Color studies

Here are two small paintings on the same 8x10 panel. Top is a limited three color palette in complementary colors, Alizarin Crimson (red), Ultramarine Blue, and Naples Yellow, plus white. The bottom is the same scene with analagous colors, same red and yellow plus Cadmium Red Light, so again 3 colors plus white. The bottom image reminds me of the color transformations you can do with software but here it was painted outdoors, from the scene. These are views at Seattle's Magnuson Park near the Lake Washington beach.

Seattle View

This is a sketch of the building I work in for my part time job. It's a view from the bus stop looking south into downtown Seattle on Eastlake Ave. I don't paint many city views but want to do more. I tried to stay fast and loose on this one but had to go back and correct the perspective after looking at it for a while. It's a little uphill first, then flattens out and the vanishing point is about center vertically on the far left. Still a little off in spots but it's done on a canvas pad, 8 1/2 x 11unstretched, and I won't bother until I do a larger one under more rigoruous standards, with a better drawing.

Outdoors at Seattle's Magnuson Park

Another nice sunny day last week in Seattle, although today it's in the 90's and without air conditioning, a little warm in the house, especially sitting in front of a laptop pumping out hot air.

In this 8x10 the goal was to concentrate on shapes and sculptural structure of the trees and landscape. This really brings me back to my old style of painting where I get the lonely feel of classic nature, without people to interfere, although the road in the front is a man made element, as maybe even is the kite hill that dominates the front of this image.

Outdoor painting

Began my outdoor painting this week in Seattle's Discovery Park. We did value studies but I took some photo references and finished the work indoors this weekend. Next week we move to color at Magnuson Park, closer to my home. It is a nice group and all the work was fantastic. Mitch Albala is a great teacher. His mantra is "simplification". Get the shapes and values right and that's a big part of success. Here are my results, all 8x10 inches. May need a few touchups but pretty close to done. Want to paint next session a little "looser" with more dynamic brushstrokes. Might do 5x7 to get more of that look. The bottom image documents a few of the group painting out in the "plein air."
PS. Also finally finished my database and documentation project except for a few stragglers where I need to take new higher resolution photos. Finally can match up my work, my images of the work, and my database. Now maintenance is simple as only need to docuemnt new work.

Getting ready for outdoor painting group that begins this week.Once all prep is done I should be ready to paint outdoors the rest of my days. Been meaning to do more of it, despite Seattle weather, and now have no excuses.

Also been taking a lot of hours working on better documentation of many years of work. I've had a database, and image files, but no coordination between the two. Am getting close to finishing and then only will need to add new work with the new system. It's tedious work so can only take an hour or two at a time, and does take away time from painting but it is necessary going forward.

Here is a small work, 9x12, that I did from a cropped photo of trees lying in a pond.