"Beach Combers" oil, marinescape painting by Robin Weiss

"Beach Combers"    10x12 oil on panel , framed    $600

We waited for a sunny day to hike the trail down to Second Beach near LaPush, WA on the Olympic Peninsula. I painted here last year during PTP 2014 and even did a different view of this same sea stack.

"Incoming Tide" 10x12 oil on linen
PTP 2014     $600

The beach was pretty crowded with hikers and campers. I picked a spot out of the way, in the shade, then quickly sketched my composition with a drawing brush and thin, Quin Sienna paint from Daniel Smith. I like the transparency and the more saturated, red/orange color of the pigment for under-painting in the Northwest where we have so much blue and green to deal with.

The sun was moving very fast so I quickly washed in the shaded areas and then STUCK to my light/dark plan as everything started to change dramatically.  I finished this painting in about an hour and a half then packed my gear and headed down the beach to meet other artist friends.

Rhonda McKay painting on 2nd Beach

I was looking for something different from the last couple years of painting on Second Beach. The storm twisted firs marching up the bluffs caught my eye. Artist Rhonda Thatcher McKay was in my field of view so I painted her in.

Ned Mueller's  painting on 2nd Beach

Many fine paintings were done down on the beach that day by artists including Jim Lamb, Bob Stem, Eric Jacobson and one of my favorites of the day by Ned Mueller.

During the month of January and February 2016 you can view many of these paintings during a solo exhibition at the Tree House Cafe. Click
                                                      HERE 
for info on this great restaurant and event destination located in Lynwood Center on Bainbridge  Island.

"Driftwood Giants, plein air, landscape by Robin Weiss

"Driftwood Giants" 9x12 oil on linen     Sold
New Dungeness Light Station Keepers Award  PTP 2015

We were designated a painting spot on one of the days during Paint the Peninsula so me and painting friends, Jim Lamb and Melanie Thompson met early at the Dungeness Wildlife Refuge and headed for the beach. The Dungeness Spit is a long narrow strip of land five miles long with a light station at the end. As one of the sponsors of PTP 2015 the Light Station Keepers would be judging and giving awards for the work done by the artists painting in the refuge during the day.

Melanie working on her painting

The trail from the parking area is about three quarters of a mile. When we reached the end Melanie set up right there with a view of the Olympics peaking out through rapidly changing cloud conditions. It wasn't the best weather but it wasn't raining either!
 I hefted my pack down the spit where there was more driftwood. I found an interesting arrangement that would lead the eye of the viewer into the painting. I even moved a few pieces out of the way to make a better composition where one long piece of driftwood goes through the "eye" of another.

On the Dungeness Spit

The sun kept peeking out through the clouds. I snapped a picture so that I could reference my camera monitor to add shadows where I couldn't see them most of the time. I punched up the color notes and increased the size of the Olympic Mountain range in the distance. I was inspired by the color of the mountains and the way they were obscured by the clouds so I increased the saturation of the blue-green color of distant land seen through atmosphere.

In the mean time the light station keepers came around to check on the painters and encourage us.

 When I finished this one I moved to the other side of the spit where Jim was already painting. We were positioned at about 12 o'clock and 6 o'clock  around a large tide pool formed as the tide retreated into Dungeness Bay.

Dungeness Bay  9x14 oil on panel  $600 

As we were painting I noticed something moving in the tide pool that looked like seaweed. There was no current since the pool was isolated by now and the movement caught my eye. I walked down closer thinking it may have been a sea otter but when close I recognized it as a Giant Pacific Octopus trapped in the tide pool.  Jim came down and we both started taking videos of it. As it moved to a sandy area and settle down it would change color and blend in perfectly with the bottom. Then it would start moving and turn a rust red color.

The funny part about this octopus story is when we got back that day I posted my video on facebook and it received over a thousand views. Jim posted his and since he took the video vertically it posted vertically  and didn't get many views.  Being new to facebook he was not sure how to rotate it and in trying to he re-posted it to his page six times and changed his profile picture to the octopus. Ha!  You have to hear him tell the story!

Receiving the New Dungeness Light Station Keepers Award
For "Driftwood Giants" Paint the Peninsula 2015

"Rainbow Farm" Paint the Peninsula 2015, plein air oil painting by Robin Weiss

"Rainbow Farm"  9x12 oil on panel    Sold

See my prior post to learn more about this plein air painting done in Sequim WA during Paint the Peninsula 2015. Even though the current name is Chi's Farm I named the painting Rainbow Farm, it's former name still on the sign....because I thought it was kinda catchy...=]

"Airstreams and Tractors" Paint the Peninsula, plein air, oil painting by Robin Weiss

"Airstreams and Tractors" 9x12 oil on panel    Sold

Looking back over my blog I realized there are no posts about Paint the Peninsula 2015! Yikes! That was a huge show for me this year and a great success as I won three different awards including Best of Show for this painting.

There were so many adventures and so much fun meeting new friends that it will be hard to condense it all down. To start off I was juried into the show and given host housing with Jinx and Gunar in Sequim, WA. That turned out great because I had the opportunity to paint more in that area like Chi's Farm where Airstreams and Tractors was done.
 The long row of bright yellow sunflowers was the first thing that grabbed my attention driving down Towne Rd looking for a good painting location . I pulled the van into the driveway and saw a small, neat little farm with a small shack and  few Airstream trailers. The shack had a sign inviting friends to come in and pick up their eggs leaving money in a can on the desk. There was a card describing the farm as a CSA and a phone number of the manager. I called the number and explained that I was an artists and would love to paint on location there.

The pizza oven

 Ankur enthusiastically said"Great! It's a good day, we are having our end-of-the-month pizza and veggie pick up party.  I had noticed a thick column of smoke coming from the back yard but didn't know that it was a home made, clay pizza oven!  Well that sounded good to me so I set up the easel and started my first painting.

Click HERE to learn more about Chi's Farm

Chi's Farm

I wanted to capture the first thing that impressed me about the farm. The sunflowers! So I set up to do that painting first. I will post the finished painting in my next post.
 My under-painting shown here was drawn in with a "drawing brush' and then filled in to fix my composition and values before starting in with color. This has been my standard way of getting started on a plein air painting and it works for me...=]

Plein Air wine from Camaraderie Cellars

By the way...part of my award for winning Best of Show at PTP 2015 was getting the winning painting printed on a wine label for Camaraderie Cellars signature"Plein Air" wine. A portion of sales are used to benifit the Port Angeles Fine Art Center If you are interested in learning more about PACAC and this wine click the link HERE

If you would like to go directly to the page where you can order this wine from the Camaraderie Cellars website click the link HERE

"Christmas Still Life" original oil painting by Robin Weiss

"Christmas Still Life"  10x10 oil on panel         Sold


We had our annual end-of-the-season paint out, potluck for the Plein Air Washington Painters in Edmonds last month. It is always a great time to connect with friends and go over the years events and plan for next year....and there are great plans for next year!  Lots of fun painting adventures to come!  Check out PAWA's website HERE during the year to see what we are up to.

Thanks for YOUR support and have a safe and blessed holiday season!

PAWA , Edmonds paint out

"Happy Hour" Seattle city, urban landscape, oil painting by Robin Weiss

"Happy Hour" 20x20 oil on canvas      Sold

Rumor has it that this whole block in Seattle will soon be demolished and the only business that will remain is this old and iconic bar called the Diller Room. Things are changing fast in Seattle and part of my job is to chronicle the old city as it was.
You can see more of my recent cityscapes at Alki Arts located on First and Seneca, downtown Seattle.

"After the Flowers" oil; landscape painting by Robin Weiss

"After the Flowers" 10x12 oil on panel   Sold

Awhile back I was invited to be in the Howard Mandville gallery Small Works Show.  The show is over now but it was an amazing collection of fine art from some of the nations top artists. It was a real honor to be a part of it! They have kept over some of the paintings, mine among them and are still available to see and purchase in the gallery. If you are in Kirkland, WA. and have the opportunity please stop by and see this impressive venue of local and international fine art.

  

"Montana Highway" mini, oil, landscape painting by Robin Weiss

"Montana Highway" 4x4 oil on linen panel  Sold

Still pawing through old reference material.  I have a pair of mat corners shape like an L that I can adjust with a couple paper clips to frame a composition within a larger photo. It's amazing when you do that how many interesting new compositions can appear from old photos.

 This is one from some older ref shots of a trip to Montana a couple years back when I took a workshop with my old friend Darrell Anderson, Kath Gill and Bob Phinney. You can check out a post from that workshop HERE.

"Red Barn" mini, landscape painting by Robin Weiss

"Red Barn"  4x4 oil on linen panel    Sold

The second in a series of miniature paintings I am posting on the Daily Paint Works auction site. This was done from a reference photo taken on location in Montana several years ago.

"River Reflections" mini,oil, landscape painting by Robin Weiss

"River Reflections"  4x5 oil on linen panel   Sold

I'm so behind on my blog now that I'm not even going to try and catch up!  lately I have been painting some landscape miniatures from my archive of reference photos as the rain falls and wind howls outside the studio windows. There has been a pretty good response to them on facebook with inquiries to buy so I will begin to post and offer them on the Daily Paint Works auction page. I'm having a lot of fun painting these and hope you like them as well!

"The Argosy" Seattle, marine painting by Robin Weiss

"The Argosy" 18x24 oil on linen         Sold

This is a scene I have painted a few times before from different angles. The Argosy used to be moored just as you turned up Alaska Way from the ferry dock.Of course everything is changed now that they are restructuring the waterfront in Seattle.

"The Argosy"  22x36     2012       Sold

Here is a painting I did of this scene in 2012











Arts in the Woods Studio Tour is coming up Nov 6,7,8!   If you are in the area please stop by and say hi!  I will have a lot of new work and older stuff at some good prices that are only available once a year at AITW! Hope to see you there!

"First Ascent" Quick Draw, Crested Butte Plein Air Open by Robin Weiss

"First Ascent"  Quick Draw 12x10    Sold

Outside the First Assent Coffee Shop with my Quick Draw

The First Ascent is a great little coffee shop at the end of  Elk Street in Crested Butte. It's not far from Oh Be Joyful Gallery and I thought it would be a great subject for the "Quick Draw" competition during the CB Plein Air Open.

 Quick draws  are a common part of plein air competitions and generally you have about two hours to complete a painting from start to finish. Then you have to hustle your WET painting back to the gallery get it framed and hung for exhibition in a matter of hours!  It's always really stressful for me up until the painting starts to work...Once I realize the composition is coming together then I can relax and enjoy the ride.  This painting took me all of the two hours to complete since it was pretty complex for a quick draw but it payed off and the painting sold in the gallery later.
TIP;  If you look closely you can see that I have mounted my panel in a floater style frame then wrapped the frame with brown paper. That way when I am done its easy to pull off the paper and the painting is already framed and ready to go!

At Paint the Peninsula I got a late start on the quick draw. After finally getting situated the paint just flowed onto the canvas almost painting itself! I love it when that happens!!

Paint the Peninsula Quick Draw

I'll be writing more about PTP in future posts!  I'm still pretty far behind on my blog....So many paintings....so little time!

Stay tuned for more adventures....In Plein Air!

"Where the Wildflowers Are" Crested Butte, plein air, landscape painting by Robin Weiss

"Where the Wildflowers Are"  12x9 oil on linen panel
Sold

This painting was done on location not to far from my campsite on Lake Irwin during the  Crested Butte Plein Air open in Colorado. It has been accepted into PAWA's Annual Competition and Exhibition, From Meadows to Mountains. This competition requires a plein air painting at least 8x10 to be accompanied by a studio painting at least 16x20 inspired by the plein air study. It has been a really fun and interesting show to attend and this has been my third year to be juried in. If you are in the area,
The Grand Opening and Awards Presentation will be November 7th from 2 - 5 pm at ;

American Art Company
1126 Broadway Plaza,
Tacoma, WA 98402

And don't forget if you are in the Kitsap area ...or even if you aren't..plan to attend our annual studio tour, Art in the Woods!

"Alley After the Rain", Crested Butte , plein air painting by Robin Weiss

'Alley After the Rain"  Crested Butte   Sold

I was really attracted to all the quaint alleys in Crested Butte. One day after a rain shower I noticed the bright colors of the sheds reflecting in the puddles and had to paint the scene.

This painting won  Best of Show in the plein air open competition at Oh Be Joyful Gallery.

"Lake Irwin Camp" Crested Butte, plein air, landscape painting by Robin Weiss

"Lake Irwin Camp"  10x12 oil on panel   $600

Since we didn't have reservations for a hotel in town , Maury and I found a camp spot at Lake Irwin. I ended up staying there for the next three weeks. The place had everything you would want in a landscape for making great paintings! The fact that there were no showers or running water was not on my priority list.  We just made it work..

Camp #2  Lake Irwin

As soon as the folks next to us left we moved to that spot which could be occupied for up to three weeks...perfect!

This became home for the rest of our stay in Colorado. About 100 yards away was a hand pump well for water and a one seat outhouse and that was about it for amenities..

We did have a camp host named Shelby who was there for the summer with his family. We got to be good friends and hope to see them again on our return.

"Crested Butte Homestead" plein air landscape, oil painting by Robin Weiss

"Crested Butte Homestead"      $700
 Available through the Oh Be Joyful Gallery in Crested Butte, CO

painting in Crested Butte

As you come into the town of Crested Butte there are beautiful vistas everywhere you look.  It's hard to pick one out! We just decided to pull over onto the side of the road and paint whatever was there. In this case you could face in four different directions and be inspired to create a perfectly composed work of art.

This painting is available through the Oh Be Joyful Gallery in Crested Butte.  Click HERE if you would like to contact the gallery.

In Other News, I have been invited by the Howard Mandville Gallery to be in their Small Works show!  If you would like to attend the opening reception click HERE to get more info and to see the list of artists that will be in the show. I feel humbled to be among these fine artists.




Also, save the date if you are in the Poulsbo area (or if you would like to take a road trip to a neat little town on the fjord!  =])  for North Kitsap's Studio Tour!  I will be at the Knowles Studio as usual along with several other fine artists and crafts people .Click HERE to see the Cultural Arts Foundation page with more info on this great local event!

"Centennial Barns" Crested Butte, plein air air, barn painting by Robin Weiss

"Centennial Barns"  9x12 oil on linen panel     $600

I found the best weathered, old barns in Crested Butte!  About wore out my brakes stopping to take pictures.  The kind folks who owned these allowed me to paint them on location. Apparently they have been around awhile...=]

"Barns and Beauty" Crested Butte, plein air, landscape painting by Robin Weiss

"Barns and Beauty"  14x9 oil on panel   Sold
Available
Through the Oh Be Joyful Gallery, Crested Butte CO.

One of the amazing things about the Colorado Rocky Mountains is the spectacular wild flowers that blanket the meadows and hillsides. I managed to include them in most of my paintings. Humming birds were zipping around everywhere!

Say, I have to take the time to plug Paint the Peninsula coming up next week. If you are in the area be sure to stop by the Gala exhibition. There will be paintings from some of the best artists in the northwest  and points beyond!  hope to see you there!

"At the Edge of Town" Crested Butte, plein air landscape painting by Robin Weiss

"At the Edge of Town"  10x10 oil on panel    sold

Time has gotten away from me yet again and I have neglected my blog...Boy has it been a busy summer!! Since posting last I have attended the Crested Butte Plein Air Open in Colorado, hosted by the Oh Be Joyful Gallery. I completed 14 paintings in the three weeks I was there and hope to post most of them in the weeks ahead.

Maury in Crested Butte

My son Maury came along for the ride down to Colorado. We stopped in Kenniwick, Wa. Twin Falls Idaho and Grand Junction CO. on our way, painting in each location.

 In Kenniwick we contacted Melanie Thompson, another PAWA painter and she took us to one of her favorite spots along the upper Columbia river.

I did two paintings there. One was a scraper.The other one got lost along the way somewhere.Now that I am back I can't find it!

Our next stop was the Snake River Canyon in Idaho. We got there in time to paint the spectacular Sunset....Thanks for checkin in and stay tuned..=]

"Spring in Seattle" Seattle, cityscape by Robin Weiss

"Spring in Seattle"  18x14 oil on panel
Sold

Another shameless plug for my featured artist show at Alki Arts located on First and Seneca in downtown Seattle.The gallery is just a short walk from the ferry.  If you go to the opening on August 6th you can also visit the S.A.M. for free and check out the other galleries that are open late during Seattles First Thursday Artwalk!.....But don't miss my recent city scenes at Alki Arts!

Thanks!!!

"Pike Place Chowder" plein air, Seattle cityscape by Robin Weiss

"Pike Place Chowder"   8x10 oil on panel
 Sold

All the paintings are framed and ready to take over to Alki Arts. My featured artists show is coming up fast! Plan a fun evening out the First Thursday in Aug and come to Seattle, then stop by the Gallery on First and Seneca to view my recent city scenes!  I'll be in Colorado painting some 12,000 foot mountains but my wife Ann will be on hand to greet you.  Thanks honey!

I painted this scene on location at Pike place Market a week ago. It was fun interacting with all the people walking by. Check out the video!

"Mt Shuksan Glow" plein air, oil, landscape painting by Robin Weiss

"Mt Shuksan Glow"  10x10 oil on panel    Sold

Can't get enough of this view of Mt Shuksan as the sun goes down and slowly turns the mountain to molten gold with Picture Lake reflecting the show.  We didn't get back to Marks place till after 11pm but it was worth it!

Mark Bistranin painting the mountain late evening