Afternoon Walk in Pacific Grove

Painting "en plein air" on location  - it was cold!

   

The original plein air painting created in PG

I am enjoying doing a commission painting working from a small plein air painting I painted along the Pacific Grove coast a few years ago.  These nice folks bought a note card of the painting at a bookstore that sells my art note cards.  They liked the painting on the card and asked me to do a larger painting for them.  The storms in California have made it difficult to get to my studio until today, but I finally got a start on the under painting.  I will post my progress as it goes.

Step 1 prep the canvas with red paint
and draw the composition

 

Blocking in some of the background color

DAY 1
I like working on a red background sometimes,
especially when there is a lot of green in the painting.
The red background will 
sparkle through in a few places, adding interest. 

Here I have started to block in the focal point tree shapes.  

             Hopefully, I will be able to work on the painting again tomorrow!

Haggin Museum Visit

I had the opportunity to visit the Haggin Museum in Stockton, CA yesterday.  The museum has been newly renovated and is just beautiful!  Here are some photos I took of some of the rooms and a couple of my favorite paintings... so many from which to choose!  

The blue wall is spectacular!  It really shows off these beautiful paintings.

Here is the painting on the left on the blue wall above.  "Banks of the Saone, near Chatillon"  about 1901  by Jan Monchablon  French, 1854 - 1904
That pink skirt just plain sparkles and draws attention!

Another of my favorites is by George Inness 1825 - 1894 
called "Old Homestead"  c. 1877


If you get a chance to go to this museum, I highly recommend it!
First Saturdays in each month are free admission too!

I am warming up my paint brushes!

 

Preparing to Do a Large Commission

I am so blessed to be doing a large 30" x 40" commission painting.  My client wants a copy of a pastel scene I did many years ago.  It is one of my favorite scenes I worked from a photo I took on the way home from Monterey.  I was driving near Casa de Fruita when I noticed a field of beautiful purple corn flowers, dark purple tall weeds, trees, houses and the golden, rolling foothills.  The scene captured my heart.  I have passed by this same spot many times since, but never found those flowers again.

Small oil studies

To get ready to paint the large painting, I have been working on some small oil studies.  One in black & white to study the values and a second smaller 8" x 10" painting, also in oil, to work out any problems I may encounter.  I toned the small canvas with an orangey background color to see if that would work, and I like it.  

You can see the steps I made along the way in the 8x10, although, I was so engrossed in the painting that I forgot to take more photos.  I am so looking forward to getting started on the large canvas.  Come back to this blog as I will be posting my progress... if I remember to take photos!  

Blocking in the dark and light values

Adding buildings and background grasses

A peek at my palette

Moving right along

Working on the foreground

Adding some of the cornflowers and pine tree on the right

Come back later to see work progressing on the large painting.

All work copyrighted.  

Visit my website:  www.RhettsStudio.com

and my Daily Paintworks Gallery

More ACEO Drawings in Mixed Media- Cats - Trees and More!

Bird Watching

I have been exploring more small ACEO drawings in black & white.  So what is an ACEO you ask.  It is a small work of art - just 2.5" x 3.5".
I have mine matted to fit an 8" x 10" frame.  Drawing these tiny works has been fun.  I have been exploring using white charcoal, black and white ink pens.  A variety of subjects is always a challenge to draw so small.

CATS
My kitties give me endless subjects to draw and paint.  I especially like it when they are sleeping or sitting very still.  Lacey enjoys watching birds through the window at our bird feeder.  The birds seem to know he can not get at them!
 Leo, my striped tabby cat, gets into some of the most crazy positions!  He likes to sleep in an old chair in our living room on his back.   What a character he is!

Sleeping Kitty

Christmas Truck

About to Rain

OLD TRUCK

Curve

This old truck at a fruit stand was all decorated up with garlands, of flowers and wreathed.

Goose

Speckled Bird

All Alone

Foothill Paintings now on Daily Paintworks

    

Side By Side   12" x 16"  oils

Pat's View   12" x 16"   oils

Country Living   12" x 16"  oils

Bring in the Clouds  12" x 16"  oils

I now have 5 new foothill landscape paintings up on my Daily Paintworks Gallery.  These are from a series of paintings I did from scenes in the California foothills east of Modesto and up toward Sonora.  All the seasons are shown here.  

Check them out on Daily Paintworks.

Spring Creek  12" x 16"  oils

5 Paintings in Monterey County Show!

I was delighted to learn today that one of my 5 paintings which had been juried into the Art Council of Monterey County's "Celebrating Artist of Monterey County" show has won an Honorable Mention!  We enjoyed the reception for the artists at the government office buildings.
The show is beautifully hung and 3 of my paintings are displayed right under the sign!

All paintings are for sale and the show will be up for one year in the Government Center Administration Building,  168 W. Alisal, Salinas, CA.  

"Carmel Mission Sanctuary"
pastels

I saw this lady walking down the aisle at Carmel Mission one rainy day.  She had a very large umbrella which she was using as a cane.  I was captivated by the warm glow in the mission and the refections on the well worn tile.  

Salinas Valley Lettuce Farm  -  oil,  9 x 12

< Also accepted to this show

Harvesting Radicchio   oil  12" x 16"

It is interesting to see these hard workers in the lettuce fields. 

Monterey Rec Trail  oil  20" x 16"

Above the Salinas Valley   oil   12" x 16"


See more work on my website:  www.RhettsStudio.com

I painted the trail along the beach in Monterey standing in a parking lot.  The eucalyptus trees are so beautiful along this path.