Plein Air in Los Gatos

Another fabulous Monday with the Los Gatos Art Association’s Plein Air Painters! This time we were painting on the home turf of artist David Stonesifer with it’s extensive gardens and gorgeous historic architecture.

LGAA - Plein Air Painters - Stonesifer -Arzie - Roof Top- photo Marie Cameron 2016

 

LGAA - Plein Air Painters - Stonesifer -Arzie - Cast Rooster on the Wall - photo Marie Cameron 2016

LGAA - Plein Air Painters - Stonesifer : Arzie - Cast Rabbit in the Succulents - photo Marie Cameron 2016

LGAA - Plein Air Painters - Stonesifer -Arzie - Artichoke Fluff - photo Marie Cameron 2016            LGAA - Plein Air Painters - Stonesifer -Arzie - Fountain - photo Marie Cameron 2016             LGAA - Plein Air Painters - Stonesifer -Arzie - Wheel Barrow - photo Marie Cameron 2016

LGAA - Plein Air Painters - Stonesifer -Arzie - David Stonesifer Painting- photo Marie Cameron 2016

LGAA - Plein Air Painters - Stonesifer -Arzie - Al Shamble - photo Marie Cameron 2016             LGAA - Plein Air Painters - Stonesifer :Azrie - Nancy Takaichi - Marie Cameron 2016             LGAA - Plein Air Painters - Stonesifer -Arzie - Hershel Abelman- photo Marie Cameron 2016

LGAA - Plein Air Painters - Stonesifer -Arzie - Rick Guidice - photo Marie Cameron 2016

LGAA - Plein Air Painters - Stonesifer -Arzie  Micheal Baggett and Bonnie Joy Sedlak - photo Marie Cameron 2016

LGAA - Plein Air Painters - Stonesifer -Arzie - Wall - photo Marie Cameron 2016             LGAA - Plein Air Painters - Stonesifer -Arzie - Floral Niche - photo Marie Cameron 2016             LGAA - Plein Air Painters - Stonesifer -Arzie - Urn - photo Marie Cameron 2016

LGAA - Plein Air Painters - Stonesifer :Azrie - In the Garden- Marie Cameron 2016

I have been to several of David’s wonderful open studios in years past, so I was a little familiar with the grounds, enough to know that I wanted to make a bee-line for the bee boxes in the orchard!

LGAA - Plein Air Painters - Stonesifer -Arzie - Bee Boxes- Marie Cameron 2016

 

This is the view I settled on as I liked the way the overlapping trees in the foreground led the eye into the focal area of the bee boxes on a beautiful diagonal.

LGAA - Plein Air Painters - Stonesifer -Arzie - Bee Box Orchard View- photo Marie Cameron 2016

 

After I set up my easel (still getting the hang of it – I feel like a cross between a brain surgeon and an acrobat) I sketched in my composition over what should have been a colored ground.

LGAA - Plein Air Painters - Stonesifer -Arzie - Keeping Bees in the Orchard (WIP)1 - Marie Cameron 2016

 

For me, I’m not keen on blocking in values as I’m afraid it will muddy the color. This time I chose a 16 x 20 inch canvas, hoping that the larger scale would keep my painting more free and gestural. I concentrated on anchoring the scene with the darkest shadows in purples and blues and dark greens. Working dark to light is usually the best way to go with oils! I also wanted to nail some of the subtle color that was being reflected into the usually cool shadows of the bee boxes by the intensity of the yellow flowers and green grass in that morning light before it changed.

LGAA - Plein Air Painters - Stonesifer -Arzie - Keeping Bees in the Orchard (WIP)2 - Marie Cameron 2016

 

It was a good start and I still consider this to be an underpainting that I would finish up later I had to break for lunch and a crit….

LGAA - Plein Air Painters - Stonesifer -Arzie - Keeping Bees in the Orchard - oil on canvas 16 x12 inches - Marie Cameron 2016

 

Must say, I  looked a  lot like a mushroom in my sun hat, which I would have lost if there was any kind of breeze!

LGAA - Plein Air Painters - Stonesifer -Arzie - Marie Cameron, with hat - photo Nancy Takaichi 2016

 

OK, that’s better…

LGAA - Plein Air Painters - Stonesifer - Arzie - Marie Cameron - photo Nancy Takaichi 2016

 

David Stonesifer and Larry Arzie generously hosted for a delicious lunch inside…

LGAA - Plein Air Painters - Stonesifer -Arzie - Lunch - Marie Cameron 2016

 

…and outside on the terrace…

LGAA - Plein Air Painters - Stonesifer -Arzie - Lunch - photo Marie Cameron 2016

 

….with the bunnies and clementines.

LGAA - Plein Air Painters - Stonesifer -Arzie - Lunch Bunny - Marie Cameron 2016

 

My bowl of fabulous homemade Spanish Stew with Chorizo from Lèon and Chicken Meatballs from Adelle’s was even garnished with a drifting quince petal.

LGAA - Plein Air Painters - Stonesifer -Arzie - Spanish Stew with drifting Quince Petal - Marie Cameron 2016

 

After lunch Will Maller ran a crit  so we could all learn from each other’s work.

LGAA - Plein Air Painters - Stonesifer -Arzie - Deep in Thought  - photo Marie Cameron 2016

LGAA - Plein Air Painters - Stonesifer - Arzie - Will Maller- photo Marie Cameron 2016

 

LGAA - Plein Air Painters - Stonesifer -Arzie - Sam Pearson - photo Marie Cameron 2016

LGAA - Plein Air Painters - Stonesifer -Arzie - Will Maller crit  for Annette Haines- photo Marie Cameron 2016

LGAA - Plein Air Painters - Stonesifer -Arzie - David Stonesifer - photo Marie Cameron 2016

LGAA - Plein Air Painters - Stonesifer -Arzie - Will Maller crit  for Hershel - photo Marie Cameron 2016             LGAA - Plein Air Painters - Stonesifer -Arzie - Will Maller crit  for Nancy Takaichi- photo Marie Cameron 2016             LGAA - Plein Air Painters - Stonesifer -Arzie - Will Maller crit  for Rick Guidice - photo Marie Cameron 2016

LGAA - Plein Air Painters - Stonesifer : Arzie - Hellen Yang, Rebecca White, Carole Rafferty, Kathy Kleinsteiber - photo Marie Cameron 2016

LGAA - Plein Air Painters - Stonesifer -Arzie - Rebecca White (painting) after Jeff Owen (sculpture) - photo Marie Cameron 2016                  LGAA - Plein Air Painters - Stonesifer - Arzie - Lisha Wang - photo Marie Cameron 2016                 LGAA - Plein Air Painters - Stonesifer -Arzie - Will Maller crit  for Kathy Carlquist - photo Marie Cameron 2016

LGAA - Plein Air Painters - Stonesifer - Arzie - Will Maller -crit - photo Marie Cameron 2016Really great critique…. I even got a little applause from Will for my painting – though maybe it was really for the bravery of coming out and working so ambitiously large for my second time out with the group (being a studio painter)!  I’m still kind of befuddled as the painting doesn’t feel finished to me.  Will said it should physically hurt when you’re pushing at the edges of your comfort zone and growing as a painter. I guess I’m growing then because I promised him I wouldn’t touch it (yes it’s hurting) and I would do a second, separate painting of the same subject if I had to work out the vision in my head! The challenge will be to find a balance of the freshness and spontaneity of this painting with the finesse and polish in my mind’s eye…. apparently a good place to start will be with a colored ground.

How fortunate I feel to be working with this great group of artists, in these spectacular locations with all this great advice and company!