New Painting - December 22, 2009

View from Rocky Point - Looking Along The Big Sur Coast  -- 10” x 18” oil $1500-(unframed)


This painting was executed in between the winter storms we are having here in California this month. These breaks in the weather are a beautiful time to be outside. It may be a bit chilly and breezy, but the air is crisp, fresh and clear. This time of the year produces excellent  painting conditions. With the sun at a low angle, the day maintained a nice shadow pattern on the Santa Lucia Mountains. For me, the painter, the mountains and the shadows on them is what the painting is about. But you, the viewer, can take whatever you like from the painting; memories, sense of place, etc..

 

Today was a plein air painting day that was beautiful to paint but a little rough to weather. If you had the tenacity to put up with  breezy, cold and sometimes damp conditions it was well worth it. We only have these magnificent cloud formations during winter storms. It's a great show to watch these cells move across the open water of the bay
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   Monterey Bay Clouds 11"x14" oil - $1050. framed/$975. unframed

 George Inness

Ihave been reading a couple of books on George Inness, 1825-94. He is considered to be one of the great American landscape painters. He was a contemporary of the Hudson River School Painters but not considered to belong to that group. He was a more modern painter painting in the French Barbizon Fashion (Millet) with a tonal pallet. The one book titled George Inness and the Science of Landscape is a difficult read, but it does have some nice color reproductions (but not enough). The other book, George Inness, Writings and Reflections on Art and Philosophy, is a more concise, easier read, but nothing about Inness is easy. He really took his painting to the far reaches of spiritual, philosophical and    scientific theory. This is a lot different than the approach most plein air painters and myself included have. I just go out find it and paint it, a much simpler approach.

I did pick up on one thing Innes preached and that was the importance of the far horizon portion of the scene. He felt that the whole essence of the painting originated in this unfocused, vague atmospheric area (the distant back ground at eye level). Innes described this area as a "half way point between light and dark" and " a point of equilibrium in the painting".

Ukiah Vineyard - Fall 11"x14" oil $1050.


While painting in Ukiah over the Thanksgiving Holiday I had this in the back of my mind while painting the colorful vineyards. Ukiah is 125 miles north of the S.F. Bay area and has become a viable wine region. The area has distinct fall color, great for plein air painting.

I doubt if my philosophy on painting is going to become too complicated. I’m still a go out, find it and paint it the best I can painter.

This painting was painted on location -Carmel Beach, Carmel. The day was partly overcast but I liked the light, especially out towards the horizon.
Carmel Beach Cypress 9"x16" oil.
Framed this painting is currently priced at $1000. including the frame.