California Landscape: En Plein Air

This is a 9"x 12" plein air California landscape in oil on a mahogany luan panel that I finished yesterday. The location is McClellan Park Ranch in Cupertino, California. I used a varnish wash as the first layer and the following palette: ultramarine blue, cobalt blue, pthalo green, carbozole violet, transparent red oxide, cadmium orange, hansa yellow orange, cadmium yellow orange, cadmium green light, and titanium white. There are passages of transparency alternating with opacity.

"The Willows" California plein air landscape

This 9" x 12" plein air landscape was painted two days ago at McClellan Ranch in Cupertino. The golden and russet fields, so typical of California landscapes, was so beautifully lit by the mid morning sun and such a pleasure to paint! Colors in the palette were: transparent red oxide, cadmium orange, hansa yellow orange, cadmium yellow orange, Naples' yellow, cadmium green, pthalo green, cobalt blue, carbazole violet, quinacridone violet, and titanium white. A varnish wash was employed in the first layer.

"McClellan Ranch Reverie"

It was another incredible day painting with the Northern California Academy of Painters! We met in Cupertino at McClellan Ranch Park and painted for hours! I was there from 9:30am to 2:30pm! This is the first of two paintings that are variations on the same theme. The drama of the foreground tree with the background trees lent itself to a vertical format.

I sketched quick thumbnails to explore the division of space as well as to study the values. I used Payne's gray/carbazole violet mixture to locate the trees, path, foreground, background and sky. I massed in the shapes with varnish washes, using local color. Lastly, I applied thicker paint to finish up the painting. The color palette used was: Payne's gray, cobalt blue, ultramarine blue, carbazole violet, transparent red oxide, fire red, hansa yellow orange, cadmium yellow orange, cadmium medium, cadmium green, and titanium white.

Eleven of Forty: California Landscapes

This is the eleventh of the forty California landscape paintings I have set as a goal for the summer. The setting is the high Sierras. I was at Fallen Leaf Lake in South Lake Tahoe in June and I believe this trip inspired today's painting. An underlying varnish wash of mostly ultramarine blue and carbazole violet were employed. Thicker applications of paint were used in the second layer. The color palette was: ultramarine blue, cobalt blue, carbazole violet, transparent red oxide, cadmium orange, hansa yellow orange, cadmium yellow orange, cadmium yellow medium, cadmium green, and transparent white.

California Plein Air Landscape: Ten of Forty

I painted another landscape today; this was a variation on the theme of yesterday's painting: "Warm Reflections". This is a 9"x12" oil painting on mahogany luan panel. I used a varnish underpainting, then the following palette: carbazole violet, ultramarine blue, cerulean blue, cobalt blue, transparent red oxide, cadmium orange, hansa yellow orange, cadmium yellow orange, cadmium yellow medium, and titanium white.

California Landscape: Impressionism, Continued

I painted again this morning! This is a variation on the theme of the "Country Road" painting I did yesterday. This, too, is a 6"x8" oil painting on mahogany luan panel. I used a varnish wash as the underpainting. Colors used were: ultramarine blue, carbazone violet, transparent red oxide, cadmium orange, hansa yellow orange, cadmium yellow orange, and titanium white.

Alla prima plein air California landscape

I just finished this little (6"x8") plein air landscape this morning. It was painted alla prima (in one sitting/all at once). Colors employed in this painting are: ultramarine blue, carbazole violet, transparent red oxide, cadmium orange, hansa yellow orange, cadmium yellow orange, cadmium green, and titanium white.

California Landscape: Impressionism

I enjoyed painting this plein air California landscape alla prima in my studio yesterday. I particularly like to paint landscapes that have water scenes. I enjoy the reflection of the trees in the water.
This painting is called : "Reflecting Pool" and was purchased by a collector of mine as soon as it was posted at Facebook yesterday!
The colors used are: ultramarine blue, cobalt blue, carbazole violet, prussian blue, cadmium green, cadmium yellow light, cadmium yellow medium, cadmium yellow orange, hansa yellow orange, cadmium orange, transparent red oxide, and titanium white.

"Golden Birthday" painting

Today is my daughters' "golden birthday" and I painted while she was at camp this morning, to celebrate the day of her birth! This is a variation on a scene I've been painting lately. I was particularly interested in the edges along the bank of the water, as well as the foreground textures.
Colors used were: ultramarine blue, cobalt blue, Payne's gray, cadmium green, carbazole violet, transparent red oxide, Hansa yellow orange, cadmium yellow orange, cadmium yellow medium, Naple's yellow, cadmium orange, and titanium white. A varnish underpainting was employed.

California Plein Air Landscape: Four of Forty

I've set a goal of painting forty plein air landscapes this summer! This is 'four of forty'. Additionally, I've got to have six new landscapes by the end of next week to be shown to a gallery owner in Carmel, CA.
In this painting, the new color I added to my palette is Naples yellow. There is a clean stroke of this color in front and to the right of the big tree on the right. I've woven this color throughout the foreground and background, as well. I began with a varnish wash, then proceeded to alternate transparency and opacity.

Baylands: Late June

"Baylands: Late June" is a painting I painted today in my studio. This is a 9"x12" oil painting on mahogany luan panel. I referenced an earlier work from late May that was on a 9"x11.5" panel.
Colors used were: ultramarine blue, cobalt blue, carbazole violet, transparent red oxide, hansa yellow orange, cadmium orange, cadmium yellow light, cadmium yellow orange, cadmium green, and titanium white.

Baylands: Three Cubed

This painting was painted on May 27, 2009. I painted this 'alla prima' in two hours. I used a transparent varnish wash underpainting, which has watercolor-like properties. Thicker paint was applied on top of the underpainting. Colors used were: transparent red oxide, hansa yellow orange, carbazole violet, cobalt blue, ultramarine blue, cadmium green, cadmium yellow orange, quinacridone red, and titanium white.

Plein Air Painting At The Baylands

It was another gorgeous day at the Baylands in Palo Alto. Only three other painters were there from the California Academy of Painters today. We each stayed about two hours and painted from a different vantage point than usual. I enjoyed painting the variety of colors and temperatures found in the foreground fields. The palette used today included: ultramarine blue, hansa yellow orange, transparent red oxide, cadmium orange, cadmium yellow orange, cadmium green, cobalt blue, carbazole violet, quinacridone red, and titanium white. Not exactly a limited palette!

California Landscape: En Plein Air

Today I painted again from the pier at the Palo Alto Baylands. It was crisp and breezy and invigorating. There was a large expanse of grassland in the foreground and background that was filled with amazing colors: sienna, violets, yellow greens, blue greens, silvery greens, russets, yellow oranges, and salmon. I captured many of these colors in the initial varnish wash and only had to place strokes of paint, here and there, in the foreground, as the painting was practically 'done' after the initial wash! The actual colors used were: ultramarine blue, cobalt blue, carbazole violet, cadmium orange, transparent red oxide, hansa yellow orange, cadmium yellow orange, cadmium green, and titanium white.

Second Plein Air Painting Sold To Collector

This is the second of the two plein air oil paintings that sold to a collector in Modesto from Phoebe's Gallery in Capitola, CA. This is also a 6"x8" on mahogany luan panel, using the varnish wash and thicker opaque passages. This painting, too, is mostly cool in temperature.

Wild and Windy Day At The Baylands

It was another windy day at the Baylands. Palettes and easels were flying! A limited palette of: transparent red oxide, carbazole violet, fire red, cadmium orange, cadmium yellow medium, cadmium green, and cobalt blue were used. A tiny amount of cadmium yellow light was used to cool the yellow.
As I'm painting, the only things I'm thinking about are: what I'm seeing, mixing colors, thinking about values and atmospheric effects, and I hear Jim Smyth in my head saying: "warm the warms, cool the cools, darken the darks, and lighten the lights".

Recently Sold California Landscape Plein Air Painting

This is one of two plein air California landscape paintings that have sold to a collector in Modesto, California. This painting, along with 10-12 others, was at Phoebe's Gallery in Capitola, California.
This is a 6"x8" oil painting on mahogany luan panel. I used the varnish wash and more opaque, impasto passages, as well. The colors are predominantly cool, with some contrasting warmth in the foreground and trees.

Tranquil Day Painting En Plein Air

This painting was painted recently, on a tranquil day at the Baylands in Palo Alto. I was particularly intrigued with the reflections of the trees in the water. A varnish wash was used here, and more opaque paints added in the second layer. There is variation in transparency versus opacity. The water is mostly transparent varnish wash with some horizontal dry brushing. The texture of the mahogany luan panels coated with three layers of gesso works beautifully with the varnish washes and dry brushing.

Painting On A Pier At The Baylands

It was another spectacular apring day at the Baylands. The group (California Academy of Painters) painted on a pier today and it felt like being on a sailboat! It was exhilirating and it showed in everyone's paintings! This particular painting is a study in foreground and the multicolored hues and variations in temperature of the spring marshland ground. Being there was a meditation on the wonders of nature!

Big Sky Cumulus Clouds in Aptos

I was inspired yesterday and today by the gigantic cumulus clouds in the Santa Cruz sky. On my drive home from Palo Alto yesterday, the sky was roiling with puffy clouds. I decided to capture some of this feeling in this painting, a further exploration of my "Big Sky" paintings.