"Porch Peonies" plein air, still life painting by Robin Weiss

"Porch Peonies" 16x12 oil on linen  SOLD
Available at the Front Street Gallery, Poulsbo WA 
360-598-6133

I watched a video of Dennis Perrin painting peonies and then painted this still life on our porch this summer. I really admire his work and learned a lot from the video. Check it out HERE.  

This painting is currently in the window display at Front Street Gallery in downtown Poulsbo. Don't miss a chance to visit if you get the opportunity! I watched another video on the Historical Downtown Poulsbo facebook page that gives you an idea of the beauty Poulsbo. Check it out HERE

Stay safe, Stay creative!

 

"Rhodies on Red" plein air, floral, oil painting by Robin Weiss

"Rhodies on Red"  12x12 oil on linen SOLD

 Fresh white rhododendrons in a cobalt vase with a red background. I set this up in the Knowles Studio to paint last winter.  I used lots of M Graham paint and worked fast to get this impressionistic rendering of the subject. You can purchase this painting through;

The Cole Gallery  425-697-2787

"The Fountain Steps" Scenes of Italy, original oil painting by Robin Weiss

SOLD

I continue to work from reference photos and sketches from our time in Europe last year. Still so thankful we were able to go before the world changed after Covid! I walked up this sun drenched staircase after visiting the  original water source for the village of Volterra in southern Italy. 

Volterra is a walled city with Etruscan and medieval remains dating from before the 8th century BC.

We spent a magical three days exploring the beauty of this Tuscan village.

You can purchase this painting by contacting Denise at the Cole Gallery in 

Edmonds Washington  425-697-2787 

"Hope Springs Eternal" original oil painting by Robin Weiss

"Hope Springs Eternal"  11x11 oil on linen panel  $800
Available through the Cole Gallery  425-697-2787

 Once again there has been some water under the bridge since my last post...I have been busy! =]

The Roby King exhibition was a huge success and we sold a lot of paintings! Thanks to all who braved Covid to put on your ppe armor and come out to the show. It was a beautiful evening and almost seemed like the old days pre-pandemic....almost!

What have I been doing?.....Well, lots of painting!! ...and lots of projects around the house too! 

At least in the top ten best adventures of my life was a pack trip into the Wind River Mountains in late September. Myself and 8 other hardy hikers joined up with the fun folks at Lander Llama Company to participate in a guided pack trip over Roaring Fork Pass into the Stough River Basin to paint, fish and explore for 7 days. I haven't written any posts on this trip yet because I am still organizing all the images and my thoughts about the trip....so hopefully more on that later. 

I have also been accepted into a couple big shows, so that is exciting!  The above painting will be in the American Expressionist Society's 21st National Juried Exhibition in St. George Utah. If you are interested in purchasing this work or seeing all the accepted paintings click HERE

Thanks for stopping by! Stay safe and creative!

"Island Life" Roby King Gallery Featured Artist Exhibition, by Robin Weiss

"Island Life"  24x36 oil on canvas   $3200
SOLD

24x36 is a large painting for me. Since I do so much plein air I am used to working on smaller canvases. .....but need to be going big!!!!  I really enjoyed painting this view of the Winslow marina and distant ferry in a larger format!

  You really need to see it in person!   So come by the Roby King Gallery, Friday the 3rd of July and check out the whole exhibition! It will be up until the 3rd of August..

"Nancy's Garden" plein air landscape painting by Robin Weiss

"Nancy's Garden"  10x10 oil on panel    $600
Available at the Cole Gallery   425-697-2787

In these uncertain times I hope you can gain a measure of comfort and joy from the relationships you have with the ones you love. It seems harder than ever to share that vital human contact and form those fellowships that we need in our lives.  I'm grateful for the support and love of my family and also friendships that have been nurtured over the years.
 A few of us gathered recently to share a meal and to be blessed by the beauty on the canvas of our lives ...and our easels.   Thank you Nancy!!   =]

Myrvang Wetland plein air landscape painting by Robin Weiss

"Myrvang Wetland"  9x12 oil on panel  SOLD  

I have been very encouraged by the efforts of organizations like Forterra and other land conservancy organizations in our area. In the last few years they have bought and set aside many acres of land in the county to preserve for future generations as natural forest and wetland.

I drive by this scene every day on my way to the Knowles Studio. It is so familiar to me that I have to admit on most days I don't even notice the beauty here. This day the buttercups were in full bloom and had transformed the usual into the magical. I had to stop and paint!  A few friends stopped to say hi and make sure I was not broke down on the road..  =]  I looked across the road and noticed a new sign posted.  Myrvang Wetlands Conservation Site!  So glad this land is protected! 

This painting will be part of "Impressions of Kitsap County"  Opening July 3rd   6-8pm at the Roby King Gallery in Winslow on Bainbridge Island and continuing through July.

More info HERE

Green Umbrellas urban plein air painting by Robin Weiss

"Green Umbrellas" 9x12 oil on panel   SOLD

Recently in anticipation of an upcoming group show at the Roby King Gallery I drove to Winslow on a sunny day to paint outside.  I set up right in the middle of town to try and capture the light hitting the green umbrellas outside the Black Bird Bakery.  I was hoping to get a good painting but more importantly to promote the exhibition. All in all it was a good day! Painting was not my worst and got to talk with a lot of folks on the street. 

I hope you can come to the show!   If you would like to find out more information or to see the work online check out my website HERE or the Roby King Gallery  HERE

I saw a good article about disciplines to consider if you are designing a plein air painting on location or in the studio . check it out HERE

Thanks for stopping by!  Stay safe and stay creative!  =]

"Apple Tree Cove" by Robin Weiss, "Impressions of Kitsap County" Roby King Gallery

"Apple Tree Cove" 14x7 oil on panel
Available at the Roby King Gallery
206-842-2063 Sold

There are places close to home that have become go-to locations when I have a little extra time to get a painting in. The Kingston Slough is one of them. There is a little park on the bay across from where the Kingston Ferry comes in from Edmonds.  There is a parking lot for maybe six or seven cars. It's perfect for a quick plein air.  When I walked under the bridge that crosses the road I immediately noticed this sun drenched scene that I didn't notice before!  Take some time to explore your area and mark locations where you can easily pull off for a quick study.

This will be one of the paintings in "Impressions of Kitsap County"  A new group exhibition opening at the Roby King Gallery in Winslow, on Bainbridge Island on July 3rd during First Friday Artwalk.  This will be the first opening I know about where you can actually go and see the work and meet the artists since covid struck our area of the country.  All the mandated virus protections will be required  so I hope you can come out and get a little "art therapy"  and see the recent work done during the quarentine by Pamela Wachtler, Jane Wallis and Robin Weiss..   =]

For more information and to see my paintings that are in this show visit my website here:
https://robinweissfineart.com/

"Winslow Marina" marine oil painting by Robin Weiss

"Winslow Marina" 11x14 oil on panel
Available through the Roby King Gallery
206-842-2063  SOLD

This painting will be on display in a group show at the Roby King Gallery on Bainbridge Island, WA. ..titled "Impressions of Kitsap County". It will include work by Pamela Wachtler , Jane Wallis and myself. It will include many of the paintings from the surrounding area of Kitsap County completed during the quarantine.
Hopefully the opening will take place in person and we will be able to greet you at the show! That will be great!!  So hope you can come out! Will be posting the opening date soon. =]

"Trumpet Flowers with Silver" Still life painting by Robin Weiss

"Trumpet Flowers and Silver"   16x12, oil   SOLD

While we are on the subject of floral still lifes...This painting was an experiment for me .....to see how effectively I could paint the air between the foreground subjects and the background floral, printed fabric,,,,,which was a pillow case.

I used my iconic Art Deco  coffee pot which has been in many still life set ups in the past. and some spring trumpet flowers I found growing in the lot across the street. While I was happy with the drafting and certain parts of the painting like the reflections and saturated color of the plate, the painting overall is a little confusing and busy. ......Think I could have simplified the backgound ....It's  always good practice ( as in writing) to find what can be edited out of a painting to make it a stronger design.

Hope you're not to busy to create some unique art of your own!  Stay safe and stay creative!

"Quince in Bloom" Still life oil painting by Robin Weiss

"Quince in Bloom" 16x12  oil on linen  $1000

The first flowering shrubs in spring.. around here anyway, are Quince .  I keep an eye out on a large bush that grows in an empty lot near Central Market for the beginning of the season and always stop to clip a few branches to arrange a still life. That usually gets me inspired to paint a series of flower still lifes. You can check prior blog posts to find them.

You can view this painting along with many other recent works created among artists represented by the Cole Gallery in Edmonds WA. The Gallery is still on limited public access due to covid but is undergoing some painting and renovation and will open soon all fresh and ready to show you the best artwork the Northwest has to offer. Until then check out the Cole Gallery website HERE or call Denise to inquire about adding this painting to your collection.   425-697-2787

"Point no Point Headland" plein air landscape painting by Robin Weiss

Sold

While we are on the subject of Point no Point and the amazing place it is to visit and paint....I will post a few more recent works done on location.

Maury painting the lighthouse

 A few weeks after painting there on my own, I talked my son, Maury into coming out with me and I painted this study. It was an overcast day so while there were no cast shadows the light itself remained pretty constant.  Those conditions can work well for creating dramatic atmosphere in a painting and has the added benefit of not having to chase the light. In other words, on a sunny day the shadows change as the sun moves across the sky. This can be difficult to keep up with depending on the season. In that case it is very helpful to begin with a thumbnail sketch to set down the shadow shapes before you begin. Or...as I often do, a quick under-painting to establish design and shadow shapes.


Maury set up to paint the scene of the lighthouse I painted a few weeks earlier. He did a great job! You can see more of Maurys work on his blog HERE

"Playing at the Point" Point no Point, oil painting by Robin Weiss

"Playing at the Point"  18x24 oil on linen   $1400

"Refuge of Tide and Time"

Early in March I went to a favorite painting spot about 20 minuets from our house on the Kitsap Peninsula. The Point no Point Lighthouse. I have been coming to this historic and unique location in the Pacific Northwest for over 30 years to beach comb, play with the kids as they were growing up, hike , fish and paint! I've collected driftwood here over the years to build funky birdhouses that I sold at farmers markets. I haven't done that for awhile now....except lately...I built a standing birdhouse sculpture for a "call to artists" from the Port Angeles Fine Art Center . We will see if it gets accepted...If it does it will be installed in the Websters Wood Sculpture Park at the center and will be for sale.  Hope you will get a chance to see it there!

I took a a lot of photo reference when I was at the Lighthouse Beach back in March painting the scene in an earlier post, "Winter at the Point" The painting above was done from from those photos and using my plein air studies for color accuracy.

I love to paint the driftwood on the beach! If you go back through my posts over the years you will see many paintings using driftwood as design elements to draw the viewer into the scene and direct the eye around the painting. For me, it also evokes the feel of the salt air and marine atmosphere of the Pacific Northwest the very best!

This painting along with a group of other recent work is available through the Cole Gallery in Edmonds Washington.  You can contact Denise at this number to find out more info on purchasing this work and viewing more paintings of my art journeys here and abroad....

Cole Gallery  425-697-2787

Stay safe and stay creative!  =]

"Big Beef River Estuary" plein air, landscape painting by Robin Weiss

"Big Beef River Estuary"  6x6 oil on panel   SOLD

I talked about Seabeck, Wa. and my painting trip there in March, in my last post.  You can check it out HERE.

If you are interested in seeing more of my work online there are many venues to do that!  My blog posts are automatically downloaded to Daily Paintworks and I have been a member of DP since around 2005!  They have the most comprehensive gallery of my work on the internet.

 I have also updated my website. It is totally different now and I still have work to do but please check it out!
Robin Weiss Fine Art.

Of course I have a Facebook page both personal and professional. Both pages are devoted to art!...The personal page has a few more photos of the grand kids.... =]  I am fairly new to Instagram. I was late to that program , but am slowly building followers...

I even have a Youtube page that has some old hilarious painting videos....I need to post some new stuff there for sure!  robin weiss youtube channel

You can see a pretty cool video done by M Graham Paint on their website HERE. Big shout out and thanks to M Graham for sponsoring me and for making a great product!!

Most of the galleries that show my work have websites and online galleries now too !  Here are the galleries that represent me. Click on the highlighted text to link.

The Knowles Studio,  Front Street Gallery, The Cole Gallery, The Roby King Gallery, The Michael Birawer Gallery, The Oh Be Joyful Gallery

Thanks for your support of the arts and the artists!!  Stay safe and stay creative!

"Seabeck View" plein air, landscape painting by Robin Weiss

"Seabeck View" 9x12 oil on panel  SOLD

Searching for painting spots where I could set up without hiking to far,  or encountering many people, I remembered a place I used to pull over when I was driving for a fuel delivery company based in Bremerton, WA.  Seabeck was my route for awhile and has many nice views. this one is right off the road as you cross the Big Beef River Estuary. There is plenty of room to park your car and set up an easel.

Big Beef Estuary  6x6 oil  $500

The Big Beef River empties into the Puget Sound here providing habitat for many species of seabirds and marine wildlife.  Across the water is the Olympic Peninsula, home of the majestic Olympic Mountains.

Before setting up I drove a mile or two into the Seabeck marina and filled my thermos at Turies Seabeck Espresso. There is also a great pizza place and the Seabeck General Store is everything you would expect from a small seaside, eclectic and homey little family store.

Coming back to the spectacular roadside view of the Olympics, and fortified with good coffee, I quickly set up to capture the atmosphere of the sound and distant mountains. I didn't even have to move my easel to paint the view on the other side of the road .  This treasure of a plein air painting spot provided a whole day of painting and enjoying the beauty of the Pacific Northwest. 

This trip happened back in March before everything really locked down.  Lately I have been working a lot in the studio like many other artists. These paintings will be a part of a new showing at the Roby King gallery on Bainbridge Island in July.  Hopefully things will be opened up by then and we can actually have an opening with people there!  Check the Roby King website for updated news on this and many other gallery happenings. =]  Click on the link HERE

Stay Safe and Stay Creative!

"Northwest Barn" Landscape painting by Robin Weiss

"Northwest Barn"  18x24 oil on canvas    $2200
Available through the Oh Be Joyful Gallery, Crested Butte CO
970-349-5936

Not to many adventures to write about these days as we hunker down in quarantine.... but lots of studio work!!  It's been fun finally getting to turn so much reference material collected over the last couple summers into paintings!

Hope you and yours are safe and staying creative, trusting in the One who cares for you....

"Old Goat" Paintings from quarantine by Robin Weiss

"Old Goat"  10x8 oil on panel  Sold

As you know....the world has changed a LOT since my last blog post....In other ways it has not changed much at all for us artists. Most of us are staying positive and using our creativity for self therapy as always..Ha!  I have been working more than usual..mainly because my favorite coffee shop is closed. When the world was semi-normal I would go to the coffee shop in the morning and do all my computer work. A lot of days it would take two or more hours. Since isolation I have been doing less computer and more painting....that's a good thing!.. but now I have a lot of catch up to do!...Such as my new website....It is active now but needs more work. Check it out at robinweissfineart.
I would appreciate any feedback!  Thanks!

The other thing of course is the blog! Trying to stay consistent has been a challenge before the pandemic...now it seems even harder for me to take the time to sit and write!

Anyway, Ann and I have been walking a lot together for fresh air and exercise. The Billie above greets us on our walks up Snow Hill a short ways from home. He is quite a character! I don't think he is old yet but he is already acting like an Old Goat...Ha!  We have that in common....=]

Stay safe out there and get creative to stay positive!!

Click HERE to see this spotlight by M Graham Paint

"Cafe Roussillion" Paris oil painting by Robin Weiss

"Cafe Roussillion"  20x20 oil on canvas   Sold

Paris is the best city in the world for walking! Every street and alley has interesting cafes, shops , markets, museums and artwork everywhere!  I brought home gigabytes of images, A sketchbook packed full of reference and inspiration for many winters of studio painting to come. This is one of my paintings of Paris that sold in a recent Featured Artist Exhibition at the Cole Gallery in Edmonds Washington. The show will be up through the month of March. More info HERE

See prior posts on my blog for tips on how I traveled with painting gear in Europe and feel free to ask me any questions at robinweiss@earthlink.net  ....Thanks and have fun out there!

Sketching at a Paris cafe  2020

 caption

"Winter at the Point" Plein air painting by Robin Weiss

"Winter at the Point"  Point no Point Lighthouse, Hansville WA  10x20 oil on panel   Sold

It was great to get outside a few times this week and paint on location.  I have been inside working on studio paintings for upcoming shows the last few months and finally had a chance to get out on a beautiful sun drenched winter day.

set up

The Point no Point Lighthouse is a favorite location . It is only about 15 minuets from our house. I set up on the bird watching platform that has several good views but ended up painting the lighthouse again.  I love the warm greys of the grasses surrounding the scene with the pop of color in the structure. I pushed the color as usual but thought I achieved some authenticity in the work.

Wish I had taken a picture of the block in!  I used MGraham, Transparent Red Oxide for the under-painting. I love this rich, transparent color to begin a painting and work out compositional and value issues in the initial design.  I begin by toning the entire panel with thinned color and then wipe back the light areas with a paper towel. Using a "drawing brush" I make a simple line drawing of the subject and then start building up shapes. When I am happy with the composition I begin laying in color starting with the darkest areas first.

Contact robinweiss@earthlink.net if you are interested in in taking a workshop from me at this location sometime this summer. Hope you have fun out there!!

"A Table for Two" Paris, France, oil painting by Robin Weiss

"A Table for Two"  Paris,  11x14 oil on linen  SOLD
Available at the Michael Birawer Gallery, Seattle
206-624-7773

Announcing another show opening, this time at the Michael Birawer Gallery in downtown Seattle!  All the information can be found at this link HERE. Hope to see you there!

Continuing on with paintings from the reference collected on our amazing tour of France and Italy in 2019, this painting was inspired by a small cafe in Paris.  Our Rick Steves tour group dispersed for lunch while exploring the  Île de la Cité  Where Paris began it's rich history. I turned in my seat and saw the light streaming through the windows onto this couple enjoying an afternoon in the City of Lights and had to steal this moment caught in time....

"A Cafe in Venesque" From Here to France with Robin Weiss, Cole Gallery, Edmonds WA

"A Cafe in Venesque" 16x12 oil on linen  SOLD
Available at the Cole Gallery, Edmonds WA
425-697-2787

The studio painting above was done from reference photos and sketches taken during our time with Julie and the crew of "Workshops in France" on our 2019 European tour. It will be on display at the Cole Gallery in Edmonds  WA for an upcoming featured artist show, opening Thursday, February 20th 2020.

Please go to the link HERE for more info and to view all the paintings in this exhibition.

Venesque is just one of the many little villages in the Provence region of France we visited with the group from Workshops in France. 

It has all the charm of southern France with the town square surrounded by quaint cafes where locals and tourists sit with their espresso. 

 The fountain at the center of the square provided a shaded spot to set up my easel for a quick study in oil of the grape vines climbing the ancient wall to reach the sun.  A tourist from Paris reached up to pick a grape and test it's sweetness.  His smile was contagious and we had a good talk about experiencing France through the artists eye.

We headed back to the chateau as evening spread its blanket of fading light over the town, satisfied with the paintings we completed, the beauty of Provence that was etched forever in our hearts. 

The reason I so love to stop, set up easel and paint the places we travel, as I explained to my new Paris friend, anyone can look, but to really see you must paint.....  =]

The work done on location in France was rendered with MGraham oil paint. I used the "Fast Dry" Titanium White to shorten the drying time.

 Mixing your paint with the fast dry white gives you malleable painting time but allows the surface to dry to the touch sometimes overnight depending on temperature. This is valuable when you have limited time to paint before packing up for the next location or to fly home.

See more info on MGraham paint HERE

"Loving Lavender" From Here to France with Robin Weiss, Cole Gallery, Edmonds WA

"Loving Lavender"  14x24 oil on linen   $1400
Available at the Cole Gallery

An upcoming exhibition at the Cole Gallery in Edmonds will feature recent original oil paintings From our trip to France and around the Northwest. Hope to see you at the opening reception on Third Thursday Artwalk, Ferbruary 20th 2020 in Edmonds Washington !   It promises to be a special night with art and travel loving friends!  See you in Edmonds!

To view all the paintings and for more info click the link HERE

"Mother and Child" Village of La Beaux, France; oil painting by Robin Weiss

"Mother and Child" 12x9 oil on linen
Accepted into the American Impressionist Society
Small works Show 2020  SOLD

So....to try and catch you up on why I have not been posting. Here are the events coming up in 2020 that have me working hard in the studio and off Facebook and other social media.....

First off I would like to announce that the above painting "Mother and Child"  has been accepted into the American Impressionist Society, Small Works Show to be held in Fredricksburg, Texas in March. It will be a four day event. I plan on attending and painting during the plein air portion of the event.

I have a Featured Artist show with David Marty and Jay Brodrick opening February 20th at the Cole Gallery in Edmonds, WA.  This show will feature many of my plein air and studio paintings of France and Italy along with other Northwest scenes.

A Featured Artist show of European and Seattle city scenes at the Michael Birawer Gallery in Seattle, Wa will be on display in March with an opening reception on March 14th.  Local musician, Zack Flurey will be performing during the reception

A Featured Artist show with Jane Wallis will be at the Roby King Gallery in July with opening reception during First Friday Artwalk in Winslow, Wa on Bainbridge Island.

I will be participating again at Poulsbo Paint Out in Poulsbo, WA in 2020.  As a member of the Peninsula Music and Arts Society I will be helping to facilitate this event.  The Call to Artists will be coming shortly. Click HERE to find out more about this family friendly, fun event in Poulsbo held the first weekend in June every year.

There is more!! Along with these shows I will be participating in as many PAWA paintouts as I can and will be writing blog posts for Plein Air Washington Artists website this year as the new blog facilitator.

BTW.....I work most days at the Knowles Studio on Noll Rd. in Poulsbo. Stop by and have a coffee with us!  We are open during business hours, week days and most Saturdays....=]

Stay tuned on more info about these and other upcoming art events in 2020!  Happy New Year!

"The Swan at Versailles" Paris travelogue by Robin Weiss

The Swan at Versailles   10x14 oil on panel

Back in the studio for the winter I have been going through all the picture ref. and sketches, working on larger paintings.  This swan was one of those images that I kept going back to and needed to get out of my head so I spent a peaceful afternoon rendering my version in oil paint.!
This elegant bird was gliding around in the Grand Canal at Versailles on a beautiful sunlit afternoon as Ann and I were touring the grounds. We had just finished the guided tour through the palace and were on our own for the rest of the day.

Boaters on the Grand Canal

Getting to Versailles from Paris is easy! You take one train and it goes direct to Versailles. Of course we did it with our amazing Rick Steve's guide, Veronique but you can do it on your own!

It is worth the effort to get there. The palace and the art work inside is something that can only be seen in very few places around the world.  Get a guide if you can, to understand more fully the rich history behind all this extravagance!

Also, start early!  You will have the best viewing earlier before the crowds get there!  Save the gardens for the afternoon and then have dinner in town. There are lots of great little places a short walk from the palace. After dinner hop on the train back to Paris for coffee or cocktails at a cafe.... =]



We are back in the states now and back to our usual routines. One of those is the annual artists studio tour in North Kitsap called Arts in the Woods.  I will be at the Knowles Studio again for the tenth year!  It's always the best time to visit the studio, especially if you are looking for a special gift of original fine art for someone special.

 Arts in the Woods is coordinated by the Cultural Arts Foundation Northwest.  Click HERE for more info on Arts in the Woods and CAFNW

The Cultural Arts Foundation is a non profit dedicated to encouraging students in the arts to further their education by providing grants and opportunities for creative pursuits. If you live in the North Kitsap area, do contact them especially if you are interested in serving our arts community in this way.

Thanks and hope to see you at the Knowles Studio this weekend, Fri, Sat ,Sun, Nov 8th,9th and 10th 2019