"Up the Grand Park Trail" oil landscape painting by Robin Weiss

"Up the Grand Park Trail" 10x12 oil on panel     $450

  This is my last post for 2014!  It has been an amazing year! Full of plein air adventures , meeting new friends, painting spectacular scenery up the west coast into California and all the way to the Baja peninsula! I feel incredibly blessed to have the ability to pursue my love of art, full time!
   My advice is to find what you have been gifted and called to do and then get out there and work towards making that your lifes work. Sometimes you have to work other jobs until you can get there but never give up!

  This painting is from one of the photos I took a few years back of a hike up to Grand Park in Mount Rainier National Park. Another Washington location of spectacular beauty!
     
   May your year be filled with love, joy and adventure!  Happy painting and hope to see you down the trail!

"The Gift of Joy" portrait, oil painting by Robin Weiss

"The Gift of Joy"  granddaughter , Brooklyn- 8x8 oil on panel   NFS

I'm posting this painting just before we walk through the woods to my moms house to open our presents on Christmas morning. This is a gift for my wife. She won't see this post until after opening it. I'm excited to see her face.
 Our grandchildren bring much joy to our lives but this morning I'm thinking about the great joy of Christmas that came wrapped in a manger in Bethlehem. I'm hoping that you all will know the peace and joy that comes through faith in Jesus and the message He brings of love and redemption.
Merry Christmas!
rob and ann

"Quilute Marina" marine, landscape, oil painting by Robin Weiss

"Quilute Marina"   8x10 oil on panel       Sold

Our scouting trip also included a stop at the Quilute village in La Push. There is a great marina there where the native fishermen take their boats over the bar every morning. 

Jim painting the sea stacks

 

 I decided to paint the marina while Jim was painting the great sea stacks just outside the harbor. The fog softened the edges in the distance and lent a nice mood to the paintings. I added a second boat to my composition after coming back to the studio thinking it needed the balance. I guess that was a good move since the painting sold during the studio tour.

In La Push



Anne Dalton and me at the Quilute marina

"Sol Duc River Afternoon" plein air, landscape, oil painting by Robin Weiss

"Sul Duc River Afternoon"     9x12 oil on linen panel   Sold

Earlier in the summer of 2014 I was invited by the events director of the Port Angeles Fine Art Center to join her and Jim Lamb for a few days, scouting painting locations in preparation for Paint the Peninsula. Jim was to be the awards juror and was also teaching a workshop after the event. I had already been on a few painting trips with him and we were both like minded about what would be good spots to paint.  See Jim's work HERE

Painting the Sol Duc with Jim Lamb

One of the places that Anne Dalton took us was up the Hot Springs road to a spot called the Salmon Cascades on the Sol Duc river.

A location with a good view of the actual cascades didn't work out due to some young people having a lot of fun diving and swimming in the lower pools.  We did find a good spot above the cascades and took some extra time to do a quick painting.

You can see a painting of the cascades that I painted from a photo taken on location HERE

My paintings and experiences at Paint the Peninsula are recorded in earlier posts.

The El Malecon" Seattle, cityscape, oil painting by Robin Weiss

The El Malecon"  14x9 oil on panel   Sold

I scoped this spot out on my way to Alki Arts one afternoon and thought to myself it would make a great painting when the sun is just right. I came back early enough to set up before the sun was the way I wanted and grabbed a slice of pizza. FYI , right across from the El Malecon is a great little pizza joint with tables outside in the alley. That's where I set up my easel.

El Malecon 10x6 oil on panel
Plein air

This is the plein air study I did that sunny afternoon. The above painting is a larger studio painting with the figure of the walking girl added from photos taken on location.

I liked the design of the darks on each side connecting through the figure in shade and the shadow of the hanging plant. Also one figure shaded and one in sun makes a nice offset balance to the whole....Anyhow that's what I was thinking...

I'm really starting to love painting in the city!

FYI  Malecon means Seahorse in Spanish   =]  The food there is good too!

The plein air painting is available at Alki Arts located at First and Seneca, downtown Seattle!  Call Diane and she will ship it right out to you!

"Fishermans Restaurant" Seattle cityscape, oil painting by Robin Weiss

"Fishermans Restaurant"  8x10 oil on panel  Sold
Available at Alki Arts Gallery, Seattle

 

Eating crab at the Fishermans Restaurant

I had a blast painting this scene while waiting for the family to arrive. We were celebrating several birthdays by having lunch on a beautiful, sunny day in the city. The Fishermans Restaurant has a spacious deck out back, right under the new , giant Ferris Wheel .

I went back to this spot three weeks later and all the trees had been torn out and the street ripped up as workers dug a giant pit twelve stories deep to recover and repair the boring machine which was disabled while trying to build the tunnel to replace the aging viaduct.

The scene I painted will never look like that again.

"The Teahouse at Bloedel" Bloedel Reserve, oil landscape painting by Robin Weiss

"The Teahouse at Bloedel"    10x10 oil on panel   Available at the Bloedel
Reserve Gatehouse Gift Shop

While we are on the subject of the Bloedel Reserve , here is another one done on location in the Japanese Garden area.

"The Footbridge at Bloedel" plein air, oil. landscape painting by Robin Weiss

"The Foot Bridge at Bloedel"   10x10 oil on panel    Sold

The Bloedel Reserve is an amazing garden and grounds not far from us on Bainbridge Island. I have painted there quite a bit, in fact I have painted there so much they are now showing my paintings of the reserve at the gatehouse!



7x7 oil on panel available at the
Bloedel Reserve Gatehouse Gift Shop 

 I was invited to join my friend Darrell Anderson and some other painters at Bloedel the first time I painted the footbridge. We had a wonderful day in beautiful sunshine. We all set up around the Japenese Garden area.

Curious friends

The local gander even stopped by to check it out. These geese were so friendly they walked right by us as we were sitting on the path!



I liked the little painting so much that I decided to use it as my study for an upcoming show called "Natures Gift of Water" sponsored by Plein Air Washington Artists and exhibited at the American Art Co. in Tacoma WA. This show features plein air paintings and studio paintings derived from the studies.

"Bridge over Peaceful Water" 20x20 oil on canvas    $1100
Available at The American Art Co.

Since the requirement for the show was at least an 8x10 plein air study I had to go back and do another plein air (top one).  I then used that study to paint this larger studio painting.
 If you have never tried going larger with your PA studies you may not realize how difficult it is to get the same spontaneity and freshness of brushwork. It's tough!

It was an honor to meet and receive an award of honorable mention from awards juror Jeremy Lipking for my plein air study.

And then to top the evening off I sold the painting to fellow artist and collector Mami Shimomura.






Happy painter, collector and award

"Olympic View" commission , oil, landscape painting by Robin Weiss

"Olympic View"  11x14 oil on linen panel       Sold

This was another commission request of a favorite view and happy memory during a period of time in a place much loved by the family.

If you would like a favorite place captured in paint for your home contact me here;  robinweiss@earthlink.net  

btw,  Lori ordered some custom notecards of her painting as well....and you could too! Actually I can arrange notecards of most of my paintings which would make a great Christmas gift!  =]

Lori wrote me this note;

Rob, the painting arrived a few minutes ago, and it is just breathtaking!  I am so excited, and can't wait to give it to Chris.  I guess it's a pretty selfish gift because I know I will get every bit as much enjoyment out of it as he does.  I hinted to our former landlords that a surprise was coming their way, too (I am going to give them some of the note cards), so your gift will go out to Maine as well!  You're a bi-coastal artist now.  :-)  Thank you again.

 

Lori

"The Annie Belle" commission, marine oil painting by Robin Weiss

"The Annie Belle"  8x10 oil on panel    Sold

Good things seem to come in bunches like bananas and this month it was commission paintings . Christy Crider thought a painting of her friends sailboat would make a nice gift. She sent me some photos and I did this painting for her.

I would be willing to paint your boat too!  Or maybe some other place or thing that represents a great memory....Email me and we can talk about it

robinweiss@earthlink.net


Christy wrote me after she got the package;

Robin,

 The package arrived right on time on Monday and it is much loved by its owner.  Thank you again.  It was a pleasure to work with you. 

 

Christy