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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.
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| "The Poulsbo Rock" 9x12 oil on panel $600 |
Let's talk about green. As a painter living in the Pacific Northwest it's of great benefit to get a handle on how to mix a variety of greens because lets face it , green can be boring if there is too much of it and you don't take the time to study the subtleties.
One painter is quoted, "What spells green relief"? ... and answers R E D!"
While that's true, there's more to it than that. There is also orange....but there is more to it than that!
If you need to go dark green fast and your looking for that northwest blue/green fir tree shade start by mixing Ivory Black and Cad Yellow Light. Ivory Black has a lot of blue and can make a rich, dark green. Tweek it with Cobalt Blue for more distance or a little red for deep shadow.
While I use mostly M Graham paint and love it for many reasons there are a couple other colors from other brands that I use. For a spring green that really pops I mix a modern yellow such as Azo or Hansa with Gamblin's Radiant Turquoise. Adjust with orange or red to taste.
There are many other ways to approach mixing greens and you can mess around yourself. If you want to see some great examples of green variety check any of Richard Schmid's landscape books.
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| "Morning Kiss" 18x18 oil on panel $1200 Available through the Scott Milo Gallery 360-293-6938 |
This painting was inspired by a camping trip to the Dosewallips State Park last summer. When I am camping it's much easier to get up before dawn and watch the sun come up on the river. The thistles going to seed caught my eye in the morning light and I snapped a photo.
You can see this painting and many other fine paintings at the Scott Milo Gallery through June. check out the website HERE
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| "View of Jupiter" 10x20 oil on panel $800 |
I was thinking of naming this painting "Toes in the Sand" A reminder of how much I love my job! This painting was done during the Lighthouse Art Festival plein air painting competition in Tequesta, Florida 2024. I scouted this spot on a small island and came back the next morning. The city of Jupiter which is very close to Tequesta is visible in the background.
I'm going back through my photos and finding a lot of paintings that never got posted. Seeing this one brought me back to that magical morning ...Just me , the easel, sun and sand, soaking up the beauty of this small piece of tropical paradise. =]
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| "Blackbird Lovebirds" 14x18 oil on panel $1200 Available through the J G Gallery, Bainbridge Island, WA |
I went back to photo reference from about 2016 to make this painting for the July show at the J G Gallery in Winslow. This show will be an all gallery artist exhibition of Bainbridge Island scenes, a favorite for local collectors. The show will open Saturday, July 5th for Art Walk. Hope to see you there! =]
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| "The Mountains are Calling" 8x16 oil $800 Available through the Scott Milo Gallery, Anacortes, WA. |
There was plenty of room to park off the road and set up to paint this scene. The only frustrating part was the guy who decided to start mowing the grass just as I set up....a loud ride on mower with no muffler! Another reason to pack the headphones...
This is my second entry into the Little Gems Show sponsored by the Plein Air Washington Artists and hosted by the Scott Milo Gallery in Anacortes, WA. Check the website for more info HERE
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| "Hiking the Dungeness Spit" 9x12 oil Will be available through the Scott Milo Gallery for the "Little Gems Show" |
The Dungeness Wildlife Refuge in Sequim Washington is a favorite painting location. As I have said in other posts, I love going there because the driftwood design possibilities change from season to season.
Driftwood is hard to paint! You usually have to do a lot of editing. It gets confusing with all the detail which often needs to be severely reduced or suggested but it works great as a design lead into a composition.
I got the value changes from the water to the sand right but messed up proportions in the driftwood and had to fix things in the studio. I also added the figures from photos. Is it still a plein air painting? I think so. Feel free to leave a comment on how you feel about that.
I have entered this painting in the Plein Air Washington Artists annual Little Gems Show which will open in August. Check out the website for more info about this show and the PAWA organization.
Here are a few other paintings from the Dungeness Wildlife Refuge,
