Special Edition! Creating "Umbrellas by the Sea"

Vernazza, Italy, under the warm glow of dancing yellow umbrellas ... sipping liquid grapes ... breathing in the gentle caress of a sea breeze ... this is one of the many reasons why I know that life is a gift to be gratefully treasured, especially when it is shared on the 25th anniversary of marrying my best friend :)   This is a scene that took me five years to decide how to capture, but once I got started I couldn't wait to complete my vision.

 I knew that I wanted a large canvas because Vernazza is nestled in the embrace of a very high ridge overlooking the expanse of the Mediterranean Sea.  I chose an 18x36 canvas (big for me!) and then cropped the image to emphasize what I loved most -- the large sunlit yellow umbrellas.

I started by sketching the basic placement of shapes with a fair amount of accuracy.  I used a pastel pencil because it was easy to make changes, if needed.

 

 Once I was satisfied with the placement, I "sketched" with paint and let it dry so that I could paint over it with transparent paints without disturbing my road map.

  Since the umbrellas were what I was most excited about, I started with my favorite part (dessert first, right?)  I painted the whole area with transparent indian yellow (using an oil medium called "Archival Lean") and then laid on opaque paints quickly so that the underpaint was wet enough to be picked up where I wanted it to be.

 This next part was fun because it made the umbrellas really start to "pop" with the complimentary colors.  I laid in transparent ultramarine blue for the mid-ground church and, again, quickly painted opaque colors before the underlayer dried.

The fun continued in similar manner...

At this point, I needed to make a decision.  The photograph blocked the background hills because of mid-sized trees that had been planted along the marina edge.  But, this being Vernazza, I really wanted to capture the sense of being small in a large place.  So I chose to look through the trees and imagine the steep hill that lay behind.  This was not easy!  You will see that it took several iterations.

My challenge with the next portion of this painting was to make it lively without breaking up the simplicity of the overall "values" I had planned (squint at the final painting image and hopefully you'll see what I mean).  I also didn't want to paint every single chair leg and table top because I know that less is often more since it allows the imagination to create far better stories than the paint brush is able to.

I knew I wanted to work more on the background hill, but it would be easier to judge what needed to be done after painting the foreground.

At this point I had covered the canvas, but I knew that several areas needed a bit more attention...

 

On my final pass, I created depth and interest in the background, adjusted the boats and water, added texture to the potted bushes, and worked on a few shadow and light nuances.  This painting is currently hanging at the Waverly Artists Group and looks great next to its companions, Ready for Limoncello and Fruit of the Vine!

Umbrellas by the Sea, available

18x36 oil

(here's the photo again, just for fun comparison)

Summer Shade

Although it may not be quite time to seek refuge in the shade from blazing summer heat, I was thinking of this scene recently because I just finished hanging the painting that it inspired at Glenaire Retirement Community in Cary, NC.  The cool refuge of shade was definitely necessary on the day I took this picture because it was 102 degrees in July and I was painting outdoors for the very first time.  Why did I choose a 102 degree day to experience the joys of plein air painting?  Good question!  I was taking a class and it is amazing what "non-refundable" can cause one to do :)   As I sweated, I mean glowed, I was lured by this scene because the shadows on the lush hillside looked so deceptively cool.

I'm not sure why I chose a large canvas for my first plein air painting, but it definitely caused me to paint quickly and with energy!  I laid in my darks and then enjoyed adding the sunlit areas that spilled down the hillside and sparkled on the flowers and grasses.  I can honestly say that "Summer Shade" was created by the sweat of my brow!

 

Summer Shade, available 

16x20 Oil

This painting was juried in to the Junior League of Raleigh's annual show at the Raleigh Convention Center ... pretty "cool", huh? :)

Click here to see where you can visit "Summer Shade" until June 2013.

Azalea Glow

Happy Easter!!  

Today's post seemed to me to be the right one for this day that celebrates new life.  The white azalea bushes in my yard haven't bloomed yet, 
but I am definitely ready to see them again! 

This photograph from a past Spring was one of dozens that I took to capture the sun shining through the translucent petals.  The purity of this white azalea, with light that almost appears to come from within, reminds me of the One who we honor as pure light on this day.

For my painting, I cropped the scene in a way that keeps the glowing azalea as the "star" of the show while moving it out of center stage.  This encourages the eye to explore and also creates some interesting shapes around the flowers.  Enjoy!

Azalea Glow, not available

12x16 Oil

King of the Palms

Since today is Palm Sunday I am posting a small painting from Hilton Head titled King of the Palms, in honor of the King who was hailed in Jerusalem nearly 2000 years ago.  

Hosanna!

One of the many things I love about Hilton Head, in South Carolina, is the way the trees (a blend of live oaks, pines, and palm trees) come so close to the sandy beach.  They add a fresh dimension of green to accent the warm, soft hues of the beach grasses.  Sprays of wild flowers add another layer of color and texture (as well as inviting loads of butterflies).

To capture the feel of the soft grasses, and to add depth to all the "green" the camera saw, I chose to emphasize the warm orange hues of the dried grasses that I remembered.  I had fun with the foreground flowers and sea oats, making the paint thicker and using a palette knife for texture instead of a paint brush.  

Happy Palm Sunday!

  King of the Palms, available

6x6 Oil, framed

click for purchase information

Sea Oats

Every summer my family goes on vacation to Nags Head NC for one of our favorite weeks of the year and for precious time spent with family from literally all over the globe.   This view is from the mid-level balcony of our beach house.  

While arguably a beautiful view, especially with the graceful sea oats of August, my camera could not fully capture what I saw -- the drama of the evening sun draping its way through the sea oats and beckoning up the stairs.  As an artist, the drama of the sunlight and the sense of welcome were what I sought to capture

 

 I began my painting by "sketching" the basic shapes of the scene with orange (since it complemented the blues) and then laid in thin paint as a road map for my darks and lights as well as my warm and cool colors.  This was a great way to work out how I wanted the viewer's eye to move through the painting.  I was careful to plan for more cools than warms and darks than lights because I wanted the warm sun-lit stairs to be the center of interest. 

At this stage of the painting process, an artist has to have great faith and not listen to passers-by who say, "Um.  Interesting."  :)

 As I laid paint on more thickly, keeping my darks largely "transparent" and my lights more opaque, I tried to stay faithful to my initial road map.  By reserving the purest colors, sharpest edges, and greatest contrast for the center of interest, I had fun making it, well, interesting!

  Sea Oats, not available

8x16 Oil

Sometimes one painting isn't enough when it's a scene I love.  Here's a slightly larger and different take on the same wonderful view.

Sea Oats of August, SOLD

12x24 Oil

View from St. Clare

This is the view from the plaza of St. Clare in Assisi Italy, overlooking the peaceful Umbrian valley.  As we traveled through Italy for our 25th anniversary (5 years ago already - oh my!) we visited many churches and, to be honest, the extravagant gilding got to be a little much for me.  When we went to Assisi we visited, yes, more churches.  

But St. Clare was different.  

It was plain.  

It was simple. 

There were no gilded pillars and no ornate mosaics.  

No pretense. 

 It was completely Spirit-filled.

It is also home to the original San Damiano cross 

that called the simplest of all beggars, St. Francis of Assisi.

I LOVED St. Clare.

As the sun set I was reminded who the master artist is.

My challenge in painting "View from St. Clare" was to somehow capture the tranquil feeling of that moment.  There were no formulas for this... I just let the spirit paint...

 View from St. Clare, available

6x6 Oil, framed

click for purchase information

House Hunting

 To warm your soul and remind you that the winter chill will soon be replaced by the hope of new life, I am posting the "house hunting" of nature that is about to begin in earnest.   

This little bluebird visited my yard a few years ago and was so much fun to watch as he clearly was trying to attract his future mate to this lovely home.  She accepted his proposal and before long their family began :) 

I loved everything about this composition: the verticals of the background trees that mimicked the house, the dynamic lines of the roof and plants that lead your eye to the entrance of the little home and, especially, the way the sun and shadow drape across the entrance in welcome.

But here's my little secret:  the amorous blue bird would not stay still long enough for me to take his portrait on the roof!  So I took a picture of him on a branch and did a little photo manipulation (click on the image and you can see).  The trick was to catch him with the lighting the same as the house.

My artistic vision of this scene was much warmer than the camera captured, adding a glow to the cozy home that would soon be brimming with life.  Happy Spring!

House Hunting,  SOLD

5x7 Oil