Winter 2020

 

Little Dell Reservoir, Salt Lake City, Utah

While we haven't been traveling due to Covid (and we are older and in high risk group)., we did take a drive to Salt Lake City to visit my daughter last month. The weather was not pleasant enough for hiking, but we did a drive through the canyons and I thought this scene was beautiful. I painted it later in my studio back in Boise. It is 11 X 14 oil paint on canvas board.  I hope we can see the same view in the spring or summer. I would like to paint it again with those colors too. My website now prints puzzles too and I am tempted to buy this one myself. I think it would be challenging.

Last night was the first night of Chanukah. It is a quiet holiday since we can't get together with family, but we enjoyed our rabbi's Zoom presentation last night.  Learned a few new details about the history of the holiday too.  Lots of songs are available on the internet. This was a new one for me. Parody song by the Maccabeats.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bkGuaTAD920

As a special treat (besides latkes), I bought a beef tongue (lengua de res) at a Mexican store and cooked it last night with my mother's sweet and sour recipe. It was delicious. My mom has been gone for over 20 years, but that recipe brought back good memories and I'm glad I still have some of hers.

Happy holiday, happy winter. I saw a few snowflakes today, but they don't seem to be sticking. I'm o.k. with that. I had enough snow after all my years living in New England. Happy with milder winter here in Boise. 

Painting in studio and plein air

 

Cloudy Day on Antelope Island, 14" X 11", oil painting on stretched canvas.  I am a bit frustrated with the plein air painting, but plan to continue.  I decided to work on a painting in my studio instead. It was much more satisfying, plus I reviewed my photos from my trip to Antelope Island (Great Salt Lake, Utah) and enjoyed my memories too. (about 8 years ago).

Meanwhile I bought some water based oil pastels to play with. They are like crayons, but turn into paint when you brush some water on them.  I brought them with me to the group painting at Polecat trail in Boise (Idaho) and tried them out.  I wasn't happy with the result, but they were fun to play with.

When I was back in my studio, I painted over the dry painting and liked it much better. I could mix the colors better too. The foothills in Boise are very dull in color at this time of year (mostly yellow ochre), but they are near enough for a quick painting trip.

This is a 8 X 10  painting on Yes brand mixed media canvas.  I also purchased some 6" X 8"gesso'ed board. I bought some small hardboards online and put 2-3 coats of gesso on them (sanding in between).  These are easy to bring out with me for the plein air painting. The gesso dries quickly so it doesn't take too long to prepare the boards. I will take them with me tomorrow for my next plein air outing.

Plein Air Attempts

 

I decided to play with expressionist colors on this attempt at plein air painting.  I actually like my teal tree, but was unhappy with the building behind it.  My group was painting at the Nazareth Retreat Center in Boise. I got permission for the group to go there and about 5 of us showed up, 2 oil painters, 3 watercolor painters. The group posts on FaceBook (Plein Air Painters of Idaho) so I get to see what other painters have created.  We keep socially distanced, wear masks when talking to each other and I feel safe painting outdoors.

I went back to realistic colors this week, but struggled with perspective and the cold morning. I don't paint with gloves so I didn't stay too long. My arthritic hands don't really do well with colder temperatures. Anyway, I enjoyed painting and several walkers stopped by on the Greenbelt path and said nice things.  I may work on this one a bit more in my studio.

After being a bit frustrated with the plein air painting struggle, I painted this 11 X 14 canvas board in my studio.  "Just Paddling"  from one of my photos in Alberta, Canada.  This was hard too, but I enjoyed it more.  I still haven't figured out how to get reflections in the water, but I will keep trying.

My website on Fine Art America is doing well and I sold several prints last month, also some cards. I find people like to buy the ones with words on them.  Everyone needs a little inspiration at times.

Denali - Alaska

 

Denali National Park in spring. 18 X 24" oil on stretched canvas. I'm not sure if this is quite done yet. I did one layer of glazing on the mountains, but I'm thinking that I might need a second one to lighten them up a bit.  They need to recede back a bit further. I'm still learning.

Since we have not been able to travel this year, I painted from a photo of Yellowstone Park. I am missing our travels. The different colors on the hill interested me.  11 X 14 on canvas board.

My Fine Art America website is doing fine with selling prints for me. I had an inquiry from a customer who wanted the Apache Wedding Prayer on a different painting and the Cherokee Wedding Prayer (which I was not familiar with) on another painting.  I created these for him and he bought the prints so next month I will get a little commission.  I am glad people are looking at that website.

Jewish New Year

 

I decided to make another design with my mixed media painting from Lavender Acres in Meridian, Idaho. That was a great farm to visit. 

I also played with more acrylic paint in an expressionist style. I was tired of painting boring and realistic colors. This was fun. It is from Jump Creek Falls Recreation area in Melba, Idaho. 10" X 20".

Rosh Hashanah 2020/5781

 

I was thinking about the Jewish new year which starts in September.  2020 hasn't been a good year for most people so I am hopeful that 5781 (the Jewish year) will be better.  The verse is from the Haftarah reading last shabbat.  This is from a series of haftarot from Isaiah about consolation (after the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem (remembered on Tisha B'Av this month).  Isaiah is trying to console the people with hope for the future.  I can relate to that.

I will probably design something else for the holiday as I have time to think about it more. The photo was taken in Israel in 2012 when I was on an 8 week trip then. We were touring the Eilat area with a group and this was in a botanical park there. Eilat is at the southern end of Israel, after a long drive through the desert. While it is a big tourist area, I found something spiritual there too.

Pandemic Story

 

Pandemic Story

The synagogues are empty now

We only hear a little Torah on Zoom

We wear masks to go inside anywhere

take them off at the Y when exercising

 

Had my temp checked at the doctor’s

even though my follow-up visit

was unrelated to Covid

 

Missed my visit back east for Passover

Don’t know if I’ll see my family again this year

May even miss Gert’s 100^th birthday.

 

People are angry

I am sad, not angry

Politics are getting very nasty this year

 

How long will we wait for good news . . .

We’ve been praying for Moshiach for years

I keep hoping for some positive news

I know there are good people out there

 

Even after reading sci-fi books and stories

for many years, 

I did not see this disaster as happening

 

I’ll go back to my books and painting

keeping my imagination positive

grateful for what I do have now

 

©2020 Linda H. Feinberg

Another Summer Month

Doe and fawn at Municipal Park in downtown Boise, Idaho. I went there to paint with the plein air painters group.  I was surprised to see deer in an urban park, but I guess it is near enough to various rivers and the foothills for them to wander around. They were used to the children and did not run away even when kids came fairly close. This park is also a nature center and a good place for kids to learn about nature.

There were fish in the pond, but I didn't come to go fishing. I made such a mess with my last oil plein air painting that I decided to just sketch with watercolors.  I took photos of the last few outings and will go back to them later to make more paintings.  Here are a few:

This is my setup with my new Sienna pochade box.  This is a little better than my last box as it has a side panel to hold brushes and water, but it does not have a carry handle which I find strange. The professional plein air easels and tripods that the other artists use are very expensive and I wasn't sure I would continue with this kind of painting.  I really prefer to paint in my nice air conditioned studio.  I'm still getting used to the hot summers in Idaho.  We have been here 3 years now and I'm starting to enjoy going around looking at stuff.

The art group also did a trip to a lavender farm in the next town. I just did some sketching at that one, but plan on doing some actual paintings from my studies and photos.

Celebration Park, Melba Idaho

I went out again with the plein air painters group, but it was raining. I took lots of photos, decided not to paint outside. I didn't want to set everything up and have to take it down quickly. Meanwhile I walked around the park, over the bridge and enjoyed the views of the Snake River in Melba. I had not been here before so I am enjoying finding new places to paint with the other artists.https://linda-feinberg.pixels.com/featured/celebration-park-linda-feinberg.html

The top painting is The Path Not Taken, 8 X 10, water mixable oils on canvas board. The next one is Celebration Park, 10" X 20" water mixable oils on stretched canvas. I made a watercolor sketch first to see if I liked it enough to spend time on it. It was complicated with the fence and road.

watercolor sketch (study)

More photos from my walk around and here is a link to the park website.  The last part of the drive was over a pot holed dirt road. I had my tires checked the next day but they were fine.

Plein Air painting

I took on a challenge and joined the plein air painters of Idaho this week.  I met a few of them at the Swan Falls Dam on the Snake River in Murphy, Idaho. It was a long drive from Boise, the last 20 miles were through a barren landscape of a valley with weeds (that part is in a conservation area for Birds of Prey).  I wondered what I was getting myself into.  Then I arrived at the dam area. That was beautiful and I met some artists painting at the top with this view:

We chatted briefly and I continued on the road to the dam. Magnificent cliffs of basalt and rhyolite surround the Snake River.  I struggled to remember how to set up my French easel (I haven't used it in years, but finally got myself organized and painting). Very challenging to paint outside with bugs, wind etc. but worthwhile and I will try again next week at a different location.  I am very glad I joined and met these wonderful artists.

I brought 2 canvases with me, a small 8 X 10 and a slightly larger 11 X 14.  I brought them home and finished the 11 X 14 so it looks better.

I did not add the geese into the painting. I decided it was enough with large shapes.  I learned a lot and will bring the right colors with me next time. The color palette in Idaho is completely different from what I painted plein air many years ago in Vermont.  At home I was able to fix the painting better. I also learned that pigments are different even though they use the same name, it depends on the manufacturer and I can't use one at home that is different than the one I took with me.  I removed a bug from the painting too.

The week before, I finished a painting from an old photo. It was from my visits to Mojave California to visit family.  I heard the America song on the radio about the horse with no name in the desert and I remembered the photo with the Joshua Tree.  This is an 11 X 14 also water mixable oils on stretched canvas.  I am waiting for it to dry before posting to my web site.  Too much glare on it, but I did take this photo.