Spanish Dagger in Bloom

Dear Friends,

Again it has been a while since I posted anything on the blog. I've been very busy trying to get things organized so I can go get some surgery done this Friday and spend the next couple of weeks recouperating. Not to worry. It's nothing dire, but it will make me sore and grumpy for a few days so I wanted to get this one last post in before I head for anaesthesia.

This is another plein air painting of the Spanish Dagger in front of my house. It's actually an older painting than the other one I already showed you. It demonstrates again the color really involved in a "white" subject. I do like the glow of the afternoon sun on this huge blossom.

My friend and mentor, Susan , has pointed out that I am not doing a good job of photogaphing my work and freqently these posts are a bit out of focus. I am trying to remedy this with rephotoing some of the work and fixing the images already on the blog, but trying is as far as it's gotten. I am also redoing the photos of the new works I want to post as her remarks were very correct and I need to pay more attention to the presentation of my work. So, hopefully, when I get back to you after the surgery, I will have better pictures of the dog and cat and horse paintings I am currently doing. I am excited to show them to you.

I will look forward to returning to the blog very soon and I hope you will stay tuned!
Jay

Winter Along the Blanco River

Dear All,

I am sorry again to have let things go for so long on the blog. I haven't forgotten you all and I hope you didn't think I've given this up. Oh no. Not at all. I've just been busy.

This little plein air piece was done in Wimberly in the Texas Hill Country. The bare trees along the hillside didn't offer much color to work with. Shades of gray are ok if you feel like being subtle, but I opted to use the fact that there was good color in the water. It really was quite intense. This is because the day was overcast and in that situation while one does not have good sun for lively shadows, color often becomes stronger. I've had folks who have spent much time up there tell me they think this looks just like that area in winter. Well, I hope so!

See the little house up on the hill? I've often wondered what it would be like to live in such a nice place with such a great view. I noticed it sat well above the flood level for the river. Anyone who has ever witnessed the amazing flooding with a little hard rain in the Texas Hill Country will know why that house was set so far above the river.

Hope you like this.
Jay

A Cove at Point Lobos

This was done on the California trip a couple of years ago. It is a plein air piece, on 8x10 board, in oil and was done in a morning on the cliffs overlooking the convoluted rock and water landscape of the Point Lobos area. I was excited because the first thing I saw when I hiked to this location was a big fat seal lazing on the little beach sunning himself. I let out a gasp of surprise, which unfortunately, he heard and I think was surprised himself as he rolled into the water and floated off. Otherwise I'd have added him to the painting and it would have been better for it.

But I enjoyed the color of the rocks and the wonderful green of the shallow water over the sandy beach. California truly is blessed with great color in their landscape.

This is one of my favorite pieces from that trip.
Jay