely place, run by artist-friendly folks who were happy to host me for the morning. U-pickers strolled around me, gathering beautiful bouquets to take home. Creativity was in the air!

Coming up in just four short days is the plein air event of the summer, here in Eugene. The second annual Create!Eugene paintout is this Wednesday, August 20th, and no, I still haven't decided where I'm going to paint that day. I've entered both the landscape and cityscape categories, though, so my options are wide open!

I Exercise In Spite of Myself

"View of the Flower Farm"

8 x 10 inches, oil on canvas

$250

click to buy

I should have gone running. I have 13.1 reasons to keep my legs in fighting form, at least through this weekend, but instead....

I set off this morning for Mt. Pisgah arboretum without much of a plan in mind - I was on my own, and not being too familiar with this particular park, I wandered around for a while looking for a good spot. In a lazy effort to avoid any actual hiking, I investigated a puddle-ey bridal path, saw some cows, then more cows, no views. Finally I decided to just grab my gear and start climbing. All of the trails in this park seem to head in one direction: up.

 I couldn't have gone more than 3/4 of a mile before I found a spot that felt right, and got started.

After a while, my easel almost fell over - the ground randomly attempted to swallow one of the legs(?). I caught it in time, but got white paint on some stuff. Returning minerals to the earth from whence they came. Titanium, you're welcome.

After that adrenaline rush, I took a break. These awesome pink shoes are a pair of last year's runners - all worn out for pounding the pavement, but super comfy for standing around, and the colors make me happy.

 By noon I was hot, hungry, and happy with my work. Going down was so much easier than going up!