Sunday, July 31, 2011

Surf Dad

Not quite as sweet as Surf Mom, but not without its (his?) charm.
This scene might have been a little too ambitious because it involved 3 busy people. But as I found out, even though they kept moving a lot, especially the little girl, they always came back to the same stance.

Oil on linen.  5 x 7

Saturday, July 30, 2011

Beach sketches: Walkers

There's a lot of people walking the beach, standing, and talking, I find them very interesting to sketch.  Just quick gesture sketches, nothing fancy.

Oil on board.  6 x 8

Friday, July 29, 2011

My Front Porch

My front porch has this very ornate trim.  For years I wanted to paint it and was intimidated by all the detail.  Then one summer, about 3 years ago, I finally got the nerve.  I don't know why I was so afraid of making a bad painting, it's not like the painting police will come and confiscate my brushes.
Anyway, this time I used the same approach as for the flower paintings,  the result is OK, but I'm not sure, I'll keep trying

Oil on linen. 6 x 6

Thursday, July 28, 2011

Gladiolus

I never realized just how beautiful these flowers really were until today, when I spent most of the day studying them.  Some artist, don't recall who, once said that he never truly saw something until he drew it.  I can relate to that.
I struggled a lot with this painting, the pinks were very intense and hard to manage.  The shapes of the buds were very organic and I couldn't let myself go and paint them in an abstract way.  The fact that I liked what was in front of me kept me going.  I considered abandoning this painting more than a few times.  I'm glad I stuck with it.

Oil on linen.  8 x 10

Wednesday, July 27, 2011

From my Garden 2

Anything new takes practice to master or even to understand.  I don't see the point of going to a workshop if I'm not going to work on what I learned.  So, I tried the same thing, the "new" way again.  I did add more flowers just to torture myself.
I will go back and add a few touches and make a few corrections tomorrow.  My flowers and I are tired, we're done for tonight.

Oil on linen.  8 x 10

Tuesday, July 26, 2011

From my Garden

My roses are doing really good this year; so nice to paint them.
I did this in a workshop trying a different way of approaching form.  I was out of my comfort zone, but that's the only way to evolve.  Painting the jar was the hardest part.

Oil on linen.  9 x 12

Monday, July 25, 2011

The Bay at 18th Street

I love painting the ocean, but I think I like painting marshes even better.  There's a stillness to it and there's also a personality to the tree formations in the distance.  I painted marshes in different places and even though the masses look similar, they're certainly not alike.  I try to be very careful when I portray them, I would like somebody who knows the area to recognize the location.
Another long format, when it comes to the bay, I'm very greedy.

Oil on canvas.  4 x 12

Sunday, July 24, 2011

Red Kayak

I'm not sure this is a kayak because it had 3 people in it, I'll find out.
It had been stormy all day and it finally cleared, just momentarily, I found out.   The sky was a nice greenish blueish grey that just melted into the ocean.  I saw some people with this kayak boat thing and I knew that sooner or later they were going in so I got ready.  It wasn't easy to keep the red out of everything else.  I still like the water the best.

Oilon linen.  5 x 7

Saturday, July 23, 2011

Napping Under the Umbrellas

This was a painting of just the 3 umbrellas, but I wasn't happy with it, it needed something else.
Then, someone said: How about the guy napping under the umbrella? So I tried, even though the pose was not too flattering.  I like it now, as I look at it.  I wonder if he was napping or just pretending.

Oil on linen.  5 x 7

Thursday, July 21, 2011

Wednesday, July 20th: Morning Fog

It was a foggy morning and I tried to capture the colors and the mood.  It wasn't easy without the whole thing looking kind of "muddy".  Maybe if I didn't stick to reality it would look more poetic; but it was a color study after all.  A passer by complimented me by saying that I made it look nicer than it was.  I disagree.

Oil on linen.  8 x 10

Tuesday, July 19th: Girlfriends

When I saw these ladies in their colorful chairs sitting by the surf, I knew that they weren't going anywhere for a while.

Oil on linen.  5 x 7

Sunday, July 17th: Sunset by the Bay

This was not easy, I think because I attempted to capture too much.  The scene was so beautiful that I got greedy.  I'll go back to do a few more. Note to self: double up on the mosquito repellent.

Oil on canvas.  4 x 12

Saturday July 16th: Beach Boy

This boy kept on waiting for the perfect conditions to skimboard.  Good for me!, it took him just enough time for me to "get him".
Just another sketch on the beach, this time with friends watching, the pressure was on.


Oil on linen.  5 x 7

Thursday, July 14, 2011

Studies

Just some color studies and color wash.  Taking Tuesday's elements from the grisaille a step further and introducing color.  I removed the lime and later added a red pepper.  I like the latter best, next step is to make a larger painting.  I might change things around a bit.

Oil on board.  6 x 8

Wednesday, July 13, 2011

Sunset 5

I haven't painted a sunset in a while, today's was a pretty one.
I'm not that crazy about this painting, had a little trouble with the reflections in the foreground. It does have a peaceful feeling to it and that I like. Oh well, another learning experience in the toolbox.

Oil on linen.  5 x 7

Tuesday, July 12, 2011

Grisaille

This is an exercise to study values.  It's very helpful and I actually like the process.

Oil on board.  7 x 9

Monday, July 11, 2011

Tall Pines Road

Today, I painted outside under the sun, holding a brush with my right hand and an umbrella with my left.  I loved it!!
This sketch is in preparation for a bigger painting.  I wanted to do just a portion of the house, the homeowner wanted to include everything.  Who am I to argue?

Oil on canvas.  6 x 12

Sunday, July 10, 2011

"Sturdy and Stanch He Stands"

...And as he was dreaming, an angel song
Awakened our Little Boy Blue-
Oh, the years are many, the years are long,
But the little toy friends are true!
Ay, faithful to Little Boy Blue they stand,
Each in the same old place,


Oil on canvas. 6 x 6

Saturday, July 9, 2011

9 de Julio

Today is Argentina's Independence Day, so I wanted to paint something to honor it.  I chose this picture because right now is winter in Argentina and it gets very cold in most of the country.  Yes, it snows there too.  So, here it is, the flag with glaciers and all.
About the craft, I broke one of my "never do's", which is to paint from someone else's photo.  Having said that, this one had all the elements to create a challenge.  I would post the photo, but I'm not sure I can; wouldn't want to go to jail for it.

Oil on canvas.  6 x 6

Friday, July 8, 2011

Surf Mom

I feel really good about this painting.  All the water studies and beach sketches are helping a lot.

Oil on linen.  5 x 7

The Hotel #2

I sketched and painted this building many times and will probably do it many more. To me, this is the landmark of Brigantine, NJ. It's a beautiful art deco building, not easy to draw.  I didn't even get into the details of the facade. This time I was concentrating on color.  I'll probably continue working on this when I go back.

Oil on canvas.  8 x 10

Water Studies

I'm interested in getting the color of the water, it doesn't help that it's not the same 2 days in a row!
I want my ocean to look " Jersey",  after all, that's what I'm painting.

Oil on canvas board.  6 x 8

Summer Flowers

Just a little bouquet of Summer flowers.  I hadn't painted a still life in a few days, I enjoyed this one.

Oil on canvas.  5 x 7

4th of July

I was interested in the flag by the lifeguard stand to commemorate the 4th.   Then this boy sat on the sand for a few minutes and he filled the foreground nicely.  Unfortunately, he stayed only for a couple of minutes, I couldn't even catch his shadow!

Oil on linen.  5 x 7

Dusk

A little abstract, using my favorite colors.
Oil on canvas.  6 x 8

Beach Sketch #5


Oil on linen.  5 x 7

Water Study & Beach Sketch

I was away for a few days and don't have a way to transfer my pictures from my camera to my computer.  I bought something but didn't work, I'll ask my "computer person" aka Theresa,  for help.
Anyway, I did paint a lot, some days two, somedays none; some got scraped, others I love; lots of color studies.  Sometimes I used a larger canvas and divided it into two paintings, like this one, it was easier to hold that way while working.  So I'm posting the survivors, not too sure about the dates, other than the one titled "The 4th".

Oil on canvas.  8 x 10