Rosh Hashanah

 

The Jewish new year of 5782 begins at sundown on September 6th (first of Tishri on the Jewish calendar). I thought it was time to start designing our annual greeting. That way if I change my mind, I have time to think of a different design and verse.

Cards and other printed items available on my website.

Playing with Gesso Part 2

 

I went to the art store and bought the proper materials for this exercise. I am much happier with the result. Now I have to figure out how to use this technique on my own composition.  The link to the Bob Ross episode is in the previous blog post.

I tinkered with it a little more and I like this version better:

Playing with Gesso

 

I decided to have some fun with painting instead of trying to be serious. I found this instructional video online, Bob Ross, Season 28, Episode 4. I didn't have all the right materials, but I had most of them. I bought some black gesso so I could start the experiment.  If you are familiar with Bob Ross, you know that this is not his usual teaching technique. Anyway, I started with black gesso, paper towels and a foam brush. It looks interesting so far.  I used a leftover piece of canvas from another project rather than wastinng a good canvas.  Fun so far.

Here is part 2. I had to repaint the bottom of the canvas because I did not like my path the first time I tried it.  The gesso has to dry before putting color on it.

I didn't have the right materials or colors for this part so I was a bit disappointed, but I still enjoyed this process.  I did go out and buy what I need so I can try it again.

Snake River

 

Snake River, Murphy, Idaho

It has been too hot to paint outside (100 F for 10 days in a row, approx 38 C) so I painted this inside my air conditioned studio from last year's plein air painting trip to Murphy, Idaho and the Snake River. Acrylic on canvas, 10" X 20". I used last year's painting and my photos as a guide.

I have not been motived to paint much lately. The heat has really affected me. We still have a few more days of this. I don't know how desert people manage. Southern Idaho's environment is considered "high" desert since it is in t he foothills of the rockies. Our elevation is around 2700 feet. Water supply comes from the high mountains and snow melt, but there wasn't as much snow this year and we are in drought conditions. Not sure how long that will last.

Flow State

 I entered an exhibit through the Treasure Valley Artists Alliance and my paintings were selected.

The exhibit is at the Nampa Civic Center in Nampa, Idaho until October 5th. Virtual exhibit is online now too. Flow State

I had fun last week playing with another black canvas. My peonies are really beautiful this year.

Oil on black canvas, 8" X 10"

My peonies

Lake Louise

 

Lake Louise, Oil, 20" X 24". I think this is finished now, but I will wait a few weeks to post it to my website until I am sure and happy with it.  I had a large (for me) canvas that I picked up 2 years ago at a sidewalk sale and kept thinking about what I would paint on it. Finally I took the plunge.  I loved the colors of the lakes in Alberta, Canada, colors from the glacial silt.  We took a trip there several years ago and I enjoy looking at my old photos.

Meanwhile, I submitted three other paintings for a "monochrome" show at the Meridian library and two were selected. They will go up at the end of the month.  One that I posted last time (Monochrome etude #1) although I personally liked #2 better and my older acrylic 8" X 10" painting of Rabbi Y'Shia.

Studies

 

The Treasure Valley Artist Alliance has an exhibit later this month for monochrome paintings so I did two small studies.  This one is a winter creek at a retreat center in Connecticut. I tried using manganese blue for it and wasn't happy with the result. oil painting 8 X 10" on stretched canvas.

I tried Prussian blue for my next study and liked the result better. From a photo of a bird on bushes (probably bamboo) in Ein Hod Israel. oil painting 8 X 10" on stretched canvas.

These are drying now and I don't know if I will submit them or not.  My painting of the Pelicans from Laguna Beach is on exhibit now in Meridian, Idaho.  There is a gallery on the 3rd floor of City Hall there.  Here is a link to the online exhibit.

I also painted (again) the Athabasca River in Alberta from my old photos.

These are all oil paintings today.  This one is 11" X 14" on canvas board.  I was looking down at the river from a high point.  I need to practice more. I didn't quite get that in my painting.

I've enjoyed doing these studies in the past. I even sold one many years ago. Here is a link to that monochome of Edna Creek (Idaho).

Winter again

Before the Rain, 16" X 20" oil on stretched canvas

This is my first painting with really thick oil paint (not water mixable oils).  I had a canvas painting I did not like and decided to recycle. I found that I still had a container of Alexander Magic White and Alexander oil paints from an online class I took several years ago. Bill Alexander was the precursor of Bob Ross painting style, wet into wet.  I did not continue with that painting style, but it kind of worked for this image. I had permission from Sean Bunce Photography of Boise to paint his image of Before the Rain (which I saw on Facebook). I used the photo as an inspirational one and did not make a copy, just played with the really thick paint, abstracting the image a bit.  I don't know how long it will take to dry, but I assume it will be quite a while. I liked the colors, but I couldn't match up as well since I only had a limited set of Alexander oil paint tubes.

Robie Creek, 10" X 20",  water mixable oil on stretched canvas

I worked on this painting for several weeks and I'm not quite happy with it.  I need to take more lessons on painting shadows.  This painting seems too flat to me. Not sure if I can fix it or not. Anyway, this is from my own photo of early spring at Robie Creek (which is off Route 21 on the way to Idaho City in Idaho). We have gone swimming there in the spring time with our dog, but not at this location.  The water was running very fast in the spring so we just took photos.

Yesterday was a holiday in the U.S. (Martin Luther King Day) and I was having a bit of cabin fever. I do get tired of just being in the city even as nice as it is.  We took a drive up to Idaho City and I took some photos. We had a good lunch at Trudy's Kitchen and brought home desserts for later.

I took some photos on the way back from the moving car. I was surprised that they came out and showed the nice scenery in this part of Idaho. Winter is mild in Boise where we live and I don't miss the extreme winters of New Hampshire, but I needed to see a little snow and more trees. Morning in Boise started out foggy, but cleared by noon time. Nice blue skies on the trip.

 

Happy New Year

 

Just a fun painting I did recently. Snowy Owl on black canvas.  8 X 10. oil painting.  I still have 2 more black canvases that I picked up on sale. Have to decide what to put on them.  I found many photos that are copyright free on Pixabay.com.  I picked this one because I liked the expression.  I feel that the owl is talking to me "Hoo R U?"

Happy new year to all. I hope that 2021 is a better year than 2020. I don't know when the vaccine for the Covid virus will be available to us, but we plan on taking it.  We are still hoping to be able to travel again next year.

Last painting of 2020. Not quite finished. I couldn't figure out how to make the black horse look more like a horse. "Cold day at the ranch", 8 X 10, oil painting. Painted from my photo taken at this place. I went there to paint, but it was too cold. I just did a few sketches, then painted from my photos back in my warm studio.

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.