"Tecumseh Road" landscape oil painting by Robin Weiss

"Tecumseh Road" 18x18 oil on canvas  Sold

I went to visit my friends at Sacred Road Ministries back in March. They are working on refurbishing a large house into a new church on the Yakima Indian Reservation.There is a lot of work to get the site up to code for a commercial building. I stayed for three days and helped out my friend Roger and a team from Covenant College. We were able to accomplish quite a bit. In this painting you can just see the church building way at the end of the road. It's a mile off the paved road and pretty muddy after a hard rain!
  Using a limited palette I painted this from a photo taken while driving to the work site.

If you would like to learn more about Sacred Road Ministries visit their website HERE

If you would like to view the 17 minute video of the Covenant College team week, click HERE

"Market Lights" Seattle Cityscape by Robin Weiss

"Market Lights"  50x60 oil on canvas   SOLD

This has been happening to me a lot lately. When A painting sells I will go to the blog and the daily gallery sites and mark it sold so folks will be updated as to the status of the work.  Then when I go to the blog I find the painting was never posted!  So here is another one from awhile back that was never posted.

This painting evolved over time. I originally painted a scene viewed driving down Admiralty Way towards Alki Beach at sunset...I liked the painting and it got good response from viewers...It even almost sold once...the work was costly and large, almost too large, unable to fit in most homes comfortably so it needed that extra spark that would convince a collector to pull the lever.......which it didn't....so what to do? To big to store.....didn't fit in my own house.. I finally decided to re-prepare the canvas and paint another scene over it....which did the trick! Bits of the old painting show through in spots and add to the character of the piece.
 When painting over another painting you should carefully sand the canvas, one site recommends using a "cuttle-stone" and carefully roughing the paint in a circular motion. Here's Mark Dalessio's one minute video on how to do it..(.I just used sandpaper....very carefully).

Oh, and most buyers are mostly considering size, cost and color when purchasing artwork......=]

"Leadbetter Wildlife Refuge" Cape Disapointment, landscape painting by Robin Weiss

Leadbetter Wildlife Refuge 12x16 oil on linen  SOLD

Going back to our Cape Disappointment trip, I noticed this painting was never posted. Located on the Southwest Washington coast, . Leadbetter Point State Park sits on some of the wildest, underdeveloped coastal lands outside of the Olympic National Park. For birders and wildlife enthusiasts, this park is a must-see in the winter — the area is the winter home for dozens of migratory birds.
 

Diane Venti at Harbor Steps

This painting was done from photos taken on location and was exhibited in my featured artist show at Alki Arts in March where it sold. 

Speaking of exhibitions I have another coming up at the Harbor Steps Gallery in Seattle, May 2nd. It opens on the First Thursday in May coinciding with Seattle's first Thursday Art Walk. Come down around 6:00pm and stop in the gallery to enjoy a glass of wine , music and some great art! Then go on up to the SAM to catch the Early Masters Show before it is over. 

Hope to see you at The Harbor Steps, located at the bottom of the Harbor Steps and Western Ave in Seattle , a short walk from the ferry landing!

"Snoqualmie Ski Run" Snoqualmie Pass, plein air painting by Robin Weiss

"Snoqualmie Ski Run" 8x8 oil on panel sold

What you don't see is the painting I did before this one. I was looking in the other direction and trying to get too much information into my composition. I was very frustrated and almost gave up for the day in a hissey fit....but, refusing to give in to the temptation, I cut my loss and clipped in one more panel and just turned around and painted what was in front of me....fast!...  Later, after Jim looked over my paintings, he said this was my strongest piece! I really didn't agree because I thought my work done earlier in the day was better. After I got the paintings home and posted them on Facebook this painting got twice the likes as any of the others at 172!  I'm happy with the days painting but a bit concerned that I don't even know what my best work is!.....Guess I'll just trust my instincts and ....NEVER GIVE UP!   You do the same!

"Gold Creek Snowfields" Snoqualmie Pass, plein air landscape painting by Robin Weiss

"Gold Creek Snowfields" 8x12 oil on panel           SOLD

Before the snow began to melt, I walked down to the riverbank through the snow and did a quick study of the snowbanks reflecting in the water. My feet sunk down on the way back as the snow softened under the warm sunshine.

"Snoqualmie Winter" Snoqualmie Summit, plein air , landscape painting by Robin Weiss

"Gold Creek in Snow" 8x8 oil on panel             SOLD

Funny, earlier this year I was whining and complaining because I didn't get to paint in the snow! Then the snow hit the fan, so to speak...a freak blizzard on Whidbey Island and then my friend Jim Lamb invited me up to Gold Creek to do some plein air painting. What an awesome day it was!
 Snoqualmie Pass got dumped on the week before so there was still a lot of snow on the bright sunny day we picked to go up.



We both set up on the bridge that spans Gold Creek just off the Hyak exit at the summit.







Again, I worked mine over a bit when I got back to the studio using photos I took on location. Jim gave me some advice too...

"Two House Farm" Whidby Island, plein air landscape painting by Robin Weiss

"Two House Farm" 8x10 oil on panel  $330

I passed this farm on my way back from a trip to Oak Harbor on Friday. The sun was at about 6:00pm and lighting up the scene. When I left Ebeys Landing on Saturday afternoon about 5:00pm I decided for one last painting in this spot. After that I headed for the ferry and home.

I was not very happy with this one when I was done with it on Saturday. It was pretty awful, but I kept it knowing that I can often salvage a PA painting in the studio when I get back after studying  the photos. Now I think it may be one of my stronger pieces from the trip .....so, never give up!!

"White clouds over Ebeys Landing" Whidby Island, plein air , landscape painting by Robin Weiss

"White Clouds over Ebeys Landing" 8x8 oil on panel $330

Walked up to the top of the bluff for this one. The sun was directly behind me and the view across the fields was irresistible. I learned the trick that it is better to paint a back lit scene at high noon from my friend Jim Lamb. That's usually your best bet but I got side tracked by the spectacular marching rows of clouds over the fields.

Whidby Island Paint Out 2013

Here's the view looking the opposite direction. Pretty spectacular as well!! Hard to believe there was snow six inches deep the day before!


There was a continual trickle of hikers climbing up the bluff and hiking along the ridge to descend back to the beach and then along the beach back to the parking lot. A hike I will go back with Ann later in the summer to enjoy!

"Parked at Ebeys Landing" Whidby Island, plein air, landscape painting by Robin Weiss

"Parked at Ebeys Landing 8x12 oil on panel  Sold

Saturday, after a cold but cozy night in the van we met at Ebeys landing. The day began cold and windy but turned to bright , warm sun by 11:00 am . Most of the group scattered out along the road to paint the bluff and hillside and I joined them. More and more painters and hikers started showing up and parking their cars in front of me so I finally gave up and painted the cars into the scene!

 History of Ebeys Landing is very interesting. Here is a portion of the story from the State Park Guide;

 Colonel Isaac Neff Ebey was among the first of the permanent settlers to the island. Upon the advice of his friend Samuel Crockett, Ebey came west from his home in Missouri in search of land. Both men had filed donation claims on Central Whidbey by the spring of 1851. Ebey wrote home, enthusiastically urging his family to join him.

"My dear brother— I scarcely know how I shall write or what I shall write . . . the great desire of heart is to get my own and father's family to this country. I think it would be a great move. I have always thought so . . . To the north down along Admiralty Inlet . . . the cultivating land is generally found confined to the valleys of streams with the exception of Whidbey's Island . . . which is almost a paradise of nature. Good land for cultivation is abundant on this island. I have taken a claim on it and am now living on the same in order to avail myself of the provisions of the Donation Law. If Rebecca, the children, and you all were here, I think I could live and die here content."

Colonel Isaac Ebey
letter to his brother, W.S. Ebey
Olympia, Oregon
April 25, 1851

Ebey's family soon emigrated to the island. The simple home of Isaac's father Jacob, and a blockhouse he erected to defend his claim against Indians, still stand today overlooking the prairie that bears the family name. As for Isaac, he became a leading figure in public affairs, but his life was cut short in 1857, when he was slain by northern coastal Indians seeking revenge for the killing of one of their own chieftains.

Apparently,  The Haida Indians were raiding the Suquamish in Port Gamble and a US Navy ship intervened, killing a chief .  In retribution they killed Ebey.
 Read more of the story  HERE

"Footprints in the Snow" Whidby Island,landscape, plein air painting by Robin Weiss

"Footprints in the Snow" 6x10 oil on panel  $275

This is the fourth study I did on Friday. That's not a bad day of painting!  Loved the color of the grass bursting through the bright snow...