art

Point Lobos Foundation Art Appreciation Day

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Headland Cove, Point Lobos, 8×16, oil on panel $600 unframed

I was invited along with the Monterey Bay Plein Air Painters to participate in the inaugural Point Lobos Foundation Art Appreciation Day  yesterday, June 11. The Foundation’s mission is to protect and nurture Point Lobos State Natural Reserve, to educate and inspire visitors to preserve its unique natural and cultural resources, and to strengthen the network of Carmel Area State Parks. We have had a warming trend in the area, and promised to be a great day for weather…and it was!

We needed to be in line at Point Lobos State Preserve by the 8am opening time as parking is always tight to non-existence there.  They graciously waived the $10 preserve entry fee for us artists.  Prior to the event, they asked us to pick a place to paint so they could advertise where we all were.  I chose Cypress Grove Trail as I had never painted there, and would probably have a lot of foot traffic.

I spent most the morning working on an 8×16 piece of Headland Cove.  The painting turned out pretty good, shown above, and is a keeper, although as always, will touch it up a bit. Below are a few pictures of the day…

After lunch, and a quick power nap in the car, I painted another piece, 8×10, from the same spot, but a more intimate, closer view of the rocks.  My objective was to capture the ever changing colors and value of the ocean as it crashes agains the headlands.  I accomplished that, but totally messed up the compositional aspect of the painting.  I ended up with 5 evenly spaced rocks of equal size.  I will modify it some for a more pleasing composition, hopefully without taking away the colors of the pounding surf!

Pt Lobos Surf, 8×10, oil on panel, $380 unframed.

I rarely put prices on my paintings online, but in this case I will.  Proceeds from the paintings will go to the Foundation.  Free shipping in the continental US. If interested, please email me donald@donaldneff.com .

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Art Appreciation Day at Pt. Lobos

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"China Cove Panorama", 12x36, oil on canvas
“China Cove Panorama”, 12×36, oil on canvas

Come join us at Point Lobos State Preserve this Saturday, June 11. I’ll be participating in their Art Appreciation Day by painting en plein air most the day. Any paintings I do that day, or a few I bring from the studio will be on sale with part of the proceeds going to charity. Come early, as parking fills up quickly.

More info can be found here.

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Vote!

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I have five paintings entered in the May Plein Air Salon Art competition. They have a peoples choice award which you can vote for online. Below are the five paintings, and if you click on each one, will take you to a page to vote. If you have time, and willing, please vote for each painting. The deadline is June 10, 2022.

Misty Sentinel,16x20,oil on board
Misty Sentinel,16×20,oil on board
“Thunderbird Lodge”, 24×12, oil on gallery wrap canvas
“Thunderbird Lodge”, 24×12, oil on gallery wrap canvas

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DUD

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Well, I originally didn’t plan on telling anybody about this, but just for the record, last Wednesday’s painting was a total dud.  It happens. Frequently with artists.

I went out with the Monterey Bay Plein Air Painters again.  The venue was the Monterey Wharf.  We painted there last February, and while everyone else was painting Del Monte Beach, I painted a boat in the wharf.  This time, I was going to paint the beach.   Only one other painter showed up, Al Shamble, who picks and coordinates all the venues for the group.

Generally, I consider these paint-outs more artist social events, and don’t try to produce a great painting, but this time, my piece was a total dud.  I kept painting and scraping it for a few hours, and then, since I had to attend to other things that day, packed it up and left.

The best part of the morning was just sitting on the wharf, hearing the waves, listening to the seagulls, watching a little kid learning to surf, and viewing the sea lions playing around the sailboats.  Actually, it was a pretty good morning!!

Here’s a few pictures…

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141 Feet Above Garrapata

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141 Feet Above Garrapata, 14×18, oil on canvas

One of the spectacular coastlines in the world, the Big Sur coastline runs for 90 miles on the west central coast of California.  California Highway One winds along its length and is flanked on one side by the majestic Santa Lucia Mountains and on the other by the rocky Pacific Coast.   Garrapata State Park extends along the coast on the northern part of the coastline and I am fortunate to live just half an hour away from this spectacular area. 

Out painting with the California Art Club last January, I flew my drone for a quick flight.  You can read about that excursion here, plus a short video I made, shown below.

This painting is a frame from the drone video I took that day, and can actually be seen around the midpoint of the video below.  I have occasionally been doing paintings from a drone’s eye perspective, the first being “The World’s First Plein Air Drone Selfie” here.

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Natividad, “A Time to Heal”

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I am honored to have two paintings in the Natividad “A Time to Heal” MBPAPA show. Natividad Medical Center, 1441 Constitution Blvd., Salinas, CA. The show runs for an entire year, May 30, 2022 – May 30, 2023. At this point they are not sure if an artists reception will be scheduled, depending on current covid condition.

Marina Beach Sunset, 12×16, oil on panel
El Camino, 16x20, oil on board
El Camino, 16×20, oil on board

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A Beautiful Day

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Lover’s Point, 8×16, oil on panel, plein air

In the spring, the ice plant blooms in Perkins Park, Pacific Grove, CA, covering much of the park in a blanket of reds, pinks, and purples. I had been meaning to make the short drive there to paint, and a group paint-out by the Monterey Bay Plein Air Association gave me an excuse.

Generally, I consider these outings as more social events than trying to produce a sellable painting.  This time though, I wanted to spend a little more time trying to get a good piece, so arrived early to catch the morning light.  

I settled in painting a backlit view of Lover’s Point.  It was a wonderful day!  It was difficult painting looking directly into the sun as I am still trying to find a good pair of outdoor spectacles since my cataract surgery a year ago. The painting was turning into a muddy mess. I kept at it though, and got it back on track.

After an hour or so, I didn’t see any other fellow painters, so walked around, and found just a few on the other side of the point.  There were only about 4 of us total, as far as I can tell.  

The painting turned out good…a keeper!  The above is a little over two hours work.  I will touch it up just a bit in the studio, but could stand as-is.

Here are a few more pictures of the day…

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An Entirely new Art Form Breakthrough

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Freedom!, 24×36, oil on road

Marina, CA, April 1, 2022..   World renowned, award winning artist Donald Neff has just invented an entirely new genre of art.  We think it will take the art world by storm. Art and painting constantly evolve and transition to ideas and areas we may not have imagined just a few years before.  Think Picasso, who as a teen could paint like Raphael, and with no where to go was a forerunner of modern art.  Pollock stumbled upon drip painting.  Hunter Biden blew the art world away with his doodling.

After spending two years virtually locked up due to covid restrictions, Neff was yearning to be free.  “I just wanted to be free to paint, so I strapped an easel on my Harley, took off and started painting”, Neff says.  Neff frequently rides his Harley, including painting trips, but has never painted while actually riding.  “I have always wondered what a painting would look like if I did it while cruising down the road, so rigged an easel on my gas tank to paint while on the road.”   Neff continues “it was so great, because as soon as I got to my first actual painting location, I already had one completed.”

“Freedom!” is Neff’s first ‘zoom painting’. According to Neff, it was a little difficult concentrating on the painting while staying on the bike, but he did it without any scrapes or accidents. For such a big invention, Neff also chose a big canvas, 24×36, and it was a little hard keeping it steady in the constant headwind. Like a sail, Neff had to keep correcting course to stay in his lane. Neff says, “I also had to circle around a lot to keep painting the same scene, but didn’t get too dizzy.” 

You can read more about Neff’s other painting trips on the Harley here.

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Foiled!

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Carmel River Beach color study, 8×10, oil on panel

The Monterey Bay Plein Air Painters were meeting for a paintout at Carmel River Beach. I decided to join them.

Carmel River Beach is tucked away from the normal crowds, and offers views of the Carmel River as it moves through a lagoon and empties into Carmel bay. Expansive views of Point Lobos are in the distance. You might guess it’s also a favorite artists spot!

Upon arrival, we found the parking was closed due to assembling a new coast guard life saving station. So, everyone parked on the nearby streets and had to walk a little further to the beach. I ended up parking a bit away, so instead of painting with the others on the beach, painted along the bluff overlooking the beach. Some painted the quaint Carmel cottages.

It was overcast and foggy the entire morning with occasional slivers of sunlight. I used to hate painting days like this, but have come to love the misty, foggy atmosphere, and some years ago started a ‘misty’ series of paintings I occasionally add to. You can see much of the series here. (Looking back through these pieces, it seems collectors like them also, as most are sold, and one is currently touring in the Yosemite Renaissance show.)

I had commitments later in the day, couldn’t stay long, so did a quick color study. The above was about a 60 minute effort. Although a fairly simple piece, I was pleased with the colors, so consider it a keeper for future reference.

Here are a few more pictures of the day–

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Moon Over Monterey

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Moon Over Monterey, 18×24, oil on canvas, available.

Founded on June 3, 1770, Monterey is one of the oldest cities in California.  Once an abundant fishery, it also attracts writers, painters, and other artists.  Now a tourist destination with the Monterey Bay Aquarium, Cannery Row, and Fisherman’s Wharf, it also hosts the California Roots Music and Arts Festival, and the annual Monterey Jazz Festival.

Fresh off the easel at the Neff Studio, from Del Monte Beach, the moon and downtown Monterey light up the dusk sky overlooking Monterey Bay.

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