What Movie do You recommend?

Decisions decisions. ON BEING FRANK wants to know what art movies you recommend. There's plenty out there and I would like to collect a resource catalog. Any suggestions?

A while back I had a dream assignment painting HUNDREDS of images for Sunday School Curriculum. All the images involved situations where young people had to make a choice between the secular socially acceptable decision and a decision that would be pleasing to God.......sometimes they were one and the same and sometimes not.....

Maynard Dixon

One of my favorite artists is Maynard Dixon. He can easily be described as a poetic iconoclast. Check out this presentation given by a Gallery owner that features his work and describes his love affair with Arizona and its Native inhabitants. It will greatly increase your understanding of this pioneering regionalist. A wonderful chronicle of this man...more on Maynard on my next post.....

The God of Money is Dead....Not

The Prophet Haggai




I had a great client awhile back and I painted about 60 small book covers for them. This painting is about 12 inches tall and it is one of the angry prophets of the Old Testament. I guess he had a good reason to be upset....the children of Israel were up to no good.

My feeling is that we all have a love/ hate relationship with the Jeremiah's of the World. I've been hearing about the World's economic collapse for years now. Finally it has arrived or so it seems. I guess the shake out is for our own good....if you thought that sweet investment in stocks was going to see you through your golden years, then think again.

My pastor said something yesterday that I totally disagree with. He said the God of Money is dead. Really dead. He's a young man of 40 and prone to saying some goofy things at times. But boom and bust is part of the natural economic cycle. As sure as there are losers out there ( I have lost about $200,000 on paper on the value of my house ) there are investors on the sidelines buying up homes and businesses on the cheap. You can bet on that. The Great Depression was outstanding for many robber barons with ready cash buying up failing industries and getting sweet insider deals from Wall Street. Of course this practice is illegal now ( wink wink ) but don't fool yourself that Greed has been Killed. Not in this Lifetime. I would post on my pastors blog but too many churchites thought I was too controversial....so thats one reason I started " On Being Frank"....and thats the rest of the story!


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coming this month. Working with the White House on creating the 2006 Easter Egg Roll Poster , Brochure, Hat , Apron and Egg!

Also...designing and illustrating the book " The Very First Easter " ECPA Silver Medallion Award recipient

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The Four Ages of Man...or what is life all about anyway? Ultimate Issues Sunday

In an earlier post I proclaimed the following..."What does it profit a man ( woman ) if they gain the world and lose their Soul?" What will man exchange for fame , recognition , power , glory , money , status etc. I have been haunted by this statement by Jesus for a long long time. In fact many artists have depicted Christ in the desert as he meditates after 40 days and nights on his purposeful mission.

Are the Romans correct when they boasted their worldview maxim " Eat and Drink today for tomorrow we die"? Should I just look out for #1 and go the way of the Hedonists and partake in a Bacchinalian Lifestyle? How does art come into play? Have I deluded myself and really put Art above God? Do I really worship and give sacrifices at the Altar of ART ( Career )? Does my Life as an artist really have any meaning?

One view of this is profoundly illustrated by the late Renaissance painter Le Valentin. I remember staring and staring at this painting at the National Gallery in London. What is Le Valentin trying to say? What is his existentialist statement? Despair?

At the bottom is a child in an almost trancelike state holding some type of wooden cage. Will he trap something? Or has something escaped?Is the artist trying to imply that childhood is running after objects to be contained and yet never really owning anything? Is this the Peter Pan symdrome ? Is that why the cage is open? Could it be that childhood is never content and the dream of eternal lack of care is fleeting?

To his left is the man presumably at the age of courtship. He is dazzleing in his dress and is holding a form of guitar playing some tune of love maybe? His hat is cocked off to the side with several feathers attached. His gaze is focused and appears to me to have the look a young man gives as he evaluates his prospects. He is hopeful and alert and his beard is smartly manicured. This stage of life is seen as full of poetry and music and self assuredness.

To the right of the painting we see our lad now in the later years of his maturity. His gaze is downcast and he has been in the battle so to speak. Yet he now props up his head and has a book opened and is contemplating what he has read. Or maybe the book is a metaphor for knowledge and Wisdom . Has he lost confidence? Is he reevaluating his Life decisions and Worldview? ? His beard is longer and he wears a red sash and victory garland around the crown of his head. He should be happy and triumphant but the artist has not depicted him this way. Is this realistic or pessimistic? What is the point of Triumph at the end of the Day? Vanity of Vanities? Grasping after Air? To be or not to be as Hamlet stated?

Finally he is on the last chapter of his life. His beard is untrimmed and grey and his gaze seems to be lost somewhere else. He holds a glass of wine with his left hand while he grasps the neck of the wine bottom with his other hand? Is this the end of man? Futility. Beaten by Life? Pointless? Drunkeness and self medication?

Art can be a powerful tool to make us think and ponder the BIG questions. I don't buy into Le Valentins pessimistic worldview but there are times I feel this way.

to be continued next Sunday.....any thoughts PN?

Smoke on the Water or What can happen painting in the elements

Silvio and I ventured out into the wilds on HighWay 49 very early Friday morning and headed towards the Sierra Buttes . Edgar Payne, one of my painting heroes, was fascinated with the light that occurs at this elevation , 6000 ft + , and he painted around Salmon and Sardine Lake.s and produced some memorable paintings. As we approached the turnoff we discovered that the access road to the Lakes was snow covered and had not been plowed yet . That was a big bummer. We do however plan to go back in 3 weeks , when the road will be open , and paint these glorious Buttes as they rise majestically above emerald lakes. Just breadth taking! Therefore we had to employ plan B. Just up the road we had a clear view of the buttes and we both planted our gear and went to work.

We had both planned to paint 4 paintings total for the outing and we were giving each location about 1 1/2 to 2 hrs tops. That meant plan, design , big brush and economy of motion.





This design is a cliched formula but it works under pressing time frames. That's one good thing about being a trained illustrator. I like a large object on the left side that is only partially visible but I want it to lead the eye into the scene. Next in the middle ground are the same objects and they are moving the eye toward the left and middle distances. The same color of the brush then picks up cooler tones as it recedes into the background distance. As you can see, I was not thinking of producing a finished painting, but rather a plein air SKETCH. This is absolutely the first time I have painted snow outdoors and so I did not want to get caught up in details. After about an hour my eyeballs were freaking out. I was on my way to becoming a snow blinded victim I need to ask Stapleton Kearns how he battles white snow eye strain.....

One way to keep yourself from getting to phinicky and end up with a painting that looks like a Pizza, is to simplify the shapes and use a bigger brush than you are used to working with. Think in terms of masses and group like minded objects. Both in terms of shape and temperature. Most of my mixing is on the palette and I am not overly blending my applications. This keeps things looking fresh.

Any way, its blocky and rough, but it achieved the purpose I intended. A good feeling of the rock titan and a sense for the atmospheric colors if I ever intend on making this into a painting. But I still like the charm of a quick loose 11 x 14 oil.




Now I was feeling good and pretty confident about myself and we then drove above Graegle and saw this wonderful scene. Maybe 7ooo feet. It was a small hike from the truck but well worth the effort. We also noticed that a controlled burn was ongoing on the other side of the hill and just did not anticipate that it would affect us.

This is another 1 1/2 hour painting and I needed to simplify. But in the middle of painting, smoke began to cover my beautiful view. Here I was feeling pretty cocky about painting a great little sketch and my whole middle ground was disappearing before my eyes. I just left the middle ground unresolved as you can see from my sketch. Pride comes before the fall and I learned to paint with a little more humility and learn that anything can happen in Nature at any time.









The light was great as we traveled down the mountain and again we stopped alongside the road and captured the last entry for light on March 27 2009. What caught my eye was how weirdly pthalo blue the mountain shadow looked compared to the trees that rose up in front of them. It was a color and intensity that I would have not believed unless I had seen it with my own eyes. I really liked the starkness of the telephone poles against the landscape. The color spectrum was changing fairly fast . I am showing this to give you an idea of how I block in a painting sketch. Again, big brush. Simplify .

This design is the time tested fulcrum composition. More on this compositional device later. I think my son David is in the process of creating a grease fire over the stove......bye.....yikes........turn off the burner and move the PAN!!!!!!!!...........

11 x 14 lay in sketch



Get out there and PAINT

Bye for now...................


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A Portrait Sketch

Its been one of those weeks. My good 'ol Pismo Powerbook went to digital heaven and was soon replaced by a new MacBook. And of course getting up and going with a new computer always presents glitches when you are connected to a wireless router and printer. After 3 Apple Tech calls, I finally found someone who knew what he was doing...You can't print on a MacBook running 10.5 to an iMac on 10.4 or lower unless you do a little programming in TERMINAL.

Also, My iMac is somehow adding and losing file space. What's with that?Its one of those B-Tree Catalog deals. At least that's what Tech Tool tells me. Time to back up and reinstall they tell me....yikes!!!!

Anyway...Bob's Swedish Mug always puts a smile on my face...maybe he'll have the same effect on you.

Using Models

When I am painting Old Testament scenes, I use dramatic lighting to heighten the effect. I will usually employ a main light source and then add a fill light to exxagerate the contour of the models body.




This photo of my "Jesus" model was taken at my last studio that I built in Santa Rosa Ca. I added or rather designed it with a large North facing SkyLight. I Also had light coming from the southern as well as western facing windows. This was one of the images used for the painting in the previous post.

I have to say that I am becoming less and less literal with my model photo reference these days. I know that it is in part because I am painting outdoors more and I am learning to achieve more with less. Funny how that works. I always start out with a sketch of my design and then I get on the phone and schedule a modeling session. I am amazed that the models cannot contort their hands and limbs to the degree that I have exaggerated in my preliminary sketch. Why is that? There are also times that the model does something in their pose that I had not thought of and I will capture that and see if it will work with all my other elements. A glance, a nod, and even a raising of an eyebrow can add a dramatic effect that I can use to enhance my illustration.




Lighting is so very important. I will often move the model around and see how the light moves across the architecture of their body. Which lighting arrangement will best achieve the aim of my art direction. What mood am I trying to sell?




I also , when I am not lazy, use large backing cardboards . Its a great way to see the silhouettes better.

What.....?

What does it profit a man ( woman ) if they gain the Whole world and lose their soul?



Heavy? You bet. But Life is not a dress rehearsal.




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The Doyle Kids and the little Poobah

16 x 20 oil on linen



When my buddy FX asked me to paint a double portrait of his two children I had to say yes. There are times because of distance , scheduling and circumstances that you can't always paint the subjects live. The boy is now 16 and stands about 6'- 4 ". FX stands at a healthy 6'- 6" . FX took a snapshot of his kids posing in front of a Hawaii Sunset several years back. Its his favorite photo of his children and he selected it for a painting. All I did was crop out unnecessary info and made a few preliminary color sketches. I've been painting and sketching pretty loosely lately and I decided this was the time to paint in a more photo real application. If you click on the image to see closer . you will notice that there still is evidence of brush strokes. Since I am giving a friend a great price, I did not want to over labor the painting but FX also runs with the Rich and Famous in Marin County so I painted the duo with the hopes of landing future commissions. All in all, I invested about 15 hours and my approach and paint application was pretty direct.

The trick is to paint children as they are. Fresh and innocent ( within reason ) . There is the tendency to make them look older. Part of the problem , if you notice it in your painting, is stretching the nose and making it longer than it actually is.







This is a portrait of the little Poobah Master ...Isaac Ordaz. I just love that baby drool. Its about the only stage of life where you can get away with that!


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Horton Iris Farm Paint Out

Coming up at the end of April will be the 3rd Annual Horton Iris Farm Paint Out. Below is the official blurb...

Call to Artists


April 24 and 25, 2009: Plein Air two-day event. Open to all outdoor painters far and near in any medium. The Horton Farm and Iris Garden in Loomis, CA will host the third annual paint-out and show. Friday will feature open morning and an afternoon painting sessions. Saturday morning will offer a Quick Draw Competition to create a completed painting in 3 hours from 8:30 to 11:30am. Judging by 2008 winner Barbara Noble teaming with 2007 winner Frank Ordaz will follow the competition. The public is invited to view work from open sessions and the Quick Draw Competition in a Reception and Sale at 1pm. For entry form and details call Margot Comer at (916 765-8972) or email beachcomer@starstream.net

ENTRY FEE for the PAINT OUT COMPETITION is $25

This local event is a great way to meet like minded plein air enthusiasts. Everyone is very friendly and the Host Doug Horton makes you feel right at home. The property has been in the Horton Family since GoldRush times and spans 40 acres of prime Loomis Real Estate. The Iris Farm covers a little over 5 acres of gentle rolling hills blanketed with a kaliedescope of spectacular iris specimens of every concieveable color . They even have an area reserved for The American Iris Society testing of new hybrids.

If you need to put more color on your palette then this Monet Like Happening will get your wheels going.

There will be a CASH prize this year and I will get back to you as to amount.

Here is the Horton link ( the entry fee cost is LAST YEAR"S fee )

http://www.hortonirisgarden.com/




The Friday event is very much the Social Happening. Many artists from around the area come to meet and paint in a non competitive atmosphere. I'll be there both days and will be glad to show you around.




There are many areas with rows and rows of Irises of various hybrids.






Local Artist Elena Lee decides which Iris to paint







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Again...If you've made it this far in the post you will be rewarded with a little judges advice. Come on Friday and select what you will paint on Saturday, that way you don't feel pressured to make a hasty selection. Be observant of how the sun will move across this landscape and affect what you will paint. Be sure not to take on more than you can chew...there were quite a number of entries last year that were pretty good that probably needed and extra hour. The OFFICIAL SIZE will be 12 x 16. Focus on making a preliminary sketch so that you can work on a strong composition.

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Tomorrow....Painting the Doyle Children


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Sargent in Seattle 2001

The Motley Crew. Tim Solliday, Me and Chris Hopkins at the Seattle Art Museum 2001





Sargent's Self Portrait. Reserved. Confident . Aloof . Noble. Prissy?




Mrs. Wertheimer



Oh yes my friends. Do you think this dog was going to sleep the decade away knowing full well that the LARGEST Sargent retrospective would hit this country on the west coast and NOT see it? I called my bud Chris in Seattle and told him he was going to be host to Tim Solliday and I who were dropping everything and flying up to his corner of the country to see the show at the Seattle Art Museum. The retro featured massive portraits of the The Asher B. Wertheimer Family. We must have been there for 4 hrs! The drawings were exceptional!

Madame X and many famous paintings and drawings by this icon of masterly Alla Prima were part of this traveling collection. Of course that was back in 2001. I await the next offering by the Tate Museum. The Show hit the States initially at the National, then Boston and ended in Seattle Washington.

Peace. Out....

Tomorrow...Horton Iris Farm Paint Out . Loomis , Ca. Cash Prize . Come and Have fun painting Plein Air!






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Tim Solliday Portrait

Final Painting 3 Hrs ...Here is an important pointer. Langnickel Royal Sable #6 Filbert for layin. Silver GrandPrix Bristle #4 Filbert for face layin tones. Daniel Smith Bristle #10 Flat for hair , background and shirt. "Silver" Pure Red Sable Renaissance Round #8 for detail....Try it....it will set you free..... If the Siver Brushes are good enough for Nelson Shanks they are good enough for me!




After an 1 Hour, I have developed his likeness and I am going for a feeling of solidity.




The initial layin. Titanium White, Naples Yellow , Transparent Yellow Ochre , Terra Rosa , Transparent Oxide Red , Cad Red , Aliz. Crimson, Ultramarine Blue , Viridian Green. Oil on
Linen on Gesso.

( if some of these colors sound familiar its because I stole them from Richard Schmidt's palette ) ;v)

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I would rather paint from life but often times it is just not possible or practical. As you can see, I take alot of liberties even with a photo. Using a large brush to paint hair frees you up so that you are not caught up painting little details. Think in terms of masses. Also, to make the warm amber light feel warm, remember that nature gives the eye rest by having the shadows cooler in temperature.

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Tim and I both studied with Lukits. His paintings are highly sought after. Oprah Winfrey collects his work.


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Okay if you have read this far down in the post I will share a little trade secret. You see that slight rose coloration around the tip of the nose? You can only get that with W&N Permanent Rose....it is a wonderful color. But don't overuse it...it's power is in its limited use.

Bridge to NoWhereMan

9 x 12 oil on linen



I finished up my application for the Placer Artists Studio Tour in November ( they plan way in advance ) and I was off to the Confluence to attempt my last No Hands Bridge painting for a while. I went out of my way to find a location where I could cramp my body like a pretzel to find a good angle. The air was really hazy and I wanted to capture that feeling. This was actually the first time I really featured the Bridge. Do you see that weird slab shape on the lower left? Thats a piece of concrete that crashed down from the hillside. This area of river is a sad dumping ground of old bridge foundations and ironworks. I have'nt really painted this slab in previous paintings but it makes a interesting statement of our really noticeable impact on the environment.

Craig Stephens was also down here painting and next week we will have an excellent Adventure painting the Lake Clementine Dam WaterFall. Craig and I are both mountain bikers...so we plan to peddle to remote areas around this terrain, brave the elements and wild cougars, and paint like Edgar Payne or at least we can fantasize about it!

If you are interested in purchasing this painting, kindly email me. Thanks! ;v)

Have a safe and WonderFilled Weekend!

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Next week I will post about

1. Painting Children Portraits and show 2 examples

2. The Horton Iris Farm Paint Out in Loomis where I will be a Co-Judge

3. Working with Models . I use models all the time so I will have many examples to share.

4. The Upcoming MasterPiece Workshop in Ashland Ore, with non other than the Incredible Mick McGinty of " Twice a Week" and Michael DuDash!!!!!!!!!!!!


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And for your listening pleasure Pat Metheny playing one of the most beautiful Soundtrack Themes ever...The Love theme from " Cinema Paradiso"

The Painting a Day Cool Cat

Craig Stephens painting " under the confluence" of Art


Yesterday afternoon, which turned out to be a great Sargent like day to paint, I teamed up with one of the pioneers of the " Painting a Day " phenomena ....Craig Stephens. Who would of thunk that I would meet him on the Blog " Gurney Journey " and find out that he teaches an Art Class here in beautiful serene Auburn Ca. Well stranger things have happened and it turns out that even though he is a well trained martial artist, he digs deep into his art chakra and disciplines himself to create art everyday...STILL! He started to paint daily, not to make money, but to become a better painter. I can admire that.




We both have been painting No Hands Bridge and we settled on a spot in the shade under another overpass and proceeded to have a lively time of it. We started to swap stories. Remember how it was like in School...Do you know Sally? Do you know Jim?....What amazed me is that he met one of the other pioneers of the Painting a Day phenomena , Keiser on the Martial Art Scene. The idea started to blossom right around that time.

Any way, I decided to paint Craig painting and follow in the tradition of artists painting one another in action. Its a good way to document the existential moment of connecting to the environment...or said plainly...having a good 'ol time painting outdoors and getting some fresh air.


I had a little over an hour to paint, as I wanted to see my boy run the mile at Placer High ( his time of 5: 06 ) and Craig was a willing model...a real cool cat. So i had no time to fiddle around. I was going for the nice thick application of paint with minor details. The pose started out in the shade and ended nicely with light on his body . Seeing this was going to change my painting, I concentarted on the river before I got around to painting him. The drawing is key for this loose approach. I actually really like the way it came out.

Click on his link on my side bar " Daily Painting " and see what he painted yesterday.

Mind Games

I don't know what made me think of John Lennon today. But the impact he made on my generation is immeasureable. I remember going to a movie theater to see " Help" and the continuous screaming of young nubile women at every song and appearance of Paul and John was overwhelming. This Generation has no clue how popular and influential the Beatles were.

I liked John Lennon and I can still remember hearing about his murder and where I was and what I was doing. I felt like I was stabbed in the heart.

As an adult now, I can't say I agree with all of his positions but his artistry as a songwriter, musician and activist will not soon be forgotten. At least not by my Generation.






I painted this while still a student at Art Center in the late 70's. I never finished it.

Road Show to Taos

Pastel on Wallis Paper 9 x 12


Stop the bus I yelled at Les. Can you believe this view!!!!. As Les applied the brakes we nearly jackknifed across the highway to Taos New Mexico. About 4 years ago, my college bud and I decided to make a pilgrimage to the Land of O'Keefe and Fechin. But along the way were many near escapes, near accidents and unbelievable artworks from artists past and present.

This view was just off the highway and I am sure this River has a name. Maybe Kara Dawn knows. But the Cottonwoods were in their amber coat and the display vibrated like a psychedelic Hopi Blanket. I was rummaging through my photos and I got the urge or maybe compulsion to draw in pastels.

I really feel like a child when I draw with chalk. Its so grammar school. Remember mixing paint from powder. Yeah. Its that feeling. Forget about silly notions of limited color. How many sticks can I put in one hand. Look at all those beautiful colors in front of me...I want to put them all in this painting!

That's my Left Bank Brain talking. Always getting me into trouble. But I really do feel like a wild man with these Fire Sticks. The application is soooo different than oil paints. When I feel like I'm in a rut all I need are my trusty pastels and I feel like a new man.





I use 4 brands. Rembrandt , Sennelier , Holbein and NuPastel and usually work on Wallis Sand Paper. There's nothing like it.




And oh yeah. Les usually talks me into doing something crazy. But 4 years ago I talked him into getting a trailer and " Would'nt it be great if you and I could go into the SouthWest like Maynard Dixon and paint and see all the great art. Whaddaya think Les? " The rest is History! Here we have La Bamba parked next to that Big Crater in Arizona.

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I had to post this as we were playng this CD over and over until we hated it

Beware the Ides of March

Paul Lisak, Contemporary artist



Beware the Ides of March. Such are the dreaded warnings of seers and poets. Of course we are familiar with this line from Shakespeare's " Julius Caesar" and it foretells the betrayal of Julius Caesar by his friend and ally Brutus. The saying is probably taken from Plutarch and harkens back to the very superstitious Roman attitude of dates portending meaning. The ides of March means the middle of the month which is today. In fact Cicero tells us that the Senate would not convene or a vote never executed unless the signs and conditions were foretold by an oracle to be good for a decision of importance. Kinda like looking at a horoscope before you apply for a mortgage.

Betrayal is probably one of the hardest sins to forgive , especially if it happens to you. The most famous betrayal is the famous Kiss on the Cheek of Judas Ascariot on Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemene. This account has been rendered many times and provides ample inspiration for artists then and now. In fact a famous line from Delacroix still challenges me

" What moves men of genius , or rather, what inspires their work, is not new ideas , but their obsession with the idea that what has already been said is STILL NOT ENOUGH."

Eugene Delacroix




Vincenzo Camuccini




Caravaggio




Fra Angelico





Anthony Van Dyke

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And for your listening pleasure...some great Flamenco Guitar to paint to. Strunz and Farah

On the Way to Los Alamos , N.M. with Les

Pastel on Paper



This view is seen right off the HighWay on the road to America's secret testing site Los Alamos. Shortly thereafter, my traveling buddy Les and I stopped and hopped a fence to take a couple pictures of the picturesque Rio Grande River.

I am going to stop right here, because I have been involved in more adventures than I can count when I am around Les. Do you have a friend where you know that at any moment, you two will be off doing something stupid or somehow something eventful will happen just because the gods have picked the coordinates of your relationship and they have decided to mess with you? I can still hear Les say...I don't think anything will happen if we cross the fence with the warning that reads "No Trespassing , You are Now in Indian Territory".

Soooo......Out of nowhere a tribal police man drove up to us, screaming that we had trespassed onto Sovereign land. He ran over to us in a menacing way, all 4' 11" of him , and proceeded to shout angrily that he could have our vehicle confiscated and towed ( I at first started to laugh, because it was not my car.) and that we would be arrested and judged by a tribal court ... ....blah...&#@&...blah....blah..... @#!?....blah.

The fact is, that what he was saying was all too true. My lips are probably still glued to his behind. I have not been that nice and patronizing since I begged my dad for a Willie Mays
baseball Glove.

Chevreaux Concrete Inc

Pastel on Paper


In Auburn Ca. there is a landmark that reminds me of those Regionalist images painted during the Depression. I wonder what got me thinking about that? Here is a pastel I just did for fun.

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Smack Down of the Week...Jim Cramer by John Stewart on the Daily Show

Doing Something About it......Glen Beck on Fox ( Today )

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A Rocky View

9 x 12 oil on linen

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Well, I finished an illustration for a client and I was off again to the North Fork confluence of the American River. The location that I normally paint from is off the west side of the river near the river bank. This time around I wanted to check out the view from amongst the large rocks that frame the Cold Rushing River at the bend as it approaches " No Hands Bridge". There is literally no flat surface to paint from as the large Boulders are uneven and loom large and tall at various spots along the banks. I tried to paint standing up but soon my legs were cramping and lended truth to what Confucius said.." He who paints on slanted Rock not on the Level"...

So I decided to paint sitting down wedging my french easel with some rocks to keep it level. The foreground boulder is one of many Serpentine like forms that mirror the color of the turquoise/brown river. The light was glorious as it danced and shimmered off the rim tops of these massive sculptural rock forms.

Its very key to set your lightest lights and sharpest edges at the start. At least that seems to work for me. This painting was a good study in color temperatures. Working with warms and cools and going in and out with a conscious attention to these patterns of light made the entire painting time a real learning experience.

Have a safe and meaningful weekend everyone and get out there and paint! Nature will turn you on to colors you never could have imagined sitting in your studio. I get so excited learning about reflected light. Knowledge of this natural phenomenon makes your painting come alive and paying special attention to this occurrance while painting outdoors will add not only to your enjoyment but make your painting feel like "Light".


Get well Ernie!!!!

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Okay story time...Awhile back I was vacationing in Sedona , Ar. I was staying at the former John Gardner's Tennis Ranch now "Enchantment". The nice people at the resort set up a meeting between myself and 2 noted artists in the area. They were Curt Walters and Joe Beeler.

The story I want to tell is my encounter with Curt Walters. He is a very accomplished Landscape painter and probably the prize student of Wilson Hurley a master landscape artist whose 2 large paintings are displayed in the Albuquerque AirPort. As I stepped into his studio I was overwhelmed by the quality of his work and his sensitivity to light. His entire beautiful home was an Art Gallery. His studio was off to the side of the living room and he was working on a painting of the Grand Canyon that was at least 10' long.

I showed him samples of my work which were mostly Star Wars Era stuff. After he looked over my meager offerings he looked at me and said. You need to paint outdoors and understand reflected light. You are missing that dimension in your work. I was taken aback at first as I did not intentionally go there for a critique...but I soon learned that well intentioned Masterly advice is a whole lot better in the long run than compliments. I have taken his insights to heart and I can say it has made me a better artist,

You can see Curts magnificent paintings here....

http://www.curtwalters.com/


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