Wednesday, April 25, 2012

Woodland Trail - enlarged

Woodland Trail (triptych), 24 x 18 each, 24 x 54 overall, 
oil on canvas, L. Daniel © 2012
Available at the Davis Gallery - $2900

I painted this triptych in my studio during the winter - you may remember the small studies I posted back then. The images were so compelling for me that I had to linger a bit. This larger version is the resultI was inspired by the silence of the forest and the glowing light beckoning from the end of the path. 

The paintings are framed (in beautiful dark brown floater frames) and available at the Davis Gallery here in Austin, TX. If you are in Austin, please stop by the gallery and ask to see them! :)

Saturday, April 21, 2012

Jeep Trail

Jeep Trail, 9x12, oil on panel, L. Daniel © 2012, SOLD

Another view of my friend's ranch... this dirt, jeep trail leads down to the banks of the Llano River. In the distance and in all directions is the rolling hill country. That day the meadow was full of wild, white poppies - a beautiful sight and a most magical place! 

Thursday, April 19, 2012

Peace on the Llano

Peace on the Llano, 9 x 12, oil on panel, L. Daniel © 2012, SOLD

Last week, my friend took me out to paint at her ranch on the Llano River. We had a wonderful 24 hours enjoying the hill country and exploring great views. She was the perfect host... dropping me off with all my gear at my chosen paint site and then picking me back up for a bumpy jeep ride back to the farmhouse. As the sun set, we sat in the porch rockers and watched the Purple Martins fly into their houses for the night. It was so peaceful and rejuvenating!!! Thank you Danna!

Sunday, April 15, 2012

Salon International at the Greenhouse Gallery

Blue Dusk Reflections, 18 x 18, oil on canvas, L. Daniel © 2012 - SOLD

The Salon International 2012 show opened this weekend in San Antonio at the Greenhouse Gallery. I was blown away by incredible paintings in all genres... landscapes, cityscapes, portraits, still lifes... it's a fabulous show. I am thrilled and honored that this piece of mine was juried in. The show runs through May 4. If you live anywhere near San Antonio, please stop in. You won't regret it.

Wednesday, April 11, 2012

Spring Bloom - plein air demo

Spring Bloom, 9 x 12, oil on panel, L. Daniel © 2012

Last Thursday, I painted at a beautiful park in Marble Falls that had field after field of bluebonnets. It was breathtaking, really. A friend of mine took some pictures of my painting in progress and sent them to me so that I would be able to share process notes with my students. Below each image is a brief explanation of what I am thinking about as I develop the painting. Enjoy! 

Here I am on location, facing my subject and blocking in the scene. 

Block-In - Using a dark neutral of french ultramarine and burnt sienna,
I use a line and mass block-in technique to roughly set down the scene.
I check placement and drawing before moving on.

Dark Upright Plane and Distant Plane
I observe the dark uprights as they recede into the distance, 
and determine how they will change as they move from foreground to background.
I mass in the large shapes with the best average color and value 
(and ignore all temptation to indicate detail.)

Ground plane - This is tricky because the ground plane is both receding 
and very light in value, which leaves a smaller range of color to choose from.
I begin to lay in passages that will travel from foreground to background, 
making value and chroma adjustments as they recede.

More Ground Plane passages...
Again, I choose the best average color and value for each passage
knowing that I will add highlights and lowlights later on.

Sky plane - I mass in the sky where the lightest lights are.
The value of the sky is a very important key to the rest of the painting. 
Although I often mass in that area last, I am thinking about it the whole time. 
Once all the large masses are in place and values are working correctly, 
I go back in to break them up and refine them with subtle value shifts. 

Final Nuances - Here is the final piece 
after all the refinements have been completed. 
(There was an equipment change for this last image - it was shot 
at a much higher resolution which explains the higher definition.)

Many thanks to Cindy DeBold for her photos!!!

Sunday, April 8, 2012

Morning Splendor - Quick Draw in Dallas

Morning Splendor, 9 x 12, oil on panel, L. Daniel © 2012


Wondering what a "quick draw" is??? At a quick draw, participating painters gather at one location for a TIMED painting contest (very popular at plein air events). Think "paint off"... like "dance off" or "sing off"... it's all in good fun, but can we say nerve-racking? Pounding hearts, flying brushes, ticking clock... you get the picture. On Saturday morning, the Outdoor Painters Society hosted a quick draw at White Rock Lake Park in conjunction with our show in Dallas. We had two hours to paint - no more, no less. This is my painting from the morning's effort. I was pretty happy I had something to turn in - it was downright scary. :)


Available at the Southwest Gallery in Dallas. 

Thursday, April 5, 2012

Show in Dallas opens Saturday!

 
Quiet Creek, 12 x 9, $725 framed

I'm so excited and proud to be juried into the Outdoor Painters Society's annual show, Plein Air Southwest 2012. If you are anywhere in the Dallas area on Saturday, please come to the opening reception and say hello. I would love to see you and promise that you will be able see some gorgeous artwork. This is a group of incredible plein air painters! 

Plein Air Southwest 2012 Juried Exhibit
4500 Sigma, Dallas, Texas 
Opening Reception April 7, 3-7 pm
Runs through end of April


 
Autumn Symphony, 8 x 16, $775 framed

 
High Falls, 12 x 12, $775 framed
L.Daniel © 2012
All three paintings available at Southwest Gallery


Wednesday, April 4, 2012

Wandering

Wandering, 6 x 8, oil on panel, L. Daniel © 2012, SOLD


This irresistible road made me think of the words from James Taylor's song Country Road... "I guess my feet know where they want me to go, walking on a country road...walk on down, walk on down... walk on down a country road." I am quite sure that my feet DO know where they want me to go, and I've found that it's always best to just go ahead and follow. Wandering is good for the soul. :) 


See more Small Works

Tuesday, April 3, 2012

Heaven Kissed

Heaven Kissed, 6 x 8, oil on panel, L. Daniel © 2012, SOLD


More wildflowers filling my days... oh, so lovely. The window of time for these colorful masses is short so I am trying to enjoy them as much as I can. This hillside looks like many along the highways in these parts (Lady Bird Johnson left her inimitable mark). I am particularly stunned by the sections the have dark cedar trees as a backdrop. 


Click to purchase $120 + $10 s/h 
See more Small Works