Flashback to Plein Air

 "La Mota"

12 x 16 inches, oil on canvas

$300

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I only made it to one plein air paintout this year, but it was great, and a new one for me - located in Roseburg, Oregon, a smallish town about 60 miles south of Eugene.

 On the first day, we painted cityscapes, which I have a much easier time with than traditional landscapes, for several reasons.  After some trial and error, I settled on this corner scene - the strong shadows, the truck, the "stop-go" interplay of that red hand and the green cross.... all attracted me. 

Here's my value plan:

La Mota means marijuana in Spanish, and yes, this is a painting of a recreational pot store. We have these - lots and lots of them - in Oregon now. It was an interesting spot to hang out in front of for an afternoon - at times I felt like I was conducting the most un-surreptitious surveillance operation ever. But no paranoia required, folks! I'm just arting over here. 

 

 The three paintings I ended up submitting for judging. I don't participate in these events to win - in fact, I consider myself a rank amateur when it comes to plein air. But I enjoy it, I always learn a lot! 

 

...And here's a bonus for reading this far! I've got a major sale going on in my Etsy shop for the next few weeks. 50% off everything - including "La Mota." Use the code HOLIDAYHALFOFF. And thanks for following my work!

Rogue Valley Honey

 "Rogue Valley Honey"

12 x 12 inches, oil on canvas
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I went South last weekend to spend a couple of days hanging out by a large, beautiful river. It rained the entire time, which kept me from even attempting to paint plein air. To be honest, that was more than OK with me, since there was a Camellia bush in full bloom right outside our front door - and this gorgeous, glowing jar of honey, calling out to be painted from the moment I spied it on the kitchen shelf. So this still life is the product of true serendipity; my artistic journey is like a never-ending scavenger hunt with so many precious treasures hidden along the path, absolutely guaranteed to be found by me if I just keep looking. It's still exciting every time I find one.

 

When I did eventually brave the rainy outdoors, I was rewarded with visual treasures of another sort:

Oregon is amazing! After ten years of living here, I'm still in awe.

Bright Breakfast

 "Bright Breakfast"

10 x 20 inches, oil on canvas
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A couple of weeks into my residency at Playa, it suddenly felt like my studio was full of paintings. How did that happen? It was the elves. I came into the studio every morning excited to see what they'd been working on overnight....

....and stopped on the way to snap heartbreaking sunrise pictures like this one! 

 

Painting by Window Light

 "Playa Tea"

12 x 16 inches, oil on canvas
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As I mentioned yesterday, in the first post about my Playa residency, one of my goals was to paint with natural light on my still lives. For the past two years, I've been in a studio with very little window light - which has its advantages, but is limiting as well. Although I really enjoy composing with the dramatic shadows cast by clip-lamps, and exploring all the warm glowing colors created by halogen light bulbs, there's just something so serene about sunlight. So window light vs. artificial light is not an either-or proposition for me - I enjoy both - but having the choice? Love it! 

 Here's my setup, on a nice little ledge built above the studio heater, next to a north-facing window. I painted this one in morning light, switching to the feather painting I posted yesterday in the afternoons - an A.M. and a P.M. painting! How very impressionist of me.

Here's how this painting got started. See those gridlines on the canvas? It's a product from Masterpiece I've been trying out, and I like it! 

Of course, I was also moving onward with my daily self-portrait sketches, in the evenings when I was too tired to do much else. This one was done in a combo of water-soluble graphite and white gouache. 

 In between my morning and afternoon painting sessions, I hiked! The weather at Playa changed constantly - and rainbows were an almost-daily occurrence - though not all of them as glorious as this one. Nothing makes me feel like I'm right where I'm supposed to be than seeing something like this:

One More From the Coast

 "Yaquina Bay Boats"

12 x 16 inches, oil on canvas

 $350

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I saved the best for last, location-wise, on this trip to the coast. I love the fishing boats in Newport harbor, but the best light (and fewest tourists) are in the early morning. Which I've had to discover by trial and error. Lots of walking around thinking about painting and not doing it. Picking a perfect painting spot seems to be more a matter of serendipity than science. Why can't someone just come along and tell me exactly where to stand?

When I showed up to paint these boats, serendipity was on my side. I parked my car, wandered directly out onto the boardwalk, and saw my painting in front of me. Sometimes you find yourself in the right place at the right time.

Street Art

"Above Toledo"

12 x 9 inches, oil on canvas

Available here

Toledo, Oregon is a sunny little town about ten miles inland from Newport. It has a vibrant arts community, and I was lucky to be there during their annual art walk. After exploring the town, I decided to stay and paint a while. I didn't even need to search out a parking garage to get this view- it's a seriously hilly place! (and there aren't any, anyway - parking garages)

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!

On A Beach. Ona Beach.

  "The Bridge to Ona Beach"

8 x 10 inches, oil on canvas

$250

click to buy

After the excellent time I had painting the coast back in July, I was determined to return before the end of summer. And I did, last week!

 

I started out at Ona Beach, a lovely spot just south of Newport, where Beaver Creek meets the sea. Colorful kayakers crossed through my painting several times during the morning, and a group of boisterous kids built a campfire nearby, sending smoke signals across my view. Also there were clouds. Moving clouds. But how could I complain? I was in one of my favorite places on earth, doing the thing I love to do more than anything else. It was bliss - and a great way to warm up for plenty more coastal action.

Iconic Eugene

 "View From Skinner Butte"

10 x 8 inches, oil on canvas

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This view of Eugene is so iconic, it's the Facebook profile picture for the city itself! If you want to get the lay of the land around here, head to the top of Skinner Butte, and take it all in!

I've been exploring all kinds of high places to paint in - from parking garages to beach cliffs to hillsides. I love the challenge of simplifying a busy scene, capturing the feeling of all those buildings and trees with dashes of color.

Here's a work-in-progress:

A Plein-Air First

 

"Valley Sunset"

14 x 11 inches, oil on canvas

Available here

My first sunset painting! I never did try it out at the coast - it was just too blinding, looking into the sun going down over the ocean. This valley view had the sun at my back. I love the golden light on the pines.

For locals wondering where I found this scene, it was on Mt. Baldy. Not a mountain, but a nice view nonetheless. Here's a picture of me enjoying my post-painting glow.

No Rain

 

 "The Flower Stand"

8 x 10 inches, oil on canvas

$250

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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.

 

Colorful Characters in Coburg

"Colorful Coburg"

8 x 10 inches, oil on canvas

$250

Available

After completing my painting of Green Island, I was ready for a slightly less bucolic subject. So I headed into the town of Coburg, only a few miles away. It's a very small town, known for antique shops, with a shady gazebo in its grassy central park - which I commandeered as my plein air painting studio for the afternoon. 

The green house on the left is a photography studio. The owner was spending the sweltering afternoon relaxing on his front porch, and soon headed over to see what I was up to - and to snap a picture, which he generously printed out for me. My only other company were some friendly geocachers, whose quarry ended up being directly under the floorboards I was standing on! I don't pretend to understand geocaching as a hobby, but I'm sure there are PLENTY of people who don't understand packing up half your studio and toting it 20 miles into the middle of nowhere to paint in the baking sun for the day, either!

Plein Air on Green Island

 "Green Island"

12 x 16 inches, oil on canvas

Available here

On Saturday, I headed out to a spot called Green Island with the Plein Air Painters of Lane County. It was once farmland, surrounded during the rainy season by rivers that required the farmer to access his fields by ferry boat! Now it's being reforested with native trees. 

It was a peaceful spot, but hot and windy. Too bad I didn't capture my umbrella fails - they were numerous!

Here's my painting-in-progress:

And here's a shot of the finished piece.

Urban Plein Air

 

 "Party Downtown (sketch)"

14 x 11 inches, oil on canvas

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I titled this one "Party Downtown" because my mom told me to. Also because that's the name of the restaurant in the long yellow building at the lower right. It's a fun name for a restaurant and a fun name for a painting. Thanks, mom!

 

 Speaking of fun, I'm all suited up and ready to head out to the country for a day of non-urban plein air. You can follow along on Facebook, or Instagram if you like.

On the Boardwalk

"The Sea Hunt and the Heidi Sue"

12 x 16 inches, oil on canvas

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My final morning on the coast, I knew exactly what I wanted to paint: more boats! Newport's historic bayfront is a great place to find them. I set up on the sunny boardwalk around 8 am, loving the morning light and the clear reflections on the water.

 

The boardwalk is a busy spot, and many people stopped to chat with me while I worked. Combined with coffee, the warm sun, and the sounds of the harbor, it made for a truly idyllic painting outing.

 I know I'll be back soon!

A Newport Nocturne

"Sunset Bridge, Newport"

11 x 14 inches, oil on canvas

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I don't mean to brag, but Thursday was an incredible painting day. First, I painted the lighthouse, then I painted the swirling water, (then I took a rest), and THEN I went back for more!

Just a little more...it was getting dark fast. And cold. And people kept pulling over to investigate what I was doing by the side of the road, which is fine, but it's a little unnerving with the headlights and all.

 

I'm definitely in love with Newport.

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.

Coasting!

"Cummins Creek Bridge"

8x10 inches, oil on canvas

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I'm in heaven this week, taking part in the Oregon Coast Paintout.  This is my second year joining in the fun. You can read about my exploits of 2013 here and here.

I arrived yesterday after lunch, ready to get down to business! It was windy, but warm, and I worked for about four hours before packing up my gear and heading back to town.

"Neptune Beach"

11x14 inches, oil on canvas

$200

Click to buy

Below you see my set up for this painting. Neptune beach is a great spot, just South of Yachats, on the central coast.

I ended the day with a PB&J and this exquisite view:

 

Maybe tomorrow I'll be fast enough to capture the sunset in paint!