Monday, August 26, 2019

Distant Shore

Distant Shore, 30 x 40, oil on canvas, L. Daniel © 2019
from solo show "Beaches, Birds, and Botanicals"
Available at the Anderson Fine Art Gallery

Here is another beach walking memory... and it was all about that little pop of light on the distant shore. Or, maybe it was about the distant shore on beyond that pop of light. This wide expanse seems to go on forever, and there is always something new in the distance to catch my attention and follow! Just a little farther...

Click HERE to see larger version.

Join me for an upcoming workshop...
Fall Plein Air Workshop at Contemporary Austin Art School, Nov. 8-9, 2019 - Register Here

Friday, August 23, 2019

Drifting Dunes

Drifting Dunes, 30 x 40, oil on canvas, L. Daniel © 2019
Sold in solo show, "Beaches, Birds, and Botanicals"
Anderson Fine Art Gallery

I love the beach, especially when it glows in the early morning sunlight. It has a nourishing quietness that can sustain the rest of the day... one of those things that elicits the phrase, "if only we could bottle that up!" Painting is one way for me to do just that. It's my own private bottling factory that allows me to revisit some of my favorite moments.

Join me for an upcoming workshop...
Fall Plein Air Workshop at Contemporary Austin Art School, Nov. 8-9, 2019 - Register Here

Wednesday, August 21, 2019

Seaside Blossoms - Getting Started with a Strong Underpainting

Seaside Blossoms, 36 x 18, Oil on canvas, L. Daniel © 2019
Painted for solo show, "Beaches, Birds and Botanicals"
SOLD

I receive many inquiries from budding artists about how to get started on a painting. My answer is always the same, "Invest in your block-in and under painting." What does that mean exactly? For me, it begins with a loose, painterly sketch using ultramarine and burnt sienna... 

My first concern is for placement of the subject and establishing my composition. I establish linear boundaries to contain the various areas of the painting. This helps prevent elements from growing.


Next I consider placement of values (meaning lights and darks of the overall painting), and begin to develop the shapes. This is also the best time to make any needed adjustments to the drawing and overall composition. 


Ultimately, I want my block-in to be a road map to my finished painting. If I take the time to invest in this stage of a painting, it usually tells me exactly where to go next.

Seaside Blossoms, 36x18, oil on canvas, L. Daniel © 2019

Join me for an upcoming workshop...
Fall Plein Air Workshop at Contemporary Austin Art School, Nov. 8-9, 2019 - Register Here

Monday, August 19, 2019

Beach Reflections

Beach Reflections, 15 x 30, oil on panel, L. Daniel © 2019
Painted for solo show, "Beaches, Birds, and Botanicals"
SOLD at the Anderson Fine Art Gallery

Another title for this might have been, "Breakfast on the Beach" as this is another great hunting ground for egrets and other shore birds. When the tide comes in, they gather around larger tide pools and forage for trapped fish and insects. Mornings seem the best time... they are intent on their work until something startles them, sending them up and away.

Upcoming:
Fall Plein Air Workshop: Contemporary Austin Art School, Nov. 8-9, 2019 - Register Here

Friday, August 16, 2019

Silent Silhouettes

Silent Silhouettes, 20 x 20, oil on canvas, L. Daniel © 2019
Sold in solo show, "Beaches, Birds and Botanicals"
Anderson Fine Art Gallery

I caught this egret just as the day was ending, and everything was in silhouette. I love how simple shapes can tell the whole story. As a painter, I try to let this happen whenever I can, and fight every temptation to add extraneous detail. 

Upcoming:
Fall Plein Air Workshop: Contemporary Austin Art School, Nov. 8-9, 2019 - Register Here

Wednesday, August 14, 2019

Life In The Layers

Life In The Layers, 36 x 18, oil on canvas, L. Daniel © 2019
Sold in solo show "Beaches, Birds and Botanicals" 
Anderson Fine Art Gallery


When I visit the Georgia coast, I love to stalk the birds on the marsh. I stop and take pictures, try to sneak up on them... you get the picture. It slows down our morning walks (greatly vexing my husband who wants to keep the pace up), but it's always so entertaining. They hunker down in the many layers of the marsh; sometimes on the hunt, sometimes feasting, sometimes in flight...  always so graceful!

Upcoming:
Fall Plein Air Workshop: Contemporary Austin Art School, Nov. 8-9, 2019 - Register Here

Monday, August 12, 2019

Bunched - Loquat study with Process Shots!

Bunched, 8 x 8, oil on panel, L. Daniel © 2019
Available at the Davis Gallery Group Show
Circadian Buzz (through August 31)

One of the focuses of the Davis Gallery group show, Circadian Buzz, was to consider how our daily practices fall into certain rhythms. I am an artist who thrives on disciplined patterns. I paint exclusively in the daylight hours, and sleep at night (call me crazy). I stick to a limited palette to keep things simple (only 9 pigments). I work best when I have goals (for the day, for the week, for the month, and for the year). When it comes to painting it's all an experiment, but I find freedom in a consistent approach and the cadence that brings.

The most important daily practice for any artist is to PRACTICE! For me, much of that practice takes place in the form of studies, both in the studio and outside, en plein air. These studies help me study a subject from different perspectives and experiment with composition. The process shots below were taken in as I painted "Bunched" in my back yard garden this spring.

1) I blocked in the composition and basic values,
using a combination of ultramarine and burnt sienna.

2) Working dark to light, I painted the shadow 
family of each element first.

3) Moving to the light family, I was
careful to preserve the values.

4) As I covered the canvas, my focus was on 
establishing large, simple masses.

5) Final steps include breaking up the large masses. 
I use subtle value shifts to add detail 
and save highlights till the very end.

"Bunched" en plein air at completion.

Thursday, August 8, 2019

Nature's Patterns

Nature's Patterns, 24 x 24, oil on canvas, L. Daniel © 2019
SOLD

This is another piece in the group show, Circadian Buzz. I know the word circadian typically refers to 24 hour cycles, but all of nature's cycles have an affect on us. With this painting, I chose to celebrate the longer, seasonal cycle of spring awakening. When our loquat trees burst forth with fruit each April, it's always new. I am transfixed by their color and fragrance, and must paint them. Something about the giant leaves and clustered golden orbs is endlessly compelling. I particularly loved the challenge of this unusual angle... separating the light on the tree limb from the dappled light on the ground was tricky! 


This piece is on display through August 31...
Circadian Buzz, Davis Gallery Group Show, Austin, TX

The small pieces below allowed me to study different angles before painting the big one. They are also in the show... of course, I wanted to paint all of them larger, but I had to choose! 

Dangled, 8x8, oil on panel, L. Daniel © 2019

Dappled, 8 x 8, oil on panel, L. Daniel © 2019

Bunched, 8 x 8, oil on panel, L. Daniel © 2019

Tuesday, August 6, 2019

Spring Return (and a blogger returns!)

Spring Return, 15 x 30, oil on canvas, L. Daniel © 2019
SOLD at the Davis Gallery

Dear friends... I have been on a bit of a blogging hiatus and I'm not really sure why. I got interrupted, and suddenly I just found myself out of the habit. But I love blogging, so I am back. It completes the cycle of creation for me... Thanks for waiting! :)

Jumping right in... I am thrilled to have 6 paintings on display in the Davis Gallery summer group show here in Austin, TX...
Circadian Buzz 
Davis Gallery Group Show
Through August 31st

For this exhibit, we were asked to think about rhythm and repetition. To my way of thinking, this two-pronged theme applies both to subject matter (rhythm as a design element) and daily practices (repetition as personal discipline.) The scene in "Spring Return" has an obvious repeating pattern of waddling geese bodies. That swaying rhythm propels them through the scene, and it takes us right along. (Where ARE they going?)

Below is a preliminary study I did from another angle (part of my daily practice and personal discipline)...


Waddlers, 8 x 8, oil on panel, L. Daniel © 2019
Available at the Davis Gallery