"Breathing Room" new plein air landscape of the Northen California Hills, demonstration and set up

Breathing Room 12 x 22


In honor of Earth Day, I 'm posting this painting of the open space close to my home. When I drive here to paint I heave a sigh of relief as the  open fields and hills come into view. This is a rural area and my painting sessions are only interrupted by curious cows.

My process was pretty much my usual, horizon as the starting point and working my way down the paper.

Here's my SUV Studio  set up ,with my stool pulled out of the way.

A passerby kindly took this "'Action Photo " I sit on the stool or in the car depending on the placement of the sun ( I keep it off the paper always!) The SUV  liftback helps shade me and my paper.

"Curve of the Earth " Honorable Mention Prize in 2nd Annual Plein Air Salon

I just found out "Curve of the Earth" won a $500 honorable mention in the 2nd Annual Plein Air Salon Competition.
Thrilled especially when I look at the other paintings and painters in the contest.
 Thank you to the editors of Plein Air Magazine and Michael Zakian.

 
The Grand Prize winner: "Alterations," by Shelby Keefe, 2012, oil, 20 x 16 in. Private collection


2nd Place winner: "Big Sur," by Jesse Powell, oil, 16 x 24 in.
Second place in the 2nd Annual PleinAir Salon Competition and a check for $3,000 went to California artist Jesse Powell for "Big Sur."
 
3rd Place winner: "Sunflowers and Gladiolus," by Jim McVicker, oil, 36 x 30 in.
Third place and a check for $1,500 went to Californian Jim McVicker for "Sunflowers and Gladiolus."
 
Honorable Mention: "Chasing Light," by Kim Casebeer, oil, 36 x 36 in.

Honorable Mention: "Hills Above Nicasio, by Davis Perkins, oil, 30 x 30 in.

Honorable Mention: "Curve of the Earth," by Robin Purcell, watercolor, 21 x 16 in.
Honorable Mention awards worth $500 were presented to Kim Casebeer, Davis Perkins, and Robin Purcell.
You can read more  about the contest here:
 http://www.outdoorpainter.com/awards/winner-of-2nd-annual-pleinair-salon-competition-receives-$15000.html

"Fresh Greens" Plein Air Watercolor

Fresh Greens 18 x 24

 Here's the final version, after two weeks of staring and making minor adjustments , mostly to the foreground values. My goal was to keep the freshness but ad enough vibrancy to make the painting exciting. The title comes from the lovely greens in the grasses and the grazing cows nearby munching on the fresh greens.
Here's the link to the earlier version:
http://robinpurcellpaints.blogspot.com/2013/03/in-process-on-my-easel-today-fresh.html

"On a Clear Day" Plein Air Painting on Northgate Road on Mount Diablo

                                                         "On a Clear Day "10 x 13

A couple days ago I went up Northgate Road on Mount Diablo looking for poppies, I didn't see many poppies yet ,but was attracted to this view of the bay and hills of Marin to the North. The higher elevations on Mount Diablo are pretty dry already.  This painting involved a careful drawing of the silhouette of the slopes and the flat lands and mountains beyond.

 Here's an in process shot to give you an idea of how I started. I generally paint the lightest value I think will work in a given shape and glaze over if it seems too light later in the process.

In Process  " On a Clear Day"


Playing around with photo, the sky is actually pale yellow.

In process ,on my easel today, Fresh Greens

"Fresh Greens" 18 x 24. In process , I like it so far.
We are having an early spring and it's been great getting out to paint.
 This is in a valley about 5 miles from my house. I probably have one more painting session before it's done. It felt great to stretch out, 18 x 24 is a larger size for me and one I've been meaning to try for a while. Painting larger seems like a logical way to paint panoramas.

Desert Hill

Desert Hill 14 x 14

Here's the final version of this painting. There were some minor value and color changes as I worked on it during the past week. What I liked about this hill was the chance to explore some quieter more muted ( for me) colors. The jagged surface of the hill also gave me the chance to use straight edged and more geometric shapes. The earlier versions of this are in the entries below if you want to see my process..