A Good Day

A Good Day, 8 x 8, Oil on panel, L. Daniel © 2023

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Some days are just GOOD. And I am so grateful for those days! A friend of mine recently reminded me how easy it is to miss that goodness. Maybe it's because life is full of challenges and maybe we just aren't paying close enough attention. It can take intentionality to find the good, but it is SUCH a better perspective when we do! Thank you for the reminder, SS!

2023 SPRING WORKSHOPS (click HERE for info and registration):
April 14-15 - The Contemporary Austin Art School in Austin, TX (Wait list only)
May 4-6 - Anderson Fine Art Gallery in St. Simons Island, GA

Wild Blue - Eve of my Solo Show!

 

Wild Blue, 30 x 40, oil on canvas, L. Daniel © 2020

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Tomorrow is the big day... my solo show opens at the Davis Gallery here in Austin, TX! It has been a long time coming and I am thrilled! :)

Click here for a wonderful write up in Fine Art Connoisseur! 

EVIDENCE OF THE SEARCH

NEW WORK BY LAUREL DANIEL

Davis Gallery, Austin, TX

October 24 - November 25

Artist Reception October 24, 4-8pm

COVID-safe, socially distanced reception...

30 min increments, 10 people at a time, masks required.

About this piece... As I prepare for a show, I like to hold off on the sharing of new paintings. I like to be able to let one piece lead to another, and present it all together as a body of work. (It just works better that way for so many reasons.) Because of that, I have been waiting to share this piece since early April so it's a little "out" of season. Oh well. I do love a "spring" frame of mind - any time. :) 

As you may or may not know, Texas is BEAUTIFUL at that time of year! Wildflowers pop up on every roadside (almost overnight) and we have an ever-changing parade of color that begins with this electric blue. When the bluebonnets return, there is collective excitement. It marks an awakening to new beginnings and fresh life. In this strange year, we needed that reminder more than ever!

Glint of Gold - Fix It Friday #19

Glint of Gold, 24 x 24, oil on canvas, L. Daniel © 2020

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Hello friends! Welcome back to Fix It Friday! I hope you are all staying well and finding peace in these challenging times. This pastoral walk down a favorite Texas trail gives me that little getaway that seems SO needed right now. I painted it earlier in the spring when the wildflowers were out, and have been stewing over it ever since, up on the drying shelf... something was bothering me... 

BEFORE

AFTER

CHANGES

Problem - The prominent oak tree in the middle ground appeared choked and flat.

Fix - Removed mass of bushes at base of tree to visually free it up.

Fix - Separated layers in middle ground to increase space and depth. 

OBSERVATIONS

Layers always add an illusion of depth. Separating out several layers in the middle ground area, added to the overall sense of distance. I always like the idea of being able to go further "in" to the scene! 

PAINTERS! Join me at PleinAir LIVE!! 
I am teaching in the PRE-event Beginners Workshop (July 14) on "How Painting Outdoors Differs from Painting Indoors, and Overcoming the Obstacles", AND "The Basics of Oil Painting". It will be a fruitful and fun time! 

Please sign up through my affiliate link: 
https://pleinairlive.com/register?affiliate_id=2514217

Azure Fields - Fix It Friday #13

Azure Fields, 24 x 36, oil on canvas, L. Daniel © 2020

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This is another Fix-It from my archives. Although the painting (and changes) are several years old, it illustrates a huge lesson about landscapes that I encounter again and again... 

BEFORE

AFTER

CHANGES:

Problem 1 -  The horizon line split the top of the painting from the bottom of the painting (I'm referring to the sharp edge and high contrast where ground plane met the upright plane. The ground plane looked like a skating rink, am I right?)

Fix 1 - Muted/darkened the color of the ground plane which eliminated the high contrast.

Fix 2 - Softened the static, hard edge with grasses and flowers that break the horizontal line.

OBSERVATIONS:

To establish depth in a painting, we have several devices in our toolbox: 1) overlapping layers (indicates front and back), 2) scale shift (elements get smaller as they recede), 3) muting color (color gets more dull and cooler as it recedes), 4) eliminating contrast (values weaken as they recede.) Eliminating that sharp line at the horizon allowed everything to settle in. Ahhh... what relief!!! :)

Click Here to see Fix It Friday #1

Click Here to see Fix it Friday #2 

Click Here to see Fix it Friday #3

Click Here to see Fix it Friday #4

Click Here to see Fix it Friday #5

Click Here to see Fix it Friday #6

Click Here to see Fix it Friday #7

Click Here to see Fix it Friday #8

Click Here to see Fix it Friday #9

Click Here to see Fix it Friday #10

Click Here to see Fix it Friday #11
Click Here to see Fix it Friday #12

Winding Path - Zoom Class Demo 1!

Winding Path, 8x10, oil on panel, L. Daniel

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This weekend I taught my first painting workshop on ZOOM! It was originally scheduled as a plein air class, but like everything else this spring, it had to be modified. When our director approached me with the idea to teach it online, I was hesitant. I wasn't sure my students would willingly migrate over to the new format, I wasn't sure an online experience would be satisfying, and I was pretty sure the technology would be a huge challenge. 

BUT... it all worked out! I had four devices connected; giving me the ability to interact, show my palette and photo reference, and what display was happening on my easel. I set the sessions up as paint-along demos, and this is my piece from the first session. My students were fearless, energetically followed along, and each painted one their own (safely and socially distanced in their own homes). 

Modern technology! Wow! I'm not saying it was completely glitch-free, BUT... my students were incredibly gracious and we all had fun (which is always a major goal)!! Thank you, ALL!!!

Flowers of the Field - with process shots!

Flowers of the Field, 12 x 16, oil on panel, L. Daniel © 2019

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Painting wildflowers in the hill country is always a treat for me. Maybe that's because before I moved to Texas 20 years ago, I was pretty convinced that this state was all just desert. I could not have been more wrong. There are so many different regions here, and the Hill Country might have the most unexpected beauty of them all. I still wonder at the color that appears each spring and fall!

For you painters out there, here is a series of process shots to show how the painting came together...

My start was a loose sketch for placement and composition.

Building on that initial sketch, I paid close attention to form and value. 

(That yellow stain is a place holder for flowers that will come later.)

Working dark to light, I painted the foreground uprights first. Then I moved to the distant uprights, muting them down to make them recede into the atmosphere.

Next I added the ground plane and sky plane. Since value and color are all relative, it's important to constantly compare and adjust to make all the parts work. 

Finishing the piece included muting the distant uprights even more, and popping the highlights on the foreground elements. I always save those marks for the end, so I can key them off what is happening in the rest of the painting. 

Here is a shot from my easel... parked ever so cooly in the shade! ;)

Ever Expanding

Ever Expanding, 18x24, oil on canvas, L. Daniel © 2019

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This scene is classic Texas Hill Country. Cactus families here are very prolific and once they get established, they just take off (or they take over, however you want to look at it!) I spotted this meadow from my car, and something about the light, and the fence, the the sunlit grasses made me stop the car and go back. I was actually heading home at the end of a painting day, so I couldn't set up my easel. BUT... I do believe this is what that iPhone camera is for! ;)

WORKSHOP INFO:

Fall Plein Air Workshop at Contemporary Austin Art School, Nov. 8-9, 2019

FULL - Register for waitlist Here