time to say goodbye

I have been "missing in action" from my blog. My Daddio passed on January 9th. It's been hard. Thank you so much to all my friends, blogger friends and facebook friends who have reached out to support me during this time. I am back from California now. One step at a time.
This painting is from California. The warm ground and cool morning air creates real beauty. I painted it during Christmas time when Daddio was alive and I would visit his hospital room in the early morning. We would sit and talk with our cups of Starbucks.  He would always kick me out and say, "Time to paint, right?"

Painting and underpainting: towards the light

I've been visiting Daddio in California over the holidays. He has been struggling with his health. The tiger that built my studio years ago is undertaking his biggest battle.
This small field I passed each day as I traveled back and forth from the hospital. The morning light was magical. When I was there I only had time to do a watercolor underpainting. With the memory of the field in my mind I finished with pastels in the studio. I posted both, since I have had numerous requests to do so. :-)
Please send some warmth and prayers to Daddio.

underpainting

win the new years painting give-away

goodbye Claifornia

Ok, here's the big moment.  I want to thank all my loyal visitors, collectors, and even the wonderful lurkers, for visiting my blog and especially for taking the time to comment. I do realize everyone has so many things to do each day and I love the fact that you use some precious moments visit.  What best way to thank everyone??????? Give a painting away, of course! My first painting give-away!
You probably wonder, "what do you have to do to qualify to receive this?" It's easy, just add a comment to this post and you will be entered. All new subscribers will get extra entry. (We love subscribers.) On New Years Day I will write everyone's name on a separate sheets of paper and place them in a "hat". I will present the "hat" to Luchianna, the famous paper chewing kitten. This will be her big chance to use that talent for fame. (So far she ate a check I was given -envelope and all.)  I will try to get photos of the big chomp as the Luch chooses our winner.
Anyone can enter. If the winner is not from the USA I will simply ask that the winner pay postage. Us residents will get a freebee. The winner will choose from my California collection of paintings. It will be shipped unframed.


Now I leave for the airport in hopes that my plane actually goes home. Looks like the pineapple express has turned to a big time snow event.

Merry Christmas-present

9x9 pastel and watercolor on Uart

The rains have stopped, the sun is shining, California is back to normal for Christmas. Have a wonderful, peaceful day and be sure to check back tomorrow when I announce my special Christmas present for you. To be sure, I am grateful every day for this opportunity to create each day and for all my supportive blogger friends and collectors. Toodles for now, be back tomorrow!

as California slowly weeps

9x9 pastel and watercolor on Uart

The rain continues to fall, hard. California is turning shades of green with the dusty rose underlayer. The drama of the hillsides contrasted with the soft rain/mist colors fascinate me. I try to make it abstract while still reading real...just enough but not too much.
Needless to say, I still need to paint from inside the car. It's really pretty cushy. A starbucks chai in the cup holder, Christmas tunes on the radio: as my late Uncle Bob used to say, "not too bad."

soft California rains

9x11 pastel and watercolor on Uart paper

Rainy southern California makes for beautiful atmospheric vistas. Painted from inside my car, this painting is all about soft feeling that is rain and fog and the altering of value and chroma to make both the atmosphere and distance. Once again the actual scene was much closer in value and chroma. Carving exciting negatives spaces and varying the handling of those spaces (smudged, scratched and calligraphy) all help add space and interest. Here is the watercolor underpainting.

The set-up is always in the watercolor. It works like a grisaille for me as the value decisions are made.
Special note: tonight is the lunar eclipse, which coincides with the Winter Solstice. Read about it here.

mountain view

9x10 (about) pastel on BFK

The layers of distance are made up of similar colors with changes in value and temperature. California has such interesting color so different from the East Coast. A beautiful place.

hope and possibilties:Christmas Morning

10x10 pastel on BFK

Christmas is about hope.

Merry Christmas friends!

First Blush at Christmas Eve

 10 x10 pastel on BFK

Twilight, Sunrise, Dawn.

Twilight- The diffused light from the sky during the early evening or early morning when the sun is below the horizon and its light is refracted by the earth's atmosphere.
Dawn - the point where the sky begins to lighten, the time before the sun comes over the horizon which ends twilight
Sunrise- the instant the sun comes over the horizon in the east.

Sam and Doug raised this point in the comments section on another post. It made me curious enough to investigate. So there are the basic definitions. I  have always loved twilight: the light, the feel, and the fact that it comes twice. If you miss it you have a second chance.

Christmas Eve and its magic comes once...enjoy it.

December Rising / making neutrals

10x 12 pastel on BFK
The only time I have today would be at twilight again...a wonderful time to paint. (The whole family is going to the San Diego Wild Animal Park.) So I drove down the road at 5:30 and pulled into a dark parking lot, facing east, with hopes of a view. As the sun began to give light to the hills I painted. My goal was to only use a handful of pastels, no neutrals. I needed to make more interesting neutrals with pures.

finding the song

Didn't have much time this morning and it was raining at sunrise. So I drove down the street and parked the car  in the first spot off the road. My challenge was "to make something of it." There was a billboard right in front of me and a interstate 15 over the hill. Hmmmmm. We artists are supposed to be able to make it sing right???? Yes I have had much better paintings, but this was a good exercise. Now back to the family;-)

twilight in gold and silver

10 x10 pastel on BFK
It was a silvery winter solstice twilight. The sun was still below the distant mountains, yet it peeked through with hues of gold. The clouds seemd to glow silver. It was my friends warm and cool at play again.
Happy Winter Solstice! The light is on its way....tomorrow we gain one minute of light.

Torrey Pines on Boxing Day

11x14, I think.... pastel and watercolor on Uart paper $150.
I went back to Torrey Pines this morning at sunrise. Color harmony can require restraint ( on the palette that is).
It was COLD and very windy. After 2 near complete disasters (a blown over easel-caught and a flying palette...and boy, they can fly!) I finally sat down with the painting and my box in my lap. I heard it is 60 degrees back in Maryland.
Tomorrow is a long day of travel. I will be back on Sunday.

Merry Christmas!

about 6x11 pastel and watercolor on Uart paper $100.
Merry Christmas everyone! It's pouring rain in sunny California and the only place wide enough to place the car and see is right here at Interstate 15. Love these lace-like trees!

The Grandaddy of Distance

11x14, pastel and watercolor on Uart paper, $300.
Wow, what a view! I almost drove off the road. I found this year last year and it took me the last 4 days to find it again. This vision sat in my mind all year.
Distance and big space with the rose colored light overlapped with the wowza feeling of seeing this view was my concept.
Merry Christmas everyone!

Early Morning; Torrey Pines

10 x 10 pastel and watercolor on Uart paper $175. plus tax and ship
I dreamed about coming back to this park all year long and could paint here for days. I love the way California comes complete with complementary colors. The rosy light touches the green/red trees makes for beauty.
My aim in my California paintings is distance, great distance the kind that is hard to come by in Maryland. The tools are neutralized color, overlapping, mass size, and color intensity.

Winter Solstice Morning

10 x 10 pastel and watercolor on Uart paper $100. plus shipping and tax
Determined to find a place where the lead in to the mountains was a little longer and flatter, I drove farther this morning. I passed a sunrise rainbow and then found my spot. The clouds were coming towards me at a rapid pace so I needed to paint fast. I love the subtle blue/violet grays in this one.

Sunrise in the Land of Canyons and Vistas

10 x 10pastel and watercolor on Uart paper $100.
After a long day of travel I am here in California. Not knowing my where-a-bouts I drove out of the condo parking lot in darkness and up a mountainside at 6:15 am. I found a spot before the sun came over the horizon, only to learn I was staring straight into it. The sunrise was magnificent and momentary. A different type of frosty fog was nestled in to valleys making for a whole new palette of neutrals. It took me at least 6 different pastels with the underlying watercolor to attempt to create the glowing frosty look.

January 10, 2008 California Dreaming

8x8 pastel on board, $100 plus tax and ship
It's late and I have worked this one to death. I am very busy preparing everything for my show so I feel a little crazy. I created this from a B&W photo. I want to go back to California in the spring time to paint. I wish......

January 1, 2008 Christmas Full Moon

9.5x11.5, pastel on board, $100. plus tax/shipping

This is one is for my niece, Agne (or Agneezille as we say.)
When we were in California she wanted me to paint palm trees. I must admit I didn't find them too interesting at first, until I began to see the negative shapes they formed. Well, on Christmas morning, daybreak was inspiring. A huge full moon was setting as the sun was rising. What more can you ask for? I did a quick sketch as a color reference and finally (in my studio) created a painting from it.
My new year resolution is to post my paintings, each day, with mention of size, medium and price. Next (sometime in January), I will subscribe to Paypal so that they can be easily purchased . Some may not be for sale because they are slated to go in my February show. You can buy them at the gallery instead.
It has been a wonderful year and I am looking forward to more painting in 2008. Happy New Year and thanks to everyone for your interest and support in my work in 2007! A special thank you to Paul(my loving husband), Toni ( my sister), Leah(my best friend), Mary Taylor/ Michael Moncavage (friend/patrons), Melissa and Dan Moncavage and my wonderful friends and family, all who have supported me in many ways to make my dream come true! Kisses and hugs to all of you!
All the best,
Loriann