6"x6" :: oil on archival panel :: Demitasse and Apple
I just liked the colors of all these objects. The yellow demitasse cup, the green apple and the orange background (with some turquoise peeking through!). It is part of the "visual diary" part of my small paintings, to paint things just because.
6"x6" :: oil on archival panel :: Rainbow of Tomatoes
Wow, the tomato growers around here (Hood River Oregon) have outdone themselves. These are the best, most colorful tomatoes I have ever eaten. I had to paint them quickly before I ate them all. They are so beautiful. Every color and shape you can imagine - purple, red, orange, lemon yellow, heart shaped, round, tiny ovals…
A quote from Harvey Penick - "Just let it happen. Don’t try and hit the ball far. Instead develop a feeling that the ball is going to go a long way without your really trying. And sure enough, it will. I call it The Feeling of Far."
It could apply to painting!
I'm not a golfer, but I went plein air painting today with a Portland group of painters, to Heron Lakes Golf Course (to paint). What a pretty, tranquil place to paint.
6"x6" :: oil on archival panel :: Sunset on the Columbia River
This a plein air painting, I was standing on the bank of the river in Vancouver, Washington when I painted this one, looking over at Portland across the river in the distance...
6"x6" :: oil on archival panel :: Bee Boxes in the Orchard
Colorful bee boxes in the orchard at Sakura Ridge Bed and Breakfast in Hood River. This is one of the small 6"x6" paintings I did at the Pacific Northwest Plein Air competition. It was a very windy day, and very challenging to paint outside, but I stuck it out.
8"x8" :: Columbia River View :: oil on archival panel
This painting is one of the group that is in the Pacific Northwest Plein Air Competition. It got left off of yesterday's post, because I lost the digital file, and had to go back and re-photograph the painting at the gallery today! So here it is...
If you are interested, it is available at the Columbia Center for the Arts, 215 Cascade Ave, Hood River, OR 541-387-8877.
Here is a photo of the painting still on the easel!
8"x8" :: Fish With Confidence :: oil on archival panel
I am so pleased to have won second place at the Pacific NW Plein Air Competition. I have 5 paintings in the show, from various beautiful locations in the Columbia Gorge. If you are interested in the other paintings I have in the show (they are all framed the same), contact Columbia Center for the Arts, 215 Cascade Ave, Hood River, OR 97031 541-387-8877.
8"x8" :: East Fork of the Hood River :: oil on archival panel
8"x8" :: Dahlias at the Gorge White House :: oil on archival panel
8"x8" :: Mosier Tunnels Trailhead :: Oil on archival panel
8"x8" :: Columbia River :: while still on the easel!
I went out to the Deschutes River today, and I got two paintings out of this session at the river. I wore my cowgirl boots, because there really are rattlesnakes at this desert river site. I don't know if this is rattlesnake time of year, but one can't be too careful… Anyway, there was a beautiful handmade boat (Lamiglas Fish With Confidence) pulled up on the edge of the river in the sand, so I could not resist painting it - as quickly as I could, because you never know when the owners will come back and want to take their boat out fishing! So I got the painting below, finished just in time. The owner was very kind to give me about 5 more minutes to finish the painting. Love the boat, and how the painting turned out too!
Fish With Confidence
8"x8" :: oil on panel :: "Fish With Confidence"
This painting will be in the Pacific NW Plein Air Competition, at the Columbia Center for the Arts, in Hood River, OR, which opens on Friday Sept 7.
Here's my fun little painting set up…that I instagramed
The River Series continues… Where do I start? so much to tell…
I am in the middle of the PNW Plein Air Annual Event, we are painting a different place for 5 days, today was Day Two. I am having so much fun, painting with new and old friends, 36 painters from all over the US. I made this painting, a 6x6in in addition, I made an 8x8in painting of this river for the show, which will open on Friday Sept 7, preview is 4-6pm, and the public reception is 6-8pm. All are welcome to come see the show at the Columbia Center for the Arts, 215 Cascade Ave, Hood River, OR.
Here is the Mt Hood painting my friend who requested a commission selected. It has more oranges in it, than yesterday's painting of Mt Hood. I like them both, yesterday's painting has more greens in it, it is now available on the Daily Painworks auction.
I am working on a series of river paintings, this is "The Hood River", it feeds into the Columbia River. I will do several small 6"x6" paintings and then, some large ones…
10" x 10" :: Portland Art Museum Tree :: oil on archival panel
Portland Art Museum Plein Air Invitational 2012
For those of you who were unable to attend this show, this is one of my paintings from the first ever, Portland Art Museum Plein Air Invitational. You can see a short video from the show on the post below this post, "Scenes from the 2012 Oregon Plein Air Invitational" it gives you an idea of what the show was actually like, and some shots of the artists in action, painting…
***This painting is larger than my normal daily painting size - it is 10" x 10"
On August 4th and 5th, 2012, almost forty artists from all over Oregon and nearby Washington were invited to come paint in the Park Blocks in front of the Portland Art Museum.
Hosted by the Portland Art Museum, and sponsored by Gamblin Oil Colors and Oregon Coast Bank, these noted Pacific Northwest artists came to show the general public what plein air painting is about.
Public attendance was high in spite of the unexpected +100 degree temperatures on Saturday, and everyone who showed up had fun. On Sunday there was an afternoon exhibition and sale of work painted in the blocks, with additional plein air art from other areas in Oregon and Washington as well.
After experiencing the plein air painters in the park, the public entered the museum to see an exhibition of California Impressionists from the early part of the 20th century – a grand exhibition of signature work on loan from the Irvine Museum down in Southern California. For the artists who were busy painting outside it was an exciting opportunity to introduce their passion to the general public. To the public going inside it was a fine way to learn this artistic genre remains vibrant, alive, and well today.
This was a terrific opportunity to introduce plein air painting to a wider audience in Portland, Oregon. We hope to do it again next year.
Thomas Kitts and Michael Gibbons (inspiration and organizers of the event)
I just wanted to experiment and see what cherries would look like on an earthy colored background, and the shadow colors. My daily painting blog is all about the spirit of experimentation, of color, shapes and subjects.
So much to tell! First, these cherries were very fun to paint on yellow!
Second, the Plein Air Event at the Portland Art Museum was a huge success by everyone's standards!
Saving the best news for last, I got a painting accepted into the 13th Annual American Impressionism Society National Juried Exhibition in November in Indianapolis IN!
AIS received 1000 entries and out of those entries, a panel of judges selected 100 paintings to be in the show November 8, 2012. I feel so fortunate to have gotten in! at the bottom of this post, I will add a photo of my painting that will be in the AIS National Juried Exhibition.
I am busy practicing my roses for the Invitational Plein Air Event at the Portland Art Museum, Aug 4 & 5. I am really happy with this one.
I went to Portland last week, to check out the area around the Park Blocks and Museum, and do some painting on location, before the event.
I was invited, along with 49 other fabulous regional painters to paint at the Museum for 2 days (Aug 4&5) and then sell the work at the Museum on Aug 5. There are many things to paint in the Park Blocks at the Museum, roses, trees, people...
I was very inspired to paint roses, following my visit last week to the Portland Art Museum (PAM). Franz Bischoff is one of my favorite painters of the California Impressionists, he was called "King of the Rose Painters". One of his rose paintings is in the show, at the PAM - California Impressionists, 60 Paintings from the Irvine Museum. On Aug 4 & 5, PAM is having an Invitational Plein Air Event on the grounds on of the Museum, 50 regional painters will be painting on Aug 4 &5. I'm sure this is a first time event for PAM, but I hope there will be more events like this one. And there is a large garden at the museum which I am sure lots of artists will be painting, with roses of all colors in full bloom! Portland isn't called "City of Roses" for nothing. It will be fun! So come check it out if you have time.
And yesterday, Carol Marine painted a stunningly beautiful rose for her daily painting.
This is a door to part of the Portland Art Museum. I was painting outside in the park across from the PAM today. The PAM is hosting the first invitational plein air event to celebrate their California Impressionism Exhibit from the Irvine Museum in California. The dates for this event are; August 4 & 5. I am very excited to be one of 50 artists invited to participate in this first ever event!
I have always liked painting architecture, this building has some history! It was originally built in 1925, as a Masonic Temple. It was a rock concert venue in the 60's and is now part of the Portland Art Museum. (I read that THE DOORS played there!) The building is now known as the Mark Building.
I love the intensity of the reds on the curry color. In this painting I am working on "lost and found edges", the colors of shadows, and getting a painterly feeling overall in the final result.
