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| "Corner Conversation" 6x8 oil on panel $400 |
Continuing to post paintings from the current group exhibition at Alki Arts called "Splendor" Contact Diane Venti for more info at 206-295-5115.....Or if you are in the vicinity of West Seattle stop by and see some of the best local and affordable art in the area!
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| "Smith Tower View" 8x6 oil $400 |
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| "September City" 12x16 oil on panel $850 Available through Alki Arts 206-295-5115 |
Fall is my favorite time of year not only out in nature but in the city. This Seattle city scene with the Smith Tower in the background and the trees in their fall finery is available through Alki Arts in West Seattle. For more info call Diane at 206-295-5115.
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| "Post Alley Afternoon" 12x16 oil on panel $850 Available through Alki Arts 206-295-5115 |
Alki Arts presents "Splendor" a group exhibition on display now, through October 2025. To view all the paintings and for purchase inquiries contact Gallery owner, Diane Venti at 206-295-5115 or go to the gallery website HERE.
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| "Reflecting Seattle" 14x11 SOLD |
I am enjoying doing paintings of Seattle again for a group exhibition opening at Alki Arts in West Seattle on Saturday, October 4th from 5-7pm. Join us for "Splendor" a group exhibition with fellow artists, Leigh Knowles, C A Pierce and Cheryl Zhaniser. There will be wine, fun and lots of art! =]
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| "Market Sunshine" 30x40 oil on canvas $3200 |
All the work has been turned in and the gallery hung and ready for the opening artists reception on Saturday, October 4th from 5 to 8pm. Hope to see you at Alki Arts in West Seattle for the opening of "Splendor" a group exhibition of the best fine, local and affordable art in Seattle. Come down and join the fun! =]
I you are interested in this large 30x40 oil painting of Pike Place Market or any of the work at Alki Arts please contact gallery owner, Diane Venti at 206-295-5115
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| "View from Sunset" 8x16 oil $800 available through the Cole Gallery, Edmonds, WA 425-697-2787 |
This year I had the privilege of judging the Edmonds and Beyond Plein Air Paintout hosted by the Cole Gallery. Every plein air competition requires a judge of awards. It is not a job that artists jump to take on but it can be a very rewarding opportunity. It also gives you an insight in what it is like to be the one responsible for choosing eight paintings out of eighty works most of which are excellent. Which should give you pause when criticizing the judge in your next competition! Ha! We will see how that works out...
I also did a few plein air paintings myself during the competition which are displayed at the Cole Gallery in Edmonds Washington. Stop by if you get the chance to see this stunning show of plein air paintings completed by artists from the area and around the country.
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| "Morning Light" 6x8 oil SOLD |
Last little early morning plein air painting wrapping up the 2025 Whidbey Island Plein Air competition.
I sold two paintings at the Friday night awards reception. Fellow artists and plein air buddies Kelly Bailey and Brook Borcherding walked away with well deserved, Best of Show and First Place awards .
I have already completed some studio paintings from photos and reference gathered during those hikes. I will be posting them soon.
Meanwhile getting ready for teaching a workshop at Bloedel Reserve on Bainbridge Island , Sept 30th. There is still room for you! =] check out more info HERE
Also an upcoming group exhibition will be opening on October 4th at Alki Arts in West Seattle. Come say hi and see an amazing show of local and affordable art! =]
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| "Misty Morning" 10x12 oil on panel $750 |
Wandered down to the little slice of rocky shore near our Air BnB with my coffee one foggy morning during the Whidbey Island Plein Air competition. I felt the magic of the moment and scooted back for my gear. I painted a larger studio interpretation recently. I'll post it soon.
The rocks viewed through the water intrigued me and I tried to capture that transparency while keeping the water as a flat plane.
I figured if I could pull that off I could successfully finish the painting.
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| "Keystone Beach" 9x14 oil on panel $750 |
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| Keystone Ferry |
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| "Kayaks in Coupeville" 6x12 oil on panel $400 |
Three or five simple but interesting shapes. That's what you're looking for in a plein air painting. I think this painting is a good example. If you reduced this painting down to two values, black and white, you can do this by squinting..(something you should do a LOT in the field while painting) you will see everything in the shade as black and everything in the sun as white. Those shapes should be interesting. Go ahead, do a search on "Notan" and play around with black and white shapes in your sketch book...Oh, you don't have a sketch book? Drop everything and go out and get one! Or order one online. Or contact me and order one of mine.. =]
A note about shadow shapes. All the detail in the shadow shape should reside value wise in that shadow shape. I sounds easier than it is and you have to work on it. The first step is understanding what I am saying here. Again I think this painting is a good example of that. See the apparently "white closed umbrella on the deck that looks like a white sort of stick standing up in front of the awning? It's not white paint! But it looks white. It "reads" white because it is a value within the shadow shape value. If I painted it with pure titanium white it would stick out like a sore thumb.
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| "Field Apple" 11x14 oil on panel $800 |
In my quest to find subject matter that I haven't painted before during the Whidbey Island Plein Air competition I glanced over at the morning light hitting this old apple tree in the field by the sunflower farm and decided to go with it. As I have recommended before, get one under your belt first thing. =]
While you are painting that first one you are also refreshing your pallet and finding that you have all the supplies you need like paper towels etc. and are set for the rest of the day.
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| "Coupeville Wharf 2025" SOLD |
After many years of trying and rejecting Thalo Blue in my plein air pallet I finally think it is here to stay. Not sure if it is the result of my eyesight dimming or my color taste changing.. My wonderful eye doctor who has been taking good care of me for many years says I need the cataract surgery soon.. That may change things. I love the color I am able to achieve in the sky and water with just a tick of Thalo Blue in Titanium White. It is similar to the color you get with a tick of Viridian and White but more intense.
The Whidbey competition was in August and since then a lot has been happening that I want to tell you about so stay tuned! =]
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| "The River Slaney" 11x14 oil on panel $800 |
There is a beautiful walking path that follows the River Slaney out of Enniscorthy. I walked about half a mile up the trail to find this location along the river to paint. There were artists all along the way enjoying a lovely June afternoon. For me, another moment in time to give thanks for the ability to pursue what I feel called to do in spreading the beauty of Gods creation to the world through art.
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| "The Stone Bridge at Enniscorthy" 12x16 oil on panel $800 |
Situated on the River Slaney, the second largest city in County Wexford and our third and last bus trip adventure. It was sad that we only had one day to explore Enniscorthy. There was so much here to see!
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| plein air painter |
You can barely see the castle in the upper right hand corner of the painting. Yes! There are many castles in Ireland!
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| "Duncannon Beach" 8x16 oil on panel $800 |
My pattern of routine for Art in the Open was working great! By doing one painting in the morning and one in the afternoon I had just enough panels to make it through the week. The size of 11x14 or 8x16 were large enough to take about two hours if I took my time using a preliminary sketch and paid attention to value and detail in the under-painting.
This also allowed me to explore the town between paintings, have lunch at a local pub or restaurant and visit with the other artists painting on location.
As the tide rolled rapidly in, some artists who started too far out on the sand got wet. Since I started late it was nice to be farther up past the tide line!
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| "Field at Duncannon" 11x14 oil on panel $800 |
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| "Kilmore Quay" 16x8 oil SOLD |
In the afternoon when the wind and rain calmed down and the sun came out we were all seeking shade. I set up on the harbor landing with other artists in the shade of a large building. It was fun to see how the other artists interpreted the scene. Bummed I didn't take more pictures of the other artists and the work they did!
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| "The Beach at Kilmore Quay" 8x16 oil on panel $800 |
Our first adventure out of Wexford for Art in the Open 2025 started at 9am as the artists gathered at the train station with all our gear to catch the big bus. Destination Kilmore Quay.
Kilmoor Quay ( Irish: Ce Na Cille Moire meaning" Quay of the Big Church" )
This little village in county Wexford has a population of about 500. It features a soft sand swimming beach attached to a harbor where Irish yachts set sail for France and other destinations. This is a fishing village but caters to tourists these days with shops and pubs and of course a prominent stone church, Saint Peters.
The day began very windy with rain squalls but I had my
trusty umbrella and set up right off the bat down at the beach. Wind was
in my face and I found out that I could hold my easel by leaning against it and
even use my umbrella when the squall came through and managed to get the above
painting done in about an hour.
After lunch at the local pub, fish and chips washed down
with a Guinness, Yum!!, the wind died down and the sun came out
making for a pleasant afternoon of painting.
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| "Quick Paint in Wexford" 14x11 oil on panel $800 |
There were a lot of good paintings and wish I would have taken more photos. My painting did not win an award or sell but many did and there was a large crowd of on-lookers.
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| "Wexford Town" 14x11 oil on panel $800 |
Before getting too far down the blog post road with the Whidbey Island Plein Air competition I would like to post my paintings and our adventures in Ireland during Art in the Open 2025.
Good friend and artist Ned Mueller and his wife Karen Scannell Mueller began telling us about Art in the Open years ago and after trying a few times to schedule a trip to Ireland we finally made it in 2025. Sadly due to health reasons we were not able to meet up with Ned and Karen but they were with us in spirit.
Ann booked a round trip ticket from Seattle to Dublin which was a 9 hour flight with no layovers or transfers. We arrived in Wexford by train with me dragging along a large roller suitcase I purchased on Amazon and another big duffle bag with my painting gear. This is the first event I have attended out of the country where I had to fly in with all the stuff needed to paint, frame and hang finished paintings. If I did Wexford again I would use the local art store, Spectrum for framing and solvent or any other last minuet needs. They are great!
More on Art in the Open in future posts! =]
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| View of Wexford from our amazing Air BnB |
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| "Admiralty Head Lighthouse 2025" 8x16 oil on panel, plein air $800 Available through the Scott Milo Gallery, Anacortes, WA 360-293-6938 |
Once again the Whidbey Island Plein Air event hosted by the Pacific Northwest Art School in Coupeville Washington did not disappoint! We had a blast roaming the island, painting the stunning vistas. I went back to a lot of my favorite haunts like the lighthouse at Fort Casey. I have painted this lighthouse so many times I identified it in the title with the year....Ha!
If you are interested in joining this yearly event go the the website and get on their mailing list as August comes fast in the summer and there is not a lot of pre-notice. Hope to see you next year!! =]
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| "Seattle Sky" 12x16 oil on panel $850 Available through Alki Arts 206-295-5115 |
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| "Casting on the Dosewallips" 6x12 oil on panel |
All in all a great couple days enjoying nature and making fond memories. Hope you will have that opportunity this summer as well! =]
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| "Great Blue" 20x10 oil on panel Available at the Front Street Gallery Poulsbo, WA 360-598-6133 |
I've spent a lot of time watching the Blue Herons hunt among the rocks along the waterfront in Poulsbo. A beautiful and fascinating bird, I've tried a few times to capture them on canvas. This painting will be in an upcoming all artist show at the Front Street Gallery in Poulsbo.
