Haunted house, plein aire watercolor

A friend had invited me to an "Artober" festival where they invited several plein aire painters, face painters, etc. It was centered around a house that was decorated to the hilt with Halloween decor. Although the task of simplifying it down to paint was daunting, I took the challenge! A majority of the piece was done plein air, but I have to admit, I took a photo so I could finish it at home.
My perspective lines are still off a little bit...seems to be an area I need to work on if I keep painting houses. I used a couple of new techniques as well.  I used a crayon on the street sign to write the numbers and letters so it would resist the watercolor. I also had to lift color off a couple of areas, which I did with a stiff damp brush.  Luckily I was using heavier paper so that this worked. Otherwise the paper would have just started falling apart. I used white paint several times as well with varying success. The cob webs on the bushes just didn't show up like I wanted them to.  Next time, I would darken the bushes and try scraping the webs in with a knife.
At one point I thought I was done, but then realized there were a couple more details that I could add, but eventually I just have to say, "I'm done!" Can you find the four changes I made to the second pic?

On another note, my daughter decided to come with me to try out her artistic side...special effects makeup. Here are some pics of her creations.

Check out more of her work on Instagram:  @autumnelizamakeup

The 4 differences are: I added cobwebs on the bushes (which don't show very well), there's another pumpkin on the right side of the porch, the bat above the new pumpkin, and I moved the base of the street sign :)

Plein air painting vernal pools

Today, I went to the Phoenix Park Vernal Pools, a place that I had driven by for years, but never stopped to see it...of course it never seemed to be the right time of year. The flowers in these pools only bloom for a short while in the spring. So when I got an invitation from David Peterson through the Sacramento Plein Air Meet-up group for a Saturday morning paint out, I knew I should take advantage of it.



I ended up doing two paintings of the same pool but from slightly different perspectives. I tried using a little different style for each on, but they turned out very similar. Which one do you like better?
 

Watercolor Painting of Model T Ford at the California Auto Museum

Painting cars has never been something that I have done much of since my goal is to be out in nature as much as possible, but I was invited to a Plein Air meet-up at the California Auto Museum and decided it would be a good challenge. Martha Esch, the host of the event, had arranged for our "payment" into the museum to be a quick sketch on a note card to be donated to the museum. What an awesome idea! Of course my quick sketch ended up taking me almost 30 minutes.

It was quite an honor being able to go inside the museum to paint, as long as we didn't spill or clean our brushes like Bob Ross ( ha ha!) There are so many great cars there from a Delorean to a Dodge Pacer. The cars are placed close together though so it was hard to get a good spot to paint. I found a Model T that was in a nice quiet corner. The museum lighting was the hardest part to work with. The model T had a flat finish so reflection was minimal. But then determining how much detail to add or omit was challenging as well. Overall I think it turned out well.

Check out more sketches from this trip to the California Auto Museum here.

Plein air painting at the pond fountain at Land Park

So I finally get outside to do some plain air painting with our Plein Air Meetup group, and its 106 degrees out! I wonder why only a couple of us showed up? It actually didn't feel too bad in the shade next to the water. I was working with some new paints today that are much better quality than the $5 set of twelve tubes I was working with before. The tricky part is that there are only 5 colors...it just lends for more practice color-blending. They are made with a honey base so they have more brilliant color and don't dry as fast on the palette ( that was particularly important on a hot day like today).
I'm still trying to figure out the reflection and ripple effect that is created by water, so I keep challenging myself with it. My last attempt was at Hagan Park and today I'm at Land Park.  I started at the top with the sky and worked my way down with the trees and grass, and finishing with the pond.  I "cheated" a little bit because I used white paint to create the water spray (most watercolorists would say to use the white of the paper instead but without masking fluid, it just wasn't going to work). Although there were a couple other people painting, I was so totally focused, I probably wasn't very good company.

Plein Air painting at I -Fest in Rancho Cordova

Here is a step-by-step look at me painting plein air at the Rancho Cordova I-Fest, a display of the city's international diversity. The Sacramento Plein Air group was invited to document the event.

I started with a rough outline with an Expo dry erase pen,
and then washed in sky and began working on the background.

Working my way down, adding in more background.

Filling in the foreground.

Add in shadows.

A few minor details... and voila!

This was a very challenging project because I have always avoided drawing people, and here was a huge crowd! Also thought I'd throw a dog in there just for sport! Here is my "almost complete" artwork displayed next to David Peterson's work.

Artist at work.

I forgot to give my wife credit for the photos.  I was too busy to even notice that she was taking them, but it worked out well for showing the steps. Thank you Joann!

Milk Farm

On a sunny fall day last fall, I went on a plein aire meet-up hosted by David Peterson.  The subject of the meet-up was the Milk Farm sign in Dixon, CA.  We always drive by it on the way to the Bay Area at 70 mph, and wonder why it’s there.  There used to be a restaurant built in the 1920’s where they would have milk chugging contests, all-the-milk-you-could-drink for 10 cents, and a record holder wall for those who drank the most!   It closed in 1986 due to damage from a wind storm and never reopened.  Residents of Dixon wanted to save it as a historical landmark, but all that remains today is the sign in a weed infested parking lot.  Even the sign is showing signs of dilapidation.

So after squeezing through a hole in the fence surrounding it, I set up my chair and pulled out my sketch pad.  I usually just start sketching right onto the watercolor paper, but since I had a sketch pad with me, I decided to use it.  The interesting thing is that I found I had more freedom knowing it was just on the sketch pad and if I messed up, no big deal.  After I finished my sketch, I thought I would add a little color with a quick wash of blue in the sky.  Well, the sketch pad didn’t take water very well, just pencil next time. Onto the watercolor paper…

I actually liked the outline sketch better on my sketch pad.  The one was a little stiffer. Is that because I was a little more worried about not erasing on the water color paper? Probably. I have noticed that too much heavy erasing affects the absorbency of the paper. 

The lettering on the sign had to be the trickiest part for me.  The first part was just to have a steady hand.  The other part was the spacing and centering. “Milk” and “Farm” was easy enough with only 4 letters but when I got to “Restaurant”, I actually started by putting the “au” in the middle and worked out from there.  Still there was still extra space on the right side.

David Peterson Painting the Milk Farm Sign

The great thing about this meet-up was that there were 3 or 4 other artists there that were very friendly and supportive. David Peterson, the host of this particular gathering, has always impressed me with his wet on wet style...very loose but somehow incorporates the details as well.  He says his secret is the Expo dry erase pens: they don't bleed with water.  I'll have to try that next time.

Another artist that was there was Linda Hao.  She doesn't usually work in watercolor but I thought her watercolor style looked similar to mine.  What do you think? 

Watercolor by Linda Hao

Locke, again!

Locke is one of those towns that just lends its self to creativity.  The buildings are so unique and the walkways throughout the town create these unusual perspectives.  The last time I was here, Painting Locke, I found myself challenged by the rules of perspective, which seem even more extreme down the long narrow main street of the town.  So this time, I put the vanishing point in the middle of the painting.  The details of the buildings was where the challenge laid this time.  I found that interpreting them into geometric shapes was the best solution.  And the negative spaces between created the supporting beams (as well as a buffer to keep the colors from bleeding together). 

The left side of the street was obscured from my view, so it didn't get any attention other than the shadows that were cast. I need to work on foreshortening  cars, but this was my first attempt at painting cars (putting cars into a painting!) so I thought I did pretty well. I liked the big yellow street sign at the end of the street so it got more emphasis in the painting than can be seen in the photo.

I think my favorite part of the painting, though, is the motorcycle in the foreground.  I was just experimenting with different shades of black and trying to get the essence of  the bike and its shadow without too much detail. 

Self Portrait

Just to challenge myself, I signed up for an annual self portrait contest put on by the Plein Aire artists of Sacramento, sponsored by Martha Esch. I had not done a self portrait since college and was not sure where to start. I sat down in front of the mirror and did a quick pencil sketch.  I was so pleased with how it turned out, I just left it alone.  I then proceeded to copy my sketch onto watercolor paper with paint.  After a few brush strokes, I realized my mistake...I had not put any sketch marks onto the paper to help with proportion and it became more of an experiment figuring out the layering of color and highlights, and not about proportion. 

Definitely something I can keep practicing on.  As for the competition of about 15 artists, I submitted my original sketch and I didn't place.  The top three artists were all acrylic paint, so my pencil sketch paled in comparison (literally!) but I got to see some really good art and had a good time, and that is one of the goals of my art-- Have fun!

Self portrait sketch scanned with computer enhanced contrast

Effie Yeaw Nature Area

June 9 - On a beautiful Saturday morning, I decided to go to Effie Yeaw Nature Area for a paint-out where artists were suppose to paint and then display their works for a nominal fee on the patio of the museum.  The museum was planning a fund raiser later that afternoon. I wasn't too sure about displaying my art, but I figured I would go and check out what other artists were doing, take a look around, and do a little painting myself, if I was so inspired.  It had been a while since I had been to Ancil Hoffman Park and Effie Yeaw Nature Area, so I took a stroll around. I was amazed at how much wildlife there was: deer, turkeys, egrets. 

Once I had walked around the nature area, I went to find a nice quiet spot (which is pretty easy since the whole place is quiet!) I set up alongside the path next to a large meadow with my chair (a permanent addition to my plein aire supplies) and my watercolors. My goal in this painting was to focus on not a lot of detail in the background trees, while incorporating as much detail as I could in the tree in the foreground.  I reworked the trunk of the tree several times to get a sense of the texture in the bark. After I was finished, I wished that the oak tree was not so “cut off” but more in the painting.

An additional side note: I had seen so much wildlife in the morning that I thought I should incorporate something into the painting. I decided to put a small deer under the background tree on the left. I did not like the way it was turning out so it quickly became a shadow under the tree instead.

Here's one of the creations of another artist that was at the paint-out.  I really liked the way this watercolor looks.  It actually has the effects that I was working on with the background trees and foreground trees, but I  like the way the bridge turned out!  I took a picture of it on the easel while being displayed for the fundraiser.

Painting Locke

On this beautiful Saturday morning I decided to make the drive down to the delta to the little town of Locke. This is a regular Plein Aire Meet-up, every 1st Saturday of the month, thanks to Martha Esch who lives in the area. The interesting thing about the Plein Aire Meet-ups is that you have no idea who is going to be there if anyone.  I am guilty of RSVPing and not showing up as well as showing up without RSVPing. And so, when I got there, no one was there. It was kind of like a ghost town--well, I guess its always like a ghost town, that's part of the charm of this place.  After taking a stroll around town (it takes about 15 minutes to make the loop around the whole town) I set up right on the corner of the main street through town. 

As I first started to sketch, I realized that I was going to need to remember rules of perspective from drawing classes 20 years ago- vanishing points!  Landscapes have some sense of perspective but when you're drawing buildings, it becomes VERY noticeable.  Even now, as I compare the painting to the photo, I can see my perspective should have been "more extreme". It just goes against reason as you are drawing diagonal lines for what your eye sees as straight lines.  This was definitely a new challenge compared to the last building I had painted, the Indian Museum, where I had looked at it straight on.  The eaves on the first building seemed to come straight out at me and were difficult to figure out.  And although the eave supports of the second building aren't quite long enough (they appear to be against the building instead of out to the sidewalk), I really liked the effect of the negative space.  I had wanted to create the same effect on the first building too but with watercolors, once your white paper is painted on, you really can't get it back! Maybe if I tried this again...?  Lots of good thoughts for next time. Of course if I would work in acrylic, it would be more forgiving...hmmm, I still haven't met that challenge yet of plein aire painting with acrylic.

Later in the morning, Martha Esch came by and took a photo of me finishing up my painting and invited me to her studio at the end of the street, The Shack. The building itself is a piece of artwork, with very eclectic art decorating the exterior walls and patio.  And once you are inside, she has on display a variety of paintings that she has done, from views of the town of Locke to old German warplanes, and Mona Lisa! She also has a small room dedicated to the history of Locke.  Martha has a wealth of knowledge about this little town, historical as well as political (oh, does she have stories!). Martha also happens to be the current coordinator for the Plein Aire Meet-ups, so I thought this was a very productive outing!

Indian Museum Paint-Out

My first outing with the Plein Aire Meet-up group to Sutter-Jensen Community Park was interesting but also a little intimidating. Not that a little fear is a bad thing, just part of my learning process.  So I signed up for another! This time at the Indian Museum at Sutter's Fort. (and I remembered to bring a chair with me this time!) There are a lot of different scenes around the pond and several artists had already set up their easels, but I was focused on getting my own art started.  That seems to be my biggest challenge: putting that first mark on the page. I'll wander around trying to find something to inspire me, start up a conversation with another artist...procrastinate! But once I get settled in and actually put paint on the page, I can get tuned in.  Maybe that is why I always start with the sky...simple and non-threatening. 

The building I chose was particularly challenging. The first reason being that it was a building! I had always focused on landscape, and although I liked adding in architectural features, it was never the majority of the painting. Painting a building meant that I had  to use straight lines! Another challenge was the white building. The midday shadows made about 10 different shades of white.  Up to this point I had never really thought about how to paint something white with watercolors. It is what you don't paint that makes it white.  I started with a blue wash (as seen it the lower left) then realized I just needed to use black.  A very light wash to start with and then build from there.  The high sun left just a little direct sunlight just between the windows but it kind of got washed out. The lines to imply the bricks was an afterthought but I kind of like the texture it gives to the wall.  I just needed it to be a little more consistant in shape. 

The other challenge I had with this painting is having a light colored object (the Yucca flowers) in front of a dark object (the window frame). The brown color would overpower any other color on top of it so I had to plan the "gaps" where the stems would go while trying to keep a fluid line for the window. I did not plan for some of the lower leaves which seem to be behind the window. I still need to look into this "masking fluid" to keep areas of your painting white.

Overall, I like how my first "building painting" turned out, even with the challenges.  I actually liked the straight lines! And even my oak trees in the background have improved detail from my first trees.  One watercolor artist working nearby commented on how quickly I had finished, as I had started after her and finished before she was done (about an hour total), but art does not lend itself to a timeframe. The painting told me I was done.

Sutter-Jensen Community Park

March 17, 2012 - After meeting Rose and her husband at William B Pond, a couple of fellow plein aire painters, I went home and looked up the Plein Aire Meet-Up group on the internet. (No, I don’t have a smart phone. Otherwise I would have done it right there!) The next meet-up was David Peterson’s Third Saturday Paint Out at some place called Sutter-Jensen Community Park. I had never heard of it before, so the explorer in me found this to be a great new adventure.  

The weather was overcast and cold, and it was earlier in the morning than I usually paint. It was a beautiful undeveloped space with a community garden on one side.  There were several other artists already painting.  I tried not to be intimidated by what they were doing and focused on my own creativity.  I wandered out into a dew-covered grassy field, totally saturating my shoes, and realized I was NOT going to sit down in the grass to paint; otherwise my pants would suffer the same fate.  As I was standing out there getting an idea of what I was going to paint, so guy yells “Hey! You’re outstanding in your field!” As corny as it was, that gave me a boost of confidence!  Luckily, I spotted a chair over by the garden, and ran over and grabbed it and got to work.  

The idea with this painting was to see how many different shades of green I could produce to recreate the pastoral scene (it was St. Patrick's Day, after all!).  I keep saying that I need to develop a better style with trees, and what better place. As always, I started with my blue sky (a little artistic license, since I didn’t want the actual gray sky in my painting). I experimented with some paint-lifting with a towel to create a little texture to imply clouds.  Then, the mixing of color begins—blue-green, yellow-green, brown-green, and everything in between. It got a little muddy in the middle, mostly because I was too impatient to wait for the paint to dry before adding more layers. I do like some of the effects I got with the wet on wet, though.  The “pole” in the middle of the field becomes the focus of this painting because of the white space I left around it.  It was one of the first details that I painted in the foreground.  I think that it should have been added in at the end, after the grass had dried (the grass in the painting, that is). That is one of the challenges of watercolor though…trying to figure out what details need to be laid out first and what can wait to be added in at the end.  One of the other painters there was using “masking paint”, a wax that covers areas of the paper that you want to keep white. I’ll have to look into that.

 I’m also still trying to figure out my style with the edge of the painting: all the way to the edge like the top edge,  a distinctive edge of the painting away from the edge of the paper like the bottom, or somewhere in between like the sides. With this particular painting, I really like the way the bottom edge turned out.

As I wrapped up my first outing with the Plein Aire Meet-up group, I found that I did more observing the other artists than painting. But that is what this journey is all about: learning from like-minded artists with a passion for creativity!

William B Pond, again!

March 4, 2012 - I went back to William B Pond, with my family this time, on a lazy Sunday afternoon (the plus side of having a mild winter).  I found a nice quiet spot on the bank by the “Islands” just down river from the bike trail bridge.  I liked the contrast of nature and architecture in this view.

 I really did not spend a lot of time working on reflection on this painting.  One of the hardest parts of watercolor is having patience enough to wait for areas of the painting to dry enough so it doesn’t bleed when I add another layer. When I first started to add reflection, it bled into the water…not the effect I was going for but let’s make all the reflections blurred to match the first one!

I really played with adding an abstract background. I avoided drawing individual trees but put in clumps of color to imply groups of trees. The bridge was a challenge because I couldn’t figure out the color of concrete. In hind sight, I should have just left it a negative space with a few lines to show the shadows because the black is too dark. This will be a spot to return to later to try that!

The geese were all over the place this day and I almost painted one or two right into the foreground. There’s space in that large area of blue at the bottom.  But I had no idea how to draw geese so I did a little “study of a goose” painting.

After I had packed up my painting supplies (which takes about 2 minutes) my family wanted to walk around and see the other areas of the park.  We headed over to the fishing pier by the pond. There on the pier were two other painters doing the same thing I was doing – bringing their paints outside and painting in nature! I couldn’t believe their set up—chairs, easels on tripods, paints and paintbrushes galore. Although I had been working with a minimalist approach when it came to my supplies, I was quite impressed.  One was working with acrylic, which I had never ventured into trying, even back in college. The other artist, who was working in watercolor, was doing a study of the geese! They were quite inspiring on that day.  After talking to them a bit and watching over their shoulder as they painted (I appreciated this because I know having someone watch as I paint is quite nerve-racking), they told me that they were there because of a Meet-Up group called Plein Aire Painters.  I had never even heard of Meet-Up at this time, and up until this point I was just saying I was painting outside. Now I had a name for what I was doing and apparently there was a group of people in Sacramento that was doing the same thing!  So I was anxious to get home and check it out!

Introduction

Ceramic Cookie Jar -College Ceramics Class

 Welcome to my Art Blog.  I've been getting back into my art this year after setting it aside for 20 years. After leaving college, I went out into the real world where I had to get a paying job which left little time for much else!   As an art major, I had all of these resources available to me, whether it was sculpting, ceramics, painting, or figure drawing.  There was also a lot more time to dedicate to my art back then. 

Bronze Horse - College Sculpture Class

Now that I have a family and a full time job, the time and resources seem to not be as easy to come by.  With a new realization, I have found that I need to make time for both! When I first started back out to paint,  I began by being inspired by nature, specifically the American River Parkway right around the corner. All I had was a simple watercolor kit and some brushes to start "Plein aire" painting - which means outside on the spot. One day while seeking some inspiration, I happened across another couple of artist's painting along the river, and they told me about a Meet-Up group called Plein Aire Painters that met regularly and welcomed me to join them. 








This blog is my story of getting back to my passion and my art, working though my perfectionism and fear of failure (or maybe the fear of success?), and the story that goes behind every piece of art that I create.  My goal is to post a new entry several times per month, with the hope of becoming more prolific as I continue my process. Enjoy my creativity!

College Life Figure Drawing Class