2011 Cranford Plein Air Event

I am participating in the 2011 Cranford Plein Air Event which is happening as I write this post. The event started on Tuesday June 7^th and ends Sunday June 12^th. The painting shown above is my kick-off painting for the competition: “Afternoon Reflection”, oil on linen, 8x10 inches; painted at the beautiful Nomahegan Park in Cranford, NJ.  

Each participant is required to complete 3 finished paintings that will be up for judging and prizes. We’re also allowed an additional 3 paintings to offer for sale that were not painted during the competition. The following are the finished 3 that I have entered.  

 Life Saving Station @ Sandyhook, NJ Oil 12x12.

US Coast Guard @ Sandyhook Oil 8x10.

Ellis Island Acrylic 8x10.

All of the paintings posted here were created on location. There will also be a “Quick Draw” Event Saturday. Paintings created for that event will also be for sale. All paintings will be on display and for sale at the Cranford Community Center this Saturday and Sunday.

Follow this link for more event information: http://www.jcas.org/HOME_page_Cranford_Plein_Air_20.html

I had better sign off and get back to painting.

Plein Air Painting in Arizona & Oregon

I recently took a few weeks vacation to explore and paint in Arizona and Oregon. This was my first time to Arizona and I was overwhelmed by all of the beautiful color and endless subject matter.

The desert and red rock of Arizona presented a new palette of color mixtures to discover and the vast wilderness of Oregon was all inspiring.

I plan to work up larger paintings based on some of these studies and the numerous photos taken during the trip.

I also plan to create some smaller paintings to post for auction on this blog.

I am using a Guerrilla 6x8 Thumbox pochade in these photos. My entire oil painting kit and tripod fit conveniently into a backpack for easy transport.

Scar - SOLD

Sometimes it can be a challenge finding the “perfect” produce at the store. This pear didn’t have this much character when it was first purchased. However, after a few days waiting in the fruit bowl to be painted it started to reveal the hardship of its journey. For me, this made a much more interesting subject to paint.

Medium: Artist quality oil.
Painted on: Ampersand Gessobord.
Dimensions: 5x5 inches.

"Bananas #2" Oil Painting Progression Video

You can also click here to watch the video.

Bananas #2

There are all kinds of strategies artists use when executing a painting. Some work the whole painting at once. Some will work background to foreground. Some will work outward from the main subject and any variation in-between. Some like to start with tightly rendered drawings while others sculpt form with the paint as if carving a lump of clay. I personally like to exercise many approaches so I don’t become too systematic.

Other considerations come into play depending on the medium being used. For example: watercolor artists tend to work light colors/values to dark colors/values in a painting. Oil painters recommend the opposite; painting thinner dark colors to thicker light colors. Acrylic painters have more options by working as thin and transparent as watercolor or as thick as oil paint.

I used oil for this painting however; I didn’t really stick to the “dark to light” approach of oil. After a loose drawing for placement I started with my yellow (light value) subject. Then, I established the red fabric in light before moving to the bigger red fabric in shadow. I was able to work this way in oil because I worked my color and value changes side by side just like putting puzzle pieces of color together. If I tried applying a darker color directly over a lighter one I would have run into trouble.

Medium: Artists quality oil.
Painted on: Ampersand Gessobord.
Dimensions: 5x7 inches.

Amity

These two Comice Pears are of a complementary color scheme: red and green. I used Permanent Alizarin as my primary red. Permanent Alizarin is considered a cool red because it leans toward blue on the color wheel. To keep the green in harmony with the red I used a blue/green mixture of Ultramarine Blue and a small amount of Cadmium Yellow Light.

Medium: Artist quality oil.
Painted on: Ampersand Gessobord.
Dimensions: 5x5 inches.

Standing Guard - SOLD

I was thinking about how some animals seem to take turns at standing guard as the other one sleeps or is too distracted while eating. I see this with the ducks that visit our pond and the deer that have made the backyard home.

Medium: Artist quality oil.
Painted on: Ampersand Gessobord.
Dimensions: 5x5 inches.