"Point Lobos, Whalers Cove" California, coastal, plein air, oil painting by Robin Weiss

"Point Lobos, Whalers Cove"  9x12 oil on panel   Sold

What can I say, this place is amazing!! What a beautiful treasure!  So thankful for the opportunity to paint at Point Lobos!  If you plan to go there (don't miss it!) I'll relate our experience getting in. First, go early in the day!! When we got there around noonish they were only letting a car enter when one left the park. After we got in I wanted to go to Whalers Cove first. The road leading to the parking lot was blocked by a sign that said the parking was full. I drove around the sign and the parking lot had several empty spots. Just sayin... Here's another video of my initial reaction..

"Carmel by the Sea" California, coastal, plein air painting by Robin Weiss

"Carmel by the Sea"  6x10 oil on panel    Sold
 

Ann reading at the Portola

 Mean while back at the convention there was more great demonstrations and good times talking with fellow artists. Ann, being the great painting companion that she is, relaxed in the beautiful foyer of the Portola Hotel waiting for me to get going.




Daniel Gerharzt demo

in progress

Daniel Gerhartz gave a great portrait demo and also did some plein air painting on location with the other artists. It was a real treat to watch him work! 
 I was excited about our next location because I have never been to Carmel.
  We found a spot off the road without doing too much exploring anxious to get a painting going. Of course everyone else was at the beautiful Carmel River Park which I knew nothing about...
 Well into the process  someone stopped and asked, if I knew the car I was painting was a Tesla! ...Cool!

"Asilomar Beach" California, coastal plein air painting by Robin Weiss

"Asilomar Beach"  plein air 7x14 oil on panel   Sold

I did two paintings at Asilomar Beach. This was the second one. I left it pure plein air, no touch up in the studio. Quite often I will do some touch up depending on how much time I had to finish. There was more studio work on the first painting of the day (last post) even though I spent a lot more time on it.  This one went fast and furious as I tried to convey the movement of the waves and the blusteriness of the day. After composing the painting I put more effort in conveying a feeling than accurately depicting detail. I would like to paint this way more!

"Asilomar Surf" California, coastal, plein air painting by Robin Weiss

"Asilomar Surf"  10x10 oil on panel   Sold

A lot went on at the plein air convention between painting times and I won't go into much of that. If you would like to know more you can subscribe to Plein Air Magazine's newsletter or the mag itself. It is one of the better magazines out there for artists and collectors.
  The next location we went to paint was Asilomar beach not too far from the hotel. Everyone told me it is a windy beach most of the time and this day was no exception. There were hundreds of artists on the beach painting but it seems I always pick a spot away from the congestion. I had trouble with the wind so you can see my solution in the video.. 

"Rocky Point Rock" California, coastal, plein air painting by Robin Weiss

"Rocky Point Rock"  8x8 oil on panel  $330

After finishing up at Garrapata State Park it was time for lunch and we met at the Rocky Point Resturant. A great spot to eat ...and to set up and paint after!.....In fact, the views are so spectacular if you are an artist or photographer you may skip lunch and just go to work!




Rocky Point Restaurant

But that would be a mistake because the food is pretty good!  An extra bonus in April is the migrating Gray Whales that are cruising up the coast to their summer feeding grounds in Alaska.

"Garrapata Rocks" California, coastal, oil painting by Robin Weiss

"Garrapata Rocks"  10x12 oil on panel  $450

Needless to say I was blown away by the beauty of the California coast as Ann and I traveled south and the sun came out revealing the crystal turquois water of the pacific ocean near Monterey! We stayed the first night at a motel in Monterey taking some time to drive thru Napa valley and visit galleries in Senoma. After we moved over to The Portola for the Plein Air Convention I quickly ran into a good friend I've known for years on the internet but have not met face to face, Mike Bailey. He is a fantastic watercolorist and we first met, cyberly speaking, when most artists shared their work and conversed on their blogs around 2006. He introduced me to some new friends, Mark Mahaffey and Scott Hamil  and we all packed our pochade boxes and headed for Garrapata State Park. What a blast meeting and spending time painting with these great artists!

Mark Mahaffey painting at Garrapata

Mike Bailey painting at Garrapata

Scott Hamill painting at Rocky Point



"Pescadero Beach" California, coastal, plein air painting by Robin Weiss

 


Pescadero Beach  9x12 oil on panel     sold

In early April, Ann and I left Washington state to attend the third annual Plein Air Convention in Monterey California. We were excited to leave 40 degrees and raining in Poulsbo to 80 degrees and sunshine in California....plus, we just always love a road trip!


The drive through Washington state was just a rainy blur but when we crossed the Oregon border things started to shape up and the sun started to break through.

I didn't do my first painting (above) until we reached the California coast but we had some fun adventures along the way...and the sun did come out ..finally!



"First Thursday" Seattle cityscape by Robin Weiss

"First Thursday" 16x20 oil on canvas       sold

The first Thursday of every month is Seattle city's art walk.  We always try and get to the SAM (Seattle Art Museum) on those nights because general admission is free.  Of course I always bring my camera to get rainy night city photos to paint from...

"Spring Blessing" Bainbridge Island urban, landscape painting by Robin Weiss

"Spring blessing" 10x10 oil on panel    Sold

This one started out as a plein air painting but I didn't get very far along before the cold and the changing light drove me back to my warm van. Back in the climate controlled studio I added the figure from a photo taken on location. 
 These beautiful spring days with the flowering trees arrayed in vibrant color are indeed one of God's best blessings!  Happy Easter!

"Gazebo" Bainbridge Island, plein air, urban, landscape painting by Ropbin Weiss

"Gazebo"  8x8 oil on panel             Sold

 I went back to Bainbridge Island to paint the spring, flowering trees during the Bakers show. I punched the color up a bit to emphasize the vibrancy of the day.

"Winslow Church" Bainbridge Island, plein air, urban landscape painting by Robin Weiss

"Winslow Church"  8x12 oil on panel     Sold

 Right across the street from this church is Bainbridge Bakers where I had a show of my recent paintings. the show is over now but you can still see a lot of the painting(except the ones that sold) at The Harbor Steps Gallery in Seattle for the month of April.
In between painting trips I have been showing work in my local area.  I have found that is always helpful to go out and paint in the community to help promote the show. The day was Northwest cloudy/rainy but I still had a great time meeting folks and painting!

"Skagit Valley Jewel" Skagit Valley, plein air ,landscape painting by Robin Weiss

"Skagit Valley Jewel"  8x8 oil on panel      SOLD

At this time of the evening the light is moving very fast!  When I turned around and saw this tree seemingly on fire by the setting sun, there was only enough time to shoot a quick photo and it was gone.  I painted this in the studio with my vivid recollection of that moment and the pic.

"Skagit Valley Furrows" LaConner, plein air, landscape, oil painting by Robin Weiss

"Skagit Valley Furrows"

I've been to this spot before, late in the afternoon.  It never fails to inspire.  Take a left right after the Snow Goose Produce stand on the way to LaConner and drive to the end of the road.

Enjoy!!!

"Skagit Barns" LaConner, plein air, landscape, oil painting by Robin Weiss

"Skagit Barns"  8x10 oil on panel      $330

We woke up to grey skies and threatening rain on the second day of the Laconner painting trip.  I managed to get one more plein air painting done and then did some scouting and visiting. 




Cascade Green

I added a new color made by Daniel Smith to my palette called Cascade Green. It helped me in this painting to more quickly mix the hue of green I was looking for in this cool valued rainy day scene.

 

 

I also spent a long time sitting and watching the amazing spectacle of the Snow Geese and Trumpeter Swans on their migration to the summer breeding grounds in the north. Thousands of them pass trough Washington State, many stopping in the Skagit Valley to fuel up for the journey......Well,,,,take a look at this short video    =]

 

 

"Sea of Clouds" LaConner, plein air, landscape, oil painting by Robin Weiss

"Sea of Clouds"  8x10 oil on panel  $330

I called Mark Bistranin on my way to LaConner and told him I was headed up. "Great", Mark said, "Me and Sam are just headed out to paint. We'll meet you at the 76 station"  I thought I had been to most of Marks good spots but somehow missed this one. The day was beautiful and the clouds, like giant pillows floated along against an azure sky......Perfect!

Mark and Jazz

Sam chatting with the neighbor

 Tragically, the day I was headed home from this trip a mudslide occurred not far from this location in the town of Oso.  I am auctioning off a plein air painting done here on the same day , the proceeds of which will go to the slide victim relief.  You can bid on it HERE.  Thanks for your support of this cause.  Learn more about how you can help HERE

Also, I am showing a large body of my work at Alki Arts, The Harbor Steps Gallery in Seattle , WA..
If you are in the area check it out.

Click HERE to learn more.

          

"Spring Dike" LaConner, plein air, landscape painting by Robin Weiss

"Spring Dike"  6x8 oil on panel      SOLD

I recently took a trip to LaConner, WA. to view the early Daffodils and paint with my friend, Mark Bistranin.  The first day was sunny and beautiful and we both did three paintings!  Rain returned on the next day but I was still able to get a painting done and spend some time visiting.

The downside and tragic part of this trip I learned while driving home on Saturday.  A mudslide near Arlington in the town of Oso wiped out many homes and 90 people are dead and missing. The relief effort to find the missing and clear the debris is massive and those on the scene need our help. That is why I am donating the proceeds of the sale of this piece to the relief efforts.  You can bid on this painting at the dailypaintworks auction HERE.   Thank you for supporting this cause!

"The Bengoti" Seattle cityscape by Robin Weiss

"The Bengoti"          Sold

Another rain drenched scene of my favorite city.  I think this painting is about 12x14. I painted it a month ago and sent it off to the gallery forgetting , again , to post it to my blog.  If you stand in Pioneer Square and look north, this is the view you will see. Of course everything changes when the sun comes out ....sometime in June....

It seems I have a rotating show of my recent work traveling around . It will now all be in one place, my city scenes and my plein air landscapes.  For the next month my work will be at Alki Arts "The Harbor Steps Gallery"  while I am away at the Plein Air Convention in Monterey.

Speaking of plein air.  The Plein Air Magazine online newsletter "Outdoor Painter" did a nice little interview with me about the Mexico workshop . You can view it HERE

"Madrone Lane" Bainbridge Island, urban, plein air, oil painting by Robin Weiss

"Madrone Lane"  8x10 oil on panel    Sold

I realized that I had never posted this painting when it sold. This has happened before.  That brings me to the professional artists tip that you should always keep your images of paintings in organized folders. One for High Resolution and one for Web posting. This one was never resized and it took me some time to find. It was tucked away in my high res folder. Fortunately, because I keep pretty organized folders by date I was able to find it fairly fast but I hate wasting time digging for stuff when it should be right at my fingertips.  I've done that when looking for tools to do a project around the house. There have been times when, after looking for a tool for an hour I just gave up and refocused on another project.  Don't let that happen to your art images! They are too important to our business!  Plus,  you can then devote more time to watching talking dog videos on youtube...=]

"Palapa Palms" Mexico , coastal, landsacape painting by Robin Weiss

"Palapa Palms"  14x11 oil on canvas panel   $520

This is the last one of the Mexico paintings from our adventure to the Baja Sur. I saw these palms when the workshop was gathered at the church in Pescadero. I didn't have a chance to do more than a quick sketch and take some pictures at the time, so it was fun to finally get to the palms when I got back to the studio.

underpainting

I did my usual underpainting in a hotter red/orange color to give the painting the "heat" that we experienced in Mexico.









I am back to painting the cool northwest scenes that I am used to for now but the Plein Air Convention in Monterey is coming up in April and I am excited to be back in sunny California, especially the beautiful Monterey peninsula! Stay tuned for updates on how it all plays out.
  In the mean time if you are in the area I will be at the Bainbridge Baker Co, in Winslow, on Bainbridge Island, WA.  for the first Friday Art Walk this coming Friday from 6pm till 8pm.  Come down and see my recent plein air and studio work with over 30 paintings displayed.

Until next time , Adios Amigos!

"On the Road to Cerritos" Mexico, desert, landscape painting by Robin Weiss

"On the Road to Cerritos"  10x10 oil on panel   Sold

To get from Jolyns house to the beach at Cerritos you drive these dirt roads through the desert. They call this cactus a Cordone. I desperately wanted to stop and paint these in the landscape but unfortunately was tied down to the workshop schedule. I did take a lot of pictures of them , stopping Jo many times to hop out and shoot photos. I loved the change of complimentary color from the yellow/green tops to the red/purple lower branches.

Cactus Bird

I also had fun taking pictures of all the birds I saw. Here are a few pictures of them.

















Cardinal

Frigate

"The Palms of Las Palmas" Mexico, coastal landscape painting by Robin Weiss

"The Palms of Las Palmas"   7x10 oil on panel  $300

After we returned from Mexico I did some paintings from the photos I took while the light and colors of the Baja were still fresh in my mind, There were so many scenes at Las Palmas I wanted to paint but only had time for one. This scene , looking back to the palms from the beach, was lighting up late in the afternoon when I captured it with my trusty pocket camera.

"Las Palmas Beach" Mexico, plein air coastal oil painting by Robin Weiss

Las Palmas Beach 12x9 oil on panel   Sold

Our last day in Mexico we were free to relax and paint on our own.  Jolyn took us to a favorite beach and painting spot called Las Palmas or Palm Beach. 


Jolyn and Rob painting at Las Palmas

We found a great spot to set up and enjoyed the afternoon working at our own pace. There were just a few other families on the beach, It felt like we had the whole place to ourselves...

Pelican Pete

Well,  except for our friend Pete who kept coming by to check on how the paintings were coming along.   Pete hung around all day. Guess he needed some company and we stayed long enough to enjoy a beautiful sunset over the Baja.  What a great way to spend our last day in Mexico!  Thank you Tom and Jolyn Moran for hosting this workshop and showing such wonderful hospitality!  To see Jolyns  plein air work click here






Sunset at Las Palmas

I have more paintings to post of Mexico from the photos I took so check back when you have the time......Adios Amigos!

"Cerritos Surf" Mexico, marinescape by Robin Weiss

"Cerritos Surf"   10x10 oil on panel   Sold

 The big draw of Pescadero for Americans and others is the great surfing beach at Cerritos just a few miles from where we were staying. People come from all over to enjoy the soft sand and nice break of the waves.


The palapa at Cerritos

The great thing for my purpose was the large palapa that would provide shade for the painters on the third day of the workshop in Mexico.
 The idea was to get there early enough on Sunday morning to beat all the beach goers that would be showing up to enjoy a day off.....and that we did!  My wife, Ann camped out at the surf club on a deck chair under an umbrella enjoying a good book while we painted the rocks and ocean surf.

This was my demo for the workshop of waves hitting the rocks. I was trying to portray the motion of the water and create design with the rocks. The painting above was done from pictures I took on location using my plein air study for local color.

Frieda working hard

Margi working on her seascape

The students enjoyed the shade and the beautiful day at the beach!  everyone did great even though painting surf can be very challenging ...even for the teacher!

As we were painting several boats raced in through the surf and hauled up on the beach to clean their catch. It was quite a show and a Mexican family who shared the palapa with us was happy to get what was left over after filleting the large fish.

Ann enjoying the view overlooking Cerritos Beach