"Three Whites and a Red" - DOLLAR FEATURED AUCTION - Starts 6 PM PDT

"Three Whites and a Red"    6" x 8"     Oil

"I wonder how many times I have painted that apple. I have a variety of the most realistic artificial fruit I can find in my collection of still life objects. I can throw together a large still life for a class or for my own use in minutes. Looking back at my paintings over 35 years, I see my old, faithful 'friends'."  --- SFG

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NOTE TO ARTISTS: Small, daily paintings are now the rage. Once the standard rite of passage of the beginning artist, these are still a wonderful exercise. Just watch the growth of the daily painters who show their work online and you will confirm their value.

"Saucy Monday" - Auction Starts Today On eBay at 6 PM PT

"Saucy Monday"   - 24" x 24"  - Oil

"This studio painting was based on a series of photographs I took years ago in a workshop. We had colorful models and the line of waving laundry that caught the sunlight leaking through the tree canopies. I love the gesture of this spirited 'laundress'."  --- SFG

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NOTE TO ARTISTS: I am so glad that I took numerous photos of the models this day as well as paint. I have painted several paintings from them and never cease to be inspired by the photos. Ideally, I could have the models in front of me throughout the process, but larger works are usually best done in the studio from studies and what I call "photo sketches". The studies remind me of the color and the photos offer details that I've forgotten.

"Late Blaze"

"Late Blaze" - Oil on Canvas on Panel - 6" x 8"

"California's coastal residents are recipients of a light show each evening, especially if the sky has clouds to provide variety and contrast.  One becomes aware of the stages of the sunset when the sky transitions from green to gold to orange to red. This is the gold stage." --- SFG

NOW ON AUCTION -- Starting bid $55

NOTE TO ARTISTS:

Small paintings are more direct and less encumbered with detail, as is this small seascape. Making many starts, especially if you use a brush larger than you would normally choose, focuses the painter's attention on the essentials of composition, values, and color.

"Autumn Evening"

"Autumn Evening" - Oil - 24" x 30"

"This is a new work, now showing at Art & Soul Gallery in Ashland, Oregon. The show will be up from now to May 1, 2010. This is a richly painted canvas (thick paint) and is a highlight of the show." --- SFG

Work in Progress... "Variation on a Theme #4"

"Variation on a Theme #4" - Oil - 24" x 30"

"Continuing this series of rose paintings, I added fresh blooms and more vases. All these set-ups were lit by soft, cool light from my studio window. As you can see, my enthusiasm has not waned." --- SFG

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WORK IN PROGRESS:



After painting the first three paintings in this series based on the larger arrangement of roses shown here, I rotated the vase a little and added fresh blooms and more clear glass vases. The pink rose at the lower left of the big arrangement was already drooping a bit, but its color was needed. For compositional purposes, I elected to make the meeting of the blue drape and the wall a horizontal line.



I marked the locations of each vase by marking the top and bottom of the largest arrangement and comparing the location of the other vases to that. I used the "saran wrap" method to indicate the overall shape of the large bunch of roses.



I added a bit more detail to the drawing placing the individual blooms. Notice the dots in the middle of some. Marking the center of the bloom helps me understand from what perspective I'm viewing it. For instance, a dot in the middle means I'm looking at it head on. If it is low and to the left within the circle, the rose is facing up and to the right.



For this painting, I wanted to get the distinct, though sometimes subtle, color differences between the blooms. I massed in the dark green leaves first, since they were the darkest value of the painting and I could compare the various values of the roses to that as I worked through the roses' temperature variations. I started with the coolest and worked up to the warmest. I did all the pink roses and the red one, and, finally, the orange to yellow ones.



My palette is pretty full as I finish this stage, but you can see how I mixed colors next to one another to determine the temperature relationships and value differences between them.



Before I did any detail on the flowers and vases, I made sure that the background and table surface related properly. It would be easy to ruin all the colors I'd worked on by putting the wrong temperature or value behind them.



Finally, I can put the icing on the cake with rhythmic calligraphy on the roses and the sparkle on the vases.

"Variation on a Theme 6"

"Variation on a Theme 6" - Oil - 8" x 6"

"The last in this series of rose paintings is a closeup of two of the roses. Using a small canvas, I laid on the paint with vigor, thick and decisive. The energy of these small works set them apart and speak for themselves." --- SFG

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"Shed at Carter Cabin"

"Shed at Carter Cabin" - Oil - 8" x 10"

"These quick little paintings are such a joy to do. Catching the quality of light and shadow is the goal and the subject matter is the icing on the cake. This small building is located on the only privately owned property within a wilderness area in the United States. The owners graciously invite my family from time to time. It is certainly one of the most beautiful areas in California." --- SFG

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"Backyard Jumble, McCloud, California"

"Backyard Jumble, McCloud, California" - Oil - 24" x 24"

"This rickety shed is set among the litter so typical of the charmingly trashy-chic community of McCloud, California. The small-town atmosphere and spectacular views of Mt. Shasta nullify any need for conformity to standards applied elsewhere. Once a rough-and-ready lumber town, it is now a get-away community for those from the Bay area or southern California. Artists who visit are grateful that it maintains this character for it is infinitely more interesting than planned and rigidly supervised resorts." --- SFG

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"Open Gate"

"Open Gate" - Oil - 8" x 10"

"My plein air paintings are a diary of my life. A few weeks ago, when we were visiting our son and daughter-in-law, the guys wanted to attend an RC model competition. Having experienced two generations of contests, I went down the road and set up my easel in this picturesque rural setting. I did two small paintings while my husband and son enjoyed the event. I enjoyed myself as much as they did!" --- SFG

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"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

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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"!

"Nursery Near Hubbard"

"Nursery Near Hubbard" - Oil - 8" x 10"

"The area south of Portland, Oregon, is where much of the landscaping plants for the west coast are raised. The beautiful patterns such nurseries make as they drape the hillsides and fine landscape painting material. This one is in view of Lenhart Air Park." -- SFG

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"Near the Shed"

"Near the Shed" - Oil - 8" x 10"

"While visiting our son and daughter-in-law, I painted the farms within walking distance. This one, across the road, had sheds, a small vineyard, and roses at the end of the driveway. The light was just right to enjoy the blooms." --- SFG

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NOTE TO ARTISTS:

These small paintings that I've been posting lately are not masterpieces, but are part of the ongoing discipline of painting. Many are done while traveling with family or friends.

An artist must maintain his skills. Bill Reese, a wonderful teacher, said (often), "If you paint every day, you get better. If you paint every-other-day, you stay the same. And if you paint every third day, you get worse."

"Sky's Color Dance"

"Sky's Color Dance" - Oil - 6" x 8" - $150

"In this series of cloud paintings, this is my favorite. It catches the drama, structure, and color of the subject and has an effective composition. I also enjoyed the texture of the paint itself." --- SFG

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