It's Finally Here!

 Dune Flowers on Santa Rosa Island ©Theresa Grillo Laird
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A workshop I've looked forward to for months is finally here! I've kicked off this art filled week with one last Autumn painting in the dunes before heading off to Maryland. After the workshop I'll be in New Jersey for an extended stay so I especially welcomed the chance to fill my soul with the sights and sounds of another gorgeous day in the dunes, before turning to the cold and gray north.

In the evening I headed over to the Greater Gulf Coast Art Festival for a look at what other artists are doing. The fair was good this year.

Now I'm finishing up the packing and In a few days I'll be in a 5 day workshop taught by Scott Christensen where I'll be mining whatever landscape painting information he intends to share. If you aren't familiar with Christensen's work, Google his name and take a look. You won't be wasting your time. I'll do my best to not commit the workshop mistake of trying to prove that I can paint too. Watch this blog to see the experiences of the day. 

A Season of Renewal

Soon I'll be returning home after a year's absence. In this past year of  visiting home only infrequently, I've come to realize that I truly do like my Florida life. I'm excited to be getting back to painting and to the teaching I had put aside.

Little Sabine Bay - oil on canvas - 18x28

This painting, Little Sabine Bay, represents an earlier new start in my life that is also centered around Florida. It was the first painting I did in Pensacola, where I moved ten years ago after the loss of my life companion and painting partner. We had painted together for years often working on the same canvas. After his passing, I knew he didn't want me to stop painting, but I just couldn't pick my brushes up. Finally, a year later, I was ready. I felt like he was painting right through me as I worked. Effects appeared under my brush that I couldn't have produced for trying. Little Sabine Bay was both the first painting I did in Pensacola and the first painting I did with the  Plein Air Painters of Pensacola. I've never wanted to sell it.
Now I'm about to embark on a fresh start again with a renewed appreciation for my home and life and for this art life I've been gifted with. 

From the Back Burner - Day 24 - 30 Paintings in 30 Days

Well, on challenge day 24, I have just 20 paintings. But I'm not going to beat myself up too badly. That's 20 I didn't have a month ago. Participating in this challenge is one of the best things I've done for my art  in a while.
 Today's painting is from a spot in my neighborhood. In fact, it's right on the other side of my backyard. The house that overlooked this view, was destroyed in a hurricane. For years the lot stood vacant and was a routine stop on my evening run. The sunset over the bay can be spectacular! The painting below the challenge painting is one from the same spot that I painted a few years ago. The challenge painting is a tiny 6x8. The other one is 30x40.

A Quiet Evening - oil on canvas panel - 6x8
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Sunset Over the Bayou - oil on birch panel - 30x40
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From the Back Burner - Day 12 - 30 Paintings in 30 Days

Day 12 found me with very little time to work. Managing time is turning out to be the biggest hurdle of this challenge. I did have a tiny canvas on hand though that I haven't used because it  seemed too small for anything. Last night it was the perfect size.
This little scene of a pond in an old neighborhood near my Florida home, is a spot I've brought my students to. They painted in the morning light of a tropical summer day while I snapped a few photos of reeds and waterlilies.

Reeds and Lilies - oil on canvas - 6"x6"
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From the Back Burner - Day 6 - 30 Paintings in 30 Days

Continuing my experimenting with painting panels, I tried a canvas panel for this painting. This panel worked a little better than the linen one I tried the other day, but it's still too thin and smooth and without enough tooth. I'll stick to making my own. They're a little heavier but the painting surface allows for a better more interesting layering of paint. I also worked larger for today's challenge. It's 12x16. Too me, that's a pretty small size yet I wasn't able to finish it in one sitting. I'm also finding that the earth brown I've been playing around with is a bit too warm for my liking. It's a version of pigment red 101 that has somehow been turned into a dark warm brown. I use browns mostly for making greys by mixing them with blues. I like the burnt umber I usually use better. It's a little bit cooler.
This week the weather is expected to be unseasonably warm here. I'm going to take advantage of it to do some plein air works.

Backwater - oil on canvas panel - 12x16
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From the Back Burner - Day 3 - 30 paintings in 30 days

Everyday at sunset, people gather near the point of Santa Rosa Island in Pensacola to watch the sunset. The sailboat resting peacefully, seemed to accent  the calm beauty of the evening.

The photo reference for this painting was another from the pile that I intended to get to "one of these days". I'm still playing around with a palette of Ultramarine blue,  Alizarine, Cadmium Yellow, Yellow Ochre , a muted dark orange and an earth brown. I also threw in Viridian Green for this one.

Resting - oil on canvas - 12x12
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Getting Ready for 2013

 My holiday travel is over and I'm getting ready to get back to work.  Earlier in the month I traveled home to Florida where I finished a teaching contract, delivered artwork to a gallery, finished consolidating the contents of two houses, rehearsed and sang a duet at my church, and spent some holiday time with my husband and family. It was  a busy two weeks! Now I'm ready to get the paints out again and get to work.

Usually, I work fairly large like this 30x40 of a spot close to my house. These larger paintings tend to take a while to execute especially if they're done entirely in the studio rather than plein air.

Sand Dunes and Fences -30x40 -oil on canvas
to purchase, contact Patina Art Gallery- 251 928 2718

 Lately I've been feeling the need to search for more in the process of painting. I can sense exactly what I'm looking for even if I can't quite articulate it. In addition to the larger pieces, I've started making smaller pieces so that the start to finish process happens faster and my eyes stay fresher.  More paintings means more freedom to try new palettes, different working methods and new ways of translating what I see and feel, into paint on the canvas.
To start the new year off, I'll be participating in a 30 paintings in 30 days challenge. Watch this space every day in January for the results. It's going to be fun and for the perfectionist I am, it's going to be a challenge to step away from each painting at the end of the day. For any artists wanting to join in, here's the information. Happy painting!
 http://www.lesliesaeta.blogspot.com/2012/12/thirty-paintings-in-thirty-days.html?m=1

In Thanksgiving

Hills Over the Bayou-oil-16x20
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I can't begin to count the many things I am thankful for. My good fortune includes my family, faith, and the mere chance to have been born in a part of the world where I can look forward to so much more than just a daily struggle to survive. One of the things I am thankful for every moment of the day is the gift of art. I'm aware that it's a privilege to see in a way different from most people and I'm grateful for that gift and for the drive that impels me to find ways to express the beauty I see.  
I'm thankful too for other artists, for camaraderie and for what I learn in their company. I'm especially appreciative for those artists at the top of their game who give their time and talent to pass on their knowledge. They could so easily sit back and bask in their successes.
I'm thankful for my students who teach me more than they know, especially the children.
I'm thankful for the supporters of art from the people who showcase the work of artists, to the gallery owners, to the collectors. Thank you to those of you who have purchased my art for their collections. I'm truly honored and grateful!   

How Artists Choose What They Paint

 Most of the time when I set out to paint, the landscape chooses me. The light, or the shape of the land, or the combination of colors calls out this is it - stop-  paint me! The truth is that there's no shortage of images in my mental file cabinet waiting to be painted. I'm also fortunate to live in a beautiful place with white sand beaches and turquoise water. It's a paradise that provides the material for the coastal paintings that seem to resonate with my collectors.




Gulf Islands National Seashore©Theresa Grillo Laird - oil on canvas - 22x36
Permanent Collection U.S. Federal Reserve Board

Sometimes though, I'll choose a subject just to explore and learn from. This past week I've gone no further than the back yard of a house in New Jersey. There's nothing remarkable about the scene of three backyard sheds with an immense fir tree towering over them, yet I'm working on my third version.

The first version I painted over a two hour period in the late morning.  I was attracted to the peeling blue and white paint on the middle shed and the deep darkness of the tree branches.



Backyard Sheds©Theresa Grillo Laird - oil on canvas - 11x14

The second version I painted late in the day. I forced myself to work much faster than I usually paint. It was finished in thirty minutes. I was surprised at how effortless this one was after the more thought through first study.



Backyard Sheds 2 ©Theresa Grillo Laird - oil on canvas - 11x14

The third version, still in progress, is an exploration of the mosaic of color and texture in the fir tree very late in the day.



Backyard Sheds 3©Theresa Grillo Laird - oil on canvas - 11x14

There's Something About Warm Colors

 When I was in Kindergarden I thought something was wrong with me because my favorite color was orange when everyone else's was either red or blue. For a while, I even hid my color preference from my classmates. But those sunny colors wouldn't stay repressed. There is something about warm colors that makes me smile. They are "feel good" colors.

Sunset Over the Bayou - 30x40 oil on birch panel
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Yellow is now the color that sends me scurrying through art bins looking for every variety and shade. Yellow is also the color that there is the most difference in from brand to brand. One company's Cadmium Yellow Light is another brand's Cadmium Yellow Medium.

One of my favorite yellows is Old Holland Red Gold Lake. Straight from the tube it's a slightly dark subdued orange red. Depending on what colors you place around it, it can look screaming red. But when you start to add white, it changes until it becomes a very soft light yellow.

I love how it modifies greens. They turn olive without getting dark and murky. As an orange, it seems richer than cadmium orange.

It certainly isn't an essential color for anyone's palette but it's one I never get tired of. What is your favorite painting color?