Honored that two of my paintings will be part of the upcoming “Coastal Passions”, conducted by the Monterey Bay Plein Air Painters. The show will run 9/2/2022 – 10/27/2022 with a
Reception: 9/2/2022 7-9pm at the
Pacific Grove Art Center – Gill Gallery
568 Lighthouse Ave
Pacific Grove, California
More info can be found here– https://www.mbpapa.org/event/164031/coastal-passions-mbpapa-all-member-juried-show
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!
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 .
Point Lobos Foundation Art Appreciation Day Read More »
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.
Art Appreciation Day at Pt. Lobos Read More »
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…
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…
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–
Mission San Carlos Borromeo del Río Carmelo, or the Carmel Mission, was the second mission built by Franciscan missionaries in upper California. Built in 1797, it is still in use today for Masses and other services. Being restored off and on over it’s lifetime, it just recently underwent a major restoration.
The Monterey Bay Plein Air Painters met there yesterday (Wednesday) for a paint out. About half a dozen showed. Most paid the entry fee, and went inside to the courtyard to paint. Here are a few pictures of the day.
I decided to just do a simple color study of the outside building wall.
It was fun pushing heavy brush loads of paint around to get the texture of the stucco. It probably would have been a better composition if the sun had partially shown on the wall creating more light/shadow, but I painted it like it was. After about an hour, here is what I came up with.
From April 2020, for a year, I posted on Facebook a painting each day as a brief diversion from the lockdowns and other bad news this year. Neglecting my weblog, I’ll post in the coming days some of my better posts. Some of these paintings are still available.
Pain. I was in a lot of pain. So much lower back pain, I almost cancelled my trip. But, I went anyway as it was once in an artists lifetime experience.
May of 2004, Jim Wilcox, one of the premier western landscape artists in the US was conducting a weeklong “Masters Plein Air Workshop” at his gallery and studio in Jackson Wyoming. It was for a select few advanced artists, and you had to be juried in to attend. I didn’t want to miss it. What better way to spend a week in Grand Teton National Park studying and painting under a master artist’s tutelage. I decided to go and tough it out.
It was a wonderful week, but my lower back was killing me most of the time. We painted all over the Tetons in all kinds of weather…sunny, rainy, sleet, and a little snow. One day when it was raining too hard to paint outside, we set up in Jim’s studio and painted there.
From the “studio nära viken”, here is one plein air study I did of Mt Moran in the Teton mountain range. It always reminds me of a glorious, but painful week.
Last Saturday I joined the California Art Club along the Big Sur coastline for a plein air paintout. We were expecting a cloudy morning gradually clearing, but when I arrived just before 10am, it was sunny and clear and very little wind. It was a glorious day! The surf action was amazing with huge waves crashing against the rocky cliffs, in some places almost reaching the top.
We met at one of my favorite spots along the coast near Soberanes Point. It is easily accessible and a starting point for a number of trails along the coast and inland. Large and small coves abound with plenty of scenes to paint! I have painted here many, many times in all types of weather.
When I arrived, the parking area was almost full, however I only saw a few artists painting. That soon changed as within an hour or so, there were probably 30-40 artists lined up around the bluffs.
Enjoy this short video I took of the event including both eye level and above shots of the beautiful California Big Sur coast line. Turn the volume up and go HD full screen!
I spent a few hours painting, with a few breaks to walk the bluffs and visit with fellow artist friends, take pictures, and meet new artists. I had to leave early afternoon, but before departing, did a short drone flight over the area.
Generally, paintings I do during these paintouts are not my best, as they are as much a social event as a painting event. In this case, the painting turned out well, and I consider a ‘keeper’. After just a little studio touchup, you can see the results above. “Soberanes”, 8×16, oil on panel. I might even do a larger studio piece based on this one.
From April 2020, for a year, I posted on Facebook a painting each day as a brief diversion from the lockdowns and other bad news this year. Neglecting my weblog, I’ll post in the coming days some of my better posts. Some of these paintings are still available.
Metcalf Road winds it’s way in the hills south of San Jose. Close to my old home in the Evergreen area of San Jose, it was a favorite ride on my Harley if I just wanted to get away for a bit. Just a few miles from the sprawling Silicon Valley, it is totally rural with farmhouses, winding roads, and vistas of the California hills.
From the “studio tata ki te kokoru” is another plein air piece I did for the Los Gatos Art Festival in 2015, painted in the early morning along Metcalf visible in the foreground.
Morning on Metcalf Road Read More »
