30 Paintings in 30 Days - Day 7 and 8

As you can see, I had to experiment with the gold again.  This diptych experiments with ivory black and pale gold, palette knives and rubber.  I wiped off several versions of each of these until I got something that I liked.

6 inch Squared

Very exciting!  My painting "Red Swingline" was juried in to the 6 inch Squared show at the Randy Higbee Gallery.  Come check it out and some other amazing mini-masterpieces starting December 7th!

Balboa at Topaz revisited, continued

Balboa at Topaz, continued

I went back in and worked on the values in this painting. I defined the island houses in the background with some darker values and additional shapes.  I thinned down the buoy and added more shimmer to the water. I need to add a few more details before it is finished.

View from the Montage in South Laguna

"View from the Montage at South Laguna"

Oil, 8" x 10" on linen panel.

$125.00 

Click here for more information.

Last week I had the opportunity to be in a workshop with Kim VanDerHoek where we painted in South Laguna.  There is no bad view here.  On the left you can see part of a key hole behind a large rock in the foreground. There is a small beach surrounded by rocks that are starting to become visible as the tide recedes. It was an overcast day but that did not take away from the beauty of the location.

Eisenhower Park Plein Air

"Eisenhower Park"

Oil, 8" x 10" on canvas board.

$125.00 

Click here to purchase.

Today I was at a plein air workshop with Kim VanDerHoek. Our venue was Eisenhower Park in Orange, California.  The park is a gorgeous gem tucked in between vintage homes and the freeway. This particular park has a lake, pond, geese, ducks and this beautiful, gigantic moreton bay fig.Today's focus was on simplifying what you see. Was it necessary to include the strip mall across the street and the cars whizzing by behind the marvelous bay fig to tell its story?  Today we learned that less can be more when you are telling stories in paint.

Culver and Barranca and the 30 Marketing Ideas in 30 Day Challenge - Day #2

I am participating in the 30 Marketing Ideas in 30 Days Challenge, brought to me by the organizer of the the 30 Paintings in 30 Days Challenge, painter and marketer extraordinaire, Leslie Saeta.  Today's challenge is to promote an older, great painting that just hasn't sold.  I love clouds and wild colored sunsets and this one just materialized before me one night last year.  I quickly snapped some photos and sometime later decided I would try to paint the scene.  It was really happy with how it turned out - just like the sunset I had seen that night and all in a tiny 4x6 inch package.

To purchase this painting click here.

White Faced Ibis - SOLD

We live in an area that birders love!  There are so many different species of bird to see all year long.  These are the White Faced Ibis that love to linger by the lake near our home.  I love the rich greens in the feathers against the fall colors on the ground and the violet water.

Levitated Mass

Did you hear about this art installation, Levitated Mass, at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art?  The boulder that is suspended above the walkway is a 340 ton piece of granite.  Getting it from Riverside County to the museum was a multi-day task involving blocking off streets and parts of freeways in 4 counties and 22 cities.  The museum published a map of the route, the LA Times covered the daily progress and people lined the streets to see it pass. At just the right angle, friends can photograph each other pretending to hold the Mass.  You can walk under it and around it.  There is no bad view of the Mass.  It is interactive art at its best!

Buy this painting now!

Day 29 -- Persimmon

Lots of yellows and oranges and browns. Nature always amazes me with how many shades of one color it can make.  I love it!

See the Challenge

Day 28 -- Kiwi Madness

Of course I love the red and green complement and then all the other greens!

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Day 27 -- Mr. Big and Mr. Little

Believe it or not these are both Meyer Lemons.  Different size and different age makes for the difference in color - a wonderful play between the yellow and orange.

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Day 26 -- Iced Green Tea

Every Friday night our family looks forward to dinner at the food court of the wonderful Japanese market, Mitsuwa.  The beverage of choice is always green tea, either cold or hot.  How about some of this refreshing beverage with its gorgeous greens?

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Orange and Purple

Hello friends!  This piece was inspired by a wonderful plate I found at the Japanese market.  Initially I was going to do a still life of the plate but the whole thing looked too tight and lifeless so I wiped the canvas and started over.  The second time around I kept it loose with plenty of bright elements.

Flowers in Jars and Pots, Oh My!

This is another painting from the workshop based on a reference from one of the instructors, artist Dreama Tolle Perry.  Here we were learning about new blues and purples with bright, transparent colors as the base.  I love how vibrant and alive these colors look.

Cupcake O'Color!

I went to an amazing workshop in Pasadena last week given by Leslie Saeta and Dreama Tolle Perry.  Four days of art and inspiration and COLOR!  This painting was done on the last day of the workshop and it is definitely the loosest and most colorful painting I have done.