Harbor Glow at the Wharf

"Harbor Glow at the Wharf"

Oil on Linen   9 x 12"

$875

I painted this little piece when I got back form the conference. I just loved walking along the Wharf in the evening in Monterrey where the lights just glowed with the boats all lit up. 

Ronna and I enjoyed dinner on the Pier a couple of times and neither one of us ever get tired of seafood. Let's just say, we ate very well. Yum! The sun would set late, about 7:30 and this was the magic hour when you could observe the beautiful lights at sea. I loved the way the distant shore lit up in a soft glow. 

I think I am in love with this part of California!

More From the Plein Air Convention

It has taken me some time to get back to this but I really want to share some of the thoughts that a couple of my favorite speakers talked about.

Joseph Paquet spoke on Creativity and Authenticity

This was painted at Catalina Island. His work is inspiring to say the least. He was the opening speaker and this is what I can share from my broken and scattered notes:

*Paint with a heart coming from Humility and Gratitude.

*Work on your skills. A true master is a perpetual student. Consider your weakest skill set and your strongest skill set and bring them together.

*When coming from a place of discipline - it is an external motivation. Internal motivation comes from the desire to SAY SOMETHING. Another thing entirely.

*Go into the deepest places of your heart. "Test the deeps".

*Avoid general themes. Instead paint with a loving, quite, humble sincerity.

*Find the Grand Canyon in your own backyard. Don't constantly look "outside", it requires LOVE and DESIRE. Why doesn't that love come across when you look at a painting? Because it wasn't put into the painting! The artist was pleasing the gallery or trying to sell a painting. *** When you witness a piece of art you feel what was put into it. You can make art or make a product! The two are very different....

*If you don't trust yourself you will continually doubt yourself. It will take a bite out of your soul.

*Do something that's meaningful to you - and don't sway from that. Otherwise something is wrong.

*Tell the world what you LOVE. Express YOUR OPINION. Be courageous!

Good Stuff!

Scott Christensen painted a demo and talked about Establishing Your Ideas:

Scott was equally inspiring, although he didn't talk as much. He started a painting from a study. Unfortunately I didn't get a photo of it.

*Be unsympathetic, demanding and critical with what you produce.

*Develop your own eye.

*Ask yourself "what do you like?"

*Values, spacing, variety, line and shape. Spacing is everything.

*Look at other paintings and ask yourself, "why is this good?"

*Study paintings that are good in both color and black and white.

*Establish the key, don't try to finish everything, but manage the whole.

*Ask yourself, "what is the value and then the chroma?"

Here are a few more photos from the area..

May I Share With You...

Some photos from yesterday's paint out:

 This is Alexey Steele. An amazing artist from Russia who studied in the Russian Tradition.

 On the left is Kathleen Dunphy.

 Alexey again.....

 Peggy Kroll Roberts was tucked in between some cars along the highway to keep out of the wind.

A new favorite artist, Lori Putman from the Midwest....

After the paint out Ronna and I stopped on our way back to Monterey from Pacific Grove to admire and take some photos of the iceplant that blooms every April... I'm thinking workshop in April next year?

Day Four at the Plein Air Convention

The week has been incredible here in Monterey at the Plein Air Convention. This morning I'm watching two wonderful painters. Timothy Tien is painting boats while Zhaoming Wu is painting a beautiful figure. This afternoon I'll be out on the Pier painting boats. Hoping to post it later.

I've added Tim's boat painting in progress and Zhaoming's figure painting in the middle process. They only have an hour and a half to paint. Tim is talking about how he uses "opposites" to create interest.

Plein Air Convention in Monterey this week...

Vines and Roses
Oil on Linen   24 x 24"

Finished a new one this weekend. Taking it to Gallerie Amsterdam in Carmel. This is painted from of photo of the Languedoc Region in Southern France where I will be taking 9 students this coming June for two weeks of painting...

But back to Monterey. I am going with my friend Ronna to the Plein Air Convention from Wednesday through Sunday. It should be really amazing. Read up below. Hopefully I will be able to send some photos and a post your way sometime this week or soon upon my return..

CLICK HERE TO READ ABOUT THE PLEIN AIR CONVENTION