Recent Plein Air Paintings

Distant Shore - Wau-ke-na, oil, 12x9
Painted last Saturday, August 24 at the  Wau-ke-Na South tract  owned by the Southwest Michigan Land Conservancy (SWMLC) during the annual Art Walk. Many artists from the Plein Air Artists of West Michigan (PAAWM) set up to paint this beautiful property. Guests were able to walk from artist to artist, look at paintings and converse with the artists. Also, the 2013 "Painted Sanctuary" Calendar was debuted and for sale. See SWMLC to find out more about the calendars and land conservancy.

Field and Distant Farm, oil, 12x16
Yesterday, I returned to the Merizon Studio property  on Kalamazoo Ave. with Barb S. and Connie K. We wanted to paint a few more pieces for the upcoming exhibit to be held in the Merizon farmhouse. There will be 20 artists from the PAAWM group showing their plein air work. The exhibit opens on Saturday, September 15 from 3-7pm.

Rose of Sharon, oil, 11x14
The second painting of the Merizon property. This corncrib is in beautiful condition, though not as red as this photo makes my painting look! The flowering trees were in their prime as they framed the front of the building. I invented the foreground shadow to create more contrast and the added diagonal repeats the other diagonals within the composition. I like the feeling of bright light of this afternoon painting.

Two Pines, oil, 9x12
My second painting of the day at the Wau-ke-na Art Walk event.

ARTPRIZE painting completed

Elements of Rock and Water, oil on linen, 40x60

Whew! I am finally finished. At least for now because I may still have to do some tweaking. The last stretch of finishing the sunlit rock in the middle and completing the water took at least 10 hours of very steady painting. It helped to make big piles of mixed colors and I did not want to stop too long for the color to dry out. I also tweaked the dry areas quite a bit by scumbling to lighten and gray down areas and glazing to darken and warm or cool areas.

This painting will be exhibited during ArtPrize 2012 at "THE SPOT", the Federal Square Building, 29 Pearl St., Grand Rapids. If you are wondering what ArtPrize is, check out the web site at www.artprize.org.   ArtPrize starts Wednesday, September 19. I will be there from 6-8pm on the opening day, Friday 6-10pm, Saturday 12-3pm, Sunday 3-6pm and the following Thursday the 27th from 12-2:30pm. Please stop in to say Hi!

Painting Progression III

 I had the opportunity to participate in the Water Street Wet Paint event last weekend in Douglas, MI. I will be posting the paintings that I did from that event soon. Still need to photograph them!

Painting at Oval Beach, Douglas, MI

Elements of Rock and Water, oil, 40x60

I just finished painting the rocks....for now. It took much longer than I anticipated. I will study the progress I have made and probably make some minor changes as I tackle the water. The turquoise strip of water you see will most likely change as I determine the colors to create a sense of depth.
Painting the water could take a few days...so I hope to complete this painting by Friday.
Look for the final outcome then.

Painting Progression II

Here I have included my palette as I worked on the sky and distant trees. I have actually progressed much more than this, with much of the time focused on the large rock. I just need to work a few more hours and will photograph and post my most recent progress.

Watch for the next blog....coming soon.

Painting Progression I

After a few small color studies and a larger pastel painting of my subject, I feel ready to start. My canvas is 40"x60" stretched, primed linen. I like the oil primed linen because it is smooth and the paint sits on top of the surface more than the acrylic primed canvas. I think the colors appear more vibrant. I started by toning my large masses.

The start - in my studio.
The pastel study is on the left, the computer monitor with the original photo is in the middle.

After some re-drawing, I painted in the sky and started the trees.

Look for the next blog. 

Painting in Leelanau Co.

Here is the rest of the story! When I returned home from the Glen Arbor trip, I felt a few of the paintings needed a little help. So after a few touch ups, they were photographed so I could add them to my web site and blog.

Michigan Beach (Port Oneida), oil, 6x8, $295. framed
The second painting on Saturday morning of the paint out. This one required more paint in the foreground , which I worked on in the studio.

Thoreson Farm, oil, 8x10, $500. framed
I painted this one on Friday evening during the "quick draw" event. We only had two hours to complete a painting and I felt like this one was finished by the ending time.

Leelanau Road, oil on panel, 6x6, $250. framed
Painted on Sunday, the day after the paint out. It was very windy and kind of chilly compared to the day before. 

Port Oneida Beach, oil, 9x12, $650. framed
The first painting of the day on Saturday....I found some shade.

Vineyard and Bay, oil, 9x12, $650. framed
Painted on Sunday, south of Suttons Bay, before we left for home.

The start of "Port Oneida Beach".

Painting in Glen Arbor

This weekend I participated in the Glen Arbor Art Association 2012 Paint Out. Sixty artists from Michigan participated in the event and spread out to paint around the Glen Arbor area. I accompanied  another artist, Holly Sturges, as we searched and painted at the perfect spots during the event on Saturday. One of the criteria for a good spot was shade. The day was very hot. I found morning shade at the beach (below) and did two paintings there. Then we went to the base of Sleeping Bear Dunes and painted under a shady tree (see "Dune View" below). The last place of the afternoon was a small shady spot along a not often traveled gravel road. I lost my shade and could really feel the heat but the view was so great that I persevered to finish "Kelderhouse Road". We had to turn in two framed paintings by 4:30pm for the evening reception. There patrons browsed the work by the many artists and quickly purchased their favorites!

Painting Saturday morning on a Port Onida Beach. The painting is in progress here.

Dune View, oil on linen panel, 9x12, SOLD
at the Glen Arbor Art  Asso.  reception on Saturday night.

Kelderhouse Road, oil, 6x8, SOLD
at the Glen Arbor Art Asso. Paint Out reception on Saturday night.

Painting a Leelanau scene on Sunday morning. It was very, very windy and the temperature had dropped considerably from yesterday.

Leelanau Farm, oil, 6x8, at Treeline gallery
This is the finished painting now at the gallery in Suttons Bay. I dropped it off wet and unframed. Call the gallery if interested in this little Leelanau painting.

Birches on Bell's Bay - progression

     Last month our family did a camping vacation in northern Michigan. We camped for the first time just south of Charlevoix, MI, at Fisherman's Island State Park (on Bell's Bay). This state park was far more rustic than the average Michigan State Park, it felt more like a State Forest Campground. We got a camping site very near the water and I was able to do several plein air studies while there. "Birches-Study" was one of several on site paintings. When I returned back to the studio, I painted "Birches on Bell's Bay", 24x30,  in pastel and will feature that painting at the upcoming Charlevoix Waterfront Art Fair next Saturday, Aug. 11. While visiting the art fair, stop in to North Seas Gallery!

    Below, I am showing the study and a few progression images of the large painting.

1st step of blocking in the large shapes of value and color, after working out the composition.
I used mostly the harder sticks of Nu-pastel.

The next step of using a wash of alcohol to dissolve the pastel into the paper to make an underpainting.

The near finished pastel painting.
Birches on Bell's Bay, pastel, 24x30, $2300. framed

Birches-Study, oil on panel, 10x8, $500.
The plein air study painted at Fisherman's Island State Park.