California Paintout '09

Brad Teare and I met for a 5 day paintout in San Diego. Since I usually paint alone, it was energizing to choose a scene, compose, paint and critique the result with another painter. I took him to some of my favorite paint spots and some new ones and together we would discuss the possibilities of composition, cropping, subject, lighting, etc. We approach a scene differently, I almost always see the panoramic possibilities, and he focuses more on a detail composition and explores volume.

Battiquitos Lagoon Eucalyptus

Mission San Luis Rey

Swami's Beach

Balboa Museum of Man

As often happens when doing plein-air painting, I asked myself why I bother. When I'm working on a commissioned painting or illustration I know why I am painting. I am completing an assignment, working for a living, solving a problem. But, when I am painting for myself, especially outdoors, if a painting gets difficult, or I loose my focus or things go badly I become discouraged, frustrated and bored and ask myself "Why do I paint?"

This happens frequently enough that I have to try to answer the question.  My current answer would  be to capture beauty, tell my story, develop my technique, see and design more clearly.  And when it works, I love it.

Self Realization Garden

Oceanside Pier

Torrey Pines

Painting outdoors again

During a very snowy winter I was able to take a trip to beautiful warm and sunny Belize and do some small sketches.

AT THE SEASIDE: Caye Caulker















Rainbow Hotel







A Caye Caulker Wharf








Rainbow Wharf











IN THE JUNGLE: Clarissa Falls

September Near The Beach

An opportunity to paint again in the strong sunlight and coastal fog, I love to paint in San Diego North County. Part way through the trip, my daughter, seeing the group of paintings develop, said I should include architecture more often.

Batiquitos Lagoon - Dusk

Carlsbad Surf Entrance

Bougain-

villa

Swami Garden - Encinitas

Looking for architecture and continuing to think more about composition, while pushing the wet effects of watercolor, I felt like I was developing some momentum.  

Mission San Luis Obispo

La Costa Resort - Carlsbad

Mission San Luis Rey -

Oceanside

Aviara Club Entrance

Blithewood Garden at Bard College

Over the years I have returned to a local garden at Bard College in Barrytown, NY.  I have painted during all the warm weather months in the past few years.  I usually have the place to myself. It's public, but a little remote and situated between a restored mansion and the Hudson River.  It draws me back because it has a spectacular setting.  Here are four views of Blythewood

.

Home portraits in July

I was commissioned to do a couple of home portraits this month. When working on site, I also take a few photos. After I return to my studio and give the paintings a rest for a few days I use the photos to adjust the values a little.

Two homes in Rhinebeck

Three homes in CT, NY, CA

Spring in the Mid-Hudson Valley

For the past couple of weeks I have been painting locally at a beautiful cemetery in Poughkeepsie NY.  It has a wonderful variety of spring blooming trees.  

From the top of one hill is a sudden spectacular view of the Mid-Hudson Bridge and the old train bridge which has been slated to become a pedestrian walkway park. 

 

I also painted on a quick road trip with my son in central NY and PA.

The linen-bound watercolor notebooks I mentioned in a previous post.

A few days in California- March 08

Moss Beach, CA 3-21-08

Before heading to Utah to paint with friends, I had a few days with family in California. These paintings were done near homes of relatives.

The Bluff at Moss Beach, CA  3-21-08

It always takes 30-60 minutes to find the spot I want to paint, I try to do each on site painting in 2-3 hours, sometimes less.  I use my fingers as a view finder and compose an image which always seems to change when it gets on paper.   I believe this will resolve with my recent efforts to make a pencil value study in a separate sketchbook before I begin the watercolor.

 

Batiquitos Lagoon toward La Costa 3-24-08

Frequently I take a photo or two, thinking I will use it to finish the painting in the studio if needed.  I seldom use them later.  The painting is always so different from the photo that they are not really useful.  I have to make decisions on site about composition, value and color. The photo may influence me to adjust the values a little.

Lagoon near Oceanside, CA  3-30-08

The camera does help as a viewfinder aid unless I am painting a format which is completely different from the photo format.  I find my favorite format for plein-air landscapes is a very long horizontal.  My current sketchbook is a more standard horizontal.

Batiquitos Lagoon Trail- Encinitas, CA   3-26-08

I have been working for a couple of years in linen bound watercolor sketchbooks.  At first it was intimidating, but it also makes me take each painting session seriously and bring all my focus and skill to each effort.

The dilemma is what to do with the failures that are bound together with the successes.