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.