Southeastern Paint Out 2010, Day Two

Spring's Brilliance

10x8, Oil/Linen Panel

SOLD
Noccalula Morning

8x8, Oil/Linen Panel

Noccalula Sunrise

10x8, Oil/Linen Panel

My second day of painting at The Southeastern Plein Air Festival began at sunrise at Noccalula Falls. I got there just in time to slam up the easel and start painting as the sun peaked through these trees on top of Lookout Mountain. A generous use of Indian Yellow gave my view of the happening a very golden glow... may have gotten a little carried away...

Noccalula Morning was painted right at the edge on the side of the falls less viewed. The morning sun was illuminating a particularly strong and loud flow of water while keeping the overall background falls in shadow. I found the contrast of the cool shadowed falling water behind the warmly lit water very interesting in its limited palette.

Feeling the need to do another painting on such a beautiful day, I went into the Pioneer Village and found myself on top of some large boulders looking at the white Azalea and pink Rhododendron in Spring's Brilliance. I used bold and loose brushwork and layers of paint to find the forms in the dappled light of the flowers tucked into the rocks... it was interesting to watch the painting evolve out of not much structure.

Southeastern Paint Out 2010, Day One

Connie's Coneys

10x10 Oil/Linen Panel

SOLD

The Pitman

16x8 Oil/Linen Panel

The 2010 Southeastern Plein Air Festival sponsored by the Gadsden Museum of Art in Alabama was a fantastic week of painting with spectacular weather. It was great to be among my artist friends I made while there last year as well as the new ones I met this year.

My first painting was The Pitman... an old theater that had holds the memories of the movies we all grew up with... its marquee still boasts of being air conditioned. A young girl in a yellow T shirt and orange cap walked by at just the right time for me to quickly add her and call it finished.

My second painting, Connie's Coneys, was an opportunity for a quick and loose painting. There was nothing slow about these hot dog vendors and their brisk business here on Broad Street.

Plein Air Lite

Geisha On Holiday

15x8, Oil/Linen Panel

Eden Compton and I painted today in the Island City of Wilton Manors.. so named because its boundaries are defined by waterways. It is a nice little urban community that flies its Rainbow Flags proudly. I was drawn to this vibrantly colored restaurant, Simply Delish, with its white Putti on the eyebrow.. what's not to love? When Ken dropped by with Starbucks for Eden and me, they both pointed out the figure I had quickly blocked in looked like a geisha... That is all I needed to hear to go at it in full force and with a smile on my face! Brilliant vision from those two...

Sweet Treat

30x10, Oil/Linen

From the moment I downloaded my reference photo that contained this subject matter, I knew it had Kim English all over it. The trick became how to make it mine, even with with the obvious nod to the master. I stumbled and kicked with my first go around largely because I wanted to change the light hues to a more golden light and wound up with some muted nothingness. I left it stewing for a few weeks and came back to it yesterday, treating what lay beneath as an underpainting. It became quite a game of push-pull with the values and tones as the painting eventually developed a life and identity of its own.

Downtown Canal

15x8, Oil/Linen Panel

This canal located on a downtown road less traveled will be providing us with several paintings just waiting to happen. Here is my view of the stationary boat parade looking down the tree lined canal. I have started making my panels using quarter inch Birch and oil primed linen that I wash with a warm orange glaze. This new surface with its underpainting is helping me to loosen up my brushwork and allows for varying thicknesses of paint while keeping some of the underpainting visible. I am finding that different surfaces can make subtle changes in the way my paint behaves and allows for new possibilities... change is good!

Jupiter Lighthouse

6.75x10, Oil/Linen Panel

I met my friend Eden up at the Jupiter Lighthouse, Friday morning for a change of scenery. Surprisingly, there aren't that many lighthouses here in South Florida, especially not with the character this one has being perched up on a hill. We set a time limit for our paintings since the morning became a hot and sunny preview to Summer. Eden really caught the mood of the day with her painting of one of the docks looking across the inlet. Take a look at it here...

Deering Estate Paint Out

Gray Deering

16x8, Oil/Canvas Panel

Deering Estate Cattails

18x18, Oil/Canvas

Under Cover

It was a gray and rainy weekend for the Deering Estate en Plein Air. Fortunately, Saturday was only overcast all day. I was able to do the Cattail painting while searching for color amidst all the muted grayness of the field. On Sunday, we were all seeking shelter and cover to stay dry. I did Gray Deering as my attempt to portray the mood of the estate on such a day.

Deering Estate Cattails was awarded The Judges Recognition, for which I will receive a Pochade Box.... that will come in handy since you can never have too many easels!

Bromeliad

12x12. Oil/Canvas

I recently bought a new camera and have found myself taking lots of photos zooming in on different plants, leaves, seed pods, etc... Some of them I have found to be extremely beautiful in their cropped compositions. I suspect my efforts inspired me yesterday in my plein air outing. I stood next to this beautiful and vibrant Bromeliad. looking straight down and into its center...

Shift Change...

Private Collection

10x7, Oil/Canvas Panel

Went back to the Hillsboro Lighthouse this morning to catch the sunrise again. I got there in time to see the crescent moon on its way to rest. The weather prediction was for a mostly cloudy morning... I had visions of a moody painting with a slice of the sunrise peaking through at the horizon... but they were wrong. Instead I had to paint this typically beautiful, serene, South Florida Spring morning... oh well....

Himmarshee Court Palm

20x10, Oil/Linen Panel

Friday's sunrise painting invigorated me so much that I tried to get out Saturday Morning to catch it once again. Unfortunately, laying my head back on my pillow prevented me from making it on time! I did, however make it here next to Himmarshee Court to catch the early morning light as it illuminated this palm tree at the edge of the canal.

Catching the Sunrise...

Hillsboro Sunrise

12x12, Oil/Canvas Panel

Ellen Weiss & Eden Compton

Friday morning, two of my fellow painters and I went to the Hillsboro Inlet to catch the sunrise. Even though the sun rose a little further north of the lighthouse than I expected, it made for a serene glow, yet an energizing painting experience. A great way to start the day!

Portrait

18x18, Oil/Canvas

Collection Dr. Anthony Del Nuovo

I just completed this portrait commission working from reference photos we took outdoors. Anthony and I spent an enjoyable two mornings together to catch the sunlight effects we were looking for. For his portrait, I wanted the backlighting of the morning sun to reflect off the pages of his open book to illuminate his face and his deep set blue eyes. This time spent together gave me valuable information about his features and personality which helped me to capture his character as well as a likeness.

Al Fresco

Al Fresco

12x12, Oil/Canvas

... a studio piece where I let the painting develop with lots of thick wet brush strokes and color.. with a few remnants of the thin underpainting exposed here and there...

Himmarshee Court

14x11. Oil/Linen Panel

SOLD

Himmarshee Court is a wonderful historic building that sat in ruins for years. It was restored and returned to its original beauty in 2004. A small group of us were kindly allowed to paint on the premises today. I did this south-west corner today en plein air. I couldn't help but feel the painting needed to have a story in it to bring my rendering to life.... Since it is not uncommon to see flocks of Ibis wandering our neighborhoods looking for grub, I added the Ibis when I returned home to my studio... I guess that makes this one 80% plein air, 20% studio...

Morning Break

20x10, Oil/Linen Panel

Private Collection

There is a Cardinal couple making their home in our backyard. We see them regularly at the bird feeder in the Crape Myrtle. I often just stand and stare at the morning sun coming through the Spanish Moss and illuminating the colors that show up in the bark of the tree. The glowing red of the male Cardinal completed the thought and became the ideal focal point.

Wet Paint, In The Studio...

Anthony

8x6, Oil/Linen Panel

This is a small portrait/study of my friend Anthony. I used a photo I took of him the other afternoon after spending time together, sitting and talking in my backyard. Our time together gave me a lot of information, both visual and personality-wise, that enhanced my use of the reference photo. I used bristle brushes to lay the painting in and sables to build and define his image.

Wet Paint, Plein Air...

Ken, Plein Air

10x8, Oil/Canvas

The conditions were perfect this morning for this quick sketch where I worked on backlighting the model outdoors.... a calm breeze, clear sun light and a patient Ken.

Cupcake Counter

Cupcake Counter

20x16, Oil/Canvas

Before I even started this painting today I knew the composition was "risky" at the very least... but I couldn't help myself, I had to do it. There were so many elements here calling to me with their challenges to make it work... the shiny surfaces in the stainless steel setting, the figures interacting, the leather barstools, and the local colors of the baked goods. Individually all were worthwhile subjects that would surely teach me a thing or two. So I gave it a shot...

Hot Sauce

SOLD
Hot Sauce

36x36 Oil/Canvas

This is one of the larger and more ambitious paintings I have attempted in quite a while... there was a time when 4'x5' was a standard size for me. Then, one day, the realization that sometimes big is just big for the sake of being big, made me take a look and start working on my process in ernest, yet on a smaller scale. There were places I wanted my painting to go. Now, after several years of working things out on what became an increasingly smaller scale, I feel it is time to apply those lessons learned on a larger scale once again.... maybe not 4'x5' right away, there is still plenty to work out... but it is a possibility.

'If you can't paint, paint big" - David Lefell

Morning Coffee

15x10 Oil/Canvas Panel

Saturday morning, several of us were privileged to paint at a lovely home in the Rio Vista neighborhood of Fort Lauderdale. We arrived to find hot coffee waiting and melodious music playing throughout the backyard. In my painting of this section of the verandah, I wanted to portray the environment as we found it, peaceful and harmonious.