Daily Painting

I'm trying silly blends to come up with a single word that describes how I am both an architect and an artist. Why? I have no idea. I am excited to be participating in Capitola's Plein Air Art Festival from October 30-November 3. I will be painting outdoors in Capitola all those days and immersively creating all day....excited and daunted at the same time. My friend Annie invited me to Capitola so she could show me the spots to paint from, where to park, etc., and generally to familiarize me before the 4 intense days at the end of the month. I am so grateful for that invitation and the feeling of familiarity that I now have with the area. Here is a painting from when we spent a lovely day in beautiful Capitola, walking around in the sunshine with gorgeous Pacific Ocean views and the cool breeze, and the lunch that we had sitting on the outdoor deck of a local restaurant.

What is abstraction? Abstraction has a spectrum. Ultimately, it is a balance of and play of shapes on the paper. Sometimes you may recognize the content, yet it is abstracted. For me, it is important to recognize what the subject is even if it is heavily abstracted. I may approach a painting on the wall not knowing what it is of, but I might be drawn to how the shapes are interacting, and perhaps a strong value study underneath. And then the forms merge and separate, and I can recognize something of what I am familiar with. Those few moments between the "pleasing play of just shapes" and recognition of content are very exciting and can never be unlearned. That slow reveal is so important for me. That is when the painting emerges for me. I started painting impressionistically and have been doing so for the last three years. Only now am I trying to abstract what I see. I don’t quite have a narrative for everything that I choose to paint yet, but I think over time as I decide...

What is style? For some time now, I have been trying to find my style. This, in spite of knowing that a style evolves over time of practice, learning, trying, taking risks. I know that I am drawn to several artists for different reasons, sometimes inconsistently so. Charles Reid - my very first influence - for his linkage, connection, his control of the brush, and apparently careless style, wateriness, and overall transparency. I love his alla prima style - no layering/glazing for him. Just apply the color unfussily, let it mingle and it's the right value. Shirley Trevena – for her use of bold color, spectacular pattern, and texture, overall composition, and especially, her irreverence to perspective Jeanne Dobie - for her use of large areas of whites, passage, beautiful neutrals, and overall composition George James – for his stunning composition, abstraction, a narrative in the painting, balance of shapes Kate Osborne – for her transparent color and water...