Watching the Sun

 "Watching the Sun"

14 x 18 inches, oil on canvas

Available here

I had a beautiful Fourth of July, painting a model en plein air at Eugene's big summer arts festival. Longtime readers may remember me doing this before - it's become a yearly tradition that I really look forward to! Here is my post from 2013 - and here is last year's.

My painting with the model, basking in the sun:

My friend Heather joined me this year - it's always fun to have company - and someone to help you wrestle around with your umbrella in the wind!

Here's my work-in-progress. I had to get that face in first! You can see me starting to test out my color mixes by smearing them on with a palette knife, over her left shoulder:

Perky and Positive, Moi?

 "Oracle"

16 x 12 inches, oil on canvas

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Here, finally photographed and bloggable, is my figure painting from last Tuesday. I absolutely love the busy-ness of Summer - I feel like I could go out plein air painting every day and never get tired of it. I did spend some quality studio-still life time last night (with coffee), though, and that felt damn good too. 

Let's see if I'm still this perky when the temperature's hovering around 100° later today!

Summer Break and a Vlog

 Here it is: my first Vlog - aka, video blog. Just a quick peek at my studio, all cleaned up for company.

I'm going to be taking some time off from bloggging - August will be packed with family, travel, and many other things, and my social-media-self is feeling in need of a general recharge, anyway. My plan is to do a lot of sketching and drawing, and paint if and when I can for the next few weeks, but my posts may be sporadic. Hoping you all are having a wonderful summer - there's plenty of summer still to come!

Escape From the Beach

 "Luna Sea Fish House, Yachats, Oregon"

11 x 14 inches, oil on canvas

$300

click to buy

After my Seal Rock Sunday debacle, I was ready to press the proverbial Reset button Monday morning. I loved my last cityscape outing, and Yachats is such a sweet little town. Painting there was just what I needed. That, and clam chowder for breakfast.

When I pulled into the parking lot of Luna Sea Fish House, I instantly saw a painting. Such great, vibrant colors on the shopfronts. Such lovely morning light.

 I managed to finish up and vacate their lot in advance of the lunch crowd, and while wandering around I saw this:

 "La de da." City motto? Love.

Just around the corner, I set up my easel on Ocean View Drive. I let a teeny bit of the Pacific sneak back into my painting, but kept it firmly in the background, enjoying the neon signs that flickered in the Underground Bar's windows.

"Ocean View Drive, Yachats, Oregon"

12 x 12 inches, oil on canvas

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Then I headed back to the valley. 20 miles inland, it was already broiling hot, and only got more so as I approached home.

Party of Two

 "Becca in July"

12 x 9 inches, oil on canvas

click to buy

I was feeling overjoyed last night, walking back into Maude Kerns Art Center's open studio after a three week hiatus. I was happy to be there, but I was almost alone in that feeling, because Joy and I were the only ones who showed up! Summer is a crazy time around here - everyone travels, there are tons of things to do, it's almost impossible to throw a party because no one's around to attend....

Well, we enjoyed our party of two last night, and I got to set up the pose and the lighting without any interference collaboration whatsoever. See how creative I got? She's sitting. On. The. Model. Stand.

If anyone has a *small* couch or comfy chair they want to donate, consider dropping it off at Maude Kerns. The artists there will thank you for years to come.  And you'll get to see your rejected furniture immortalized again and again!

Bonus random sky shot: it was a beautiful evening!

Sunstroked

 "A Bend in the River"

10 x 8 inches, oil on canvas
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I made a spur-of-the-moment decision to head out for some plein air yesterday. There's a spot called Willamette Greenway that's been very popular with the Plein Air Painters of Lane County lately, and I had yet to check it out. I almost ran off the road several times heading down there - admiring the gorgeous rolling farmland, and pastoral scenes of sheep grazing. Everything is starting to turn crispy brown as it always does during our rainless summers, but that just makes the clumps of dark green trees stand out even more dramatically.

By the time I reached my destination, it was sizzling hot. I had my sunscreen and my trusty granny hat, but wasn't willing to spend time scouting around for a shady spot. I wanted to get in, get it done, and get out - and that meant setting up right at the end of the path to the river. 

As a result, I spent a ton of time doing this:

And this:

My coquettish pose has a purpose here:  attempting to hide the hideous eruption of pimples on the other side of my face. Hormones + vanity + blogging = Sarah.

I Wish I had Three Arms

 

"A Shady Spot"

14 x 11 inches, oil on canvas

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Not the same blue umbrella, and not the same model, but yes, back-to-back blue umbrella paintings on the blog. It's a July thing.

I was wishing for a third arm to hold an umbrella over me this morning. We're having a hot hot summer in Oregon, and the Monday Painting Ladies were all slathering on the sunscreen / hiding in the shade in Patti's sunny garden. We literally brought out a fan on an extension cord to keep our model from melting. She's made of chocolate, you know.

Have I mentioned how much I love summer? My dance card is full until September, folks. I spent the past week partying with family (which was great), but now there are lots of fun things in store art-wise. So, plan to join me - either literally or online. The highlights include the Oregon Coast Paintout, my August 10th workshop "Painting the Figure en Plein Air" (4 spaces left!), and the Create Eugene Paintout August 21st. I just signed up! So should you.