Life Is A Beach
I know that some think that the last word in that phrase is a replacement for a similar sounding word... not me.  My maiden name is Beach and I've always thought of it as a way of thinking about the good parts and the bad parts of life.   The beach is a mixed bag... joyously beautiful - miserably cold - a place to discover wonderful examples of nature's bounty - or to step on a jellyfish.   You get my drift.  Most of us like the beach... we ignore the less pleasant things about it and enjoy the peaceful drama and glory of all it.  Just like with life.

I'm catching a cold and didn't want to give it to Dad.  Thought it would be good to come home, rest, catch up a bit before the hospital sends Dad home.   Of course once I got home (and after I took some Tylenol and drank some hot tea)  I couldn't lie down... the easel and my latest painting were calling.  Thankfully Dad's getting better each day...  He'll have to have more procedures in the next few weeks, but he's on the mend from this latest unsuccessful "fix".  Even at almost 92, he's enjoying life day by day... as we all should.

UCSB - The UC "Party Campus"
This scene is one from the beach near Isla Vista... near the UCSB campus.  I remember going to the beach there frequently when I was at University... (of COURSE this was AFTER I had studied all I could to ace my exams..LOL)...    On this Isla Vista Beach I invariably would get a big blob of oil on the bottoms of my feet or on a towel.  The ocean between Santa Barbara and the Channel Islands in California is dotted with oil platforms.  In the past I've thought of them as a necessary evil... an annoyance.    Even though we were often told that the oil blobs form naturally in that area and were not because of the platforms and the drilling, I never really believed it.  Now that we've seen the horrific devastation of coastline and wildlife and livelihoods that can happen, I more and more think we should never sink another off-shore well  ... ANYWHERE.   I'm hoping those that work on platforms that are already there are redoubling their efforts at safety and caution.

The Painting
Anyway... back to the painting.  I had thought that it was almost finished when I worked on it the other day, but I realized that some of my light values were really too light.  I had tried to use a limited palette and grey out my colors more than I usually do.  (I watched a Scott Christenson video on my computer the other day while I was in the hospital waiting for Dad's surgery to be over.)   Today, however, when I went in to work on softening or darkening the lights... I also added a bit more color... I tried to control myself - honest!  I've finally decided I'd better say it's finished before I really mess it up. 

All in all I'm happy with this painting.  I started with a few simple masses and then worked them up trying not to get TOO busy.  I debated about adding in the figure but thought it sort of added some scale to the painting...  

What do you think...?   Is it done???

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Another surgery... tons and tons of waiting around to find out what's happening and perhaps what might happen next.  Yesterday was not a great day.. but happily today is better.

After Dad's surgery was over yesterday and he was settled in for a good rest after lunch I drove home and decided to dive into a new painting.  I wanted to paint something a bit bigger than the small formats I've been doing and use the brushes.  I will continue with the palette knives in the future, but at this point they do not satisfy me as much as using the brush does.  I'm hoping that feeling will change and I'll become a bit "easier" around the knife.  However, I decided to paint an image from the beach near Isla Vista where I spent four years living when I was in college at UCSB and where my daughter lived too. 

I didn't have much time and really wanted to get it done before I headed back to the hospital to be with Dad at dinner.  Actually, time flew and I almost thought the painting was finished so I photographed it with the thought in my head that sometimes it's a great thing to have time limits. However when I looked at the painting in the photo I just had taken, I realized that it will take a bit more work...  Some of the light colored areas of the cliffs were too light and perhaps the far mountains needed to be lightened up a bit.   Do you ever notice that you see more faults with a painting after you photograph it than before???   I'll do some more work on the Isla Vista Beach painting if I get a break sometime today.   Overall that painting really soothed and pleased me.  My plan is to finish it and post it tomorrow.

I am surprised that sitting around in a hospital can seem to tire me out so....   but it does.  Imagine how it makes my Dad feel -- he's the one who has had four surgeries and had to be in and out of the hospital so often in the last 3 1/2 weeks.   Hopefully the procedures to come will be more successful than those past ones.   Thank goodness he's got such a fabulous outlook on life!

In the meantime, I'm posting a little 7"x5" study I did of my little guy, Tyler, when he was at the beach one time a while back.   It's called "Beach Play".   Please click this LINK for more information about the painting.   I like the looseness of it.   Lately since my husband is up in Washington and I wanted to get to the hospital early to try to talk to the doctors, Tyler has been spending the days and nights with my son - his uncle.  They've had a great weekend - playing paintball and going to the movies.   Tyler's had such a great time he may not want to come home!


Thanks to all of you for your good wishes for my Dad.  We both appreciate it!

Blue Shuttered Window
8"x6" Oil on RayMar Canvas

I opened up my palette in the morning to start a new painting and noticed that I hadn't cleaned it last night.  What a special treat to see all the colors sort of half blended by the knife for the painting I did yesterday.  I should have taken a picture because that was probably as nice a scene as my actual painting. 

I continue to work with a palette knife.  Control in small spaces is difficult but I'm sure practice will make it better and better.  A friend suggested that I re-do yesterday's painting and I may just do that, but I wasn't in the mood to repeat yesterday's painting again today so I tried a similar scene.

One of the things we artists are supposed to continually ask ourselves is "What is it about this scene that attracts me?  Why do I want to paint it?"    Hmmmm...  I think it was the lively blue shutters with the pretty red flowers in front.    I'm also trying to work on gaining skill with the palette knife so I picked a scene I thought would work easily with the knife and which was more intimate than my usual wide-ranging scenes.  Perhaps I'll do a "postcard" scene next. 

I had some fun with my palette knife.  I've decided I need to learn to master it as I'm sure it will add some dimension and fun to my repertoire of painting skills.  So far, I created a few paintings I liked and of course I enjoyed painting them all, but I need to better master knife handling.

So... "Come To Breakfast" will be the first of many paintings done with a palette knife.  I think that I will end up using a combination of both palette knife and brush... but it will be a fun departure and even more learning!

Here is "Come To Breakfast".. a quiet scene of the door and window in front of a quiet Italian village home.  The table is set and the flowers are placed on top to invite all of you to join us!

Notice that I did another square format painting...    I took the hardboard panel with me when I went to join the CAC paint-out group because I still wanted to try to work on a square format.   I had gessoed over it and added a reddish brown color to the gesso as a ground.  I still prefer rectangular shapes for landscapes -- especially for plein air painting, but I ended up liking the colors and textures in this painting.

Today was another scheduled Paint Out Day for the Ventura / Malibu Chapter of the California Art Club.   The Chapter Coordinator, Sharon Burkett Kaiser, was going to be there to critique the work of any painters who volunteered their work.   I think this is an exceptionally valuable experience.   It's the perfect time to get helpful suggestions...  you're not too invested in the piece .. perhaps not even quite finished and it's easier to listen and HEAR the suggestions and, I think, you're more willing to make changes to improve it at this point.  Sharon knew I had to leave early and she graciously offered a few suggestions (such as a reminder that despite the fact that we KNOW the ocean is blue THIS ocean isn't... it's greener... and reminding me to blend my horizon line) which I have tried to incorporate .

The hardboard I used proved to be a bit difficult... My favorite support is linen..  but I wanted to use the square shape, so I just gessoed the hardboard.   Gessoed hardboard DOES allow you to be playful with paint as the brushwork really seems to show better... it doesn't need to compete with the weave of the canvas or linen.

I also ran into trouble because somehow I got sand all over one corner of the sky.   I ended up just painting over the sand... figured it would lend authenticity (LOL).   It was not necessarily surprising that I got sand in the painting considering we were at the beach.  I enjoyed talking with painter friends Sharon Weaver, Janet Snodgrass and Rich Brimer but by the time I packed up to go take Dad to the doctor, the wind had kicked up a LOT.   It was a gorgeous day at the beach and a very welcome respite from the 100+degree SF Valley temperatures I found upon my return.

Dad's doing better every day.   The doctor will schedule a third surgery next week to see if they can create a more durable and livable "fix" for his kidney.   I know we humans have learned a lot about the body and our world but none-the-less I am always in awe of the many advances in medicine that help us live more comfortably and longer.  Thanks again for all of your well wishes for my Dad's speedy recovery... They are working!

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"Fern Dell Sycamore"
10" x 8" Oil on RayMar Canvas Panel

On Monday Dad's caregiver stayed with him.  He doesn't REQUIRE someone to stay with him... it's more to make us feel better until we can go to the doctor and get an update.   Anyway I took advantage of the morning and joined my SFVAC group for their monthly paint out.

It was at Fern Dell in the Hollywood Hills below the Griffith Observatory.  I haven't been to Fern Dell since I was a little girl and went with my Blue Bird troop.  There were lots of people there.
I walked around with Diane Nelson Gold and finally settled in to paint a view looking up the hill toward the Observatory.  Let's just say it isn't my best work.   I did enjoy myself and there are some parts of the painting that I think work very well.

While I painted, a group of children was working nearby with their teacher trying to create a film script and produce a movie.   It was interesting to quietly observe and listen and have not responsibility for the group.  It was a clear beautiful day.  Pleasantly warm but not too warm.  I sat with Trisha Bennett, the paint out coordinator, and Diane while eating lunch but left after a short while because the bees or yellow jackets seemed to like my lunch almost as much as I did.

Happily Dad gets better day by day.  It is amazing and wonderful how our body heals and recovers... (with a little help from very good medicine and doctors.)

 

"Sunny Independence"
9"x9" Oil on gessoed hardboard

Downs and Ups... But moving in a positive direction
Well... things don't always go as planned.  The family didn't end up all celebrating together after Dad's surgery on Thursday and this week of new resolutions and challenges to myself and marathon medical issues with Dad has taken some dips and curves. 

Fortunately Dad's second surgery went well and things are looking up once again.  He'll be in the hospital at least over the weekend, but he's got great care.  Thanks so much for all of your good wishes...  Keep them coming - it will be a little while before he's back creating his wonderful videos, writing his stories and taking on challenging casting projects again but at least he's getting better.

All of this reminds me of what a miracle our amazing bodies are and how lucky we all are to live in today's times.  The tiniest of parts can mess up the whole body yet there are very smart and hard working people who can help us when things go awry. 

Party for Independence Day
This all started last Sunday before Dad's medical problems when we hosted our annual Independence Day Party.  We sort of inherited this party from my parents who had passed on the annual traditional family / friend party to us about 15 years ago.  It's always a fun time to see people I haven't seen in a long time as well as those I see regularly.  I remember GREAT times at the Fourth of July party ever since I was a kid.  This year we had about 75 guests and one of them brought me a lovely bunch of patriotic wrapped sunflowers.

Painted Flowers
I decided to paint them before they wilted... just because they were pretty and also to keep the memory forever.  I wanted to really play with thick paint... for the therapeutic value, of course!  I painted on a gessoed hard board which absorbs less of the paint than canvas or linen so the brushwork is more apparent.  Notice also that it is another square format... this time 9"x9".   I'm going to ask you to vote on your favorite very soon.   I loved the colorful look of the sunflowers and hope you see them as happy and sunny -- like a smile!

  If you'd like to own "Sunny Independence", click the PayPal button or contact me by clicking this link HERE.