"You May Take 3 Giant Steps Backwards"

Mother May I?

8x10, oil on panel

I've been in painting purgatory. But you'd be surprised how fun it is! This week I went to my first plein air class with Laurel. That means we're painting outside - oh my. Perhaps you remember when I last whined on this topic. Not much has changed. I'm still flumoxed by the gear and the light and creating a composition on the fly. Laurel wanted us to use one of the blocking-in methods we studied in our recent still life class. Hah! I felt lucky to find my brushes. Everything I thought I knew flew right out of my head. I painted this today from the "study" I started in class. Yuck. The upside? The people, of course. It was a spectacular day on the beautiful grounds of Laguna Gloria and the conversation was lively. I can't wait to go through it again!

Bliss Following Indeed

Self Portrait with Freesia

12x16, oil on canvas

$190, email for info

Well, I wiped this one so many times that, by the end, "Self Portrait with [Full-Blown] Freesia" might have been a more accurate title. The longer those poor flowers sat under the light, the bigger they got. But what a beautiful morning of painting: in my newly spiffed-up studio space, The Penthouse Radio, surrounded by windows, and the snow falling outside for hours with flakes the size of salad plates, piling up on the palm trees around the pool. And later, watching school-got-out-early teenagers Sharkboy and Lavagirl catching snowflakes on their tongues just beyond my windows. How great is life?

Living and Learning

Oregano with Pool Towel: A Tenderfoot's Attempt

8x8, oil on panel

$85 - email for info

Have a personal humor about things. You will never know your calibre until you have tried yourself. Avoid idle industry. Be venturesome. Try new things that appeal to you.

Examine others. Have a pioneer spirit. ~Robert Henri, The Art Spirit

(OK, here's where I sound like Sharkboy and Lavagirl, my teenagers) "Everybody's starting a plein air painting class this week but me," she whined. Laurel Daniel is teaching a plein air class and many of my still life classmates have moved outdoors. It's not the perfect time in my life to peel off a new project but, truth be told, I am envious. I think I miss the people as much as the process.

Anyway, taking the advise of a superhero - Robert Henri - I dusted off my pioneer spirit and ceremoniously traipsed the painting supplies outside. Loaded like a sherpa, I got all the way out the studio door and about 10 feet onto the terrace where I painted a safe and familiar backyard scene. After two-ish hours, I proudly marched inside with my painting only to find it 4 shades darker than intended. Hmmmm. Low-key, indeed. Have I read somewhere that, when painting en plein air, one really shouldn't stand in direct sun?