Bunkhouse Deluxe

Painting No. 128, Bunkhouse Deluxe
Sossa Brothers Cow Camp, Alpine County, Ca.
9"x 12", oil on linen panel
August 14, 2011

I took off for Ebbett's Pass in the hope of finding a stream or lake to paint but nothing was catching my eye. Then I came around a curve and noticed the bunkhouse just off the road, I couldn't resist.
It was probably built in the early 60's when steel and aluminum were constructed to last forever. Now with it's after-market wooden screen door, smoke stack and sagging porch it probably doesn't see much action except for a few brave cowboys in the fall.

Painting from Small to Large Paintings Part 3

 As the painting is slowly coming together, it is important to see the details of the painting rather than viewing the whole painting at once. By focusing on small zones within the overall image, we can work diligently to perfect these small areas which will eventually fill-in the entire painting. My biggest struggles were with the back lit trees in the lower 1/3 of the painting. I think I repainted those 4 times.

Then the final struggle was the trees in the lower right corner. Trying to balance the shadow details with the highlights and keeping everything in perspective with the trees in the direct background. I like the way the painting came out, I think I captured the essence of Faith Valley and maintained the color/atmospheric qualities of the Sierra's.

Painting from Small to Large Paintings Part 2

After selecting your subject matter, painting field sketches and photographing the scene, the next step is to lay-in the basic line work.
Start by blocking in a background wash, green for the tree area, blue for distant mountains, yellow for the sky. Since the subject is well known in the Sierra's, I took the time to properly lay-in the correct height, width and location of all objects. To accomplish this I used several photographs and I drew a grid system directly on the photo then transferred the scale proportionately to the canvas using a small brush and French Ultramarine paint.

Next I worked back to front, painting the distant mountains in detail, then the mid ground mountains, again in detail leaving the sky for the end. In this photo I have also painted the closest shadows of the willows that grow in the meadow. This is my reference to compare all other values against.

Going From Small Plein Air Painting to Large Canvas Blog No. 1



working on my third reference painting

 Back in early July, I traveled to Faith Valley, Alpine County, California to paint a 8"x 10" plein air painting in the early evening. A few days later I started thinking about doing a larger painting of the scene, so I went back and took a bunch of photos and I did a larger plein air 12"x 24" which didn't turn out as well as I expected. So I ended up going back a third time to detail out the trees and meadow.

When deciding to do a larger painting, there are many decisions that need to be worked out before you have a chance to succeed. The most important is determining a correct color scheme. I had doubts if my colors were correct but when I did the third plein air painting I realized that my color perception was correct because when I got back to the home I lined up all the paintings and compared each for color decisions. Next blog I'll discuss the development of the large canvas.

Abandoned Road

Painting No. 126, Abandoned Road
Stewart Indian School, Carson City, Nevada
8"x 8", oil on linen panel
August 12, 2011

Today was warm but not terrible, I feel sorry for those Texans experiencing 100+ temperatures for over a month.
I'm back at the Stewart Indian School for painting number 5 of 10. I thought that I should try to convey the sense of loneliness and solitude that permeates this place. This dirt road was once a designated street that separated the Cafeteria and Band Building from the employee housing. Now it's mostly ignored by the locals. After standing in the same spot for 2 hours I still haven't seen a soul.

Office Building

Painting No. 124 Office Building
Stewart Indian School
Carson City, Nevada
8"x 8" oil on linen panel
8-5-11

Painting number 4 in a series of 10 plein air paintings of the Stewart Indian School. This building built in the 1920's was most recently used as a sheriff sub-station.

Abandoned Employee Housing

Painting No. 123
Abandoned Employee Housing
Stewart Indian School, Carson City, Nevada
oil on linen panel
August 2, 2011

Beautiful hand-cut stone cottages are clustered together and surrounded by Cottonwood trees in the old employee housing area west of the school. Built in the 1920's, to house the school teachers, these cozy looking buildings now are only occupied by a few locals, and lots of pigeons.

Stewart Indian School, Administration Building

Painting No. 122,
Stewart Indian School,
Administration Building
8"x 8", oil on linen panel
July 26, 2011

Built in 1923 as the Administration Building of the Stewart Indian School in Carson City, Nevada. This rustic style building is constructed with locally quarried stone. Currently it is undergoing a complete restoration and will become a part of the museum at the school.