Tea and Lemons Value Study

Tea and Lemon Value Study, L. Daniel, 10 x 8

In a couple of weeks I am going to the Weekend with the Masters workshops in CA. The 4-day event is put on by Amreican Artist Magazine. In preparation, I am devoting myself to value studies. One of my instructors, Daniel Pinkham, suggested that the best way to become a colorist is to study value (the relative levels of darks and lights within a subject). I know this is one of the greatest challenges for most painters, so no complaints on this assignment from me. I actually love doing these! Below you see my palette at the end of a value study. Yep, just black and white and one #10 brush (that is pretty big for an 8 x 10, keeps me from getting too caught up in details.)

Water Glass

Water Glass, L. Daniel, 12 x 12

My still life class entitled, "Water, Glass & Light" started at the Austin Museum of Art School yesterday. You guessed it, the whole focus is on painting transparent objects and it is going to be fun! (As the teacher, I guess I may be biased, but there you have it.) While this may sound obvious, the fact that glass and water are CLEAR is the most important thing to remember. One is really just painting what is seen THROUGH the glass and water. We painted very simple still lifes with just colored fabrics and glass. It's a great way to get the concept of "seeing through".

Warm-up Exercise:
Before painting a full sized canvas, we did little studies like the following to warm-up. We are using a block-in method that starts with simple shapes and color notes, almost like a mosaic. This warm-up is a mini-version of that block-in method and it allows the painter to identify and locate color and shapes spatially without getting too caught up in detail. Getting it "right" is always a stumbling block for artists, so this is very freeing.

Water Glass Mosaic Study - 4 x 4

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Explanation/directions (for those who want to try this at home):
Observe the important spots of color as they occur throughout the painting (really necessary with glass with all the reflecting and refracting) and put them down. No preliminary drawing - just use the color to block in shapes and negative shapes. Pay attention to how the colors are altered when seen through glass and water. Lay in color next to color but don't connect the spots - keep it loose. Resist the urge to "finish" it. It's a good reference for a larger painting.

This is a great exercise, and I think it helped my students as they approached their larger pieces with the same process. Of course, for the large one, they did get to follow the urge to finish. Great work guys!! :)

Country Pavilion

Country Pavilion, L. Daniel, 9 x 12

This wonderful pavilion is in the countryside south of Austin and was the location of our paintout this week. It is beautiful with rolling grass lands, a creek, and huge trees; the structure has a wonderful, well-loved patina.

AND, this is where my daughter will be getting married next June, so it's especially significant to me!! She will actually walk under this arbor and through the pavilion on her way to the ceremony which will be held at the creek side. It's going to be a beautiful, happy time.

Water Lily Patch

Water Lily Patch, L. Daniel, 12 x 12

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This painting is from another recent Plein Air Austin outing. We painted at Zilker Gardens, a beautiful botanical garden right here in our own backyard. This variety of water lilies always stops me in my tracks. The leaves reach up to the light, just like the lotus blossoms. They have such a dynamic quality!!!

Old Mill Revealed

Old Mill Revealed, L. Daniel, 9 x 12

A week or so ago Plein Air Austin met up to paint at the Zedler Mill in the small town of Luling, Texas. The original mill was built in 1874 on the banks of the San Marcos River and these old buildings are part of what remains. I loved how the low light of morning cast a giant shadow across the whole scene, and then slowly receded to reveal the rugged glow of the structures. It was magical.

Early Start

Early Start, L. Daniel, 8 x 6, SOLD

If you wake up early and walk down to Westlake Beach, you will see the sun rise behind the distant shore of the lake. I don't get going that early very often, but I managed it for this painting. I loved seeing the silhouetted forms of the dock and tied up boat against the bright light of dawn. It was kind of blinding... in a good way. :)

This will be my last Westlake Beach painting for a little while. I will keep going and am excited to do a batch of fall paintings there. It's such good discipline to revisit one place over and over again. Meanwhile, I have some other work to share with you.

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Sunlit Vine

Sunlit Vine, L. Daniel, 6 x 8, SOLD

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This is another quaint little shed at Westlake Beach (so curious about what's inside and will have to ask next time I get a chance.) What really caught my eye was the way the dappled sunlight struck this bountiful vine that is reaching over the fence... it so wants to be on the inside with all the beach fun!

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UPDATE: Turns out that this little building started out as Grandma Depwe's "Lake Cabin"; and this is where she cooked up many one-skillet sensations for her children and grandchildren. It later became "David's Refreshment Center" offering visitors everything from Dreamsicles and Fudge Bars to bamboo fishing poles and 25 cent inner tubes. When David went off to college, it became a storage shed, but apparently it still houses two old refridgerators that were spray painted blue back in the day! (Who knows, maybe the refreshment center will make a comeback!)

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Pier Sparkles

Pier Sparkles, L. Daniel, 6 x 8, SOLD

An early, cloudy morning at the lakeside reveals a silhouetted pier sparkling with glints of brilliant light reflections. I have to say, it's pretty contemplative at Westlake Beach when there is no one else around. A set of wind chimes drums out a soft, continuous call just to listen and enjoy. Otherwise, all's quiet.

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Little Shady Greenhouse

Little Shady Greenhouse, L. Daniel, 8 x 6, SOLD

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This little greenhouse shelters the potted plants at Westlake Beach during the winter months here in Texas. It was handmade by the owner, David, and is a charming addition to this wonderful, vintage beachpark. In this very hot month of August, it's hard to even remember cold enough temperatures that would require using this little shed!

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Lake Light

Lake Light, L. Daniel, 6 x 8, SOLD

Light reflecting on the lake has a special quality all its own. This particular morning was especially still and the light absolutely shimmered off the shore. This peninsula marks the opening to the cove across from Westlake Beach on Lake Austin.

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Red Boat, Blue Boat

Red Boat, Blue Boat, L. Daniel, 8 x 6, SOLD

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Many boats are moored at the Westlake Beach Marina - it's a deep cove that looks small from the lake but is surprisingly large when you get inside. David, one of the owners, grew up on this property and remembers helping his parents and grandparents repair the docks as a kid. He tells how his grandmother would cook up chili in her small cabin for them for when they came in from working. Isn't that a wonderful childhood memory? This is truly hallowed ground.

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Morning Veil

Morning Veil, L. Daniel, 6 x 8, SOLD

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One morning I was painting at Westlake Beach, and suddenly I heard the strumming of a guitar. Then I heard a fiddle; and then I heard singing. It turned out that two musicians were at the water's edge practicing for a weekend gig. Could I have been any luckier??? They sang and played the whole time I was painting - it was pure joy.

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Beach Shack

Beach Shack, L. Daniel, 8 x 6, SOLD

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The thing about Westlake Beach is that it's really family friendly; and lake toys abound. They even hang from trees! And of course, after all of the frolicking, the inner tubes and beach balls are carried back to the Beach Shack to await the next round of lakeside joy. :)

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Marina Reflections

Marina Reflections, L. Daniel, 8 x 6, SOLD

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I live very near Westlake Beach, a wonderful, family-owned marina and lakeside park on Lake Austin. It's a charming piece of old Austin that has been around for 56 years - quirky and untouched by the fast pace of current life. Think about creaky docks, wooden picnic tables, beach toys and windchimes, the smell of boats and gas, and you may get the picture. This summer, the owners have granted me special access to come and paint there in the early hours before it gets too hot. What a peaceful way to start my days!! This is the first of my "Westlake Beach" paintings.

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Sycamore at the Springs

Sycamore at the Springs, L. Daniel, 8 x 6, SOLD

I love the swimming holes in Texas! There are so many really cool places to dip in the water and sit in the shade in this area. Today, my plein air friends drove 30 miles out of town to Krause Springs - a family owned campground and, well, swimming hole. This spring fed creek runs through limestone outcroppings and is complete with a cave and rope swing. Kids of all ages were having a ball!! And so refreshing after painting in the heat! :)



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Cabin Entrance

Cabin Entrance, L. Daniel, 6 x 8, SOLD

On Saturday Plein Air Austin met up to paint at the Barr Mansion, a wedding venue outside of town. The mansion itself is a cool old Victorian structure, but what caught my eye was this old cabin behind it. Here is the really sad thing... this entrance used to belong to a gorgeous ballroom that burned down this spring. I have seen pictures of the ballroom but can't actually imagine how this was connected. Maybe a service room or catering kitchen of some kind? I do know that many a wedding reception took place here and it is definitely being rebuilt. For now it's a burned out shell; literally, just to left of this scene. (Oh, the power of cropping!)




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Summer at Deep Eddy

Summer at Deep Eddy, L. Daniel, 12 x 9

This morning I met my friend Terri Wells for a "paint and swim" at Deep Eddy, a local pool here in Austin. On these warm, summer days we have to get out early and preferably have some water nearby to fling ourselves into! Deep Eddy Pool is filled with spring-fed water and stays a constant 68 degrees. It's so refreshing!

Marshland Study

Marshland Study, L. Daniel, 6 x 6, SOLD

I did this small study in preparation for the larger diptych that I posted yesterday. It gave me a chance to prethink some of the color relationships and play with the grasses. I am always trying to figure out how to make grasses look authentic without getting too fussy.

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Marshland Flow

Marshland Flow, L. Daniel, 24 x 48 diptych (24 x 24 each)

I love the East coast marshlands! They are such fuel for the imagination as they quietly surge with the tide. High tide, low tide, mid tide... each offers a new and distinct version of itself. My stay in Georgia offered daily trips over the East Beach causeway and this gorgeous view was there for the taking every time.

Hay Rolls with Summer Sky

Hay Rolls with Summer Sky, L. Daniel, 18 x 18

This is the larger painting of Hay Rolls. I was drawn to the wonderful variety of "rolling" forms in this scene: the spools of hay in the foreground, the undulating tree masses and distant hills, and finally the swirling sky shapes. All seemed to be unified by that summer afternoon in Texas, white bright light that we know so well.

Hay Rolls

Hay Rolls, L. Daniel, 6 x 6, SOLD

Sometimes when I am about to tackle a large piece I don't feel quite ready. Maybe I haven't painted for a few days and feel rusty, or maybe the canvas seems just too white... Whatever the problem is, it really helps me to pull out a small canvas to "warm up" on. This is one of those. Larger painting coming tomorrow.

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Personal side note: I just returned from New York City where I was able to visit the Matisse exhibit at the MoMA and the Picasso exhibit at the Met. It amazed me to see how often both of these great artists returned to certain imagery and how they reworked specific pieces over and over. They seemed to have an unquenchable focus on the journey, or the "search" if you will. I was so inspired by the evidence of their committed, focussed practice.

Night Sky over the Pier

Night Sky over the Pier, L. Daniel, 18 x 18
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On St. Simons Island in Georgia, everyone goes to the Pier at night... on a walk, on a date, to fish, to eat ice cream, to see friends... on July 4th, to see fireworks. In the summer, there is usually a nice cool breeze off the ocean, which feels pretty great. This is the larger piece done after the small study I posted yesterday.

Luminated

Luminated, L. Daniel, 6 x 8, SOLD

I did this small study in preparation for a larger night sky painting that I will post tomorrow. The big one is a bit more ambitious as I included a much larger portion of the pier. Isolating this smaller section allowed me to work out some of the color/value relationships and silhouette shapes before tackling it on the grand scale. This can be a very helpful process!!!

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Summer Rain (enlarged)

Summer Rain, L. Daniel, 18 x 18

This is a one of several new additions to my big sky series I have been working on since the beginning of the year. I will be posting a couple more new ones over the next few days. Based on a small plein air study (posted June 27), I revisited a warm summer afternoon of painting on Lake Somerville here in Texas. At the end of the day dark clouds rolled in behind the fluffy clouds in the foreground, and emptied out their contents on the distant shore. It is always fun to be watch a weather phenom in action!!

Rusty Red Pickup

Rusty Red Pickup, L. Daniel, 6 x 8, SOLD

Here is another fun vintage vehicle from Carol Marine's junk yard find! I tell you, it was chock full of cool old cars (and lots of other "stuff".) These are such fun to paint because they have gorgeous curves, luscious patina, and loads of personality. And, most of all, it was just great to hang out with a wonderful, sympatico friend, doing what we do!



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Old Blue

Old Blue, L. Daniel, 6 x 8, SOLD 

Yesterday I had a wonderful day of painting with my good friend, Carol Marine. We met up in the small town of Burnet where Carol was camping with her family. If you know Carol, you will not be surprised that she had found a junk yard full of old cars and trucks! It was a teasure trove to say the least. This truck appeared to be peeking out from it's hiding place in the trees... (these old vehicles seem to have personalities.) We both got a couple of paintings in before jumping in the lake to cool off. Ah, the joys of summer!!!




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Sea Oats at Dusk (enlarged)

Sea Oats at Dusk (enlarged), L. Daniel, 12 x 16

This larger version of "Sea Oats" is from awhile back, but I am behind in photographing and posting my work. I have been a little distracted - our daughter got engaged two weeks ago! She and her fiance are not getting married until next summer, but some things (like dates and venue) require immediate attention. Suddenly I am in Wedding Planner mode! :) It's such a wonderful time and we are having lots of fun! We couldn't be happier.

This painting will be available soon at the Anderson Fine Art Gallery in St. Simons Island, GA.

Creek Stop (enlarged)

Creek Stop, L. Daniel, 20 x 24

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This is a larger version of one of my field studies from Georgia. This marshland and creek is behind some ruins of an old estate on Cumberland Island. The whole island is a state park now and a herd of wild horses lives and runs free there. Pretty cool. It's a beautiful place.

Rosy Billows (enlarged)

Rosy Billows, L. Daniel, 18 x 18

Back to the big skies. I painted this piece for my big sky series back in the spring, but I forgot to photograph and post it. So, here it is, just a little bit late. You may remember the small study. The scene is from West Texas in the Davis Mountains - a beautiful, end of day performance.

Sea Oats At Dusk

Sea Oats At Dusk (study), L. Daniel, 6 x 8, SOLD

This is another study for a larger painting that I will post at another time. (I have been working in the studio all week and am a bit behind in photographing.) I love the way colors and shadows shift as the sun goes down. The beach is particularly dramatic in this respect.

Happy Independence Day to All!!

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