"Burney Falls" - Oil on Raymar Canvas Panel - 11" x 14"

"Burney Falls is another jewel amid northern California's visual riches. Besides that, it offers a cool spot during the scorching summer." --- SFG

This painting is now available through DailyPaintworks.com and eBay.com.
100% DONATION TO A "Good (Art) Works" CAUSE
See listing for details

NOTE TO ARTISTS: Though painting this subject involved a little hike, the rewards are obvious. Additionally, painting with other artists, as I did this day, pushes you to "get it down and get it right". Maintain your links with artists groups and like-minded painters. When you are my age, you'll be very glad you did.

Autumn by Mary Lake

"Autumn by Mary Lake" - Oil on Raymar Canvas Panel - 11" x 14"


"Last autumn, I set my easel on the shore of Mary Lake, near my home. Its seasonal color and reflected light made an exceptional subject." --- SFG

This painting is now available through DailyPaintworks.com and eBay.com.
100% DONATION TO A "Good (Art) Works" CAUSE

Painting with Alla Prima International

I just spent a terrific five days painting with other Alla Prima International members at Ghost Ranch, near Abiquiu, New Mexico. This is Georgia O'Keeffe country. What fun! This is Georgia O'Keeffe country.

"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.

"Coastal Haze" -- Oil on Museum Quality Panel -- 6" x 8"

"Coastal Haze" - Oil - 6" x 8"

"This wonderful effect came about because of the sun's struggle to bore through the moist air of the California coast. This lovely scene is north of Cambria, near San Simeon and Hearst Castle." --- SFG

NOTE TO ARTISTS:

Painting on location is difficult when everything is perfect. The birds are singing, the sky is clear, and even the clouds don't move. Catching an atmospheric effect is even more difficult.

When something that is the main premise of the painting, as was the indistinct background in this field sketch, is present, quickly reduce everything else to its simplest form and paint the effect as it relates to those large notes. Then, you can return to the other elements to add as much emphasis as you like.

"Purpose"

"Purpose"  Oil  12" x 12"

"I am not sure why I titled this subject "Purpose" unless I was thinking of the joy such cheerful blooms give like a precious offering, however brief their span.

Delicious strokes portray the two open flowers as well as the bud and separate petal that lies to the right. The dark background enriches the vivid red and the warm tabletop completes a primary color scheme.

This is the third of my recent series of simple floral paintings, made special by lush paint application and rich contrast and color. As a group, these 12" x 12" paintings have a great deal of impact."
                                                                                                                                      --- SFG

"Opulence"

"Opulence" - Oil - 12" x 12"

"How I love rich paint and flowers! The two combine well in this new work, I think, and I‘ve titled it “Opulence“.

The heavy red blossoms support a brilliantly lit orange one that shows behind the first rank. Scattered leaves and blue accents move the eye through the space as a triangle of the crisp white drape defines the foreground tabletop.

The combination of thick impasto and winning color carry my enthusiasm to the viewer.

Prints are available at http://fineartamerica.com/featured/opulence-susan-f-greaves.html.

"Awesome"

"Awesome" - Oil - 12" x 12"

"This is the first of a series of new floral paintings that I am ready to release and I am especially pleased with this one. The pile of bright yellow sunflowers rests on a diagonal swath of white fabric. There are red and green drapes in the background that recede nicely. Small accents of orange and blue are sprinkled through the work and add exceptional life to the work.

The original is 12" x 12", though the image will display nicely in a larger print. Prints can be ordered at http://fineartamerica.com/featured/awesome-susan-f-greaves.html?newartwork=true and the original will be available at Jose Antonio's shop in Redding, California later this week." --- SFG

GALLERY833 -- ONLINE CATALOG

WELCOME

to the online catalog

NEW WORKS BY SUSAN F. GREAVES

Presented by

Gallery833

833 Mistletoe Avenue, Suite A4

Redding, California

530-223-2541

Friday August 12 through Wednesday September 8, 2011

Opening, Saturday August 13, 6 PM to 9 PM

Works Included

Please feel free to contact the gallery if you have any questions!

"Lilacs Plein Air"

14" x 18" Oil

$700

"Farm Barn"

30" x 24" Oil

$1800

"Wisteria Cascade"

9" x 12" Oil

$350

"View Above the Lake"

16" x 20"

"Variation on a Theme #4"

24" x 30" Oil

$1800

"Variation on a Theme #2"

11" x 14" Oil

$400

"Hydrangeas Near the Window"

20" x 24" Oil

$1200

"The Awakening"

20" x 24" Oil

$1200

"Embankment in Bloom"

14" x 11" Oil

$400

"Cool Day Near Cambria"

30" x 24"

$1800

"Waves and Foam"

16" x 20" Oil

$800

"Snow and Thaw"

24" x 24" Oil

$1500

Thanks for looking. We hope to see you at the gallery!

"Coastal Haze"

"Coastal Haze" - Oil - 6" x 8"

"This wonderful effect came about because of the sun's struggle to bore through the moist air of the California coast. This lovely scene is north of Cambria, near San Simeon and Hearst Castle." --- SFG

"May the Hills Sing With Color"

"May the Hills Sing With Color" - Oil - 10" x 8"

"This is a simple description of a California valley. Its summer grass... it is the 'golden state' after all... was balanced by the receding mountains. A simple joy to see and paint." --- SFG

A Perfect Day

"A Perfect Day" - Oil - 24" x 18"

"Inspired partly by our first warm day and, also, by the lovely Susan Boyle performance of "A Perfect Day" on her latest CD, I set this arrangement in sunlight and laid on the color. Painting it lifted my heart." --- SFG

More info

WORK IN PROGRESS:

Freshly picked.

I grouped the objects and allowed room at the bottom of the canvas for the edge of the table to show.

Here, I link the darks and create a variety of greens.

Before I can go further, I add the background since it will influence all subsequent colors.

Now I move to the lights of the tabletop, judging value and temperature. Notice how I indicate where the drape falls over the edge of the table by a darker value and cooler temperature. It takes both to show a plane change.

I painted the pear to the left of the vase a "hotter" color intentionally. Sometimes greens can be overpowering. By pushing the color as far from green as possible, I add range to the variety of greens I can use in a painting. I will adjust it in the next step to fine tune the harmony, but will not completely lose those vibrating tones.

It's time to develop the lit areas of the graceful lilac blooms. The lavender ones vary slightly in color from one to another. Note the warm reflection on the underside of the white fronds.

Adding some of the folds and stripes gives more movement to the foreground so it serves the purpose of a foreground, to lead the eye into the painting. They were needed, also, to balance the action of the other objects.

"Lilacs 2011"

"Lilacs 2011" - Oil - 9" x 12"

"During lilac week in my garden, I paint outdoors and in the studio with great motivation since lilacs bloom for such a short time. The strong sunlight and background shadows on this painting, done directly "from the bush", were a joy to work with." --- SFG

More info

WORK IN PROGRESS:

Finally, we have a warm spring day instead of the weeks of rain that have characterized this spring in my part of California. The lilacs are in full bloom, so I'm setting up next my largest bush.

I elect to paint these clusters near the top of the bush. The shadow on the right in the background gives me the element that created the darks in the background of the painting.

When plein air painting, I use fewer colors and smaller canvases. Not only is it difficult to complete a larger canvas (24" x 30" and larger) before the light changes, but the panel can turn into a sail if the wind whips up.

I place the main elements, being sure that they are not repetitious in size or shape. I make sure that they are not in the middle of the painting.

I add subordinate shapes and indicate the shadow across the background.

And wash in that dark shape.

Here, I indicate the shadow side of the blooms and vary their color accordingly.

Lastly, for this covering-the-canvas stage, I add the darks of the leaves as a mass connected to the blooms and the background shadow.

When I mass the lit areas of the background, I'm careful to vary the colors of the foreground versus the background, making the top lighter and cooler.

At this stage, I have added detail to the leaves, blooms, and branches. The contrast between the shadow and lights in the flowers makes the sparkle.

Even though this is a smaller palette than the one in my studio, I still use the same mixing method and scrape it often to have clean color.

When I returned to the easel after lunch, I did not like the V-shape of the branch of the lilac bush and decided to darken the left side, merging the shapes.

Ocean Fire

"Ocean Fire" - Oil - 6" x 8"

"This marvelous display warmed the evening even though the effect was temporal. Remembering and capturing such shows are an irresistible challenge." --- SFG."

NOTE TO ARTISTS:

Fleeting subjects like this are unpredictable, changing and passing within minutes. Have your canvas, palette, and several small panels ready and work like a madman. For insurance, keep your camera handy, too.

"Redding Rooftops"

"Redding Rooftops" - Oil - 8" x 10"

"So often, when painting on location, the better subject turns out to be behind me. After I had finished my first painting of the day, I turned around and saw this composition that did not register when I first arrived at the site. I peered through the foreground trees to see the enough to execute the work." --- SFG.

www.susanfgreaves.com

"Wisteria Cascade"

"Wisteria Cascade" - Oil - 9" x 12"

"Light and airy. The abundance of blooms on the arbor in a local park inspired a sketchy, color-filled approach. I look forward each year to the spring blooms and set aside those weeks to visit my favorite plantings." -- SFG

NOTE TO ARTISTS:

So often, the surface dictates the result. I used a very absorbent panel, so the oils behaved more like acrylics, setting edges quickly and lacking the ability to make color changes by blending with the earlier color on the panel. Using these qualities to advantage can give a sparkle as the white of the gesso shines through. I could have piled on the paint until those elements were eliminated, but I decided to seize on what was unfolding before me.

"My Imaginary Friend"

"My Imaginary Friend" - Oil - 9" x 12"

"This wisteria trellis is in full bloom and I hoped to have a model to paint. The subject just called for a lady in a sunhat ... or one with a basket... or one sitting in a wicker chair with mint julep waiting nearby. Unfortunately, the plan didn't work out. This figure is imagined." --- SFG

"Ladies' Day"

"Ladies' Day" - Oil - 16" x 20"

"I chose to paint this floral as set against cool light from the window. The old-fashioned tea pot suggested the title." --- SFG

More info

DEMONSTRATION:

This simple setup is the inspiration and point of departure for the upcoming painting. The longer I've painted, the more I am able to "feel" what the painting needs. Consequently, I can add items, either from my stock of still life objects or from my head, in response to how the painting develops. The ultimate purpose is to create balance in the painting.

The drawing, too, is simple and subject to correction as I go. You'll notice that I've already changed the location of the vertical parts of the window to divide the canvas in a more interesting way. If I don't have the perfectly proportioned canvas for the setup, this redesign trick makes it work. By pushing the flowers off the top edge, they serve as another division, as will the cast shadows that come forward intersect the bottom edge.

I want to make this a high-key painting, so when I put in the shadowed sides of the teapot, vase, and leaves, I made sure I was using a fairly light "dark". Notice that I started with what looks like a very cool color. A law of light states that if the light source is cool, the shadows will be warm in comparison. If this color choice turns out to be too cool, my corrections later will just make the colors vibrate more. They look so cool at this stage because the canvas is toned with a warm red.

Now, I've laid in the other medium darks of the flowers, peach, leaf, and window frame. I've already begun relating reds to reds, greens to greens, and "whites" to "whites". Of course, these whites are backlit, so I must choose a fairly dark color to represent them.

Besides adding the warm shadows in the foreground, I have started searching for the right value and temperature of the background. It was bright outside, but the slight overcast toned down the color temperature.

The tablecloth reflects a lot of cool light and is almost as light as the background. I am beginning to use warm tones to give dimension to the vase and teapot. Nothing in shadow can be as light as anything in light. Note that I'm keeping the shadows quite warm in comparison to the lighted part of the tablecloth.

After I had modeled the forms of the teapot and vase, I added flowers and petals to the table top to balance the action in the flower arrangement. Notice how the flower arrangement is subordinate to the teapot, whose form is much more developed. If I had expressed the flowers with too much vigor, they would have led the eye off the painting since they touch the top. Oops, I must go back and put a cast shadow under the flower on the left. It must be consistent with the lighting on the rest of the objects for me to succeed in adding something "out of my head".