Imperial Beach, Revisited

January 26, 2018, Oil on Board, 3"x12", 2019, 2019, 2019

January 27, 2018, Oil on Board, 7"x12", 2019

January 28, 2018, Oil on Board, 7"x12", 2019

January 25, 2018,  Oil on Board, 7"x12", 2019

Imperial Beach Revisited

January 29, Oil on Board, 12" x 6.5"

January 26,  Oil on Board 3" x 12"

January 25, Oil on Board, 7" x 12"

I am processing these paintings differently than the birds and flowers I paint.  They are a little looser and perhaps more expressive.  The painter's hand will show.  Landscapes in general are more forgiving with representative painting.  It's slow going because many of the colors are complementary.  When trying to layer or blend I will get a color that I don't want.  The glow of the sun would probably have worked better if I glazed some oranges and yellow over a white ground.  

Imperial Beach Revisited

I've been to Imperial Beach, CA twice.  The condo I rented sits on the edge of the Pacific facing directly west.  It is a place of spectacular sunsets. I photographed them every evening.  I choose these 4 for seascape paintings  to submit to the Marion Art Center's small works show in December.  I'm working on all 4 at once, usually finding time for 2 a day.  They are all within the 12" requirement.  

January 26,  Oil on Board 3" x 12"

January 29, Oil on Board, 12" x 6.5"

January 25, Oil on Board, 7" x 12"

February 1, Oil on Board, 7"x 12"

Chickadees, 2019

Chickadees, 2019, Oil on Board, 10" x 10"

Black-Capped Chickadees are active, acrobatic, curious, social birds.  They perch in all sorts of positions and will even feed upside down.  They are hardly still long enough to photograph.  This painting is a compilation of photos intended to demonstrate their social behavior as well as their amusing antics.  

Baltimore Oriole, Work in Progress

Baltimore Oriole, 2019, Oil on Board, 10"x10"

When composing these paintings, I'm combining 2 photographs, one of the oriole and one of the orange.  That presents problems such as light and shadows.  But mostly, it presents the problem of how the Oriole would perch on the orange.  I really need a simulator.

Baltimore Orioles Redux

Klatch, 2019, Oil on Board, 10"x10"

I finished this painting a few weeks ago and then began the one shown below, which is still a work in progress, as an accompanying piece.  These pieces are a compilation of different bird photos and the orange.  I'm photographing the orange on my mantle to take advantage of the light on the form.  It is reasonable that a half peeled orange would be inside on a surface.  But, unreasonable that two Orioles would be there having a conversation.  Maybe next I'll have a tea cup in a tree.  

Baltimore Oriole in Progress, Oil on Board, 10"x10"

American Goldfinch

American Goldfinch, 2019, Oil on Board, 10"x8"

The goldfinch have such interesting body shapes and positions.  Unlike the other birds I photograph, the way they proudly expand the chest or cock the head speaks so much to narration.  The males are in full glory now.