Send in the Cows... There ought to be cows.

October 18, 2013

12" x 24" oil on canvas.  Burbank Ranch, Tomales.

Finishing this commissioned painting today (please view my previous post to learn more about this commission), I added the tiny cows on the warm mountains behind the ranch houses and modified the lighting to hills on left.  I tried to take a better image of the cows, but not terribly successful:

Detail: Burbank Ranch.

Happy to be finishing on a Friday.

Capturing the Late Summer Light at Stemple Creek

October 17, 2013

In Progress:  Late Summer Light at Stemple Creek 2013

This is day three, working on a 12" x 24" commission for Lisa and Loren Poncia of Stemple Creek Ranch in Tomales, California.  Lisa Poncia found me on Twitter with Marin friends, Peggy Butler @iPeggy and "Sally Around the Bay" @Sally_K .  I had a wonderful day touring the Poncia's properties with them more than a month ago and saw a baby cow born in these honey colored grasses.

Loren is a 4th generation rancher and winner of the 2013 J.W. Jamison Perpetual Trophy at the Sonoma County Fair.  His sustainable practices were more than apparent in the landscape the day I spent with them.  As we drove up into these rolling hills, Loren pointed down to Stemple Creek.  All along his property, he has let the trees and vegetation grow in and around the creek and it is lush and green, even in this dry, late summer weather.  Next door, at a nearby farm, cows were down in the creek and the vegetation had all been cut down.  Removing the vegetation around a creek causes run-off to polute the creeks and letting cattle in the creek too frequently can also cause problems with waste pollution.  It was night and day to see the difference Loren's practices had made in just my one short trip.  His efforts in sustainable ranching are a big reason for his awards this year, and you can tell his entire family really loves what they do.

Lisa is a poetic writer and photographer, and does most of the communications work for Stemple Creek (stemplecreek.com).  She is an avid Twitter and Instagram poster and I love seeing what's happening on the ranch in real time.

The image for this painting of the Burbank Family Ranch, at the end of Burbank Road in Tomales, was captured about 3 minutes before the sun dipped below the hills to the right side of the painting (aka "the west side").  A herd of cattle, about 40 in total, were grazing in the orange light on the rolling hills behind the barns.  I was very happy to capture that moment of peace and special lighting, as I knew it would translate well into a colorful painting.  Stay tuned for the final piece.  Please visit Stemple Creek Ranch online to learn more!

In the Studio Today... Stemple Creek Ranch

September 1, 2013

 

I am very excited to be starting a painting for the Poncia family of Stemple Creek Ranch in Tomales.  Lisa Poncia found me on Twitter, and the Marin group of Twitter folks I chat with have been enjoying Lisa's wonderful photos and blog posts about West Marin and their sustainable farms and animals.

I saw a baby cow bundle in the grass, which Loren went out to inspect and then the mommy headed off with the little guy.  Amazingly, a little cow can walk on it's own almost immediately.  This one was only 10 hours old old, Loren said, and part of the afterbirth was still visible on the mommy cow's hind quarters.

Another young calf also had a white face.  I love the character they each have; it's remarkable.

 

My son, Blake, loved the lamb with the black spot and the brown legs.  We were calling him "Brownie Chip".

The new guard-dog really loves Loren.

It was super foggy yesterday, but I will go back as many times as I need to to capture the right composition for my painting.  I will probably paint plein air part of the time, and from photos to complete the work.  Stay tuned...

The Art & Colors of Nutmeg (in Nicasio)

Joanne of the Nutmeg Shop, Nicasio, CA, originally uploaded by cproppe.

Nutmeg shop, Nicasio (click to view the full photo set on Flickr)

I had the pleasure of meeting both Joanne Sollecito and Ruby Hackney today in their new "Vintage Farmhouse Chic" shop on the Square in Nicasio, California. Ruby is a mother of two with an amazing design sense and flair for merchandising. The color spots she had created in the shop were so enjoyable, and the found mason jar flower displays were unique and fun. I loved being there, and didn't want to leave!

I was sent to the shop by Liz Daniels, proprietor of Cow Track Ranch, where I had been with the group "Art on the Farm" today for plein air painting.  Liz was raving about Ruby and Joanne's place and telling me I should bring my paintings there for them to sell... that would be great!  Local art would do very well there, as it is located right next to Druid's Hall where the annual MALT art show and exhibit is held each year.  Rancho Nicasio has a series of summer concerts on the lawn that are lots of fun.  Joanne and I started talking about coffee on the Square, and how that would be the next shop needed for all the passing summer cyclists.  Having just taken a brief nap with the cows myself at Cow Track, as the fog rolled in and it got windy and unpredictably cold, I was definitely ready for my afternoon caffeine assist before driving the winding roads home.

Just down the road from Nutmeg is Nicasio Valley Cheese Company and the LaFranchi Ranch, home of the west Marin pumpkin patch.  Lucky for me, they were having a special today, 2 for 1 on Foggy Morning and Foggy Morning with Basil... yum!

I'm sure it won't be long before the MarinIJ and Marin Magazine snap up the story of this new opening... I suggest they do a "Mother and Daughter" businesses of Nicasio story, since Liz Daniels and daughter, Melissa are now operating a B&B and "Real Weddings" venue at Cow Track. The new website by Melissa is terrific, with lots of photos.

Get out and enjoy Nicasio!

In the Studio Today... Mini Cow Paintings for the 23rd Annual Bolinas Museum "Mini Show"

Sunday, November 13, 2011

The Bolinas Museum, Bolinas, California  www.bolinasmuseum.org

Terrific Sunday, 60 degrees in late November, sunny afternoon drive to Bolinas to deliver my first submissions to the Bolinas Museum Mini Show, now in it's 23rd year.  This is a fundraiser, with all of the items giving at least 50% back to the Museum/50% to the artist.

Opening Reception:

Saturday • Nov 19 •  3 - 5pm

works of 80 invited artists

all pieces under $400

Colorful crab pots were out on the side of the road, and the low tide offered the kids and dog ample opportunity for running and treasure hunting on the beach.  The surfers were plentiful, even at sunset.

Working part-time at Art Works Downtown and still running my kids around to activities after school, I haven't had the time to paint that I did before I was working.  This forces me to burn the midnight oil and get paintings done at night.

This year, I chose to paint on 6" x 6" (2 inch deep) gessoboard, that comes with a frame/box already attached and ready for gallery installation.  My artist friend, Kate Peper, has been painting watercolors on these for years.  I really liked painting on this, and will definitely do more paintings in this fashion.

6" x 6" mini oil paintings on gallery ready gessoboard

 My first painting is of a cow grazing above Tomales Bay, off Route #1.  This is one of my favorite views of all, and you can park here and walk down until you are pretty close to the cows.

"Tomales Bay Munch"  6" x 6" oil on board 2011

The second mini painting is also from this same location.  The lighting in the late afternoon produces "cow shadows" that are just terrific.  I loved how the Mom is facing one direction and the kids are facing the opposite direction- all in silhouette with the colorful forground grasses. 

"Mother and Twins"  6" x 6" oil on board 2011

Hope to see you at the reception, November 19th!

In the Studio Today... 3 Tiny Cow Paintings; Day 2

Tuesday, November 30, 2010

"Solitude",  California Cow #4  6"x 6" o/c

 Finished 3 more of the "tiny cow painting" that was so loved at the Marin Arts Council, Small Wonders exhibit.  Two of these are promised to people.... one will be left over and available.  Notice how they are all different, even though I painted them from the same reference.  See- no two paintings are ever completely alike!

Tiny Cow Paintings, #4-#2.   All 6" x 6", o/c.

"Solitude",  California Cow #3  6"x 6" o/c

In the Studio Today... 3 More Tiny Cow Paintings

November 28, 2010

My tiniest cow painting ever, sold on "Black Friday" at the Marin Arts Gallery, "Small Wonders" show on 4th Street, in downtown San Rafael.  This show is ongoing, now through January 8th.  Meanwhile, another person had been telling me he was going to buy this painting, and a third person called yesterday, wanting to buy the same painting as well.  Now in progress... 3 more paintings, commissioned from the first.

Wow, 3 people wanting the same painting in one week!  Is this my lucky break?  Well, that's far from the truth.  These little paintings were priced to sell, at $125.  Hardly a fortune for me, and 30% goes back to the Marin Arts Council.  When you add in the cost of framing and materials, well... let's just say I probably come out with about have of the cost in my pocket.  It's not going to make you rich folks, but to have that pleasure from all these viewers, coming back to you; this is the real reward.

The call yesterday went something like this, "Hello, my partner and I went through the gallery twice, and decided that your tiny cow painting was our favorite, and we had to have it: It evoked the solitude of West Marin, and we just loved it".  Meanwhile, another buyer had expressed that it reminded the of their sister's wedding in Switzerland

A week before this, a woman from San Francisco called who had seen one of my cycling paintings and she instantly knew it had to be a gift for her sister, who loves to ride her bike on Lucas Valley Road.  She emailed later, after purchasing to tell me she loved it, and was getting lots of compliments.

You never know how your painting may touch another viewer, but you always hope to hear these comments, as it helps an artist to continue to move forward on new works.  Thank you to my supporters out there, who are giving me lots of love this holiday season.

In the Studio Today... Tiny Cow Painting 6" x 6"

September 26, 2010

"Black and White Cow in the Red, Yellow, Blue Sunset", Pt. Reyes, CA 6" x 6" o/c

This is a small painting I did tonight.  I am working on some affordable works for the "Art on the Farm" show at Pt. Reyes Winery, October 24th.  I am going to be selling my older works from previous farm paint outs 2008-2009, at very discounted prices for originals.  The goal here is to have some of the art purchased with 50% going back to Marin Organic Farmers Loan fund.  This little one will be priced around $150., with half going to the cause, half to the artist.

In the Studio Today... Flander's Ranch; Session #3

Tuesday, March 6, 2007

"The Bobble Tree" Flander's Ranch, Woodacre, CA 18" x 24"
I added details to the grasses in the foreground, and modified the shading on the closest cow. See a detail of the round tree I like to call the "bobble tree", below...
Detail of the spherical "bobble tree".

On Location Today... Flander's Ranch; Session #2

Saturday, March 3, 2007

Plein air at Flander's Ranch for the second day in a row. Today's session was 2.5 hours, and I was able to watch the cows pass by me again today. I was there later in the day, so the shadows from the trees and fence posts were much longer.

My easel in front of the hills today.

On location Today... Flander's Ranch; Session #1

Friday, March 2, 2007

"Bobble tree in the Hills at Flander's Ranch" San Geronimo Valley, CA 18" x 24"
Plein air painting from the roadside today, from about 12:30- 2:30pm. It was breezy and warm in the sun. The cows were lying down when I arrived, and about 1/2 hour into the painting session, they all got up and started heading back towards the barn, passing by me on the way. Several came up to the fence to check me out. They are very furry up close. Some of the cows have long red hair that really catches the sunlight. The black cows had orange highlights in the sun. There is a single tree, on the left of the painting that always looks like a perfect sphere- "the bobble tree", I call it. I wanted to get this one in the scene. The clouds were changing very quickly today, and it was fun to try to capture a few of their shapes. I hope to return on the weekend to finish the painting.

In the Studio...Session #3 & #4

Thursday, February 15, 2007

"Ode to Louisa I"
24" x 48"
Cows off Pt. Reyes-Petaluma Road, near Black Mt.

I am happy with the amount of detail at this point, and I do feel that in some places on the canvas, I left details out (that I may have otherwise put in) after looking at Matthiasdottir's work.
Detail views, below.

Detail 1, from left to right...


Detail 2, center of canvas


Detail 3, right side of canvas

In the Studio...Session #2

Wednesday, February 14, 2007
Valentine's Day

I started adding the cows into the scene today. The hills really do have trees in the valley that look like a heart... My heart lies in the hills, that is true.

In the Studio Today... Ode to Louisa; Session #1

Tuesday, February 13, 2007

"Ode to Louisa I" o/c 24" x 48" (2 feet x 4 feet)
I am starting a series of paintings for the May show at the Two Bird Cafe. I want people to feel like they are out in West Marin when they are eating... The lighting, the colors, the panoramic views. "Muralesque"... I want the paintings to have an impact. There will be smaller paintings to fill in the gaps between the larger scenes of West Marin. This painting, as it stands, reminds me of Louisa Matthiasdottir, an Icelandic born painter. I was lucky enough to see a show of hers in Iceland in the 1990's. Having seen the stunning country from which she drew her inspiration was a privilege. If you ever have a chance to visit Iceland, or view the work of Matthiasdottir, both are well worth the trip. Here is an example of her work from the 90's that I was very attracted to; Her work has been described as "using restraint", and "crisp". I couldn't agree more. It is challenging for me not to paint what I see, including lots of detail. I find her work amazing in her choices to leave out detail, and create a bold and striking scene, nonetheless.

In the Studio Tonight...Session #4

Thursday, February 8, 2007

I couldn't resist adding the crows in the tree... This may not be a good photo due to night/inside lighting, so the colors may be distorted a bit.

In the Studio Today...Session #3

Thursday, February 8, 2007

Tree at Flander's Ranch, San Geronimo Valley. Details to the tree and grass added this afternoon. I would like to do another painting with this same scene, but a panoramic view that includes the rolling hills beside the tree. I would like to work out some details in the tree that I did not put in this painting, including crows in the tree branches.

In the Studio Today...Session #2

Wednesday, February 7, 2007

Another hour or so this evening, adding shadows and highlights. I was going to donate this one to the San Anselmo Art Commision's Fundraiser, but because it is Flander's ranch in the Valley, perhaps I will save it for the May show at the Two Bird.

In the Studio Today... Flander's Tree; Session #1

Wednesday, February 7, 2007

I just started blocking out colors on this 18" x 14" painting of the tree at Flander's Ranch in San Geronimo Valley. About 1.5 hours of work today.

In the Studio Today... Tomales Bay Ranch; Session #6

Wednesday, January 31, 2007
I believe this is Martinelli Ranch, on Route #1, overlooking Tomales Bay. This is Panel B of 2 canvases, each are 16" x 20".


This is Panel A of 2 canvases, each are 16" x 20".


Here are the 2 canvases, together. Total size is 16" x 40". I am done with this painting, at this point. There is a moment when I feel I have added energy and painterly strokes to all areas of the canvas, and adding any more detail would be overworking the canvas. I like people to be able to feel it is a painting, and about color and paint, and see and feel the energy in the strokes I've made.