Category Archives: Landscapes

Painting #22 – Birds in the Backyard and a CMYK Palette

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My most recent small painting features some bright cardinals showing off among their Plain Jane pals.  It was based on photos taken last year.  Our feeder is empty and there are few birds to watch now.  (Our neighborhood has been encouraged not to use feeders so birds won’t gather and spread a new virus among themselves.)

For the artists who are reading, this painting was an experiment in “cmyk” colors — a very limited palette of cyan, magenta, yellow and black.  This group of colors is used with great success in color printing, but it’s pretty rare to see it underpinning an oil painting or water-based art.

For this attempt, I used the closest hues in my paint stash:  manganese phthalo, quinacridone violet, azo yellow and ivory black.  I managed to mix everything in the painting without resorting to additional colors ~~ other than the male cardinals, for which I dipped into cad red.  I can’t say I enjoyed the experience or like the outcome!  I’m not sure whether I’ll try it again!

#22. Birds in the Backyard. Oil on Primed Arches Oil Paper. 8″ x 10″

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Mississippi Workshop – Part II. Water & Wildlife.

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It would be impossible to retrace our workshop footsteps and recount all of our painting triumphs and pratfalls, so I’ll just say:  WATER and WILDLIFE!   We spent every day painting by beautiful waters ~~ the old Ocean Springs harbor, the gentle marshes of the Gulf Islands National Seashore, the sparkling Ocean Springs beaches and the marshy streams meandering down to the shore.  Here are a few shots of the waters we enjoyed.

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And as for the wildlife, there was a feast for the eyes ~~ from bombardier pelicans, sunning alligators, eel-gulping herons, osprey, crab and who knows what else.  And I guess we have to count as ‘wildlife’ the daring youngsters, male and female, who paddle boarded within feet of the alligator after he decided to take a dip in the harbor.

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Remembering Our Recent Workshop on Mississippi Gulf Coast – Part 1

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In writing my last post, I realized I hadn’t described our recent workshop in any detail.  It was great ~~ a delightful mix of ‘7 Palettes‘ painting buddies and Kathy Stowe, another Maryland-based friend; two of my sisters (Ceci & Susan); and three other Coast-based artists — Marylyn Gibson, Sherry Carlson and Curtis Jaunsen.  And of course our most excellent instructor, Marc Hanson.

Marc and Terry Miura are two of my most favorite landscape painters (not to take anything away from our outstanding MD-based artists).  Painting ‘rock stars’ in my book.  I’ve taken workshops with each of them and our 7Ps group sponsored a workshop with Terry not long ago.  It was fun to learn that they both trained at the same school in California!  Must be something in the water (or the OMG) out there!

Here are the beautiful demos that Marc did during our four day workshop.  I bought ‘On Canal by Old OS Harbor’ as a memento of the wonderful experience.

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Pre-Workshop Painting of ‘Susan’s Marsh’ Got Some Touchups Pre-Exhibit

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Before the recent workshop on the Mississippi Gulf Coast, I tried to get in the groove by painting one of the places we would visit there.  I call it ‘Susan’s Marsh’ because it was based on a photo my sister took in showing us potential venues.  I didn’t finish it then, but did so a couple of weeks ago so I could include it in our new Maplewood Exhibit.  I decided to spice it up a bit by adding a heron — it was looking a bit too tranquil without it!

 

Painting #16. Painting Smoke Outside the Kitchen Window

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We’ve got a beautiful fluffy pink smoke bush in our front yard.  It’s only a few years old but it’s grown huge.  Its color is very interesting.  Not ‘PINK pink’, but something fairly indescribable.  I can show you better with my brush than with my words.  I also give you a few photos below to get a sense of what I was looking at when I painted this one live.

The ‘7 Palettes’ Kicked Off a Summer-long Exhibit Yesterday!

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Yesterday, some friends and I, who collaborate on all things art as The 7 Palettes,  opened a new exhibit in Bethesda, Maryland.  Our art — some 40+ pieces — will be displayed for three months at Maplewood Park Place on Old Georgetown Road.  Come see our pretties, please — any day between now and August 24, from 10 to 4 daily.   And congratulations to Sara Becker, whose large abstract painting sold during the Opening Reception!!  Way to go, Sara!

 

Painting #5 – Secluded Culvert & Stream at Shepherdstown

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Yesterday’s painting – #5 of the daily painting project!

When we saw this scene last year at Shepherdstown near the Potomac River, we didn’t know exactly what it was — discolored parapet, water culverts, old stone pillars, small gushing stream, totally shaded by trees.  Mysterious.  Drew our attention.

I’m thinking this painting still needs a lot of ‘clarifying’ work.  May or may not ‘go back in’ and tweak it some more.  I scraped off some whites above the ‘black hole’ because they were way too bight, but probably should add some other light colored patches there . . .

Stream and Culvert at Shelpherdstown. Oil on Paper. 8″x10″.

Painting #4 – Potomac River at Shepherdstown

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Here’s yesterday’s painting, along with its reference.  I feel like I’m on a marathon and am ALREADY huffing and puffing!!

Potomac River at Shepherdstown WV – #4. Oil on Paper. 8″x10″.

Potomac River at Shepherdstown WV .

 

Painting #3 – Resting at Shepherdstown

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Here’s my third of the 100 painting project — still on the Shepherdstown WV subject matter.  This one was simple compared to those other two!

The painting & the reference.

Shepherdstown boaters, resting. Oil on Paper. 8″x10″. 2018.

Photo of Shepherdstown boaters.

Painting #2 – Kayaking at Shepherdstown

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I hadn’t gotten done with being proud of Sunday’s 1-of-100 painting when – – – – it was time to do another one!  This is gonna be tough!  Since I’ll have lots of surfaces to kill during this project, I figure I’ll keep going with more of my Shepherdstown references til I have a little collection of similars.

Here’s #2, along with its reference.  Hmmm, the minute I put the brush down I start counting the snafus.

Shepherdstown Kayak. Oil on Paper. 8×10. 2018.

Potomac River at Shepherdstown Bridge

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