A Sunset Painting

"Umpqua Sunset"

18" X 24"

Oil on Canvas

 

While travelling through Oregon back in September I was fortunate to enjoy a great sunset near the Umpqua National Forest. I was on the outskirts of the town of Green. After a quick dinner at the local Arby's I grabbed my camera and found a spot to get what I wanted on film. I created this painting working from 2 reference photos taken that evening. I only took two photos because I felt I had waited too long and the sun had set lower than I'd planned. Looking over my photo the day before yesterday I felt maybe it would work anyway since the sun was just below the mountains. Off to the easel I went. I was able to block in the sky that first night....worked off and on most of the next day and finished today....good thing since it's getting hot in the studio and it's time for dinner. 

Firestone Vineyard

"Firestone Vineyard"

18"x24" Oil on Canvas

It was time to do another vineyard scene so I searched through my reference photos and found some vineyard shots taken at the Firestone vineyard in Foxen canyon. The main house on the vineyard is just off to the left of this scene. I didn't include it because it is a wonderful older house that I feel needs it's own painting using it as the main point of interest. I was told the house came from Santa Maria and was brought down to the Firestone location years ago. The colors are a bit off, I think, from my actual painting and this photo. The difference is due to my lack of being a better photographer....you could write volumes on taking good photos of paintings. This photo is close though. This painting would look good in a gold frame or even a nice dark wood frame.

I'm actually not a big fan of vineyard painting. I'm not crazy about the bright greens and yellows of the vineyard against the muted colors of the hillsides around here....I know, I'm crazy. Just a personal feeling about it and I'm allowed that. I'd rather catch the sublime colors of the landscape in the evenings or mornings on the central coast or try to get better painting the ocean. Still, I'd like to paint better vineyard scenes so more of these will happen. I think I'm in search of a way to paint them and marry them to my sublime look of the hillsides and oaks. Painting has so many challenges to it. The vineyards are now in their full bore growing time with lots of new green leaves so I will hunt down some new scenes to paint.

Eucalyptus and Grass

"Misty Morning Eucs"

12"x16" Oil on Canvas Covered Panel

This painting started out as just messing around cropping pictures taken of eucalytpus trees up in Nipomo, CA. One crop was just as you see, lots of grasses with the trees set high up on the picture plane. This would give me more prasctice at painting the trunks of trees and grasses. I liked the look of the scene and so I painting it. The painting is very different from my normal work but lined up along my other paintings will look pretty neat.