Summer Sunshine Series: 1
June 7, 2010
Summer! Sunshine?
Of course, as soon as I commit to a summer filled with outdoor painting, it rains 19 days in a row. But I was not deterred. We’ve had a few hours of sunshine here and there, and each time, I’ve grabbed my easel and bolted outside as quickly as possible.
So I have paintings for you– don’t worry!
I’m going to spend the summer exploring my city and painting outside as much as possible. I’m planning to go back to the Rhododenron Gardens, and to the Waterfront, and maybe over to the coast, if I have a chance.
Here’s how this new series will work:
I paint 5 paintings each week. I send one to you in an email every weekday morning. As before, the first email reply in my inbox is the winner of the painting. And of course, there will be surprises and giveaways along the way– because it’s fun!
A note about pricing:
Last time, prices were pretty simple. Day 12= $12. Day 74=$74. But I can’t really afford to sell many paintings for less than $50. Most of my originals (regardless of size) are priced at $100 or more. Supplies generally cost around $30 for each painting, so I’m going to continue offering things here at a lower price point than I normally would. Because you’re awesome.
Now that we’ve taken care of those details, here’s today’s painting.
Since I knew it was just a matter of time before the next rain shower began, I had to act fast. Luckily, I live in a beautiful neighborhood and I’ve been wanting to paint these trees for awhile.
One of my teachers in Seattle used to say, “When painting outside, there’s so much happening, you must decide what’s most important. What is the painting about?” He calls it “Aboutness” and I always think about that when I’m painting en plein air.
The “Aboutness” of this painting started with the way the reds and greens bounced off one another, and moved to the way the light floated around the trees onto the sidewalk. It was windy and I was trying to figure out how to capture that, too. My neighbor walked by and she said, “It almost moves.” Which made me ridiculously happy, and I realized this painting was about motion.
6×6 Oil on Masonite Block. Ready to hang, no framing required! $85.
