Pepper Tree at CSUF Arboretum

The paint out location for this past Friday was CSUF Arboretum fullertonarboretum.org The SoCalPAPA www.socalpapa.com were spread out over the grounds.  I ran into a couple of them while I tried to find something inspiring.

I picked this Pepper Tree because of the shape, color, and the shade it provided.

I added a couple of colors to my pallet as I try to evolve my color mixing.  

Keeping it thin with large color washes with big brushes.  Moving to cover the open spaces.

Remaining light value areas are where some of the lightest values will be placed when the painting is completed.

Colors at this point in the painting are used to indicate values within the composition and colors that will react with the colors that I finish the painting with.

Lightening the painting to get a more accurate pattern of values within the painting while further defining shapes and adding the detail of the branches and the foliage.

Darkening areas and further defining the shapes within the painting in order to create the right contrast within the painting.

Darkening the values still further while adding additional shapes and detail within the painting.

Lightening and adding highlights to shapes that were being hit by direct sunlight.  I spent a lot of time with give and take between the shapes and the values within the painting.  It was like a negotiation on what aspect of the painting was going to take over.  Ultimately it ends up being a compromise. 

Further definition of shapes value and color-getting close.

Lightening and darkening one last time.  Touching up shapes.

 Finished! Pepper Tree 24x32 plein air oil on board.

The value shot.

The detail shot.

CSUF Arboretum

I went to CSUF arboretum to try and get a slightly quicker painting done.  I chose a 24x24 board and a closer location so I could get home in time to make dinner.

In keeping with my goal, I did a lot less drawing so that I could get to the painting quicker.

I moved quickly to the blocking in.  I blocked in the sky and tried to get it right and not touch it up later in the painting.  

In this block in I was trying to represent the darkest color within those objects that support impressionistic color shifts.  I want the highlights to create interest in their interaction with the base color of the object.

Another objective in my painting has been to do a better job at representing distance within the painting.

At this point in the painting the block in is complete and the relative distance has been established.

Here I am moving to refining the shapes in the painting.

One of my focuses has been to use large brushes as long as possible.  I have also been trying to develop more detail within the painting using them.  Increasing my skill in my mark making is also one of my painting goals.

I have been using a lot of paint.  I am trying to waste less paint.  I am also working at my color mixing.  I am trying to get greater color diversity through all of the colors worked into my mixing.  I am still discovering different combinations to get to the color I want.

In trying to achieve a greater diversity in my mark making I have also been trying to use more brushes in each painting.  In this painting I used a larger range of sizes.  I was able to use the smallest brush that I carry.  It really helped in the detail of the bushes in the foreground and the fronds in the palm trees.

The finished painting.  24x24 plein air oil on board

The value shot reveals the accuracy of my perception.  I feel this painting really succeeded in portraying the atmospheric perspective. 

The detail shot.  In this shot you can see the diversity of mark making.  I did a better job at establishing distance within the painting and I was able to use a greater selection of brushes within the painting.  I also was able to finish this painting quicker.

Arboretum

I thought these flowers were striking.  I was not sure what they were but I wanted to paint them.  It had been a while since I had done a floral.

Every painting is different.  There is no formula.  This painting started with a big focus on the underlying colors that I wanted to show through.

Because of the crazy amount of detail within the pencil cactus it was necessary for a slow build up from the back to the front.

The changing light was going to be an issue with this painting because where I chose to set up my gear.  The cast shadow on the plant was fast moving.

The orchestration of the different elements to the painting are building.  The values start to become more concrete.  The background colors are well established.  The details are starting to emerge.

This painting is now the progression of all of these elements.  Furthering the different components of the painting without overwhelming the balance between them and building for a strong finish requires focus, patience, and decisiveness.

As one aspect of the painting becomes dominant, I must balance it.

At this point in the painting I must rely on my memory and sense of what the painting was meant to mean.  All of the observations that I have made up to now will aid me in the completion of the painting.

In some paintings you reach a point where there are difficult challenges to your intentions.  In this painting that moment is how to approach the infinite detail of the pencil cactus behind the flower.  The limitations of your skills will never progress if you do not push to overcome them.  It is moments like these that I become energized with the possibilities.  Instead of fearing this moment, I embrace this moment.  In the face of obstacles you must be able to just go for it.

The following shots are detail excerpts from the painting.  If you were to view them independent from their context within the whole of the painting they would appear to be abstract.

When all the abstract elements add up you get a painting that approaches some level of representationalism.

The freedom of expression necessary for this to work is mandatory.  There is no room for second guessing it.

Doubt can not creep into your mark making.  Rigidity will make the abstract nature of the painting seem contrived.  The flow throughout the painting must be natural.

Now take a look at some of these photographs of the plant detail.  If you were able to imagine these as pure shape and color and not as photographs would you be able to see the abstract nature of the detail within the context of the whole?

I believe that every abstract painting has some base in reality.  I think the difference is the level of consciousness you are painting in.

At some point you must accept what you have done.  The beauty of plein air painting is that there is no time to keep working it until you are satisfied.  The satisfaction of accomplishment comes when you have put everything you can into a painting without regrets.  Growth is accelerated by the limitation of time.  It forces you to keep moving, keep making decisions, and to keep solving problems.  How many good decisions can you make in a row in the course of the painting.  That is the measure of skill.

The finished painting 24x36 soft pastel on board with pumice gel and acrylic underpainting.

The value shot.

The detail shot.  To me the beauty is the balance of detail.  Simplification is a given.  In three hours how could you possibly capture the detail of this scene on a 24x36 board.