Sam Robinson Award

 As I participate in more events, I have begun to get recognized for my art more frequently. I will be honest here. I like to win awards. 

I just completed participating in the SOCALPAPA Back Bay Show.  I was selected as the winner of the Frank Robinson Award for Best Back Bay Painting. I think it is the most meaningful award that I have received. 

To receive an award that represents the foundational efforts by the Robinson family to protect the Back Bay from development is the greatest honor. Protecting this land or any land is a core belief that I value.

Bay Watch was my plein air painting the received the Robinson Award for the Best Painting of the Back Bay.

Pepper Trees

 

Finishing

Really clear morning at the beach.  The morning was so quiet and calm.  I was able to rework and finish 2 20x20 paintings.  The challenge when reworking plein air paintings is you have to choose between changing the light or trying to continue with the light key you started with.

The beauty of deep observation is that I am able to recall the conditions fairly easily.  As I paint more and more, it seems like there is a point where the focus is just on what the painting needs and not as dependent on a picture or the scene in front of me.

This is what the painting looked like as I was working it in the shade.

What a difference the light on the painting makes in it's appearance.

 

A busy Day

I started my day with a Americano with 2 add shots from my favorite coffee hangout Jedidiah Coffee and headed down to paint at Heisler Park in Laguna.

I had a quick and productive 2 hour painting session. This is how far I got in that time.

This is the finished piece. I found a new collector while finishing this up.

I was painting in support of ART+NATURE show at the Laguna Art Museum with Laguna Plein Air Painters Association.

I then went to Quorum Gallery to do my sitting rotation.

Once at Quorum I rotated out my art in the window and my wall space.

I took down all my oil paintings and hung 6 gouache paintings. 

I am pretty excited about my skill growth in my gouache painting. This is end of my second year painting in gouache.

Once I finished hanging my new paintings I made a quick Royal Hawiian happy hour and hurried back to host art walk.

Classic vibes and good food.

I closed out the night selling 3 pieces from our newest permanent artist Mary Gehley!

A great end to a full day of art!