The Inspiration of France

 

 Hotel de Ville, Mouleydier, 11" x 14 3/4"

A couple of years ago we took an absolutely delightful trip to France; spending time in Paris, the Loire Valley, the Dordogne region, Brittany and many places in between. It was a splendid adventure, sharing all the beauty and hospitality of France with family and friends. I also discovered that there's a "Kodak Moment" around every corner, and easily managed to max out my camera's memory card! The method to my photographic madness was in fact, to bring home not only memories, but also plenty of imagery for painting.

This painting of the city hall in Mouleydier, where we stayed in the Dordogne, was the first of several I have done. French architecture is gorgeous, and I thought even this small building merited a painting. Just for fun, I did the entire piece with a No. 12 Round brush in an effort to keep it rather loose, and I think it created a somewhat soft impressionistic feel.

Northwest Watercolor Society Open Exhibition

In for the Evening, 18" x 18"

I'm very pleased to announce that my painting "In for the Evening" was accepted into the Northwest Watercolor Society's 2011 71st Annual Open Exhibition and also included on the announcement!  The exhibition will be on display from March 21st through May 13th, at the Mercer View Gallery in Mercer Island, Washington. This piece was a bit different than my typical work, but I thought it captured the wonderful tranquillity of the early evening light.

An Image Flies Into View!

Copper Convergence, 9 1/4" x 21 1/4"

I was standing at the kitchen sink one afternoon looking out the window, when a robin flew down for a visit to our birdbath. It was one of those moments when everything seems to align to create a beautiful image - there was the red-breasted robin on the copper birdbath against a backdrop of the rust colored twigs of a fall shrub - truly a convergence of copper hued elements! It begged to be painted! Naturally, I ran for my camera and managed to get several photos, with the birds being amazingly cooperative! This was the most complex painting I'd done thus far and though it was challenging, I was pretty pleased with the result.

Another Vineyard Scene

 

Vine and Roses, 21 5/8" x 14 1/4"

I spent a couple of years studying architecture and my wife and I also designed our home and  several remodeling projects.  We both have an attraction to architectural design and beautiful spaces which shows up in many of our travel photos as well as in my artwork.

The tasting room at Amador Cellars vineyard (also near Plymouth, CA), with it's concrete and timber construction, and tall wainscot and clerestory windows had a bit of a European flavor to it, and it inspired me to do a painting of it - so here it is! I thought the perspective of the view emphasized the building and made for a nice composition, along with the roses creating a rhythm and drawing  your eye into the scene. The shadows cast by the deep eaves were really fun to paint in at the end!

Wine Country

 

Wine Time (Red Umbrellas), 11 1/2" x 15 1/8" 

While touring through the Sierra Nevada foothills a few years ago, we stopped at Young's Vineyard near Plymouth, California. Enjoying their wines and their beautiful gardens offered the inspiration for this piece. This shaded terrace overlooking the vineyards was especially inviting. Over the years, I've noticed Adirondack chairs seem to occasionally be the focus in artwork, probably because of their interesting shape and their traditional white or bright colors. What I found intriguing about these was that they were unfinished weathered  wood, which reflected the character of the old barrels and also seemed to mimic the color of the dappled shadows. The combined effect was a pleasant feeling of tranquility, which I tried to capture.

Beautiful Boulders

 

Tahoe Shore 1, 11 1/2" x 15 1/8"

With this painting, I was trying to work more loosely and allow the medium to display it's fluidity - which is the true beauty of watercolor. This scene of granite boulders along the shore of Lake Tahoe was my first opportunity to experiment with gray hues. In reality the granite is a very even neutral gray value, but by mixing the grays using the primaries it created much more variety and interest in the way the colors interact. Dropping some color into the washes of the mountains created some subtle detail while still representing the imagery convincingly. To me, the ability to see the nuances of the medium itself is what makes watercolor truly distinctive and dynamic!

Watercolor No. 2

Turquoise Door, 15 1/8" x 11 1/2"

Happy Holidays, and here's wishing everyone an exceptional 2011!

After managing to not make a mess of my previous watercolor, I grabbed another photo and decided to venture forth again. As an absolute newbie to watercolor, I was trying not to get overly invested in the outcome and simply get my feet (brush) wet! I thought this image of a doorway in Hydra, Greece was interesting and this piece was really just another opportunity to practice putting some paint on the paper. I enjoyed experimenting with the various textures and added the cat to help bring some life and balance to the composition. I find the process exciting and it reinforces my interest in watercolor.