Sonoma Plein Air 2014

 Sonoma Skies (8x10)

Just back from Sonoma Plein Air 2014 and what a beautiful place to be and not just to paint; perfect sunny weather and gorgeous landscape and coast to explore. Here are a few of the dozen or so pieces I did there...

 California Cloudscape (8x10) SOLD

It was also great to see and paint with some friends that I only get to see a couple of times a year at events like these -- these are "my people" who understand the artist in me the most, who face the same trials and tribulations that creatives have to deal with...

 Moonlight Drive (12x16) SOLD

So while we encouraged one another, we commiserated some too, to vent our frustrations and compare notes on what's not working and what is...

 Silver Sonoma Coast (6x8) SOLD

But the best parts were sharing the excitement of caravaning thru the pre-dawn hours to reach the coast and capture the first light on canvas, and spontaneous dinner parties at the end of long days painting to share fun stories of triumphs and failures -- camaraderie among artists is a very special and needful experience (and it also elevates the homesickness I often feel away from my girls back home).

 Summers End (8x10) SOLD

This piece (above) was the first of mine to sell on Saturday and was painted on the Annadel Estate Winery where I was given full access of the grounds, and a complimentary glass of award-winning Chardonnay before I left (thank you Abi!)...

Bodega Rocks (8x10)

At Bodega Head on the Sonoma Coast there were dozens of paintings in every direction; zero wind, zero clouds, zero crowds -- just nature at it's finest! I only wish I had more time to explore better compositions, but the richness of the day will last me for months to come. Can hardly wait to get back next year, but what a way to close out the summer -- thank you everyone at SPA for a great time and to my host, Bev Raaka for another comfortable stay!

Night Tide (progress)

 "Night Tide" (18x18) o/p

This painting began with a trip to Hug Point beach on the northern Oregon coast last month with a couple of painter friends. We were there  painting and sketching all day, and I came away with several plein air studies and some ideas in my sketchbook for something I would do back in the studio.

 From the sketch book...

What I had in mind was a nocturne; a moonlit blue-violet scene that had a sense of peaceful mystery about it (as this beach does at night, being part of what I call the "lonely Oregon coast")...

I did a few monochromatic studies in chalk on Canson paper before I felt comfortable moving to a full colour study with a composition I liked. Although this may appear to be a limited palette, I utilized a full range of oils to achieve a subtle depth of colour involving various blues, violets, greens, greys and browns made up of primary and secondary hues...

 More refinement...

Below is the colour study (the small 12x12 on the left) and the larger version about 3/4 done... I later changed the cloud shapes, omitted the shadow on the large tree trunk and added the shallow cave at the base of the cliff (which is there in real life, but I had originally thought it might be too distracting).

In progress...

I eventually did three versions all together, with the final one being a horizontal 12x16 in which I added more trees to the bluff on the right side. I may post that one later -- it's destined for a show in New York next month.