Across The Street

Across The Street

gouache  6" x 6"

please contact me if interested

This was the view "Across The Street" from our Airbnb in Cotacachi, Ecuador.  Our b&b was right on Leather Street, the main street in town.  It was a wonderful location!  Besides corn, Cotacachi is famous for it's leather goods.  Up and down the street were dozens of stores with incredible items made out of leather:  purses, luggage, shoes, hats, jackets and more.  There were factories and rooms where some of the products were made that were open for visitors.

The architecture of Cotacachi was interesting.  It did not have a beautiful colonial center like many towns in Mexico, Central America & South America.  It has been slowly rebuilt with cinderblock buildings amongst the remaining colorful, older houses.  Because so many ex-pats are moving to Ecuador there were several gated communities of very new homes where many of the gringos lived.

Window Reflection

Window Reflection
plein air oil
9" x 12"
SOLD

The was the 7th & last painting done at the South Park Plein Air Arts Celebration in Fairplay, CO earlier this month.  This was painted during Saturday morning's "Quick Draw".  We could set up any where on Front Street (which is the main street of the old part of Fairplay).  The quick draw was from 10 - 12.  Our paintings were to be turned in framed by 12:30 & there was an auction at 1:00, with the proceeds going to the food bank.

I did a series of paintings of walls & lanterns of Mexico and saw another painting here.  I was drawn to this light and it's reflection.  With the limited time, I knew that I wanted to paint something that was familiar.  I was happy with the result & happy that this sold in the auction.

South Park Plein Air Arts Celebration is a wonderful plein air event!

Lantern Shadow

Lantern Shadow
Oil  8" x 6"
$100.00 + $10. s/h

Earlier this summer my plein air group, Garden Artists, painted at the Broadmoor Hotel.  I had two wipe-outs before I spotted this lantern shadow.  I love painting shadows and have painted many in lots of different locations in our trips and travels.  I think the comfort of painting something that I love painting allowed me to get through my earlier frustrations that morning.  Do you ever have a time when your paintings aren't working or when artists' block is staring you in the face?  Go to your comfort zone.  It works!

Old Monarch Saloon Door -- Victor Celebrates The Arts # 8

Old Monarch Saloon Door

Oil on stretched canvas - ready to hang

$195.00 + $10. s/h

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The first thing I did after sketching in the door was to block in the darks.  The sky was overcast, so the light and shadows weren't very strong.

I didn't take any more photos after this point as I ended up talking to so many people.  I was set up right in front of the Lowell Thomas Museum.  Having my car right there makes plein air painting so easy!!

In a previous post I talked about the stores and buildings that I went in looking for an interior scene.  The following pictures were taken in the Marigold Mercantile.

I loved all the brooms this man makes!!

Balcony In Barga

Balcony In Barga
28 of 30
Oil 11" x 14"
$345.00 + $10.00 s/h

This is now completed.  I knew that the shadows didn't work together, and that they were too dark and cool for such a hot, sunny day.  Again, one of the problems when painting from a photo.  I made the shadows all in the same color key, but with different values.  It now works much better, although the shadows here are a little more lavender than the ones in the actual painting.  They're a bit more earthy red from the terra rosa in the mix.  I still am not getting completely accurate colors with my new camera, but I'll get that, too.  

Barga is a town in northern Tuscany that we visited last May.  It is so far north in Tuscany that it's practically in the Alps, maybe just outside of Tuscany.  It was picturesque, built on the side of a steep hill, beautiful, uncrowded and a wonderful place to visit.  We stayed in a large, older home that had been the owner's grandmother's.  I think we found it on VRBO or B&B.com.  We had the whole upstairs to ourselves, the owner and her mother lived on the first floor.  Every morning we'd go downstairs to an amazing breakfast made just for us! 

Faded Door

Faded Door
25 of 30
Oil  6"x 6"
$100.00 + $10. s/h

SOLD

I'm still pondering the shadows of my last post.  In the meantime here's another architectural rendering of a portal.  I love painting doors and windows.  You never know what's behind them!

Sargent's Grays - Next Step

Sargent's Grays - Next Step
23 0f 30
11" x 14"

This now shows about 2 more hours of painting.  At this point I have to really look at the grays in the shadows.  This is how they look in the photo, but I'm not sure that they work together.  I also see that the balcony supports need a it of sizing help.  And, this is something that you have to deal with when painting from a photo as opposed to a still life, which is right in front of you, and/or plein air, when what you're painting is right there outside with you.  I also see that the balcony supports need a bit of sizing help.  I'll keep this right in front of me for a day or two until I decide about the shadows.  What do you think?

Sargent's Grays - Next Step

Sargent's Grays - Next Step
22 of 30

After yesterday's color chart I spent more than one hour going through the pictures I took last May in Italy.  I didn't have to use Sargent's grays on an Italian building, but since that was what I was using as my subject it seemed like a good choice!  I could have spent several hours going through my photos!  I didn't find a building that had the whites and ochre-ish colors and the dark burgundies, But, I found one that had the whites and green.  So, that seemed like a good alternative.  The picture was of the whole side of a building.  I had to cut and crop and come up with a composition that works.

My next step was to sketch in the window and building, and paint some of the darks.  So, I guess this is about two hours.  Because I'm participating in the 30 in 30 challenge, although doing it so that it works for me, I've been showing the steps of my paintings.  That way I have something to post almost everyday for 30 days.

Cascade Bell Tower

Cascade Bell Tower
8"x 6"  Oil
$75.00 + $10. s/h

Last week my plain air group painted in Cascade, a town just a few miles west of Colorado Springs.  I loved the light on the chapel bell tower.

Wall Shadows

Wall Shadows
6" x 6"  Oil
$75.00 + $10. s/h

SOLD

This is from Tuesday morning when my plein air group.  I loved the light and shadows on the wall of the house.

Orchard House Shadow

Orchard House Shadow
11" x 14"  Oil
$245.00 + $10. s/h

I loved the shadow on the side of the Orchard House at Rock Ledge Ranch Historic Site.  I went back two mornings to get the same light and shadow.  Rock Ledge Ranch is next to the Garden Of The Gods and is a living ranch with animals, gardens, historic buildings from several periods.  I've been there many times and have painted their barn, sheep, flowers, pond, house. 

La Foret Chapel Back Gate

La Foret Chapel Back Gate

8" x 6"  Oil

$75.00 + $10. s/h  

This is my second piece from La Foret.  This is the back gate into the Chapel garden.  

At one point in the morning I was inside the chapel and had climbed up a tiny circular stairway into the choir loft.  While up there I heard a motorcycle pull up.  Soon, a man walked into the chapel in his motorcycle leathers, and sat down and started playing.  You just never know what you're going to see when out for a morning of painting.

La Foret Chapel Gate

La Foret Chapel Gate
6" x 6"  Oil
$75.00 + $10. s/h
SOLD

Yesterday my plein air group, Garden Artists, painted at La Foret Conference Center in the Black Forest, just north of Colorado Springs.  I loved the play of light and shadow on the walls.

Old Homestead Barn

Old Homestead Barn

6" x 8"  Oil

$100.00 + $10. s/h

The Medano Zapata Ranch has several old living areas (for want of a better description) spread across the 103,000 acres.  We were given access to the entire ranch for painting and photo access.  One of the areas was a former ranch (the Medano and Zapata were two ranches at one time).  This old barn sits out behind the now abandoned, deteriorating Medano Ranch.   It must have once been a very bustling ranch as there were many out buildings, bunk houses, corrals, barns, large house, sheds.  I thought it would be so great refurbished and rented to vacationers.  But, as it's a National Historic Site the expense of repairing that to it's former glory would probably be quite large.   So, I sat there imagining all that must have gone on over the decades in that corner of Colorado.

When I was out there painting in the sun and heat in the shade of my car and umbrella this barn looked bright red, I could see what it must have been like years ago.  Sitting here in my studio posting the painting, it looks a bit bright.  Maybe I should go back and age it a bit.