Tuesday, December 31, 2013

"Blackbird Bakery" Bainbridge Island, oil painting by Robin Weiss

"Blackbird Bakery"  18x27 oil on panel        Sold
Looks Like this will be my last post of 2013!   I still have a lot of paintings done in 2013 to post but just haven't been keeping up with the blog as I should be....It's been a busy year!!!  So many great things are happening and we are really looking forward to 2014!

Blackbird Café plein air study
 The Blackbird Café is a favorite morning coffee stop for many on the island!

I painted this larger studio painting from a 6x10 plein air study and some photos taken on location for the figures.

You can see both of these paintings and many more recent works at a solo show I am setting up today at The Tree House Café on Bainbridge Island!  Come on down and ring in the New Year!






Rob and Ann at Snoqualmie Summit



We wish you all the best of God's blessings in the coming new year!

Friday, December 27, 2013

"Last Stand" Seattle City oil painting by Robin Weiss

"Last Stand" 18x14 oil on canvas    Sold
Everyone who lives in Seattle knows that the Alaskan Way Viaduct is slated for removal by late 2015 and a complete re-design of the Seattle waterfront by 2019. They are now in the process of drilling a deep-bore tunnel using a 57 foot bore drill made in Japan and shipped by freighter to the US! I have been painting the Viaduct from various perspectives in an effort to record the history for posterity. 

I started in my usual method by beginning with an under-painting to establish value and composition using a reddish toned thin wash that will peek through as I cover the canvas.

When I arrived at this stage of finish I was not happy with the texture of the paint. It was too thin and needed more build up. I went over the entire canvas with another layer of paint mostly applied by palette knife and achieved what I was aiming for.

Monday, December 09, 2013

"Highway to Seattle" Seattle cityscape by Robin Weiss

"Highway to Seattle"   6x10 oil on panel       Sold
I had a couple blurry images taken by my steering wheel cam on the way back to the ferry from a trip up north....This is what I was able to render in about an hour. 

The Pescadero workshop is still rolling!   To find out more about it visit my workshops page HERE

Wednesday, December 04, 2013

"Art and Architecture" Port Angeles Fine Art Center, plein air painting by Robin Weiss

 
"Art and Architecture"    10x10 oil on panel   NFS
 

A&A in progress


A "Quick Draw" is an event at many plein air painting competitions. You have a limited time, usually one to two hours to complete a painting done at a specified location. There is a beginning and ending bell.  This was my first quick draw and I was really feeling the pressure....especially because I wasn't very confident about my subject or composition. I had no choice but to continue on due to time constraints. Mentally I took away some of the pressure by consigning myself to failure and just started having fun with the painting.  The result was a First Place award in the quick draw, awarded by juror Ned Mueller!   I have recently gifted the painting to The Port Angeles Fine Art Center, a great organization with an interesting back story. 

This post ends the series on the first annual "Paint the Peninsula 2013"   I'm looking forward to 2014!

FYI,  I am giving a three day oil painting workshop in Pescadero, Mexico,  January 17, 18, and 19.
This should be a fun workshop and a great getaway from the January, winter blues!  I will be teaching basic plein air oil painting techniques,  with short tutorials on color theory, composing with the thumbnail sketch and viewer, underpainting and on site demos each day for those interested.
   This workshop will be hosted by Plein Air Washington Artist, Jolyn Wells who lives in Pescarero with her husband during the winter months. You can review costs and more info by visiting my website workshop page HERE.

BTW , Jolyn has told me about a cool place to stay if you plan on coming....The Pescadero Surf Camp, located across the street from Jolyns place.  You can bring your own tent and camp there for $10 a day!  plus they have lots of other options and there are other hotels as well. 

Contact me at robinweiss@earthlink.net  or Jolyn Wells at   jowellsmoran@gmail.com for more info.
                                                                 
                                                                                  =]

















Monday, December 02, 2013

"Foggy Bottom Boys" Port Angeles. plein air, marinescape,oil painting by Robin Weiss

"Foggy Bottom Boys"  12x8 oil on panel  SOLD
 As I reported before, the weather at Paint the Peninsula was a mixed bag!  This morning was so foggy you could actually lose your scene completely! ....but the show must go on,.. so me and Sandy Byers set up in the parking lot .



Sandy Byers painting the classic


FB in prog

 Sandy set up to paint this old classic Chris Craft.....which, apparently she helped to sell to a gentleman who stopped by to see the painting and then fell in love with the boat! He was able to contact the owner who came and showed him around and then closed the deal!
  This boat had sunk was pulled up and set on blocks in the marina lot. It looked like a black hole of endless work and money to me but this guy thought he got a great deal....lol 





One other important fact about this painting spot was lunch....There is a little local café  tucked into the marina businesses that caters to the fishermen and boaters . I had the best, freshest, fish in chips I ever tasted there! 


Donnas Fishermens Wharf Café   Don't miss it if you find yourself in Port Angeles!



Tuesday, November 26, 2013

"The Golden Dolphin" Port Angeles, plein air, marinescape oil painting by Robin Weiss

"The Golden Dolphin"  9x12 oil on panel    Sold
Golden Dolphin in progress

The next day dawned grey and rainy.  I had scouted a dock in town called The City Pier which afforded a great view of a pair of old fishing boats, and that's where I headed. Even though it was raining I was not going to let this scene pass unpainted! I worked on it most of the day and was not satisfied. bear in mind I had been completing three paintings a day until this one!  In the morning, still not happy about the painting I went down to City Pier again to see if I could put that spark of life into it.  The extra effort payed off and this painting sold as well at the Gala Exhibition.




The next day the sun came out again and  two painting buddies came down to the dock to share the fun. Check out Brook Borcherdings plein air work HERE   Sandy Byers amazing paintings HERE
Sandy painting the boats
Brook painting on the pier


I stayed at the pier all day again until evening, went and had dinner and then came back. It was that nice a place to spend time.
Evening on City Pier, Port Angeles, Washington State
 

Saturday, November 23, 2013

"Line Up" marine oil painting by Robin Weiss

"Line Up"   8x8 oil on panel     Sold
 
 Back to the paintings from Port Angeles done at Paint the Peninsula. I kept being drawn to the boats and painted another one sitting on a bench by the marina.  I was glad that it went to a good home during the gala art exhibition at The Port Angeles Fine Art Center!



set up for "Line Up"




I will try and get more photos of my process in the future but basically I do a quick sketch under-painting using orange/red and then after a short set up time , get right to work laying in the color.

That big pipe going across the photo?  Well that's a BIG pipe parallel to the walkway and getting in the way of the view!  Fortunately us artists can just leave those distractions out!  =]

Tuesday, November 19, 2013

"Leigh's Roses" rose oil painting by Robin Weiss

"Leigh's Roses"  7x7 oil on panel    Sold
Well okay, alright!  A lot has happened since my last post! For one I have a new computer that will carry me, hopefully, for the next ten years or so!.....with all my data intact!

We had a great studio tour! Arts in the Woods has consistently been my best show of the year and 2013 did not disappoint!  Thanks to all of you who made it out to the show!  =] and thanks to Leigh and all the organizers who made it wonderful to be a participating artist!

Thanks to a good friend in the Plein Air Washington Painters who is sponsoring me and providing lodging and organizational expertise I will be giving a workshop in Baja Sur Mexico near Todos Santos in January , 17,18,19 !  Time is short so if you are interested in going down please contact me at robinweiss@earthlink.net  for more info. This should be a lot of fun and a great time of year to head down to sunny climes!

This is the last rose painting and I will be picking up where I left off on the Port Angeles adventure, Paint the Peninsula! Thanks for following and stay tuned for updates on shows and workshops!

Oh , and please visit my website to see more stuff!  =]    www.robinweissfineart.com    Thanks!

Thursday, October 31, 2013

"Fresh Roses" "rose series #5 " "rose oil painting by Robin Weiss

"Fresh Roses"  7x7 oil on panel   Sold
I stuck my camera in the midst of the fresh roses and started clicking...then I painted the negative space very dark , accentuating the "No tan" of the painting. Again modeling the subtle lights into the rose petals.

These and lots more recent work will be available next weekend at Arts in the Woods!..=]











Tuesday, October 29, 2013

"Sun Dance" "rose painting" series #4 by Robin Weiss

"Sun Dance"  7x7 oil on panel   Sold
Faces turned towards the sun, soaking it in, a beautiful miracle of color and light.  I painted the dark areas first and then modeled the subtle lights within....you can watch me paint if you come to Arts in the Woods Studio Tour , second week in November!....=] Hope to see you there!


Saturday, October 26, 2013

"Studio Rose" rose series #3 oil painting by Robin Weiss

"Studio Rose"  7x7 oil on panel  framed       Sold
These amazingly prolific  roses were planted by Leigh right outside the studio door and they put on a spectacular display every year. I will get the name and post it for you tomorrow.....Or...stop by the studio for Arts in the Woods and find out for yourself! Leigh and I will be there along with four other artists. There will be special deals a lot of artwork and lots of studio art clutter to browse through! I'm sure you will find a treasure to take home with you!

Thursday, October 24, 2013

"Red Red Rose" rose series #2, oil painting by Robin Weiss

"Red Red Rose"  7x7 oil on panel       Sold
I will just continue on with the roses for awhile. Hope you enjoy them! Also I will be posting the Arts in the Woods info each time until the tour.....Hope you can make it!  These paintings will all be available there and at special show prices!...=]

Arts in the Woods Studio Tour

Wednesday, October 23, 2013

"Fragrance" rose, oil painting by Robin Weiss

"Fragrance"  7x7 oil on panel     sold
I've started , well actually I have finished a series of six 7x7 rose paintings from photos I have taken over the summers. They are framed in black floater frames and if you are interested I can send you a pic of the framed painting.....or if you live in the Kitsap area please come to Arts in the Woods Studio Tour and see them for yourself!

Sunday, October 20, 2013

"Quiet Reflection" from the Bloedel Reserve, plein air, oil, landscape painting by Robin Weiss

"Quiet Reflection"   10x8 oil on panel   sold
I have been experiencing some computer problems lately and have switched over to a desktop model. I got it from a great local company called Poulsbo PC which I traded for some drywall work. Most of you probably don't know that I worked in construction in my former life and did drywall work for about 20 years!  Unfortunately a lot of my recent photo images are stuck in my old laptop and we are working to get them out.....Which is the reason for interrupting my Port Angeles series and posting a more recent work from the Bloedel Reserve on Bainbridge Island. I'll get back to the other ones but I want to keep up with posting.....I have so much work to post!!

Becky Holman painting

The Bloedel Reserve is a local treasure. I have painted there a few times this year and always find new inspiration every time I go.  They are now showing a few of my plein air paintings in the gift shop . I highly recommend a Sunday afternoon walk through the park any time of year and be sure to stop in the gift shop and see the beautiful local hand crafts.






Monday, October 14, 2013

"Waiting for Water" Port Angeles, plein air painting by Robin Weiss


"Waiting for Water" 8x8 oil on panel framed       Sold

We had a real mix of weather all week. The sun kept coming out for awhile and then the fog would roll in and completely change the scene!  Got this little boat during a sun break.

I'm hoping that when I post this the color will be better in your monitor but it looks pretty bad on mine. The photo looks good in my file but then as soon as I upload to blogger it turns real red in the background and that is not at all the way it looks..Computers ...can't live with em and can't wack em with a ten pound sledge hammer......sheesh.

Thursday, October 10, 2013

"High and Dry" Port Angeles, plein air, marinescape, oil painting by Robin Weiss

"High and Dry" 12x9 oil on panel      Sold



The first week of September 2013, all the artists participating in Paint the Peninsula gathered in Port Angeles to register for the event.  "High and Dry" was the second official painting on a stamped panel that I painted .It seemed that boats were going to be my theme for the week. This painting earned Third Place over all in the juried show from juror Ned Mueller.


The Astoria at Port Angeles

I arrived in town early on the first day, so of course the first thing was to prime the pump and get a painting in, The day was beautiful but the forecast was not so good for the rest of the week. I set up down at the Port which covers a large area including commercial and private marinas.

 A large commercial container ship named Astoria was just starting to load, a perfect subject!


To get an idea of the surrounding area check out this short video.






Wednesday, October 09, 2013

"Mount Shuksan" from Picture Lake at Artists Point, plein air, oil, landscape painting by Robin Weiss

"Mount Shuksan" from Picture Lake 10x10 plein air, oil on panel  Sold
It was a full day of painting by the time we got down to Picture Lake. The light was perfect and I was energized one more time to set up and paint this quick plein air study of Mount Shuksan. This was my fourth painting of the day!

This concludes my first trip to Artists Point this summer.  Jim Lamb joined us on the next trip but more about that later..My next adventure was Paint the Peninsula in Port Angeles....









Sunday, October 06, 2013

"Alpine Spruce" from Artists Point, plein air , landscape painting by Robin Weiss



Alpine Spruce 8x6 oil on panel   Sold
We found one more shady spot while we were waiting for the sun to go low enough to offer the best light on Mount Shuksan from Picture Lake.
Black flies stuck in the paint

The only problem here was the swarms of black flies that attacked us. Even though I was covered with 100% Deet the flies kept coming....They didn't land for long but were a pretty distracting nuisance and kept getting stuck in the paint!


Mark

  It was a great spot but we bailed pretty quick and headed back down to Picture Lake.





Thursday, October 03, 2013

"Alpine Meadow" from Artists Point , plein air, landscape painting by Robin Weiss and other stuff..

"Alpine Meadow"  12x9 oil on panel   $425
I think you can tell by this painting that the day was clear, sunny and HOT!  We found some nice shade to wait out the heat of the early afternoon by the Chalet ....Usually high noon does not afford great light or shadows to paint but we made the most of it anyway.
Mark resting

Yes it was sunny. Yes it was HOT! ....and yes, that is a snow bank behind Marks Easel! in August no less.... That's Mount Baker! 




So, about the "other stuff" ...My good friend Derek Gundy from Artist Edge in Poulsbo has been working on a website for me and we have launched the official website of artist Robin Weiss!  You can check it out HERE!

There is also a "Store" where you will be able to purchase some cool stuff like T-shirts and Calendars....There will be other stuff as we go along too.

Be sure to check out up coming shows to see what is on the calendar for those who live in the Seattle area.







Monday, September 30, 2013

"Mt Baker" from Artists Point, plein air, oil , landscape painting by Robin Weiss

"Mount Baker" from Artists Point   9x12 oil on panel    Sold
This painting begins another adventure to one of the most scenic spots in Washington State.  So much visited by photographers and artists that they named the area Artists Point!
  
Directions:
Drive Highway 542 east from Bellingham 55 miles to its end at the upper Mount Baker Ski Area parking lot.
Robs set up with Mark Bistranin painting Mt Baker


  I went up this trip with my painting buddy Mark Bistranin from the Seaside Gallery in LaConner.

The weather was perfect so we got right to work. You can see my set up and underpainting  for Mt Baker , while Mark tries for a view of Mt Shuksan.








We love the Japanese tourists! They always seem to be excited to see us artists out painting!









Saturday, September 28, 2013

"Jeffri's Field" plein air. landscape painting by Robin Weiss

"Jeffri's Field"  6x12 oil on panel    Sold
Our last day on the Island was the Moran State Park benefit art show and gala at Crow Valley Pottery. The parking lot across Orca Rd. was filling fast as we pulled in and folks were enjoying the beautiful weather and the amazing art work created just for this exhibition. Some of us PAWA artists set up to do some demo paintings while the patrons strolled the property. I set up in the shade by the fence next to Jeffris field.
The ferry dock on Orcas Island




I cut out early and high-tailed it for the ferry. I was ready to head home after a week of camping and painting.

This concludes the great Orcas Island paint out! We all had a blast! Now it is off to other adventures!

Stay tuned......=]

Wednesday, September 25, 2013

"Doe Bay Lookout" plein air landscape painting by Robin Weiss

"Doe Bay Lookout"  8x12 oil on panel  sold
The last night on Orcas, Paula Ensign graciously let me park at her camp spot at Doe Bay. I had no reservations for that night and wasn't sure where I would be able to van camp.

  In the morning we all met out at the waters edge to paint the bay. This is the scene that greeted us!

Panoramic view of Doe Bay at Orcas Island, Washington State.
You can see the white chair we painted in the right bottom corner.
Annie Leedy paints a luminous Doe Bay!


sketch for Doe Bay

It was a glorious day and we all had a great time painting , laughing and hamming it up for the camera!