Stage 3 - Klamath River Mural

This is stage 3.

Highway 96 swings onto the painting at the left. In keeping with the concept of warm colors in sunlight, the road is in pink tones. It keeps bother me. I'm just not too crazy about it, and the water line of the river on the right is too harsh even tho I was trying for cool color in the shadow.

When I open the door to the studio and approach the painting, my eye stops at that tree on the left in the green grass and shrubs along the road side, and it looks like a triangular pointed blob.

I worked on toning down the road, and it seemed I kept making it worse. So I asked my neighbor and good friend Shirley Fisher, an accomplished artist, to give me her input.

"The road is not right, and the water line needs fixing". So grateful to get good considerate critique. .... Also interesting that these were the parts she spotted also.

So back to the drawing board.



Here I'm in the process of getting rid of the road.

As you can see, we have planted grass on the road bed.




I used the palette knife to put riffles in the water along the shoreline and this also served to soften the edges where the shrubs border the river.


(This was a cloudy day and since I had to use the flash, the picture is a little washed out, but I think you can see the general idea.)

It is at this point I was reminded of Helen Van Wyk the renown oil painter, artist and teacher, who shared mantras referred to by her students as "Helenisms". The appropriate one here is: "A painting is a record of a series of corrections".

Here also is a quote that echoes in my mind when I'm stuggling as I was here. "Painting isn't fun!" she would say, "It's a battle between you and that canvas as you try to turn its flat 2-dimsenionalness into a 3-dimensional being!"

www.helenvanwyk.com/HelenVanWyk

Edgar Degas has a similar quote" “Painting is easy when you don't know how, but very difficult when you do.”



After many of those "corrections", I brought "Klamath River at Klamath River California" out into the sunlight (well semi sunlight), and this is how she looked in my front yard sitting on the picnic bench.



In the next blog, you will be treated to the installation.

luv/joB

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Stage 2 of the Klamath River Mural

After the big blocks of color and general layout, I started fine tuning the painting.

This is Stage 2





















At this point, I am still trying to adjust to acrylic paint and its nuances. I'm planning my next step.

luv/jo
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Art for Klamath Community Center

Our neighbor Frank Cardoza had installed a sign identifying the Klamath River Community Center, and asked me to paint a mural for the side facing the hall.














My research involved getting advice from John Pugh and Gerald Boyd. I worked with both these renown artists on art shows at the Los Gatos Museum of Art when we lived in the Bay Area.

John Pugh renown for his Trompe l'oeil. www.artofjohnpugh.com. His stuff is awesome!

He recommended Golden Paints and gave me the name of his contact there. It was a great experience; good prices, speedy delivery, and freely given suggestions and information for doing my first outdoor mural. John also recommended MDO board for the surface.

Gerald Boyd, a former billboard painter also gave me counsel. www.geraldboyd.com ".....Gerald is among the last of several generations of artists who made their living painting giant outdoor advertisements until technology rendered that craft virtually extinct....."


For these artists my project was "mini". It was "maxi" to me, as my largest painting til now had been 24"x36", and this peicee measures 30"x 82". A bit daunting.... With all the paint materials secured, the board cut, and the first gesso coat on; it was early spring and time to leave for Alaska. The painting still not started. I thought about it a lot during the summer, and when we returned this fall, the mural was first on my agenda.


I used the park office as a painting studio. It was roomy and dry and warm, but I could not stand back far enough to really see it as I would have liked.

I gessoed the board this shade of red to illuminate the background.









I then blocked in the basic design, which I had composed from a series of photos I took last fall.




The left of the painting with a road and the mountains in the background.



The center..."the river runs through it."
(I couldn't resist that movie title here)












This is the right side...mountain, foreground, sky.





Then comes the nitty gritty.....

....next blog.....

luv/jo
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Art is happening.....

Art classes have been going really well. This is one of our first class projects.


It's interesting that with 21 students, there are 21 renditions of this photo. I am hoping that our instructor would have everyone bring their painting in on the last night so we could see each others and get critiques, but not sure that's going to happen. We have many levels of skill and 3 mediums oil, acrylic, and water color. It really keeps Nancy on her toes.




This was fun. It's actually my first attempt with acrylic paint. I have been using oils and alkyds for all these years. But knowing I have the community center project outdoor mural running along side my class projects, I decided to stay with the same paint for both and take advantage of my teacher's and classmates' expertise to help acquaint me with this quite differently-handled paint. Acrylic dries faster and different mediums are used for effects; ie, slowing the drying time and clean up. It's been an education. But after a few paintings under my belt, I kinda like it. And it's not as painful as those first few brush strokes would have led me to believe.

The next project was "paint anything you like".

Since we have had such a lovely colorful autumn, I chose to paint my "backyard".



This photo was taken in October from the levy behind our home.







The first stage, I painted the canvas this pinkish, orange-ish color.

Then I painted large blocks of color and and started to refine the big shapes.




I used natural sponges to dob in trees and bushes. I then went in with brushes and refined leaves and highlighted areas to show the shimmer of the light dancing in the morning sun. I also improvised the rocks in the foreground for more interest to the scene.

This painting is called "Autumn on the Klamath River".

I plan to enter it in the Liberty Arts December Member Show in Yreka.

This is a photo of my set up for my next class project which is a still life that I wanted to paint in the "seeing light and color" style.











This is my first rendition. Not sure that I'll do more work on this painting. I gave my sister the pine cones while she was here this weekend and started eating the pomegranate this afternoon. I might be able to finish it just from the photo. Not sure. I may abandon it altogether and go for persimmons.

We have only a couple more classes left and then voile' it's over til the spring class.

Attending class has summoned my muse and she has also helped me finish the project for the community center. We installed it last week and I will show you that process in my next blog.

Happy Life to You.
luv/jo

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Autumn 2008 - Fall colors on the River

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This is one of the most beautiful autumns the locals can remember. Most likely because of the heavy frosts, no rain, and no wind. All the leaves are staying on the trees as they turn.


In the Park






We walk outside or drive down the road and this is what we behold.... the photos just do not do it justice, the panorama is so breathtaking.



Down river





luv/joB

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Autumn 2008 - on the River & Legends of Ascot trip

November 2. Wow! Time has really flown since September when we returned to the river and those 100 degree temps with trips to Yreka and storage... First grabbing the fans to try and stay cool, and then eventually in mid October taking them back and bringing the heaters. In October we started getting freezing temps upon arising and 80 to 90 mid day. 50 to 60 degree temperature rises are not unusual for spring and autumn in this part of the country.

October 18 we traveled to Lake Perris, California, to attend the 5th Annual Legends of Ascot, a tribute to and celebration of the men who raced/owned/and promoted cars at that legendary race track in Gardena, California. George won the Turkey Day Race there in 1969, the year we were married. In the former years of the Legends event, we weren't back from our summer curising yet, so we were very excited to be able to attend this year.



Don Weaver, George, and Kevin Triplett.









It was a nice event and George was even presented with the "Long Haul" award for coming the furthest distance to attend.... all the way from Alaska (from where our ticket reservation was mailed.) That was a chuckle







After the awards ceremony, we attended the modified races at The PAS (the Perris Auto Speedway), a dirt track. I had forgotten how much dimension the dirt adds to a race. The slogan here is "Get off your asphalt, dirt's for racing".



We were lucky to have low gas prices during the trip. The highest we paid was $3.19 and the lowest was at the Safeway in Redding $2.96. (The prices have come down considerably since then. We are paying $2.23 at the Costco in Medford as of Friday October 31.... Yea for election time.!!!)

We squeezed in a short visits with our family on the way home, and are so happy to be back in the quiet, no traffic, no shopping centers, no noise zone again.

luv/joB

Bellingham - arrived September 2

We docked at Squalicum Harobr, Bellingham, Washington, September 2. It was a beautiful sunny afternoon, and shortly after our arrival, in came Afternoon Delight. Art and Dan had barged through and survived rough seas while we were holed up at Powell River. It was quite a story to hear how much of their precious gear was swept overboard. They were ready for the season to be over.

We taxi'd to Pantec, picked up our Toy-ota, and enjoyed greeting other boaters as they arrived at Squalicum Harbor visitor docks.



This was a sight we experienced as we walked the docks the evening of September 3.

What is this chem-trail thing? It is always chilling to see these trails.... especially when they are so obvious. We even saw them in Alaska's pristine skies.






The docks at Squalicum Harbor are beautiful....popping with color. Great sight as we saw few flowers in Southeast Alaska, due to the late cool summer.





It's been a great curising season inspite of the weather. We met a lot of fun and interesting people, visited some really neat marinas, sank our hook in beautiful tranquil anchorages, met and caught some great eating fish, prawns, and crab.

Thank you God for allowing us to enjoy this part of your beautiful world.

And especially Thank you all - our family and friends - for the support and interest in our blogging and cruise adventures. It's been fun sharing with you all.

Go to George's blog, www.teallog.blogspot.com, to see the statistics of our travels.


Farewell from the Pacific Northwest .... and until next time.....


"Fair winds, smooth seas, and happy journeys.








luv/jo
(...and the Captain says hi)
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