Thursday, June 21, 2012

Cherryland

Hood River is the land of cherries (and apples, and pears.)  My goal today was to capture a plate of cherries with broad stokes.  I gravitate toward paintings with distinct brushstrokes in buttery paint, but my personal tendency is to go back over my strokes far too many times trying to refine shapes until the brushwork is lost.  Here is today's attempt.  It will take some practice to create a form that definitely says "cherry" with a few simple strokes.  Fortunately, it is the beginning of cherry season.  Now, let's see if I can paint the cherries before my kids eat them!

Thursday, June 14, 2012

Welcome to My Blog

We were painting at Hood River Bagel!
Welcome to my art journal!  I live and paint in Hood River, Oregon.  It's an inspiring location with beautiful scenery and adventurous people.  Oil painting is my most recent adventure, and I plan to share my progress on this blog.  My professional training is in landscape design, so I've been studying natural landscapes and gardens for years.  My current goal is to take what I've learned while painting still lifes this past winter and go outside and paint!


Here's the type of still life I've been painting.  These 6"x6" panels are great for someone new to painting.  They are too small for me to get bogged down in too much detail, and they don't feel overly precious.  It is fairly easy to learn from my mistakes and move on.










My very first plein air experience is documented in this painting.  Now I understand the need to paint quickly, as those shadows just keep moving.  This wasn't a very satisfying painting other than the shadows on the lower right.  However, a journey of a thousand miles.....












I'll close with a special "Thanks" to Cathleen for her encouragement to create an art blog!