Signed It!

"I don't have a title for this piece yet, but it was such a delight to paint. In Igo, a tiny hamlet near our home, my husband and I found this lilac bush on a Sunday drive. It was in unusual profusion this year. Two days later, I returned and painted it with enthusiastic brush strokes." --- SFG

NOTE TO ARTISTS: Whether I paint on location or in the studio, I usually leave the painting sitting in view for a while. Though this one was almost perfect, I saw a few minor adjustments to make. The only time I'd sign it right away would be if a buyer was writing the check. ;)

"Bygone"

"Bygone" - Oil - 12" x 16"

"Almost yearly, I paint with other members of Alla Prima International, a group of professional artists and friends who have known each other since the early 80's. A couple of years ago, we met in Cambria, California, for two weeks and painted the coast. One of our members is from Paso Robles and guided us to vineyards and wineries in the area. This one had an old truck, reduced to a skeleton and listing, in its workyard that gave character to the buildings and old silo." --- SFG

More info

NOTE TO ARTISTS: White buildings aren't just white. You can see in this painting the warmth of the sun and the reflected light on the shadow side. Note that the shadow under the eve and the top of the shadowed wall is warmer because of the reflected light bouncing off the ground. Fun to paint!

"Springtime in the Vineyard" - Auction Starts Today On eBay at 6 PM PT

"Springtime in the Vineyard"   - 11" x 14"  - Oil

"The area around Paso Robles, California, has become a prime area of vineyards and wine production. Many older farms and ranches have been converted. This one was established in the early 1900s as a cattle ranch, but gracefully accepts its new role. The older barns and pens exist alongside more recent additions for the vineyard. I spent a day there with Alla Prima International painting its hills and trellises.)"  --- SFG

More info

NOTE TO ARTISTS: This painting went through several re-works. I had a good start on the buildings, but the color on the hills didn't seem to work. I eventually had to go to a greener, more spring-like color to express the image I had observed.

"Silo Outside St. Paul, Oregon" - New eBay Auction

"Silo Outside St. Paul, Oregon"   - 8" x 10"  - Oil

"The historic town of St. Paul, Oregon sits on French Prarie south of Portland. The economy is definitely agricultural, as this scene shows. The quick sketch was done from our son's house and shows a nearby diary. It was a cool day with soft lighting as evidenced by the light, nearly colorless sky."  --- SFG

More info

NOTE TO ARTISTS: Sometimes quick sketches have more life and "air" than a longer, labored piece. Learn to stop when you have the essence of the subject.

YOU ARE INVITED...

My latest work is now showing at Art & Soul Gallery, Ashland, Oregon, from now through May 1. The show is titled "Alla Prima Landscapes". Here is one of the pieces, and I will be posting others in the next few days.

"Farm Barn" 30" x 24" Oil on Canvas

"This is a larger version of one of the other paintings in the show. I decided to do a vertical composition for a stronger dramatic effect. The smaller painting, "Hohenberger Farm", was done plein air, whereas this one is a studio work." --- SFG

"Springtime in the Vineyard"

"Springtime in the Vineyard" - Oil - 11" x 14"

"This vineyard, perched on the hills above Cambria, California, defied the image of a slick winery and had rustic appeal of its own. The old barn harkened back to the days when it was a cattle ranch." --- SFG

More info

NOTE TO ARTISTS:

Yesterday, I started to write this blog, first showing the work as it was when I stopped work on it in the field. Then I had another shot of the "finished" work. When I had both images on the screen, I realized that the painting was better in the "before" view than in the "after".

Before:

After:

I had lost the simple shadows on the barn and overdone the lines around the barn doors. Today, I reworked it and am happier with the result. Sometimes we loose sight of the big things when we begin to "noodle"!

"Til the Cows Come Home"

"Til the Cows Come Home" - Oil - 11" x 14"

"This farm and field in Archer, Florida, was brilliantly lit in the spring light. Cattle ambled through the scene and I added them when they arrived at the best spots for the composition." -- SFG

More info

"The Yellow Barn"

"The Yellow Barn" - Oil - 8" x 10"

"I love to paint the farms of Oregon. This one, outside Molalla, was a historic treasure, I'm sure." -- SFG

More info