Painted from a live model, Toni Czechorosky on a staged background with a wine press.  I worked on her face at the open studio session and took several high resolution images to later finish this at my art studio.  Since this is my 7th time painting this model, I went larger in canvas size and let my brushstrokes flow around her portrait in a bravura style.  I woke up from a dream the night I painted her facial features in and saw that I needed to make the background behind the press as grapevines instead of a plain black background.  This is true creativity when an artist can imagine or envision to make it work in a unified whole.  It feels like a real setting with the figure completely at ease in it.   I was very careful in making the background color-hues more earth toned, not garrish bright colors to take away from the beauty of the model's face and attire.  I wished to create an old world feeling since she was dressed in a period outfit from the turn of the century.  With my upbringing in the Napa wine country and many visits plus paintings of vineyards, I knew how to handle the creation of a dreamy backdrop of vines with the light of an afternoon sun peaking through softly.  I created a wine glass that she grasped next to the wine press, it connects the antique piece to her.   There are hints of cabernet grapes in the mauve colors blended into the earthy greens and ochres that represent grape leaves.   The mood of the painting is what you want to make of it.  That's also creativity.  For your information, the model, Toni informed me after I painted in her facial character that I captured her feelings and persona that evening.   I built the rest of the atmosphere in the painting around her, she is the star.  

From my plein air explorations of Newport Beach Back Bay, this painting was begun on a catamaran boat so I could find a new vantage point.   It was pure joy to stand on this type of platform and paint from life.  I recorded a short video while I was on the boat.  I will put it on my Facebook page, go to my home page and click on join my Facebook page to see it.  It will be titled painting "Back Bay on a Boat".  Or you may click here, hopefully the link will work and take you directly to my Esther J. Williams Fine Art page to see the 1 minute video. While you are there, click the LIKE button to become a fan as they used to call it.
 I love being creative and discovering new ways to compose a scene. The sunlight was fading fast behind the bluff you see here, but the sky took on this coral, peachy tone and cast a bright yellow band of light across the marsh.  In the end, a large Heron or Great White Egret landed on the channel to get his evening meal.  Blissful time for me to be able to paint at this location and experience the estuary atmosphere with wildlife.  I will definitely go back.  Now I know why Claude Monet preferred this way of painting, it does give you an on stage viewpoint, commanding and directing the scene feeling.  The painting was later finished at my home art studio and was entered into a juried art exhibition in Socalpapa's Back Bay show being held July 23-25. 

Click here to go to the event details for the Socalpapa Plein Air Art Show & Sale at the Back Bay Muth Interpretive Center.

I started this a few weeks ago and only sketched in the figure. In an afternoon, I painted the rest alla prima.  The model is Toni Czechorosky who posed during an open figure studio at Randy Higbee's Gallery.  She has become a good friend of mine and I will paint more of the ballet dancer poses.  It is a subject I have wanted to paint for many years and finally started.  This was sold in hours of posting it on Facebook to another artist friend I have met from Randy's Studio sessions.  Here is the red oil wash sketch I began with.
I find that if I paint in my subject this way, in diluted oil color, I can manipulate the drawing to suit my needs for focal point and accuracy of proportions, values and placement.  Once I am content or if I am not, I continue to wipe away and redo until I feel it is ready to add color.  The color painting process can alter the drawing, but nothing is set in stone.  I was very pleased with this in the final completion. 
One more bit of information, I spent a month studying Edgar Degas and how he painted the ballet dancer.  His paintings and statements inspired me.  Although I knew of Edgar Degas for decades and admired all of his works, I was sparked to paint this by the latest modeling session of the above model as she dressed in Degas style ballet attire.  This was an extra pose the model made while on a break and I shot the image.
I wanted to take up ballet as a young girl when I was spry.  My family could not afford lessons, so I would just dance around the livingroom on my tippy toes.  I think it stubbed my toe growth, I didn't wear the proper ballet shoes.  Now, I can experience the magic of ballet by painting the dancers.  More will be made!  By clicking on the thumbnail below, it will take you to my website page to see the larger image.

Two of my artworks have recently been accepted into the "Islands Show" at the SOCALPAPA gallery on the Newport Peninsula. This painting "Great White Egret - Back Bay" and also "Hurry Before It Closes" was juried in the exhibition.  The show is being juried by noted artist, Frank Serrano with the awards announced at the reception. Reception is June 12, 2010 from 4-6pm. Gallery is located within the compound of the Newport Nautical Museum at the "Fun Zone" on Newport Peninsula.  If you want to meet me, I will be at the reception.  

On a crisp cool morning a warm light was falling over a bluff onto the "Beaches Cottage" at Crystal Cove.   The 1930's cottage sits on the south shoreline at Crystal Cove, it is in arrested decay.  Soon it will be dismantled and turned into a museum, never to look rustic like this again.  I am doing a series of it and am exploring it in different lights, moods and angles.   It comes without a frame at the price of $385.00  With a dark wood heavy frame it is $425.00.  Below you can see it on location. 

"American Pie - Lobster Boat" 6"W x 6"H, oil on linen over panel. $100, without frame.  $140 with a gorgeous dark wood wide edge frame.   I discovered this boat when it was on a dry dock, uplifted in the boat yard a few months ago. I saw that the former name was being whited out and a new name was about to go on. The next time I saw the boat, the new owner was looking at the new paint job. I asked him why the name change and he said he bought it in a bankruptcy sale and since the boat already had bad luck, he didn`t think a new name would jinx it. He said a song kept playing over in his head on the way back east, you guessed it, "Bye, bye, Miss American Pie" He shortened it and I love it. The third time I discovered the boat, it was in a slip in the Dana Point Harbor. I was excited to see it again, drove home and got my easel and paints to come back. Like the song, I could not get this boat out of my mind and was glad for the chance to be able to paint a small workstudy like this.
Which brings to mind a quote I created this day:
"It's not the song you sing, it`s the voice you deliver it in."
By saying this, I am referring to the image that the artist uses to produce a painting must carry the artist`s style or maker`s mark. It is their unique way of expression. I have developed my unique style over the years and it's only going to get better with each painting.

Here are the pictures of where I painted this in the harbor slip. 
The image above shows how I began by placing in larger color-value shapes.  I had this name tag from competing in other plein air contests, so I used it to identify myself to the many pedestrians strolling by.  It also helped when I had to run to the bathroom, I left it hanging there. 



I had to work fast to fill in the little 6" x 6" canvas before the water colors changed and the shadows and highlights on the boat shifted. 


Here it is at the end, the light became very strong and it helped that I got down my shadows and reflections early one in the correct hue/value.  All I had to do was add details, then take it home to add a tad bit more to the background trees and windows in the boat.  I didn't fuss with it, I wanted a very fresh, loose, happy work of art.  It sings it`s own happy song.

I am the assistant director this year of SOCALPAPA`S Back Bay Show & Sale at the Muth Interpretive Center in Newport`s Back Bay. The show dates are July 24-25, 2010. There will be both a juried art show with the opening reception on July 23rd and an outdoor art sale on the 24th-25th. More info will be coming soon. This is going to be a big, important show! Mark your calendars! I will be there!

One last request, would you like to sign up for the Esther J. Williams - Newsletter? It is a monthly email newsletter chock full of show and award news, art, hikes into the wilderness and stories about my personal artist life. Sign up on the link!TEST

A giant oak tree beside a dirt trail in Bommer Canyon, Irvine, CA.  The large lace work of the sky coming through the tree while the warm sun lit up the leaves spoke to me.  In the distance beyond the broken branch was a field of bright spring yellow green.  I am painting in broader strokes with chosen colors that relate to the actual scenery and artistic color additions.  These strokes are bold, powerful and yet loose and effective to evoke emotion. A wide frame of either gold or black wood will be added to the painting.

This french impressionist inspired piece was begun in a live model session at the Randy Higbee Gallery. The model was Toni Czechorosky wearing turn of the century fashion. Although she was standing next to a bookcase topped with books and a vase of yellow roses next to her, I added the background windows and large urn of flowers near the french paned windows. I also elongated the model from my influence in fashion design illustration. My desire was to have light flowing from the windows upon the gentle lady poised in her elegant setting.
When I brought the painting home to finish from the live model session, I began to feel a shift towards the French Impressionists way of painting the ladies of this day.  From my readings on Degas, I noted that he would take a pattern from a background that would utilize linear designs to direct the eye to the main figure.  That is when I envisioned the large window behind the model.  It`s very exciting when that happens to me, a vision in the middle of painting. Right after that I saw and felt the setting needed one more larger vase of flowers near the window.  The model was looking down and the big urn of flowers was the appropriate shape she would be gazing at. 
I would like to paint this composition again on a larger canvas now that I worked out such a difficult arrangement on a 12x16 linen canvas.  I wanted to note that the lavender I used was Holbein`s Violet Grey in several values including straight from the tube.  It is a most vibrant color in real life, I do not know if your monitor shows it. 
  I will add a picture of the live studio session where I began the painting later. 
 

Began on location in Monarch Bay, near Dana Point, CA. This was painted during the week of heavy rainstorms in southern California in 2010. There were fifteen foot waves that surged ashore, one after another. I spent the whole week just mesmerized by the giant waves rolling in. Each morning I was up at 6:30am to get down to the shoreline before the sun came up, that`s when they were at high tide. I took may images and filmed with my great SLR camera that captures HD video. This little oil painting study was done in the late afternoon before sunset. I was getting into the perspective of placing a strong foreground (dark rocks), a little less value concentration in the middle ground (waves) and a dissipating color strength in the background (bluffs). You get a sense of place, perspective and oceanic atmosphere in a little painting. I also was tripping out on the actual formation of the waves with the afternoon light shining through the curl next to the white water. I really felt I captured the colors and will use this study to probably make a larger painting. Unless it is sold, then I will have to go out there and paint another afternoon. I can not complain if I have to spend an afternoon with the ocean.
So, this is available on eBay right now from Feb 8-18, 10 day auction for starting bid of 99.00 plus shipping.  Go here to the listing.

Painted from a live model session at Randy Higbee`s Gallery in Costa Mesa, CA. The model is Tony Czechorosky. The attire was boudoir apparel. I will be painting her in another session on February 13, 2010. She will be wearing twentieth century fashion then.
It was a privilege to be invited to this Open Studio Figure Study at Randy Higbee`s Gallery.  There was a group of 25 artists practicing their figural drawing and painting techniques in a large open space, in the middle was the beautiful and professional model, Tony Czechorosky posing with grace and eloquence in varied boudoir apparel.  I chose to paint her full length with all the props, others painted just her face and some painted her as an abstract.  It was a lively session and serious at times when we all were working to complete the paintings. 
I am looking forward to attending the next open studio as I do love painting the figure. You can see this larger in my website under Paintings - Figural category.