Hidden Corridor - Demo

Hidden Corridor, 7 x 10 workshop demo, L. Daniel © 2012

My workshop on St. Simons Island was called "Garden Vignettes En Plein Air", and it involved painting in various private gardens around the island. A garden is such a personal space and it's always a pleasure to be invited "in". This is the demo I did on the first day. One of my participants and fabulous painter, Claudia Hammer, took the following pictures that show my process. Thank you Claudia!

I began by blocking in my composition using a mix of French Ultramarine and Burnt Sienna.

Once my composition was established, I focused on all the darkest darks in the upright planes (everything vertical: bushes, trees, pottery, etc). Since there is no sky in this piece, the ground plane had the lightest lights which I saved until last (the actual ground, the tops of the hedges, everything parallel to the sky). 

The day began with an overcast sky, but the sun popped out just in time. It lit everything up and cast some great shadows through the garden that I was able to include in the painting. (I love it when that happens!)

After all the areas were massed in I painted back into them, breaking them up with subtle value and temperature shifts. At the very end I added the highest highlights. Btw - the marks below the painting are just little side demos that happened while I was painting and explaining my process. :)

Hidden Corridor, the final demo piece, 7 x 10, L. Daniel 

Stable View

Stable View, 12 x 9, oil on panel, L. Daniel © 2012

Available at the Anderson Gallery

On the North end of St. Simons Island, this tucked away stable is surrounded by lots of shade, draping spanish moss and lots of great barn ambiance. I spent a delightful morning here, painting and taking in all the sounds and activities of another world. 


To see all pieces in my current show, please visit my website. 

Cottage Light

Cottage Light, 9x12, L. Daniel © 2012, SOLD

This little cottage is one of several that remain from an early 1800's cotton plantation on St. Simons Island. When I arrived to paint at day's end, there was just a sliver of light on the cabin's end wall, leaving everything else dimly lit. It was a magical moment that I just happened to get in on. This painting was included in my show at the Anderson Gallery, where it sold before the opening reception! I was very pleased.  :) 


All paintings in the Anderson Gallery show can be viewed on my website.

Evening Pause and snapshots from the island

Evening Pause, 36 x 18, oil on canvas, L. Daniel © 2012

Available at the Anderson Gallery

This is another piece from my show that opened Friday night at the Anderson Fine Art Gallery in St. Simons Island, Georgia. It was a great party and a wonderful time with family and friends - both old and new! My heartfelt thanks go out to all of you who came! Thank you. For those of you on the opposite coast and sprinkled in between, please visit my website to see the complete body of work that is on display. 


And now I am enjoying a quiet Monday morning after several weeks of whirlwind activity! It is much needed rest if I do say so myself. :) Here is a glimpse...

Unloading paintings for the show after the long drive from Texas to Georgia... My husband is a packing genius, an "engineer of spaces" we like to say. There were also golf clubs, suitcases, and beach accoutrement squeezed in here (and we could still see through the back window! Amazing.)

A delicious week of painting with buddies from hither and yon...

Kelley, Mary, Kathy, Me, Carol

My fabulous workshop students and me... Here we are at the end of a long day of plein air painting and a mad dash to escape the rain! They are a great group of artists and we all had a blast! Thanks, guys!  

Mary Anderson and me... just before the opening reception

for my show at the Anderson Gallery on Friday night.

Thank you, Mary!

Glistening Sky

Glistening Sky, 40 x 30, Oil on canvas, L. Daniel © 2012

Billowy clouds, marsh reflections, and changing tides are all common sights in the Georgia low country... and they are anything BUT ordinary. The colors and shapes are infinitely compelling to me. This piece is in my upcoming show which opens at the Anderson Gallery on Friday night. If you are in town, please come by!!

Gardens by the Sea

Anderson Fine Art Gallery

3309 Frederica Road

St. Simons Island, GA

Reception Friday, May 18, 6-8 pm

Please visit my website to see the entire body of work that will be on display!

Dune Grass Beach - enlarged

Dune Grass Beach, 24 x 30, oil on canvas, L. Daniel © 2012

SOLD

This larger piece was inspired by a plein air study I did on Jekyll Island on the Georgia coast last year. The idea came full circle when this larger painting came back with me to the Golden Isles to be in my spring show that opens this weekend. The tall grasses bending in the sea breeze get me every time... and the clouds, of course.

Please check out my website for new work in my spring show at the Anderson Gallery in GA... opening this weekend: May 18, 6-8pm, 3309 Frederica Road, St. Simons Island, GA

Window Box

Window Box, 18 x 18, oil on canvas, L. Daniel © 2012 - SOLD

Have I mentioned that I love flowers? Yes, I do... on the ground, in a bucket or out of a box... and this box was dripping with them. 

Please check out my website for new work in my spring show at the Anderson Gallery in GA... opening this weekend: May 18, 6-8pm, 3309 Frederica Road, St. Simons Island, GA

Gladiolas on the Corner

Gladiolas on the Corner, 18 x 18, L. Daniel © 2012

SOLD

These fresh cut flowers for sale on the corner totally caught my eye. They made such a huge statement with their color and size and quantity, I couldn't drive by without stopping.  

Please check out my website for new work in my spring show at the Anderson Gallery in GA... opening this weekend: May 18, 6-8pm, 3309 Frederica Road, St. Simons Island, GA

Fruits of the Garden & Upcoming Exhibit!

Fruits of the Garden, 12 x 12 each, 12 x 36 overall, 

oil on canvas, L. Daniel © 2012 - SOLD

This week is a big one for me. I will be teaching a 3-day plein air workshop and then having an art show opening. Both take place in St. Simons Island, GA where I have been for a couple of weeks already, plein air painting (posts to come soon) and visiting with friends and family. Always a great time...

If you live anywhere nearby, please stop by the artist reception this coming Friday night. I would love to see you! Here is the info: 

"Gardens By The Sea"

Paintings by Laurel Daniel

Anderson Fine Art Gallery

3309 Frederica Road

St. Simons Island, GA

Opening reception Friday, May 18, 2012, 6-8 pm

Two Donations - great deal - important cause!

Dune Grass Study, 9 x 12, oil on panel, L. Daniel © 2012, SOLD

Summer Rains, 9 x 12, oil on panel, L. Daniel © 2012, SOLD

These two paintings are available in an on-line auction set up to raise money for Bev Boren, a painter friend of mine who is facing some serious health issues without insurance. Funds raised will go toward her surgery and treatment expenses. Please visit the auction site and place a bid. I will ship the painting to the winning bidder at the end of the auction (May 10). All proceeds go to Bev.

The bidding for these paintings starts at $200 (retail value $675).

Paintings are unframed, shipping is free. 

Details can be found at this FACEBOOK page: 

http://www.facebook.com/HeArtForBev

Click on "Photos", then click on "Auction Items Facebook"

Find picture and place your bid in the comment section.

THANK YOU FOR HELPING ME HELP BEV!

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 result. I 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! :)

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! 

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!

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.

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!!!

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. 

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

Outdoor Painters Society at the Southwest Gallery

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

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

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

Crimson Carpet

Crimson Carpet, 9 x 12, oil on panel, L. Daniel © 2012, SOLD

Sometimes you don't have to go far to see remarkable beauty. This field is right next to my church and every spring it's filled with some of the most beautiful wildflowers in town. I love going out there and spending a quiet morning. 

Luminescent Field

Luminescent Field, 9 x 12, oil on panel, L. Daniel © 2012, SOLD

Painting and lunch - isn't that a delightful combo? Last Friday, I painted and lunched with my friend Enid Wood who lives in Bastrop. Her neighborhood has lots of natural spaces and ponds (which thankfully survived the wildfires last fall). As I drove out there I was mesmerized by fields of yellow wildflowers that simply radiated. When I noticed some growing right where we were painting, I knew exactly what my day was going to be about... :) Later, I did a little research and these luminescent flowers are called Helenium, or Bitterweed in the common vernacular. 

Out At The Ranch

Out At The Ranch, 9 x 12, oil on panel, L. Daniel © 2012

Oh, the joys of Spring! I know I am getting repetitive about this fact, but I think we all feel a certain excitement when color returns to our own neck of the woods. We're just ready. :) Last week, our group met up at the ranch of local artist and friend, Pat Haberman. We had the run of the place and a great time out painting. Thanks for having us, Pat!!

Three Palms

Three Palms, 10 x 8, L. Daniel © 2012

It's officially Spring now and the best plein air season is well underway here in central Texas! Everything is turning green again and the wildflowers are out on every highway and byway. This piece was my demo for my plein air class this week. I wish I had thought to take step by step pictures but... well, didn't think of it. I did, however, promise to post the final product. Here you go, guys! Great work this week! :) 

Country Corral

Country Corral, 9 x 12, L. Daniel © 2012

A few of us from Plein Air Austin met up last Saturday to paint at a wonderful ranch outside of town. It was overcast and breezy (my easel actually got blown completely over when I stepped away for a minute - no damage, thank goodness) but that didn't stop any of us. Painters have to paint!!! This fabulous old corral has seen many a day, and it's weathered patina was completely enticing. Many thanks to our fabulous hosts for having us out.

Garden of Blue

L. Daniel, ©2012, Garden of Blue, 12 x 9, oil on panel

Yesterday, a group of us met up at the beautiful hill country ranch of Suzanne Stewart, a fabulous painter and friend. The ranch is a stunning place... truly a painting in every direction. Gardens and hillsides were abundant with spring bluebonnets - already knee high in one area. It looks like it's going to be a great year for wildflowers in Texas. We must have gotten rain at just the right time. Thanks for having us, Suzanne!

First Redbud

First Redbud, L. Daniel, 12 x 9

We always know that spring is arriving in Texas when the Redbuds begin to pop their buds. It's  a visual treat. We have about two weeks to enjoy the color, so I try and get out a few times to paint the crazy pinks and purples. This is my first redbud painting of the season and I'm hoping to get a few more painted before they all turn green and blend into the landscape. 

Roadside Vista

Roadside Vista, L. Daniel, 9 x 12 

On Saturday, Plein Air Austin met up to paint some fabulous long-views up in the hills. However, the March winds arrived on cue, and we all had to find sheltered spots to keep our easels from blowing away. I parked my car on the side of the road, leaving me enough room to paint but still blocking the wind. I didn't get much of the vista but I liked my view of the roadside! I was happy.  It's always an adventure. :)

Heat of the Day - Big Bend

Heat of the Day, L. Daniel, 6 x 8

The craziest thing about Big Bend this time of year is the ever shifting weather. Hot to cold, calm to windy. At this location, I chose a small canvas and the only spot of shade I could find because it was so hot and deadly still that morning. My plan was to do a quick study and do it fast! Not 15 minutes in, a breeze came up and soon I was holding on to my easel to keep it from tipping over. Be careful what you wish for! :)


For those that know the area - this is looking out from the shadow of Santa Elena Canyon. For those that don't - that little piece of river is the Rio Grande which travels the border between Texas and Mexico. And those yellow grasses on the right? Yep, they are in Mexico.

See more Small Works

Mountain Majestic - Big Bend

Mountain Majestic, L. Daniel, 12 x 12 

Up at the basin of Big Bend National Park the mountain peaks jut up all around. The ancient rock is breathtaking and the green growth at the higher elevations is a soothing sight for desert-filled eyes. The challenge for me was to paint the sunlit mountains so that they looked distant. Well that, and getting the colors right, the values accurate, the scale and relationships working... it's all challenging when you are painting fast in the changing light. :)

Hard at work on the mountaintop...

 Photo by Jim Rogers. 

Thanks, Jim!

River Border - Big Bend

River Border, L. Daniel, 9 x 12 - SOLD

So... the Big Bend National Park is located where the Texas/Mexico border makes a BIG bend in its overall shape (hence the name). The Rio Grande River runs along the border separating the two countries, and since the river is a bit low right now one could easily walk across to the other side. So much for border patrol. I did paint this scene on the Texas side (but will you ever really know?) :)


A personal side note: So many of you have sent me notes congratulating the end of my breast cancer treatments and wonderful wishes for a healthy future. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. Your prayers throughout and words of encouragement mean everything. Deep, deep thanks and much love to all.