Great Spangled Fritillary Butterfly

 

Great Spangled Fritillary, 10x10, oil on panel available

 

My apologies to anyone who has clicked on this post to find it empty! It appears I did something to delete the original post of which I still have no clue as to what that might have been.

This image came from a hike I did last summer up near Vail, CO. I did not know the name of this butterfly so had to do some research. It was taken with my phone camera and I used 'portrait' to get the image up close and the background blurred.

In drafting this painting I did a thorough drawing of the butterfly so as to get a feel for the pattern on the wings before diving in to paint. The flower petals were drawn in as well as I felt I could get the flow of the petals better if I drew them in first. I used a red colored pencil which is still in evidence. I am not known for soft edges so the background blur was fun to play around with.

Day Lilies in the Garden

 

Day Lilies in the Garden, 12x9, oil, Available

 

 

I started this smaller work as a way to paint with my friend who comes over once a month for us to catch up and paint together for the day. It seemed one I could do while talking without too much investment in the outcome. I am pleased with the outcome which is a bonus. I finished it up on my own but it was mostly done in this friendly and congenial atmosphere. 

To start work in garden in early spring after all the snow we have had and waiting for the so soil to not be so saturated, I began to dig up those plants that are taking over my main flower bed in the backyard. The tubers of day lilies and the bulbs of grape hyacinths both tend to be in clumps with not as much dirt around them once they get thick from lack of thinning. I have not thinned the thicket of where these particular day lily plants are, but I did ravish the other side of the butterfly bush - the purple flowers and the green tube shaped remnants of the flowers which divide the bed, east vs west. Most of the foliage in this painting is from the other plant that has taken over, spearmint. A veritable thicket. I purposely let it get out hand the past several years because it is the last flowering plant in the fall for the bees. A neighbor has a bee hive in my back yard and I want to do my best by them. However, I got after the mint as well. I have no doubt it will be back, but it gets to start all over now. I threw in some Zinnia seeds last year that I really enjoyed so I want more room for those this year. 

I have left this painting in my dining room for now, so that every time I walk by it brings joy to my heart. I am posting it on this Easter 2021 as a sign of hope for things to come. May the blessings of this day be with you now and always.

Morning Glory - EAST

 

Morning Glory-East, 24"x24" oil - available - please contact me

 

Here is another one I started over a year ago. I think I have determined I really don't like this canvas, that I once thought I did. I have a hard time taking good photos of any paintings I do using this substrate. That alone is not the problem, as it just reveals things to me I don't want to see, which is a good thing overall. I just don't like how the paint works on this slick linen. I am currently working over an old painting on cotton and on a board substrate and those paintings are coming along swimmingly. 

As I was raising the blinds in my bedroom one November morning this scene was a beautiful reminder of how unique each sun rise is. I ran to get my phone and then ran out to the back deck, and thankfully, the sky was still spectacular. This is looking East on Iowa Street towards Downing St. That is my garage in the lower right hand corner. When I was working and had a dog that needed to be walked prior to going to work at 7 a.m. I saw the sunrise way more than I do today as a retired and a dog-less individual. So I am far more moved by them now that I see them less often, and I have always been in awe of the beauty of nature.

I painted the whole street scene trying to keep it within a certain value group; enough variety to know what it is and differentiate between the houses, but still reading overall as a whole. The lighter values help you move within this larger dark shape. but not enough to take away from the sunrise. Hopefully, they compliment each other.

Lone Tree

 

Lone Tree, 14x11, oil

I needed something fun and simple to work on and so I went browsing through my phone to see if I could find anything on it that fit the bill. I came across this lone bare tree taken in the Fall of 2016 in Sedalia Colorado. It was exactly what I needed. I picked up a plein air painting I had done in the fall of the Boat House at Washington Park which was no great shakes, turned it on its side, and went to work. I let some of the color come through from the boat house painting which can be very difficult for me to do. There was more I wanted to do in this painting initially, but this is one time I actually stopped myself before going any further to leave more of the under painting elements come through and add to the interest.

The story behind the tree. I was in Sedalia for a 2 day silent retreat. My first time doing a silent retreat. I knew no one else there and we were not to talk to anyone outside of our group meet ups a couple of times per day. I went wandering around the vast property there as I meditated. I was going through divorce and I think this tree captured how I felt. Alone, bare, stripped down to the bare skeleton. A time for reflection and rebirth. Solid, buffeted by the winds, yet still standing.  Maybe this is why I was able to stop before I normally would. To remind myself that I am still a work in progress - that some of the old is still showing through but that is what brought me to where I am today.

The wee Western Grebe

 

Western Grebe, 12x16, oil

This juvenile Western Grebe was seen in Washington Park here in Denver where we often see birds stopping by on their migratory journey. It is rare to see a grebe, though, so it was a day to note. I took a number of photos before this was immediately 'the one' to render in paint. The patterns in the reflection reminded me of  a tapestry or damask fabric. Verifying that it was a Western grebe took me some time before I stumbled on a photo of a juvenile. Then it was Bingo! I knew the beak was right, not that I am a birder.

 

I started off painting over an ugly snow scene I had done a few years back from my office window on Lowry. Not a beautiful view, but it was 'my' view. I started out figuring out where I wanted the bird, and since I wanted the bird to stand out I flipped the painting upside down so I could keep my eye on it while developing the water around it. . Then started to indicate the movement. This next image was taken under lights in the evening hence the different lighting, but I am using it to show how I started to build up the water thinking in shapes and leaving negative space. It might have been easier to paint the water a solid color and then add the reflection but this is how I see: very abstractly with shapes and negative space.

I was thinking of a title using a tapestry term as the water does have a somewhat damask feel to it. Yet nothing is sounding good to me. If you have any ideas for a title besides my uninspiring Western Grebe, I would love to hear it! Many thanks.

Fall is the Wrong Season as we see Spring on the Horizon

Smith Lake-Fall Reflected, 18x24, oil...available

As I walked the park this morning there was decidedly Spring feel to the air despite the temperature which was 19 degrees. The air was clear and there was a bird singing that heralds the change of seasons. That is in stark contrast to the painting I am posting today. I started this painting in early fall last year (or could it have possibly been the year before?) and finally was motivated to go for it. I never had gotten far, and had somehow lost all interest in. It is not my usual style, which is on purpose. I would like my landscapes to be more abstract which is how I started this painting but ended up being more loosely painted. I would like to believe I was listening and dancing to some lively music, but that was really not the case. More a wanting to do something completely different for me.
I have walked this park so many times I am surprised that there is no groove to prove it!

The Old with the New

Semur Street Scene with Car, 14x11, block in

To start of this new year of 2020 I am posting an updated painting I started back in 2015. Here is the original block in from that year. Not bad at all. I did a number of paintings from that 3 week trip to France. In my quest to have better paintings overall, I picked this painting to update. Surprising to me was that I had no updated images of it since the block in phase and I had considered it 'finished' at some point in time. So I did  not think to photograph it before redrawing it and starting in again. Below is the latest restructured image. Not too many corrections overall. I wish I had looked at the original block in before starting over as I see plenty of things I like in it.

Semur is an old walled town in Burgundy, France. I found so much to like about the winding streets and old buildings. We only spent an afternoon walking around this town yet I have done at least 5-6 paintings from there. It is amazing how many centuries these houses have seen, yet still stand.

Semur Street Scene with Car, 14x11. oil 

From Here to Eternity II

From Here to Eternity II, 12x24, oil on linen panel

As a movie I was watching was beginning recently, I noticed the beautiful abstract landscapes of the intro with the credits. The images were so abstract that they did not at first read as a real place in any landscape. I had to go back a number of times to really note what these photographs were saying. They so impressed me I decided to translate them in my own way. Here is the first of these images that so captured my imagination. I call it From Here to Eternity II for, I think, obvious reasons. The road is straight for miles without end. The film took place in Australia. The II is because I named another painting recently the same title, also of a road. In the blogpost it did not have that title yet.

It is a good vehicle for me to keep things simple; to try and add visual interest to very basic shapes.

I think it does beg the viewer to ask themselves some questions. For me, I was thinking about the road I am on. It isn't really as straight and narrow as I would like. In fact, the next painting from this movie inspiration is more like the road I believe I am on which is full of circles which I hope I can break out of soon to get on this road in the twilight of my life. Much calmer and straight forward.

The Hideout Teepee

I am a bit behind these days; I am sure the break is as welcome for you as it is for me!

The Hideout, 8x8 oil

Last Saturday I went out plein air painting again. Oh my. Will this become a regular thing again? Who can withstand the call of being in the beautiful outdoors doing the one thing you love even on an off day?

It was a new location for me, being almost to Castlewood Canyon off Parker Road. Called Hidden Mesa Open Space (part of the city of Castle Rock). I saw so many great scenes I would have enjoyed painting on my way back to my car! I must remember to pay more attention when out scouting for a scene to put to canvas. So much to think about. Be that as it may, I did find a a little spot to sit for spell and did this small sketch. I discovered this little lean to someone had very meticulously built at the base of these willows. I don't normally like to sit when painting plein air but it was necessary this day so I wanted to focus on something close up and not a broad landscape view. There was a picnic bench nearby and a trail where some one or a number of people must come here. It is not seen from the main trail that takes you back to Cherry Creek and the walk along the mesas. It may not look that big from this sketch but I would think two kids or one adult could sit in there comfortably. I did  not go in to see the insides.

Randy Higbee Gallery 6x6 show

Just a wee note to let you all know that I got the 3 pieces I submitted accepted into the Randy Higbee Gallery for the annual 6x6 show. The gallery is in Costa Mesa, CA the month of December. I had one accepted last year out of three and it sold. Sure hoping I sell at least one again but all three of course would be lovely. Randy has posted all accepted paintings on http://www.dailybrushwork.com so you can see them online.
Below is the only one of the three I have not posted on my blog. It is coming out of Glenwood Canyon on I-70. A year ago I went to Glenwood Springs with my two adult children to take in the hot springs. What a lovely time it was, too. Gorgeous weather and outdoor pools. I could use a bit of that right about now, too.

Homeward Bound, 6x6, oil on panel

The cliffs along Half Moon Bay

A few years ago I was in Half Moon Bay, California to spend Easter with Richard's niece. Richard and his brother and I spent the morning walking along the cliffs and then back via the beach. My brother-in-law is still on the cliffs as he did not join us on the beach walk. That would be him scanning the horizon.

Cliffs-Half Moon Bay, 24x24, oil

I know this is somewhat of a 'gutsy' composition. Not only does it slash the square into almost two identical shapes, but the cliffs fade off the canvas! I have the bird soaring to act like a period to stop the viewer as well as the hills in the distance to go back into rather than off to the left.  The figures in the foreground also help to anchor the viewer in the composition. So the thought was the viewer would start with the figure (my brother-in-law) go off towards the left, see the bird, drop down to the figure and come back across the beach.

My aim was to keep each large shape in one value group yet keep those shapes interesting. So, sky, cliffs and beach. As a graphic designer I want to make each shape a flat color so this is my continuing struggle to add interest with texture (paint quality), subtle value shifts and layering of paint. Layering paint sounds so easy but for me it is not. I want to cover the previous layer, every speck of it! Sand is a particular favorite of mine to practice using texture and value shifts. There is so much blue (reflected sky after all) in that sand with some rose and ocher too.

Highway 101

I found out recently that my father-in-law, Bob Ekelund, had been refusing food and drink. I had already been thinking of doing this painting in remembrance of all the times we drove to the ranch in Hopland, California from either the airport or from my brother-in-laws home

Fall Colors in Northern California vineyards. 20x16, oil on panel

I found out yesterday afternoon (Tuesday) that he had passed away peacefully. It is only fitting that I post this painting now in remembrance for Bob and all the wonderful memories shared in his home.

This image is from the last trip we took for Thanksgiving 2006 on the ranch. We were driving up Hwy 101 somewhere between Geyserville and Cloverdale. It is such a beautiful drive.

This painting practically painted itself. It doesn't happen as often as I would like, this phenomenon of a painting painting itself but when it does, it is a joy. Fast and easy and no struggles! It is what is called a 'Z' composition, where the viewer zig-zags thru the picture.

Study in the Garden

Garden Study-Black-eyed Susans, 12x9, oil on panel

This painting was started on a recent gray overcast day, which gives you a lot of flat light. I did not have to fight with light and shadow everywhere although there was lots of ambient light. I painted right through the rain shower but then the sun came out and that changed everything. I finished this little piece in the studio. I was trying to capture the happy buoyancy of black-eyed Susans in the garden. The red Maltese crosses were on their way out but I thought they added a nice spark of color and the purple salvia tied in with the reflected blue light on the leaves. I don't paint outside near enough anymore. It does feel good.

Ogden Street Alley Recaptured

I realized while I was writing the post on the Moonshine Yarrow painting, that I have stood, in a relatively small area of our alley, and done a number of paintings. I thought it might be fun to recap some of them in a post so that they all can be seen together. I have looked north more than south with an east thrown in. My first painting was in the Summer of 2006, and it was painted plein air. A bunch of hollyhocks had grown up against the neighbors fence where I had thrown some in a pile while cleaning up my garden the year before. I piled them high before putting them all in the trash at once so I would not have to stop while in my gardening frenzy. I was so taken with the crop of hollyhocks that volunteered there, lovely in the afternoon light, that I got out my gear and set up. I am facing east here, but standing in almost the same spot I stood to do the Moonshine Yarrow painting. This is the first year since 2006 that these flowers did not do well. I think it was all the rain we had this summer. These guys definitely prefer hot and dry.

Jeff's Fence, July 2006, 24x12

A few years later, I did this 36x24 studio piece from the photos I had taken that day. This painting was in the National Oil Painters of America show of 2010 in Scottsdale AZ. I had so much fun painting this. I loved all the colors in the big heart-shaped leaves and the way the leaves layer and cast shadows.

Hollyhocks in the Alley, 36x24, 2009

My next painting from my alley was in the Fall of 2009, and it was also painted plein air. I remember being attracted to the way the white truck, garage and tree trunk were carved out by the grays of the leafless trees behind. I was also attracted by the repetition of oranges of the fences, the garage and the bush being hit with the afternoon light. Monochromatic with a splash of fall color!Or a study in orange and blue, which are complimentary colors. I stood on the corner of our driveway to get this view. This painting was in the Plein Air Artists of Colorado Show in 2010 when it was held at Saks Gallery in Cherry Creek.

Alley in Fall, October 2009, 14x11

Work in Progress, 24x36, oil on linen, 2010

I did a plein air study for this larger studio piece one cold snowy day. It was quickly done as I was standing in the alley on the hill and it was very icy standing in the shadow of the house. There was not a lot of room if a car slid going up or down the hill. I was mainly focused on the shapes and repeating angles of the garage roofs. I had driven home from running errands and saw the guys working at the end of the alley and decided I Just had to capture it. I had about an hour before they broke for lunch. This finished painting took the blue and orange theme I had started in the first painting to a deeper level. Having the snow on the ground was a huge asset. I like the scene from the middle perspective down the alley and just at the crest of the hill in the studio piece.

WIP study, 11x14, February 2010

Then in July of 2010 I did this painting of the hollyhocks. I am standing on the edge of Jeff's driveway right across from our garage looking south. (His fence was in the first painting of the hollyhocks.) One of my friends at work had complained about my putting dumpsters front and center in my alley paintings, so I angled myself so that the dumpster was hidden by the hollyhocks. Hollyhocks at High Noon.

Right Up My Alley study, 14x11, early July 2010, oil on linen

I intended to do the larger painting from this study in my studio, but I ended up painting it outside as well. It took me two weekends to do it, but I went out at the same time each day  (11 a.m.-12: 30 p.m.) and did what I could before the light changed too drastically. I decided to lower the vanishing point in the second painting, but the more I look at the first one, the more dramatic that angle seems and I like it. There is now a 6 foot privacy fence where the chain link fence is so the little alley house cannot be seen from this angle any longer. :-( I am noticing more and more of that since I started to document my neighborhood and its alleys. Such a shame. What are people trying to keep out is what I want to know? I would miss chatting with the people who are always walking by our corner lot house, still with an old chain link fence.

Right Up My Alley, late July 2010, 24x18, oil on canvas

Here I am reverting back to looking north. I see this view so often in my rearview mirror as I park, that it is now an old friend. Again, I was coming home around lunchtime from doing errands or walking the dog, and had to stop and take photos. it is just a quiet peaceful scene. I just finished this painting this past spring and have not posted it before now. Just goes to show you that the everyday and commonplace can continue to be "new" and "exciting" if you just don't get to stuck on it being "commonplace,"  or thinking you know it. The only time of year I have not done yet in my little world, is spring. I will have to see what next year brings.

Gently Falling Snow, 18x24, oil on board painted Spring 2013

 

Progression of Aspen Meadow in Fall-Work in Progress

Week 1 Block in

The initial block in went well. The patterns and eye flow I was wanting were pretty much there. All in all I was happy with the start of this painting. The reference photo I am using for this is from Golden Gate State Park, the meadow between two trails, mid-September of last year.

Week 2 correcting drawing from block in

Week two I realized how slender the pine tree was on the left so doubled it in width and with that had to move the two aspens on the right over as well. I added a tilt to the right as I had made it too straight up and down. Also corrected the angle of the aspen coming from behind the pine tree. Then I started on getting the values corrected. It is noonish on a bright sunny day so the grasses and other flora had to be lightened up as they are getting the most direct sun. I used some leftover light blue from my palette to redo the sky holes but know it was not going to need to be lighter at some point.

Week 3 refining

It is good to see the progress made over three weeks. I see some things in week 3 that I like but I also see somethings that I have lost since the original block in that I want to bring back.One of those is the lovely arrow movement of the meadow behind all the aspens. Stay tuned for the next step. Week 4 is critique.

A Great Fall Day

This morning there was an email with notes on this month's assignment for Kevin's Saturday's class. Since I have taken a few days off from work, I thought I would go ahead and do the assignment to loosen up after 3 days of intense days on the computer. The assignment is to do a color harmony painting using a grayish "mother color." ie every color used must have the "mother" in it as well. At least that is my understanding not having been there for the demo and lecture. I was intrigued. I had set up this "still life" inadvertently - just getting the pumpkin out of my way for another project - and have been looking at it for days thinking what a cool juxtaposition it is. It became my subject for the assignment even though it sounds like photo reference was supposed to be used. I don't know if I did the assignment well (next class is 11-21) but I like it and I think it works. This piece is a 12 x 9 and I did it in about an hour. I may have to do a few more of these...
After lunch, being that it was a beautiful Colorado fall day, I went outside to see what I could see. I set up in the alley by my neighbors fence and faced north. I am pleased with this study, done in just over an hour and 15" on an 11x14 panel. I may use it to do a larger version. What a wonderful day it has been.

Big Bend Revisited

This painting has been bothering me for some time now. I painted it last fall on Hwy 40 at Big Bend on the way to Berthoud Pass. Last weekend I decided to rework it. A number of things finally gelled for me. The foreground was out of proportion to the mountain, dimishing the size and solidness. In fact, the trees can still come down a bit more on the bottom to no ill effect. Also, the trees on the far side of the mountain were no different in value than the trees in the foreground, so I grayed them down. I carved away at the grove of trees near the top and also grayed them. I felt the color of the beetle kill was too intense. I concentrated on trying to get movement through the mountain side and to break up all the gold. I did not get to the immediate foreground at all so that is incomplete at this point. I will look at for awhile and see what comes. It is all a process.

I do enjoy taking these paintings to see what I can learn. I look at the photo reference very sparingly and concentrate on what I am trying to say. I had put the original photo of the painting in photoshop and grayscaled it, and took my photo reference and grayscaled it, too. Amazingly, my values weren't as off as I had thought, so I held to the color and value of the original painting as I reworked it, but tried to get more feeling of movement and depth.

Tomorrow I will be heading to California for a week. I am taking my paints, but computer access will be limited.

CR 50 revisited

Here is a drastic before and after; Since I had worked on the Fall Aspens last weekend and I still had color mixed, I decided to take out this painting from two years ago, painted of the same grove of aspens along CR 50 near Marie's home in Fraser. I originally had thought to not show this painting in its original form, as at the time, I felt it a break through painting and now I look at it and go, oh my! There are still things I like about it but overall, I am not happy to actually put it out there for you all to see. But since this is about my journey as an artist and not about my best work, (obviously, "best work" is all relative to where you are at the time, anyway) I decided to post it along with the photo of me starting it on location. You will notice that I have not even set my easel up yet as I was new to being out in the field again and I was trying to figure out how best to approach what it was I wanted to say about this scene.

I tried to keep the colors true to the original, as I do remember the day being one of those clear crisp Colorado BLUE sky days with the color contrasted with the gold of the aspens. I did change the spirit of the original as I tried to make the trees more realistic. I remember that what I was drawn to was the path of light on the ground under the aspens.
I read this quote from Victor Higgins while drinking my coffe this morning "A painter never paints because he wants to paint a picture, as that he wants to solve a problem. A problem in form, in composition, design if you prefer the term, in color harmonies..." This is so true.

My next post will be about one of these problems...and whether I have solved it or not.

Nothing New

This past weekend I just pulled some of the paintings I have done this fall that I wanted to touch up; some just a tad, others more than a tad. I think the general rule of thumb on a painting being called a plein-air piece is 80% done on site and 20% can be done in the studio. A plein air painting done 100% on location is called "alla prima." So with that in mind, I think all of these still qualify for plein aire.


Friday I worked on this piece from the Bobolink Trailhead in Boulder, done in October. I had wanted to even out the grass field so that the plane gave a better feeling of being flat. I do tend to get carried away on the textures and patterns. So I tried to keep the color the same but lighter in value on the foreground and to darken the tree itself. I left some of the grasses as is as I weaved the lighter values in. I do actually think of it being a "weaving" of color when I am painting on top of an existing piece. I know there are many artists who use their field sketch to do a bigger painting from, but I actually like to work on the painting itself. It helps me to think about what I want to capture in the field that I am not getting done.



Saturday I revisited the painting I drove to Boulder twice to work on in the field. The Teller Farm buildings. I was still not satisfied with it and so onto the easel it went. I wanted to simplify the shapes and add contrast between the light and the dark shapes. I also flattened out the foreground.

Sunday I pulled a painting out from September painted in Fraser. I have been looking at this painting for months now and wasn't sure if I should mess with it or not. I finally decided that yes, it was something I wanted to do. I toned down some of the colors and unifed the values. I am much happier with all three of these paintings.

Teller Farms Revisited

Sunday found me back at Teller Farms open space. It was projected to be a beautiful day, and it was. Terri and I met up in the parking lot around 9 a.m. I headed back to the same place where I had painted last Saturday with Pat, as I could see the orange willows were spectacular against the purple blue mountains. I painted in almost the exact same spot but turned a quarter turn or so. I am happy with the outcome, but it does needs minor touch ups here and there,ie the evergreen "trees" look weird - what was I thinking? This is also one of those paintings that just looks better in person. Teller Farms Open Space Revisited is 9" x 12." I should call it "Painting of a Fence" which is what a young boy child remarked about it. (really, the fence is just a vehicle for the eye to travel) It reminded me of another time while painting in Boulder where a remark was overheard "Look, an artist!" which is reminiscent of "Look, a moose!"

Pat joined me for the afternoon. I had planned on painting the farm buildings again, too, but in a long landscape format (16x10) so that I could get more of the outbuildings in. I did get a bit more than I expected in place but it was a tough go as the wind really came roaring through. Poor Pat, her whole kit and kaboodle blew over with her palette and her painting both landing face down in the dirt. I am not really happy with the inital photograph of this painting so I am hesitant to post it just yet.