Plein Air Painter's Paradise

On Santa Monica Bay
Acrylic on Canvas Panel
8 x 8 in/20.3 x 20.3 cm
Copyright 2013

I'm back after a week spent in West LA. It was warmer than usual in Southern California but still very pleasant and, as always, sunny. If you don't live around or have never experienced a sunny climate, too bad.

Each and every day starts the same way--with golden rays of sun. And it lasts all day. No clouds or almost no clouds allows for the most brilliant light and color. As I've said before, there are only a few places on the planet with that kind of light that plays off the mountains and distances and allows for hazy, atmospheric perspectives.

Of course, there is occasional rain, but the sunlight is quite extraordinary. I must say, it's a plein air painter's paradise.

Today's image is actually a painting that I painted a second time on a smaller scale just because I like the view of Santa Monica Bay from Venice Beach. I hope you like it, too.

"Not Another Bluebonnet Painting."

Another Bluebonnet Painting
Acrylic on Canvas Panel
6 x 8 in/15.2 x 20.3 cm
Copyright  2013

This week I decided to paint something I said I wasn't going to do--another bluebonnet painting. If you live in Texas, you probably just cringed.  If you don't, then you don't get it.

Bluebonnets are the cliche of cliches of paintings and painters in Texas. Why, I don't know, other than they are ubiquitous in the springtime, the paintings I'm talking about, as well as the bluebonnets themselves. Every painter of any genre in this state has felt the compulsion to try it at least once.

I'm sure the contemporary and cool artists are rolling their eyes, assuming they're even reading this. But for us representational impressionists, it's a hard habit to break.

Anyway, here in the depths of late summer, I had to paint one, sort of an homage to spring. I hope you appreciate my candor.

Paint a Small Still Life

I've been painting in the studio this week.

Although plein air painting seems to be an appealing way for painters to capture their surroundings, the reality is that when the temperature is more than 100 degrees F for a good part of the day, it's just too hot to paint outdoors.

You can't concentrate on anything at all, and it's not safe. Even in the shade.

So, as I said, I painted inside this week. But rather than painting from a reference photo, I decided to paint a very simple still life with two plums I had on hand.

I used alizarin crimson and cad red light for the plums against a backdrop of complementary violet and yellow.

It said summertime to me. I hope you like it.

The Look of Oil with Acrylics & A New Look for OrbisPlanis

Laguna Street
Acrylic on Canvas Panel
5 x 7 in/13 x 18 cm
Copyright 2013

You may have noticed a new look for OrbisPlanis. I updated to one of Blogger's newer templates. After five years, it was time for a new look and because it better supports more of the applications and functionality available on Google, such as Google+. Or so I was led to believe. I'm trying this one out, although the old template is history, as you cannot go back to it. You may see a few more tweaks in the coming days as I discover new gizmos. Anyway, I hope you like it. My goal was to keep it as simple and easy-to-read as possible.

Today's image is a small acrylic I completed last week. It's from my photo taken in Santa Barbara of the view across the street from the Old Mission. I also have lots of photos of the mission, but for some reason, I thought this view across the street of several old Spanish-style homes was a better motif.

I am using acrylic as loosly and impressionistically as I am capable of painting. I'm on a quest to see how closely I am able to achieve the look of an oil painting with acrylic. Hope you like it. What do you think?

Paint a Beach Scene to Cool Off

Beach Day
Acrylic on Canvas Panel
8 x 8 in/20.3 x 20.3 cm
Copyright 2013

The dog days of August are upon us in North America, and I thought a beach scene would be an appropriate way to celebrate the season.

Here's a small acrylic I did recently from a reference photo on a trip to the beaches of Santa Monica, California, USA. These are some of the best beaches in the country, if not the world, especially if you like the cold Pacific waters this or any time of year.

Mixing the correct blues for the water and for those hazy skies over Los Angeles was the painting challenge. The same can be said for mixing believable colors of the sand, not to mention the challenge of painting waves breaking on the shore which, if you paint much water, you already know.

I hope you like it and that it inspires you to paint one, too.

Let Your Painting Rest for a While

Bluebonnet Field
Acrylic on Canvas Panel
12 x 12 in/30.5 x 30.5 cm
Copyright 2013

Every now and then you may want to look through your completed paintings to see if there is at least one that could be improved. As you know, when you work at a painting and are really concentrating on making it the best you can for hours or days, you are likely to lose your focus if not your objectivity.

When it's completed, or you think it is, it's helpful to let it sit for a period of time before you look at it again. During that time your mind and brain will have moved on to other works, and you'll be able to see your painting in a new light, figuratively and literally.

That's what I did with today's image. I originally completed it last Spring, and although I thought I had done a pretty good job, when I looked at it a few weeks ago--I could see it needed work. So, I make several additions, such as more foliage in the foreground, and corrections, such as softening edges everywhere. It was relatively easy to do in acrylic, and I think now it's ready for its debut. I know you didn't see it before, but what do you think?

Paint an Urban Scene

Buda + Pest
Acrylic on Hardboard
18 x 24 in/46 x 61 cm
Copyright 2012

Here's an acrylic I completed last week from a personal family photo. Quite the panoramic view, it was fun to figure out how much detail to include in a scene with so much going on. I like the mix of colors urban landscapes provide the painter.

Painting cityscapes is a challenge for many painters. But---a painting challenge is how we learn. That's why we pick up the palette and brush the next day.

Paint. Paint. Paint

An Inspirational Place

Morning Seat
Acrylic on Canvas Panel
6 x 6 in/ 15.2 x 15.2 cm
Copyright 2013

Here's a small painting from a reference photo taken on a Spring morning. It's on the grounds surrounding the Rothko Chapel in the leafy museum district of Houston. The chapel and, of course, Rothko's paintings are contemplative and inspirational, and I wanted to capture some of that. If you haven't been there, I hope you get the chance to visit someday.

5 Years of Art Blogging! Happy Birthday OrbisPlanis

This week we're celebrating 5 years of blogging about art, painting, and painters at OrbisPlanis. I hope you have enjoyed all the information as well as my own art all these years.

What started out as a blog about re-newing one's interest in art (e.g. A New Art Blog on How to Renew Your Art Skills) turned into a blog with information about painting (e.g. Mixing Believable Greens) and painters (e.g. What Was Claude Monet's Color Palette?) and more recently A Painter's Blog about my own journey through watercolor, oil, and acrylic (e.g. Experiment With Painting This Summer).

Happy Birthday, OrbisPlanis, Happy Birthday To You!.

Cool Thoughts in Oil

Cool Day
Oil on Canvas Panel
5 x 7 in/12.7 x 17.8 cm
Copyright 2013

I painted a little oil painting recently to help me keep cool on a very warm summer holiday weekend in the US.

The scene is a line of trees on a cool, overcast day with a hint of an impending rain shower.

It makes me think I feel cooler anyway, and I wanted to share it with my readers. I hope you feel cooler, too.