Two New Mount Diablo Paintings

Twisted Mountain(Mt Diablo) 14 x 21 watercolor Mount Diablo from Lafayette

Magee Ranch Tapestry(Mt Diablo) 14 x 21 watercolor Mount Diablo from the Magee Ranch Subdivision

This winter's drought yielded some paintings that look more like summer! These were painted in January before the rains. The cold air was clear, so the shapes on the mountain have a certain crispness I enjoy. Both were started outside and finished in the studio where I saturate the colors.

Twisted Mountain: SOLD Fairmont Gallery , Sonoma. Magee Ranch Tapestry:SOLD Portnoy Galleries, Carmel

Exhibit at Thomas Moser Cabinetmakers until May 12

September in Sunol, watercolor 14 x 21

I just returned from installing a two person exhibit"Two Plein Air Colorists" at the gorgeous Thomas Moser showroom in San Francisco. The furniture has a wonderful aesthetic. Beautiful to look at and wonderful to feel. Thomas Moser has a tradition and commitment to showing the work of local plein air painters.

My partner in this exhibit is Mary Lou Correia. A versatile artist who works well in both oil and pastel. She and I have painted together several times and it is always interesting to see her vision. Our work complements each other's very well since I paint watercolors that can look more like oils than watercolors.

The showroom is located at 3395 Sacramento Street in the Laurel Heights district of San Francisco. (At the corner of Sacramento and Walnut) Open Mon thru Sat 10 to 6 and Sun 11 to 4.

California Art Club: Celebrating the Golden State Juried Exhibition

Five O' Clock Shadow, 14 x 14 watercolor, lower right

The opening for this exhibit was last night and fellow CAC Artist member Larry Cannon was there and kind enough to send me these photos of the exhibit.( thanks Larry) The exhibit runs through June ( at the Old Mill, SanMarino) so I hope to get to see it sometime before it is over. It is an intimate space and the works are medium to small. I think the photo Larry sent shows an excellent job of installation.

Some artists don't like to be hung on the bottom of a double hanging, but I take it as a compliment! Having installed a fair number of shows myself, it is usually the strong paintings that can have enough presence to be below.

I was going for a bold approach with strong lighting. My piece is "5 O'Clock Shadow"(Lower right) and it was painted between 4:45 and 5:30 in beautiful Carmel Valley.

The Golden Coast

"The Golden Coast " 12 x 16, watercolor on arches

Every once in a while, framing happens before I get a good photograph of a painting, so I am posting a framed painting to show what the final product usually looks like. I apologize for the glare, but that is the nature of point and shoot photography and plexiglass.

My framing uses a different way of matting. I like to use a white liner and a neutral tan or gray matt. It makes the paintings look fresher to me.

This was painted from another painting of the coast near Carmel. I wanted to explore gold and turquoise colors and see how far I could push them. I love the Pacific Coast, so this is a personal favorite, it reminds me of being on vacation.

California Art Club Artist Membership

Last October, the call for applications went out for Artist Membership in the California Art Club. I have been an associate artist member for a few years and I am pleased to announce that I have just been selected as one of approximately 20 new Artist Members out of hundreds who applied. Membership is limited to 350 Painters and Sculptors working in traditional art in California.
This means a lot to me because I have a strong attachment to the art of one of the founders : William Wendt . He was an amazing landscape painter whose way of seeing the landscape as shapes has really inspired me. Coincidentally, he and I share a birthday, February 20th! What are the odds?(Well actually 1 in 365!)
The academic side of being an artist has always been important to me, studying the past so I can learn from it. I have an east coast art and art history education, so when I discovered all the wonderful California landscape painters from the turn of the century , it led me to the contemporary practitioners of traditional painting.
A traveling exhibit from the Irvine Museum to the Oakland Museum was a revelation. On the east coast, just before moving to California, I began exhibiting at the Copley Society of Boston, which to me is the east coast equivalent of this Club.
My friend and artist I admire deeply Carolyn Lord is an Artist Member and has encouraged me to join this group. If you go to the California art club web site and look at the members' work , it is like an education of what realistic painting should be. Mature artists with distinct styles and compelling visions .

Here is the History on the club from the web site:
THE HISTORY OF THE CALIFORNIA ART CLUB The California Art Club (CAC) was established in 1909 by the early California Impressionists or Plein Air Painters, and was developed from the Painter's Club of Los Angeles, which was founded in 1906 as an informal group of male artists. A significant impetus that helped form the California Art Club was the objective to allow women artists to participate in group exhibitions and in fellowship. Instrumental in the founding of the CAC were the artists, Franz Bischoff (1864-1929), Carl Oscar Borg (1879-1947), Hanson Puthuff (1875-1972) and William Wendt (1865-1946) , whose wife Julia Bracken Wendt (1871-1942) was a sculptor of high merit.
William Wendt (1865 - 1946)2nd (1911-1914) and 4th (1917-1918) CAC President
Under the leadership of William Wendt, who served as president for six years, the California Art Club quickly became a powerful and prestigious institution that was recognized as a cultural authority on the west coast.
Here is the mission Statement(again courtesy of the web site)
The California Art Club's primary purposes are to promote the fine arts in the fields of painting, drawing and sculpture referred to as traditional and representational art, with a special emphasis placed on the academic traditions and craftsmanship established by the founders of the corporation; to produce and promote art exhibits that foster understanding and interpretation of the traditional art heritage; and to furnish educational opportunities in the fine arts. Additionally, the corporation may engage in any activities that are reasonably related to or in furtherance of its stated charitable and public purposes, or in any other charitable activities.

Here is an link to the Califorina Art Club web site: http://californiaartclub.org/

The press release regarding all the new members is here: http://californiaartclub.wordpress.com/2009/01/20/congratulations-to-the-new-cac-artist-members/

LowCountry Colors, Boone Hall Plantation

LowCountry Colors, Boone Hall Plantation, 16 x 21

I painted this for my nephew's wedding back in June. We all flew to Charleston for the first marriage of this generation. The wedding reception took place at the cotton dock at Boone Hall Plantation.

While not a plein air piece, I tried to keep it consistent with my plein air approach: simplifying shapes and pushing colors toward vibrancy..thus the title.

I took about 10 photos during the reception and also stared at the colors and did a small pencil sketch that I labelled with color names to jog my memory( ie soft gold, russet , orangey green).

The three challenges I faced were: I usually avoid foregrounds, because they are hard to simplify, I don't usually paint water and there wasn't a hill in sight. Also, there was so much moisture in the air compared with California, the effect on the light was very different. I also wanted the bride and groom to like it and do a painting that they would want to keep a long time.

I am pleased with how the painting came out.

Charleston was really beautiful, we stayed on Sullivan's Island and although I didn't have my paints with me, I hope to get back there to paint.