7th Ave. Alley 8"x 8"

Yesterday I decided to try painting inside from photos for a while.  I'm running out of places to go to paint where there won't be lots of people around.  And I love the alleys in my neighborhood.  I just wish they were all as colorful as this one.  It's right next to the Sweet Life Patisserie looking east.
I just got these 8"x 8" panels from Raymar and I think I'm going to like this size for urban landscapes.
A couple problems I had:  I couldn't really see the color of the shadow side of these buildings in the photo.  I hope to go there tomorrow morning to get that right.  The electric lines, I don't know how to do them.  I tried scratching them in but I was too shakey for it to work out.  I guess I'll use a liner brush once it's dry but that's not the solution I'm looking for.

Along the Walterville Canal 8"x 10"

Today I went back to Walterville.  Lovely day.  I tried drawing on a clear viewer and then transferring that to my canvas.  It worked reasonably well but I think I'll modify the viewer to make it more stable.  I don't like the way the road goes off the side.  It would probably be a lot better if I hadn't included it.  Next time I think I will work on trying to simplify the subject matter.

Summer Morning in Walterville 10"x 8"

I painted this scene 2 days ago but just couldn't get it right.  There were lots of distractions but mostly I just didn't have the skill.  So today I used a photo in my studio to get the drawing right.  I was shocked at how far off I was.  So I need to work more on drawing.

Walterville Canal 8"x 10"

Mona and I went early out to Walterville.  Very hot day.  The sun was orange and the sky kind of a golden color.  A fellow came by and told us it was because of the fires down in Oakridge.  We'll probably go out there again.  It's not far but there is no shelter from the sun.

Summer Morning on Jefferson Street 6"x 6"

I really enjoyed doing this one and like how it turned out.  I may be painting inside from photos for a while.  So much more relaxing than plein air.

Red Truck 6"x 8"

I painted this truck from Carol Marine's photo.  It was so nice to be in my own house with my dog sleeping on the futon..  I used a grid to get the drawing where I wanted it.  I really enjoy that since my drawing skills are so shakey.

Fern Ridge Reservoir 6"x 8"

I did this probably a week or more ago.  It was so horrible that I couldn't seem to get myself to paint again until the red truck came up.  I was standing on the edge of 11th with cars whizzing by.  It was cloudy with a tiny bit of blue when I started, then quickly opened up and I couldn't remember how it was before.  At the end I stuck the sailboat right in the middle.  What a dope!  Well, that's enough whining.
When I finished I walked across the road to see if I could find a view there--no, it was all water, but there was a dried out bull frog on the edge of the road.  It was really interesting to see what those guys I'm always hearing look like.  He was pretty big, about 10" long.

Afternoon Phlox 6"x 6"

I was encouraged at being able to find something to paint at Sladden Park so I tried my own yard.  I wish there were more possibilities but I think this is about it.  There might be something in the front if the sun ever comes back. 

View from Sladden Park 8"x 6"

I'm happy with this one except the foreground shade is too piecey.  I don't want to mess with this one but will try to think about that next time. I really like the shape of the sky and the sky holes. (which have been hard for me to get right)  I also like that the brush strokes look casual.
It looks so quiet but in reality there was all kinds of activity going on all around me:  There was a group of kids doing crafts in one of the city's summer programs, boys playing basketball just a few feet away and a relentless grounds person mowing with his ride on mower.

Near Pleasant Hill 6"x 8"

I saw this scene a couple times driving out Hwy 58 and wanted to paint it before they pick up the hay.  When I got there yesterday there was a cloud cover.  I stood on the edge of the highway sketching the scene and realized I wouldn't be able to paint there with all the traffic that was going by so I pulled into the nearby gas station and thought I would just try to get the colors on a little canvas. After a while the clouds lifted.   I actually like how it came out.  So now I'm hoping to do a 12" x 16" using all the info I have.  We'll see.

Looking East Across Meadowlark Prairie 8"x 10"

When I decided to paint this, I was really enchanted by how pink the clouds looked.  But I didn't get them pink enough.  I think those clouds meant they were likely to have thunder storms in central Oregon.

Cloud Study 8"x 6"

I went out to the Fisher Unit to try painting the red grass again--and it had all gone brown!  What a shock.  Oh well, a next year.
So we had a lot of clouds.  The overcast was just breaking and I've been wanting to learn to paint clouds.  They are so rare here in summer.  I learned some but have a lot more to figure out.  I've been looking at them a lot since this painting and have noticed that the distant ones have a horozontal dark shadow line while the ones that are overhead show a lot more of their shadow underside.  That's kind of "Duh," I guess but I hadn't put any thought into it before.  I also have been noticing that the shadows on the distant ones tend toward blue and the shadows on the closer ones are warmer and more burnt sienna.
I hate to get too optimistic, but it looks like we may have several sunny days coming.

Where the Road Meets the Wetlands Studio Version 9"x 12"

Well, this was kind of a disaster but maybe I learned something.  I thought I should put the center of interest in one of the "1/3 spots".  Maybe it would have worked if I had gone for the right side instead of the left but I think my original composition was probably better than either.  Can't believe I have that water running right out the left side!
But then I did work out a few other things.  I'm really happy that I tried putting some light blue and light red tones on the mountains.  I'm also happy that I figured out how to paint the red grass instead of just making one big red blob like I have been doing.  I still don't get how to paint all those masses of grassy stems.  I want to go toward a mass, not individual stems.
Well, there's bound to be another sunny day and that red grass should last awhile so I'll try again.
Our Plein Air group will be hanging a show today at the library.  It will run through September.  I get to help hang it.  Should be fun to see what everyone has submitted

Where the Road Meets the Wetlands 6"x 8"

My aim was to take a small canvas out and try to complete it in an hour.  Gosh, I'm so slow.  This was two hours.  The drawing is off but I do like the colors.  I think I will try redoing it inside just for practice.

Fisher Butte Wetlands June 8"x 10"

Generally, I like this one.  It was a gorgeous day and I managed to get out there pretty early.  I tried using Cad red deep which I used to love and haven't used for quite a while.  Now we are scheduled for several days of rain so no more outside painting for a while.

Storm Coming 8"x 10"

Yesterday was predicted to clear in the afternoon and it did for about half an hour.  It was pretty windy and kept getting worse.  I was about frozen when my friend Mona and I left.
I've been mixing colors that are a little "prettier" than the landscape really is.  I'm thinking I've gone too far and will try greying the colors again.

Reed Pond at the Fisher Unit 10"x 8"

I've been painting out at the Fisher Unit so often that I'm having trouble thinking of titles.  As usual I had a lot of trouble with certain parts of this but it sure was a great day.  Real sunny and warm.

Fisher Unit Wetlands 10"x 8"

Yesterday was so beautiful out at the Fisher Unit.  Only saw about 4 people the whole time I was out there.  Lots of birds, ducks, and a blue heron flew right over me.  So grand to be out there!

Ox Eye Daisies 6"x 6"

Rainy weather has forced me to stay inside.  I had to drive out to Stults Road to find these little wild flowers.  I was really surprised I couldn't find any right across the street at Amazon Slough.
Anyway, I really struggled trying to use the view finder drawing method.  So long since I've done it.  The whole thing was kind of a struggle except for the center of the daisy on the left.  It just happened and I really like it.  Wish it could all come together like that.

Lupine Trail--Studio Version 8"x 10"

I think this one really is an improvement over the outdoor version.  Removing the tree and lightening the value of the path really help.

Twilight at the Fisher Unit--Studio Version 8"x 10"

I wanted to try something I read from a Jill Carver workshop.  That's to try painting inside using the the plein air painting and a black and white photo of the scene as a source.  So with the recent rainy weather I did give it a try.  While I think it was useful to do, I don't think I really improved painting inside.  Some parts seem better but others seem worse.

Twilight at the Fisher Unit 8"x 10"

I went out rather late for me--about 3:30 pm.  By the time I walked all the way out and got set up it was probably 4:30 or so.  It was kind of an amazing evening to be out there.  A storm was definitely on it's way in.  I could hear bull frogs bellowing just past my feet.  The wind picked up and it was just lightly sprinkling when I packed up.  It poured as I drove home.  It's often so exciting to paint outside.

Trail at the Fisher Unit 8"x 10"

I've gotten a little back logged in my posting.  This was done about a week ago.  I am trying to think about color harmony and using appealing colors instead of mixing just what I see.  This is a difficult concept for me.  So this came out a little extreme but it is in the direction of where I want to be going.

The Willamette from the end of Stults Road 8"x 10"

Yesterday the plein air group was at the river.  My painting seemed really grey when I got home so this morning I put a little more color back into it.

Rushes at Delta Ponds 8"x 10"

The plein air group painted at Delta Ponds last Friday.  I felt like I was finally getting the idea of how to do distant bushes, trees etc.  I love the water color but I couldn't seem to convey a mass of rushes.  I'll work on that.

Looking West at Delta Ponds 8"x 10"

Delta Ponds is such an amazing place.  So many views.  This is one of 2 I managed to do last week.  We have rain again and the garden is so overgrown and needing attention that I won't be able to paint for a while.

Lupine Trail 8" x 10"

The lupines at Delta Ponds are beautiful.  This is the last painting I did before going  to my dad's for a week.

Delta Ponds with Lupine 8"x 10"

I'm hoping to try using a slightly larger canvas for a while.  It didn't really take much longer.  I really like this composition.  I wish I could get all the values right.  It seems like a good one to try redoing inside.  I plan to go out to the ponds again today but then I have to be out of town for a week.  Seems so sad to leave since we finally have a spell of sunny weather.

Sunlit Dining Room 6"x 8"

I had to do this from a photo because the sunlight was so fleeting that day.

Tree Peonies 8'x 6"

These peonies have been sitting on the dining room table begging to be painted.  It was fun to paint in the main part of the house and Lulu liked having me down there too.