Inevitably every artist who gets their work seen is asked this one question: how long did it take you to do that? And we hate it because we really haven't a clue!

Most painters don't punch in and out on a time clock so we don't keep track of time in that way. Maybe we should. By contrast, we tend to get lost in time when we're in a creative mood.At the completion of a painting very few of us stop to consider how long it took. Still others work on one painting and then switch to another making it all but impossible to keep track of hours spent on any individual work.

After completing a larger work I often wonder how long it did take. Artists take as long as it needs to before a work is deemed complete. Some paintings take longer and some practically paint themselves.

I know of one painter when asked that question at an art fair who replied, "Twenty-seven years of hard work," because that's how long he'd been painting. Probably as good an answer as any!

Here's a new miniature painting just completed... and please don't ask how long it took;) We went to the beach to see the sunset and drove north hoping to see the coast south to La Jolla in the warm light of the setting sun. As we drove by the lagoon I glanced at it and saw how wonderful the light was. We couldn't stop because we were in a race with the sun to get to our spot before it set, and we did. On the way back we did stop at the lagoon and I made a quick sketch and took some photos that were the inspiration for this painting.

"Evening Quiet", 6 by 8 inches, oil on canvas on panel.

It's in the 80s here at the coast and just about 100 degrees inland. It's a Santa Ana where the hot winds blow west off the desert, and that means danger of wildfires ... again. It's too hot to go out an paint so this landscape painter is hiding out in the cool of the studio and finishing up some work previously started.

And would you look at the price of gas at the pump! It's about $4 a gallon here in So Cal. I've even seen $4.50 at one station! Guess I'm saving gas by staying in the studio. And later this week when it cools off and I do go out I'll really have to plan my trip so that I'm not wasting the petrol.

Meanwhile here's a new painting just off the easel. A simple scene of rolling hills and oaks in springtime bloom. If you go to higher elevations where it's cooler you can still see some wildflowers, or rather I should say that could have seen them recently. Now that the Santa Ana is blowing through they are probably all gone. Bummer.

"Southern California Spring", 9 by 12 inches, oil on canvas.

Spring is giving way and summer is arriving. This landscape painter is really sad to see spring depart... but summer is pleasant too. As I drive around the county, being frugal with my tank of gas what with a really high toll at the pump of close to $4 a gallon here, the signs of lovely springtime taking her leave are everywhere. Have to admit it's hard to watch the bloom of wildflowers turning to seed, but hey, it's nature's way. And Mother Nature is all-wise, or so they say!

Am now able to go out and then paint for a while although getting my plein air equipment set up is a real challenge. (See below about car accident of 3/13). Everything takes twice as long so I'm a slow painter... not nearly as much fun as "slow food"!

Here's a new painting just finished for your amusement. Don't know why but there was something really engaging about this simple scene capturing the spirit of spring turning to summer that fired up my imagination. Hope you like it too:) Don't forget to "buckle up"!

"Spring into Summer", 9 by 12, oil on canvas mounted to panel.

It's been five weeks since the car ran into us (see below for details on that) but I am now able to paint for a while almost every day and that makes this landscape painter smile! Any time spent painting is for me a real good time. I can't yet go stand out in a scene and paint it but it's amazing how resourceful a person can be when driven to do something. I can sit in the car or wander over to a pleasantly placed bench, sketch the scene on canvas, and make some color notations in colored pencil. It works my visual memory to complete the painting in the studio and I do enjoy that. Then whenever I'm stuck I drive back to the spot with the painting to check my work. It feels like a "plein air pop quiz"!

Here are two new painting done mostly that way. The miniature is a view of the beautiful southern California coast and blue Pacific on a picture perfect day this week. The spring break visitors are all gone now and the beaches are less populated. I like that!

The second is my impression of a recent evening when I had a chance to visit a eucalyptus tree grouping surrounding a pool of water. It glistened brilliantly in the sunset light!

 

"Spring Wave Break", 6 by 8 inches, oil on canvas on panel.

"Eucalyptus Sunset", 9 by 12 inches, oil on canvas.

Ellen emailed me to see about a commission painting of the Flower Fields up in Carlsbad near here. The Flower Fields are a nursery where ranunculas are grown primarily for bulb sales but seasonally as cut flowers. In the spring when the fields, similar to tulips, are in full color bloom they open the gates to visitors, complete with art fair and strawberry farm stand sales! It's a fun family outing:)

I liked the thought of her commission right from the start and even more so after I found out that the painting would be for her Mom who loved to visit the Fields when she lived down here. Her Mom said that the Flower Fields looked like a big serape... and I had to laugh out loud when reading that as it sure is an accurate description!

If you are not familiar with the Flower Fields, here's a link: http://www.theflowerfields.com/

I especially wanted to do the commission for Ellen's Mom because she now has macular degeneration, which obstructs your vision. My Dad had it too so I know how frustrating it can be. Ellen thought that a painting of the Flower Fields with their big wide bands of color might be something her Mom would enjoy. I hope so too and here it is, below.

I'm finally trying to paint again, and I'm so happy about that! So thrilled to be pushing paint around even if it's just for a while during the day. I'm working from my own sketches, notes, and photos because there is no way I am mobile enough to get out on location right now. Hopefully it will be soon when I can do that again. Meanwhile it just feels great to paint. This week it will be a whole month without painting, so... I'm back;)

Here's a painting of the Desert in Bloom that I've just completed. We went to the desert the Saturday before the car crash and I have been yearning to paint what I saw. Hope I did it justice... but the fragrance of the desert wildflowers... no way I can paint that!

"Desert in Bloom", 6 inches by 8 inches, oil on canvas mounted to panel.

Don't want to turn this web site into a journal of my car accident and health, but don't want to disappear either. This landscape painter is yearning for the good old days of driving around trying to find a location that moves me! Still can't sit at the easel and walking is difficult. I know that things will get better and with each day I'm one day closer to being back to work. Meanwhile I'll spend my days painting landscapes in my mind:)