Golden Triangle Deadline

Today is the last day to submit to the Golden Triangle Museum District 3rd Annual Event. I did 5 paintings in the two weeks. Wiped one off, which leaves 4. I opted to only submit 2 (Urban Tranquility and Urban Serenity) of the 4 this year even though I think all 4 are better than most of the ones I did last year and I submitted 5 last year and 4 were accepted. I finished the Delaware Street scene ("finished" being relative). It did not go where I wanted it to go; My son described it as "static" and I must agree with him.

I forgot to post this when I wrote it.

Last weekend of the GTMD paintout

Friday morning I went back down to Urban Roots and painted again. This one is called "Urban Tranquility" and the one I did a week previous is called "Urban Serenity." They both are 9"x12" and both took me about 2 hours.

I also went out Sunday afternoon to meet Cynthia; I painted looking up Delaware Street. I had hoped to get out yesterday to finish it up but it was so cold, wet and miserable. Not at all the sunny, warm, clear conditions of Sunday. The event officially ends for painting on Thurday, so there may still be an opportunity for me to finish it up. I think it is a good start and worth it. All images need to be turned in for jurying by Sept. 30. Last year I had 5 paintings, submitted 4 and had 3 accepted into the show. This year I have 3.5 paintings; not sure how many I will submit. 2 for sure. I think the two buddha paintings are good and will make a nice change from all the urban buildings and street scenes.

Golden Triangle Museum District Paintout 2009

Saturday morning I was downtown by 9:30 a.m. It was chilly and overcast. I found a meter on 13th (15" for a quarter, with a two hour limit) as the schedule for the day was to paint along 13th Avenue from Speer to Pearl. There was so much activity, with the Sept 12 Tea Party at the Capitol a block to the north; and the cultural event at the art museum (PowWow), one block to the west, and artists all over the Byers-Evans Museum lawn. I decided to drive around and see what else I could find. I ended up at 10th and Acoma where I found free 2 hour parking and lots of parking places. Those places filled up within minutes as I came to find out that Channel 6 was having a street fair one block to the west of where I had setup to paint. All of these events would have made for good studies of import, but I was not feeling up to the challenge. Since I work during the week my time for participating in this 2 week event is limited. And I find working outside challenging enough without trying for moving targets. I chose this tomato red building instead. I thought it was funny that it had a Clamato Juice ad on it.

I went back Sunday afternoon and again went to 10th and Acoma and painted a vignette at Urban Roots. The owner was so sweet to me, and invited me back to paint inside their property and even in the shop if I so choose. I really did not want to get in the way of their customers as they were busy, but she assured me it was fine. And to use their restroom and fridge and anything else I might need. The dark blue of the big dark pot is still not photographing well. Too much glare/reflected light on the brushstrokes. The dark of the underside of the fountain is also coming in too light. I have taken so many photographs of this painting, I am quite sick of it. I will try again this weekend as the deadline for submitting is fast approaching. This does give you the general idea, if not the correct value relationship.

Plein air Expanded show at Republic Plaza

Please visit the show hanging at Republic Plaza if you are downtown. It will be up through November 5, 2009 and I have 6 paintings hanging. I will be at the opening on September 17, 2009, which is from 5:30-7:30 p.m.

Oliver the Cat

Here are two paintings I did last month of a cat named Oliver. The square one (12”x12”) was done as a commission and the seated Oliver (8”x10”) was done just because I wanted to. A realtor commissioned the portrait after seeing a painting I had done for a friend of her cat, Magpie, also a black and white cat. I don’t normally like doing commissions, but this one was fun. Unfortunetly, the photo I took last night of Oliver sitting has too much light glare on his face, but the general idea is still there. His face is just as rich as his body.

Wyoming

Tuesday, September 1st, Marie and I joined a friend of hers, Donna Lyons, who was taking some of her students on a plein air mini trip to Sarasota, WY. Everyone but me lives in Grand County, so I drove up and stayed with Marie Monday night for the early 8:00 a.m. start time. We drove up Hwy 125 through North Park, stopping for a morning painting at a Nature Preserve along the road.
I did two small paintings; the one above left of Rabbit brush (8"x6"and the one to the right with the sage, 9"x12"). The painting of the sage would benefit for a bit stronger color in the Sage where the light is hitting it. It is looking a bit washed out to me now.

Tuesday, it took me most of the morning to settle down to painting after driving around like I was lost, looking for inspiration. I settled on painting some buildings in town. Not my best work, but I painted and sometimes that is good enough in itself. This is 11"x14." I would like to try painting this one again in the studio from this study and my photo reference. I was trying to prep myself for the Golden Triangle Museum District 3rd Annual Paint Out that starts tonight and runs through September 21st. I messed up on the perspective of the little yellow building and I also do not think it "reads" well as being in the shade. Yellow in shade is very tough to get for me without losing the "yellow" color.

Marie met up with me for lunch and then we drove out of town on one of the county roads to paint hay in the fields. It was definitely haying season in the back country. I did the painting of part of a hay fence with the rabbit brush on a slope first (above to the right, 10"x8"), more for the colors and to catch the light and then turned my easel around and did a second painting of the hay in the field (11"x14"). I would like to also do this painting larger and put in the tractor that came along to pick up the hay bales just as I was finishing up. The road into the field is to the right of the fence in the painting. I feel like I lost the shapes of the foreground bushes in this piece and the rabbit brush doesn't read very well either. For all the practice in the previous days work I had you would think they would have been a no brainer for me.

I did two more paintings but I am not sure I want to post them. Marie and I drove home via the Medicine Bow Wilderness Scenic Byway and we did stop to paint. I had fun painting my little piece at Mirror Lake, but I see too many things wrong with it to post it.