tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-71446295115620883062012-01-29T09:16:06.064-08:00On Painting Daily by Marian FortunatiMusings of a painter on a continual journeyMarian Fortunatihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11107085447074524162noreply@blogger.comBlogger5161100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7144629511562088306.post-89032615849141936742012-01-27T18:09:00.000-08:002012-01-27T18:09:26.152-08:00Garrapata Coastline Showing in California Art Club Exhibit<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-tf-hoN1WEYw/TyNQzQF5ZKI/AAAAAAAACyc/Jc-nh765v1k/s1600/Garrapata+Coastline+20x16+Oil+$1000+Fortunati.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-tf-hoN1WEYw/TyNQzQF5ZKI/AAAAAAAACyc/Jc-nh765v1k/s320/Garrapata+Coastline+20x16+Oil+$1000+Fortunati.JPG" width="255" /></a></div><span class="blogfront-label-comment-count"></span><span class="blogfront-section-image"><br /><span class="blogfront-data-image-caption"></span></span> <br /><div class="blogfront-data-entry-text"><table align="left" border="0"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://marianfortunati.com/works/768074/garrapata-coastline" target="_blank"><strong>Garrapata Coastline</strong><br />© Marian Fortunati<br />20"x16" Oil On RayMar Canvas</a><br /><br /></td><td> </td></tr><tr><td><div style="text-align: center;">See details about this painting by<br />clicking on the link above.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div></td><td> </td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: center;">The Central California Coastline is a heavenly masterpiece that is one of California's gemlike attractions. The weather changes and the mood changes, but it is always beautiful. Garrapata Coastline is one of two paintings I created in the hopes that it would be accepted into the California Art Club's show at the Altadena Town And Country Club. The smaller one was sold before the show opened and this painting will be hanging alongside the paintings of some wonderful artists. I'm so pleased.<br /><br /><strong>Perhaps if you are in the area, you'd enjoy coming to the reception on </strong></div><div style="text-align: center;"><strong>Sunday, January 29, 2012 between 4 and 6 p.m. -- I hope so... I'd love to get a chance to talk with you!</strong></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" border="0"><tbody><tr><td><div id="rootDiv" style="background-color: white; margin: 0px;"><table border="0" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="0" style="width: 600px;"><tbody><tr><td width="100%"><table bgcolor="#774b4c" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" id="content_LETTER.BLOCK1" style="background-color: #774b4c;"><tbody><tr><td align="center" style="text-align: center;" valign="bottom"><img alt="New Logo with tile" border="0" name="ACCOUNT.IMAGE.805" src="http://ih.constantcontact.com/fs019/1101138862167/img/805.jpg" width="593" /></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr><tr><td bgcolor="#774b4c" style="background-color: #774b4c;"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr><td bgcolor="#ffffac" style="background-color: #ffffac; padding: 30px 10px;" valign="top" width="100%"><table bgcolor="#ffffac" border="0" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0" id="content_LETTER.BLOCK2" style="background-color: #ffffac; margin-bottom: 6px;"><tbody><tr><td align="left" style="color: #ff9900; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 14pt; text-align: left;" valign="top"><div style="color: #001a81; font-family: Calibri,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #0067ce; font-size: 18pt;"><strong><em> Iconic California </em></strong></span> <br /><div><span style="font-size: 8pt;"><strong><span style="color: #0067ce; font-size: 14pt;"><br />Opening Reception<br />Sunday, January 29, 2012<br />4:00 - 6:00 pm</span><br /><br /><div style="color: #4c4c4c; text-align: center;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 14pt;">Altadena Town & Country Club </span></div></strong></span></div></div></td></tr></tbody></table><table bgcolor="#ffffac" border="0" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0" id="content_LETTER.BLOCK3" style="background-color: #ffffac; display: table; margin-bottom: 6px;"><tbody><tr><td align="left" style="color: white; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; text-align: left;" valign="bottom"><div style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" name="ACCOUNT.IMAGE.1107" src="http://ih.constantcontact.com/fs019/1101138862167/img/1107.jpg" width="271" /><span style="color: black; font-size: 8pt;"><strong><span style="color: #3366ff;"> </span><span style="color: #3366ff; font-family: Calibri,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;"><br />Chris Zambon, </span><span style="color: #3366ff; font-family: Calibri,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;"><em>Old Los Angeles</em>, Oil on canvas 10''x10''</span> </strong></span></div></td></tr></tbody></table><table bgcolor="#ffffac" border="0" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0" id="content_LETTER.BLOCK11" style="background-color: #ffffac; margin-bottom: 6px;"><tbody><tr><td align="left" class="ccFontUpdated" style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; text-align: left;"><div><div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><strong>WHERE</strong><strong> </strong> Altadena Town & Country Club </div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"> 2290 Country Club Drive </div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"> Altadena, CA 91001 </div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"> (626) 794-7163 </div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><strong>WHEN</strong> <strong>Sunday, January 29, 2012</strong></div><div style="margin-left: 60px;"><strong> 4:00 - 6:00 pm</strong></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><strong>EVENT</strong> Reception with the Artists<br /><br /><strong>COST </strong> Free <br /><br /><strong>AUDIENCE</strong> All <a href="">CAC members</a> and friends<br /><br /><strong>DETAILS</strong> Please join us for the opening reception</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"> of the exhibition, <strong><em>Iconic California</em></strong>, this Sunday.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"> <br /> Featuring works by <a href="">California Art Club</a> Associate Artist Members </div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"> <strong>Nanette Biers, Thomas Breeden, Linda Brown, Roxana Caffaratto, </strong></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><strong> Nancy Ellington, Michelle Filice, Marian Fortunati, Susan Hall, </strong></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><strong> Micaiah Hardison, Nita Harper, Robin Haskell, John Hunzicker,</strong></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><strong> Desdy Kellogg, Lynn Mehta, Lisa Mozzini-McDill, Joseph Napolitano,</strong></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><strong> Rita Pacheco, Terumi Paganini, Lori Robinson, Marilyn Rose, </strong></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><strong> Ariana Saigh, Tara Sood, Marc Traudes, Laura Wambsgans,</strong></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><strong> Sharon Weaver, John White, Esther Williams, James Wisnowski,</strong></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"> and <strong>Chris Zambon. </strong></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center;">The exhibition continues through May 15, 2012.</div></div></div></td></tr></tbody></table><table bgcolor="#ffffac" border="0" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0" height="229" id="content_LETTER.BLOCK10" style="background-color: #ffffac; margin-bottom: 6px;"><tbody><tr><td align="left" style="color: black; font-family: Calibri,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 8pt;"><img border="0" name="ACCOUNT.IMAGE.1108" src="http://ih.constantcontact.com/fs019/1101138862167/img/1108.jpg" width="319" /></span><br /><span style="color: #0067ce; font-family: Calibri,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 8pt;"><strong>Nanette Biers, <em>Sono</em></strong></span><span style="color: #0067ce; font-family: Calibri,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 8pt;"><strong><em>ma Even</em></strong></span><span style="color: #0067ce; font-family: Calibri,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 8pt;"><strong><em>ing</em>, Oil on canvas 12"x16''</strong></span> <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 8pt;"> </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 8pt;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 8pt;"><strong> </strong></span><strong><em><img border="0" id="5196_767848" src="http://images.fasocdn.com/5196_767848m.jpg?cv=201111121609" /></em></strong></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: black; font-family: tahoma,sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;"><span style="color: black; font-size: x-small;"><strong><span style="font-size: small;">Santa Monica Sunset</span></strong>© Marian Fortunati<strong><br /><span style="color: red;">SOLD </span></strong></span></span></div></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></div><div style="background-color: white;"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" height="23" style="background-color: white; color: #2f2f2f; font-family: tahoma,sans-serif; font-size: 11px; width: 619px;"><tbody><tr><td><span style="color: black; font-family: tahoma,sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;"> <table border="0"><tbody><tr><td valign="center" width="100"><br /></td><td align="right" width="519"><br /></td></tr></tbody></table></span></td></tr></tbody></table><div id="LETTER.PHYSICALADDRESS" style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: tahoma,sans-serif; font-size: 12px; padding-top: 12px;"><span style="color: black; font-family: tahoma,sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">California Art Club, est. 1909<span style="color: #bababa;"> | </span>75 South Grand Avenue<span style="color: #bababa;"> | </span>Pasadena<span style="color: #bababa;"> | </span>CA<span style="color: #bababa;"> | </span>91105</span></div></td></tr></tbody></table></div><img src="http://r20.rs6.net/on.jsp?llr=xci8pqbab&t=1109144719363.0.1101138862167.2622&ts=S0714&o=http://ui.constantcontact.com/images/p1x1.gif" width="1" /></td><td> </td></tr><tr><td> </td><td> </td></tr></tbody></table></div><a class="blogfront-link-linktopost" href="http://marianfortunati.com/blog/39554/garrapata-coastline-being-show-in-the-california-art-club-exhibit-at-the-altadena-town-and-country-club" title="Garrapata Coastline - Being Show In The California Art Club Exhibit at The Altadena Town and Country Club">Comment on or Share this Article >></a><div class="blogger-post-footer">art, impressionism, continual learning, art community, plein air, figurative, still life, California artist<img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7144629511562088306-8903261584914193674?l=marianfortunationpaintingdaily.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Marian Fortunatihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11107085447074524162noreply@blogger.com425061-25115 Cabrillo Hwy, Carmel, CA 93923, USA36.44448503928196 -121.9252395629882836.41894403928196 -121.96472156298829 36.470026039281954 -121.88575756298827tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7144629511562088306.post-11713251438030815272012-01-25T16:10:00.000-08:002012-01-25T16:21:37.653-08:00Move It, Move It, Move It<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-AOkdUz-Fd3g/TyCYNFS_AAI/AAAAAAAACyU/1o_AksBrdSg/s1600/Move+It%252C+Move+It%252C+Move+It+small.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-AOkdUz-Fd3g/TyCYNFS_AAI/AAAAAAAACyU/1o_AksBrdSg/s320/Move+It%252C+Move+It%252C+Move+It+small.JPG" width="215" /></a></div><span class="blogfront-label-comment-count"></span><span class="blogfront-section-image"><br /><span class="blogfront-data-image-caption"></span></span> <br /><div class="blogfront-data-entry-text"><table align="left" border="0"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><b>Move It, Move It, Move It</b><br />4"x6" Oil on Hardboard</td><td></td></tr><tr><td></td><td></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: center;"><b><br /><br /><br /><br />Party Favors</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />These are a few of the series of small party favors I am painting for my daughter's baby shower.</div><table align="right" border="0"><tbody><tr><td></td><td><img border="0" src="http://images.fasocdn.com/5196_799842m.jpg?cv=201111121609" style="border: 0;" width="250" /></td></tr><tr><td></td><td style="text-align: center;"><b>Capuchan Cutie</b><br />4"x6" Oil on Hardboard</td></tr><tr><td></td><td><img border="0" src="http://images.fasocdn.com/5196_799845m.jpg?cv=201111121609" style="border: 0;" width="250" /></td></tr><tr><td></td><td style="text-align: center;"><b>Butts Up</b><br />4"x6" Oil on Hardboard</td></tr><tr><td></td><td><img border="0" src="http://images.fasocdn.com/5196_799846m.jpg?cv=201111121609" style="border: 0;" width="250" /></td></tr><tr><td></td><td style="text-align: center;"><b>Can I Have A Hug?</b><br />4"x6" Oil on Hardboard</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: left;"><br />I have now finished 15 little paintings for a shower which is scheduled for mid-February. I'm running behind. Life has gotten in the way again. I'm sure all of you are familiar with the pulls that happen when a loved one is sick. The current worry is my Dad. He has done very well and has reached 93 wonderful years, but right now there seems to be a bump in his road. I'm sure it will be alright, but I'm here in the hospital with him just because. For those of you who read my FASO blog, you know he likes to comment fairly regularly so he's a pretty good Dad, friend and supporter. When he is feeling bad, I feel bad.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><hr /><b>California Art Club Weekend Symposium</b><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">I feel fortunate to have spent the weekend up in San Francisco for the California Art Club's fabulous weekend symposium. I thoroughly enjoyed the first day's panel discussion about the future of art. The panelists were Eric Rhoads from Streamline Publishing, Thomas Reynolds who owns the Thomas Reynolds gallery and CAC President, Peter Adams. Many different opinions were expressed but there was definite consensus on the need to educate the younger generations and the public in general about all forms of art. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">This was followed by a very stimulating marketing talk by Eric Rhoads called "How to Transform Your Art Career". I enjoyed his realistic and humor filled talk and took copious notes. This is a man who enjoys people and enjoys what he does. I hold him high on my list of people to admire because I adore his <a href="http://www.outdoorpainter.com/contact.html" target="_blank">Plein Air Magazine</a>, one of three magazines his company publishes. The afternoon was filled with fascinating demonstrations.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div>After the lunch break, we all spent the afternoon cycling between three excellent painting demos, offered by <a href="https://www.facebook.com/nancyseamons.crookston" target="_blank">Nancy Seamons Crookston</a> (a portrait in oil), <a href="http://www.dgallup.com/" target="_blank">David Gallup </a>(three quick studies in oil) and <a href="http://kimfancherlordier.com/" target="_blank">Kim Lordier</a> (landscape in pastel). People could move from artist to artist or stay in one spot for the entire demonstration. I have long admired the work of Kim Lordier and although I don't paint in pastel, I found her process fascinating. Even though I have studied with David Gallup for over a year, I never tire of listening to his stories, learning from his wonderful store of knowledge and watching the ballet of movement as he creates fascinating paintings. Each artist had something interesting to share and we learned from all of them.<br /><br />A brisk walk to the hotel, then a rest and my friend Diane Nelson-Gold and I went out for a nice dinner together.<br /><br />The second day was started by a terrifically motivational speech by Joseph Paquet. He was well prepared and inspiring. An artist whose blog I follow was also there and her blog has some wonderful notes. Check out her post right here: <a href="http://foxstudio.wordpress.com/2012/01/23/california-art-club-winter-symposium-day-two/" target="_blank">Susan Fox.</a> Following Paquet's presentation was an interesting art critique session and then Joe Paquet did a painting demonstration of painting a landscape using his memory and imagination. <br /><br />All in all it was a great symposium and I thank the Northern California CAC artists who organized and planned this event. I hope they do it again next year.<br /><br /></div><a class="blogfront-link-linktopost" href="http://marianfortunati.com/blog/39436/move-it-move-it-move-it-12-15-out-of-25" title="Move It, Move It, Move It (#12-15 out of 25)">Comment on or Share this Article >></a><div class="blogger-post-footer">art, impressionism, continual learning, art community, plein air, figurative, still life, California artist<img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7144629511562088306-1171325143803081527?l=marianfortunationpaintingdaily.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Marian Fortunatihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11107085447074524162noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7144629511562088306.post-67816597218439766682012-01-21T19:06:00.000-08:002012-01-21T19:12:12.334-08:00"The Pirates' Cove" -- Up The Malibu Coast - Leo Carrillo<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-f08jTOalLSw/Txt80rO91tI/AAAAAAAACyM/q3c3Bqc9deM/s1600/The+Pirates%2527+Cove+small.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="252" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-f08jTOalLSw/Txt80rO91tI/AAAAAAAACyM/q3c3Bqc9deM/s320/The+Pirates%2527+Cove+small.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><span class="blogfront-label-comment-count"></span><span class="blogfront-section-image"><br /><span class="blogfront-data-image-caption"></span></span> <br /><div class="blogfront-data-entry-text"><table align="left" border="0"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://marianfortunati.com/works/797671/the-pirates-cove" target="_blank"><b>The Pirates' Cove</b><br />© Marian Fortunati<br />8"x10" Oil on Linen Panel</a><br /><br /></td><td></td></tr><tr><td style="text-align: center;">Click on the link above<br />for additional details.<br /><br /></td><td></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: left;">I paint fairly often at Leo Carrillo Beach State Park. It is a beautiful beach on the north end of the Malibu coastline in Southern California.<br /><br />The weather changes. The seas are sometimes stormy and sometimes calm and the rock formations are varied so that wherever you decide to paint, there is a different scene to create.<br /><br />One time after I had been painting at Leo Carrillo, my father called me up to tell me that Hewell Houser was doing a program about Leo Carrillo Beach State Park. Apparently Carrillo was the set of many old movies... (Many giant mutated crabs attacked the world over those coastal rocks!) I also learned by watching Hewell Houser's program that below where I had generally been painting, there are a series of caves that are referred to as the pirate caves. So on this day, I went in search of them.... And found the caves and the cove beyond.</div><table align="right" border="0"><tbody><tr><td></td><td><img border="0" src="http://images.fasocdn.com/5196_797698m.jpg?cv=201111121609" /></td></tr><tr><td></td><td style="text-align: center;">George, Maria, Annette and Diane getting<br />ready for lunch.<br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">The Malibu / Ventura Chapter of the California Art Club held its monthly paint out at Leo Carrillo on Wednesday. I was eager to go so I could enjoy winter along California's beautiful coastline. Although the forecasters and predicted cold weather and clouds, it was moderate and clear. -- Actually it was quite beautiful. There weren't a lot of painters at the event this time... they probably thought it would be too cold but we all enjoyed ourselves anyway.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">I decided to find the pirate caves. I climbed over large mounds of built up seaweed and lots of rocks and found the caves. Then I went through a big one and emerged on the other side to find a beautiful little cove where the wet sand was reflecting the cliffs beyond. My heart did that little pitter patter thing that happens when a painter finds "the spot". I knew I had to paint it.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">While I was busy painting, I left my salad which was in a bag in a plastic container next to a thick jacket on a rock (before the seaweed piles and rocks and the cave. It's the seagulls that were the pirates!! They pecked through the plastic container and stole all of the chicken out of my salad. -- No worries... I had lots of cabbage and lettuce to eat with my friends when we all broke for lunch.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div></div><a class="blogfront-link-linktopost" href="http://marianfortunati.com/blog/39308/the-pirates-cove-you-have-to-paint-what-you-love" title="The Pirates' Cove (You HAVE To Paint What You Love)">Comment on or Share this Article >></a><div class="blogger-post-footer">art, impressionism, continual learning, art community, plein air, figurative, still life, California artist<img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7144629511562088306-6781659721843976668?l=marianfortunationpaintingdaily.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Marian Fortunatihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11107085447074524162noreply@blogger.com7Beach Access Rd, Malibu, CA 90265, USA34.04469442222683 -118.9385032653808634.03153842222683 -118.95824426538086 34.057850422226835 -118.91876226538086tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7144629511562088306.post-44851536321632864972012-01-17T22:15:00.000-08:002012-01-17T22:22:15.946-08:00Bathing Beauty (Almost Halfway There) AND 2012 Goals<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-eshBcJSiyXI/TxZi6ERQomI/AAAAAAAACyE/IqIVANQqReM/s1600/Bathing+Beauty+small.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="228" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-eshBcJSiyXI/TxZi6ERQomI/AAAAAAAACyE/IqIVANQqReM/s320/Bathing+Beauty+small.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><span class="blogfront-label-comment-count"></span><span class="blogfront-section-image"><br /><span class="blogfront-data-image-caption"></span></span> <br /><div class="blogfront-data-entry-text"><table align="left" border="0"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><b>Bathing Beauty</b><br />© Marian Fortunati<br />5"x7" Oil on Hardboard</td><td></td></tr><tr><td style="text-align: center;"></td><td></td></tr><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://images.fasocdn.com/5196_794044m.jpg?cv=201111121609" style="border: 0pt none;" width="225" /></td><td></td></tr><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><b>Can We Play, Dad?</b><br />© Marian Fortunati<br />5"x7" Oil on Hardboard</td><td></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">By now I imagine you're finding these little paintings are getting weary. I am too. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="right" border="0"><tbody><tr><td></td><td> <img border="0" id="5196_794046" src="http://images.fasocdn.com/5196_794046m.jpg?cv=201111121609" style="border: 0;" width="225" /></td></tr><tr><td></td><td style="text-align: center;"><b> I'll Race You To The Trees</b><br />© Marian Fortunati<br />5"x7" Oil on Hardboard</td></tr><tr><td></td><td> <img border="0" id="5196_794050" src="http://images.fasocdn.com/5196_794050m.jpg?cv=201111121609" style="border: 0;" width="225" /></td></tr><tr><td></td><td style="text-align: center;"> <b>Necking</b><br />© Marian Fortunati<br />5"x7" Oil on Hardboard</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: center;">I'm not quite halfway to my goal of 25 paintings and I am looking forward to Wednesday when I can take a break from these little critters and get out to do some plein air painting with my California Art Club Pals. I'll probably blog about the paint out on the next post although several paint outs have gone by without me posting anything. We'll see. Hopefully the weather will be beautiful by Wednesday.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">These little paintings are part of a series of 25 that I'm doing as party favors for my daughter's baby shower.<br /><br />***********************************<br /><br /><b><span style="font-size: large;">2012 Goals</span></b></div><br /><span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">I've been thinking a lot about my art, my life and what is important to me. I believe in setting goals which serve as guides to help me improve my work which in reality is my long-term goal. I want to enjoy my art and letting life drive my art rather than letting art drive my life. We'll see how that works out.</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"> </span><br /><ul><li><span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Continual painting daily. I enjoy it... so keep it up.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Sign up again to study regularly with a high level plein air and studio artist so that am better able to create larger better studio pieces from my plein air studies.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Paint en plein air AT LEAST three times a month.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Sketch or draw at least weekly. (Didn't achieve this regularly last year. Hope to do better this year.)</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Continue exhibiting. Seek other appropriate venues to exhibit -- Amass a body of work which will attract buyers and gallery owners.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Stage a one woman show and seek gallery representation.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">investigate the possibility of participating in an artist's studio tour or open studio event.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Expand my collector base and use it to seek other collectors.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Sell 50% more paintings (and make more $) than in 2011. (I didn't reach this goal last year but will try for it this year.)<br /><br /><span style="font-family: andale mono,times; font-size: small;">The above goals are not a lot different than those I set last year, but I think they are reasonable and will help me continue on my artistic path.</span></span></li></ul><br /></div><a class="blogfront-link-linktopost" href="http://marianfortunati.com/blog/39094/bathing-beauty-almost-halfway-there-on-the-party-favors-and-2012-goals" title="Bathing Beauty (Almost Halfway There On The Party Favors) AND..... 2012 Goals!">Comment on or Share this Article </a><div class="blogger-post-footer">art, impressionism, continual learning, art community, plein air, figurative, still life, California artist<img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7144629511562088306-4485153632163286497?l=marianfortunationpaintingdaily.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Marian Fortunatihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11107085447074524162noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7144629511562088306.post-76340386925107411392012-01-14T08:58:00.000-08:002012-01-14T08:59:37.746-08:00More Animal Party Favors<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Qebw46Y0C_M/TxGzpCvCCxI/AAAAAAAACx8/D41a1QXYp5U/s1600/Doing+Time+small.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="228" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Qebw46Y0C_M/TxGzpCvCCxI/AAAAAAAACx8/D41a1QXYp5U/s320/Doing+Time+small.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><span class="blogfront-label-comment-count"></span><span class="blogfront-section-image"><br /><span class="blogfront-data-image-caption"></span></span> <br /><div class="blogfront-data-entry-text"><table align="left" border="0"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><b>Doing Time</b><br />© Marian Fortunati<br />5"x7" Oil on Hardboard</td><td></td></tr><tr><td><br /><br /></td><td></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />I'm trying to create a series of party favors for my daughter's upcoming baby shower. I guess the surprise to me was how much time these little paintings take to create-- despite the fact that they are really tiny!<br /><br /><table align="right" border="0" height="291" style="width: 215px;"><tbody><tr><td></td><td><img border="0" src="http://images.fasocdn.com/5196_792375m.jpg?cv=201111121609" style="border: 0;" width="225" /></td></tr><tr><td></td><td><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Do I HAVE To Get Up?</b></div><div style="text-align: center;">© Marian Fortunati<br />4"x6" Oil on Hardboard</div></td></tr><tr><td></td><td><img border="0" id="5196_792367" src="http://images.fasocdn.com/5196_792367m.jpg?cv=201111121609" style="border: 0;" width="225" /></td></tr><tr><td></td><td style="text-align: center;"><b>Back When I Was Your Age</b><br />© Marian Fortunati<br />5"x7" Oil on Hardboard</td></tr></tbody></table> Between searching for images I like, sketching out the little animal on the board and painting them, I am NOT keeping up with my schedule.<br /><br />I had planned to paint a couple yesterday, but ended up trying to get my finance in order. (What was I thinking??) Today is another day... perhaps I'll create some more.<br /><br />No worries. I'm finding it rather fun and am sure I'll reach the goal of 25 paintings before the date of the shower..... At least I hope so!!!<br /><br />My beautiful daughter is wonderfully pregnant and glowing. She doesn't like how she looks right now, but I think she's gorgeous. I'd love to get some photos of her that I might be able to paint... somehow pregnant women seem so lovely. Don't you think so??<br /><br /></div><a class="blogfront-link-linktopost" href="http://marianfortunati.com/blog/38996/doing-time-7-down-18-to-go" title="Doing Time -- 7 Down 18 To Go">Comment on or Share this Article >></a><div class="blogger-post-footer">art, impressionism, continual learning, art community, plein air, figurative, still life, California artist<img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7144629511562088306-7634038692510741139?l=marianfortunationpaintingdaily.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Marian Fortunatihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11107085447074524162noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7144629511562088306.post-27695343210686686722012-01-12T11:16:00.000-08:002012-01-12T12:09:22.912-08:00"Poppy Path" Juried in to the Buenaventura Gallery Open Show<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-1bvWfxd38AI/Tw8vtvOuNpI/AAAAAAAACx0/QLa4oHkSrQo/s1600/Poppy+Path+2+small.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="255" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-1bvWfxd38AI/Tw8vtvOuNpI/AAAAAAAACx0/QLa4oHkSrQo/s320/Poppy+Path+2+small.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><span class="blogfront-label-comment-count"></span> <span class="blogfront-section-image"></span>Every time I travel to across California, I am filled with a special joy when I see fields of flowers. This pathway of poppies leads me right into a little bit of heaven. I hope you will enjoy it the wide splash of color across the grassy field.<br /><div class="blogfront-data-entry-text"><br />I was thrilled to learn that my painting, <a href="http://marianfortunati.com/works/657417/poppy-path" target="_blank"><b>"Poppy Path"</b></a> was juried in to the Buenaventura open show. More than 400 paintings were entered into the show but the juror, Gary Lang, could only choose 80 paintings to hang. Here is what he wrote after jurying the show:<br /><br /><div style="padding-left: 30px;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;">“To all the artists who submitted artworks to the Buenaventura Gallery invitational it was truly an honor to witness your efforts first hand. Too many unique creative visions to curate into one exhibition. There was no true rejection, rather my attempt to select and reward an edge of the whole. In many cases I would overlook obvious talents in an effort to honor courage, vulnerability and risk as I have learned that none of us can afford to be too comfortable. Every artist in this competition has merit, and 10 shows could have been curated from the work I looked at. </span></div><div style="padding-left: 30px;"><br /></div><div style="padding-left: 30px;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;">Cudos to you all, and thank you for pitching your time honored projects to the public at your own expense. I get it, tip my hat to you all.”</span></div><div style="padding-left: 30px;"><br /></div><div style="padding-left: 30px;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;">Gary Lang</span></div><br />Perhaps I will see you at the reception if you are in the area. If you can't make it on Saturday, please try to go by this lovely gallery before the show is over.<br /><br />Perhaps I will see you at the reception if you are in the area. If you can't make it on Saturday, please try to go by this lovely gallery before the show is over.<br /><table align="center" border="0" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="2" height="755" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; width: 589px;"><tbody><tr height="51"><td bgcolor="#338e8a" colspan="3" height="51"></td></tr><tr height="51"><td bgcolor="#338e8a" colspan="3" height="51"><br /><div style="padding-left: 210px;"><span style="color: black;"><b><span style="font-size: large;"> <span style="color: white;"> </span><a href="http://www.blogger.com/goog_1404437049" style="color: white;" target="_blank">Poppy Path</a></span><a href="http://www.blogger.com/goog_1404437049" target="_blank"><br /></a><a href="http://www.blogger.com/goog_1404437049"> </a> © Marian Fortunati<br />16"x20" Oil on Canvas Panel</b></span></div><br /></td></tr><tr bgcolor="white"><td bgcolor="white" colspan="2"><table border="0" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="2" style="width: 548px;"><tbody><tr align="left" valign="top"><td align="left" colspan="2" valign="top"> <span style="color: black;"> Click on the above link for additional details.</span><br /><br /></td></tr><tr align="left" valign="top"><td align="right" valign="top"><div><table border="0" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="2" style="width: 64px;"><tbody><tr><td><img border="0" src="http://www.buenaventuragallery.org/images/Joleaud.Laurel_Coastal.jpg" width="300" /></td></tr><tr><td><div style="padding-left: 30px;"><i><b><span style="font-family: comic sans ms,sans-serif; font-size: small;"> </span></b>Best of Show, 2011 Open Competition<br />"Coastal"<br /> by Laurel Murray-Joleaud</i></div></td></tr></tbody></table></div></td><td align="left" valign="middle"><div><h2><br /> <span style="color: #002850;">25th Annual Open Competition<br /> Buenaventura Gallery</span></h2><span style="color: #002850;"><br /></span><br /><span style="color: black;">January 10 - 28, 2012</span><br /><br /><span style="color: black;"><b><i>Reception & Awards:<br /> </i>Saturday, January 14</b></span><br /><span style="color: black;"><b> 4 - 7 pm</b></span><br /><br /><br /><span style="color: black;">The Annual Competition brings artists from all over the county competiting for cash prizes and other awards.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: black;">700 E. Santa Clara, <br />Ventura, CA 93001 <br />• 805.648.1235</span></span><br /><br /><span style="color: black; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: black;"><a href="http://www.buenaventuragallery.org/" target="_blank">www.buenaventuragallery.org</a></span></span></span></div></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></div><br /><a class="blogfront-link-linktopost" href="http://marianfortunati.com/blog/38886/poppy-path-juried-in-to-the-buenaventura-gallery-open-show" title=""Poppy Path" Juried in to the Buenaventura Gallery Open Show">Comment on or Share this Article >></a><div class="blogger-post-footer">art, impressionism, continual learning, art community, plein air, figurative, still life, California artist<img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7144629511562088306-2769534321068668672?l=marianfortunationpaintingdaily.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Marian Fortunatihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11107085447074524162noreply@blogger.com6Ventura, CA, USA34.2746405 -119.229005334.169670499999995 -119.3869338 34.3796105 -119.0710768tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7144629511562088306.post-38836689140763460062012-01-10T21:40:00.000-08:002012-01-10T21:44:45.801-08:00Do You Like My Hat? (#3 and #4 of 25 Animal Paintings)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-qETgMEgPx_E/Tw0feCUd35I/AAAAAAAACxs/_bDLUNUZIwM/s1600/Do+You+Like+My+Hat+small.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-qETgMEgPx_E/Tw0feCUd35I/AAAAAAAACxs/_bDLUNUZIwM/s320/Do+You+Like+My+Hat+small.JPG" width="225" /></a></div><span class="blogfront-label-comment-count"></span><span class="blogfront-section-image"><br /><span class="blogfront-data-image-caption"></span></span> <br /><div class="blogfront-data-entry-text"><table align="left" border="0"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><b>Do You Like My Hat?</b><br />© Marian Fortunati<br />7"x5" Oil on Hardboard</td><td> </td></tr><tr><td></td><td></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="right" border="0"><tbody><tr><td></td><td><img border="0" id="5196_789963" src="http://images.fasocdn.com/5196_789963m.jpg?cv=201111121609" style="border: 0;" width="200" /></td></tr><tr><td></td><td style="text-align: center;"><b>Hey! Wait For Me!</b><br />© Marian Fortunati<br />5" x 7" Oil on Hardboard</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: center;"><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />This odd bird is one of 25 small paintings I am creating as party favors for a baby shower. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Each guest will be able to go home with a small 4"x6" or 5"x7" framed animal painting.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /><br />Monkeys, cheetahs, gorillas, giraffes, zebras, hippos and colorful birds will adorn the shower tables and guests will be able to choose which image they want to take home.<br /><br />Doing these paintings for no other reason than to please my daughter has given me lots of time to think about what I'd like to set as goals for 2012. I'll be posting those goals in the near future. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Meanwhile, I've enjoyed reading and learning about how others approach goal setting.<br /><br /><br /></div></div><a class="blogfront-link-linktopost" href="http://marianfortunati.com/blog/38836/do-you-like-my-hat-3-and-4-out-of-25-animal-paintings" title="Do You Like My Hat? (#3 and #4 Out of 25 Animal Paintings)">Comment on or Share this Article </a><div class="blogger-post-footer">art, impressionism, continual learning, art community, plein air, figurative, still life, California artist<img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7144629511562088306-3883668914076346006?l=marianfortunationpaintingdaily.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Marian Fortunatihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11107085447074524162noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7144629511562088306.post-12447221674681906282012-01-08T15:49:00.000-08:002012-01-08T16:52:19.235-08:00Two Down, Twenty-Three To Go<span class="blogfront-label-comment-count"></span> <br /><div class="blogfront-data-entry-text"><table align="right" border="0"><tbody><tr><td><br /></td><td><img border="0" src="http://images.fasocdn.com/5196_788369m.jpg?cv=201111121609" /></td></tr><tr><td><br /></td><td style="text-align: center;"><b>Give Us A Kiss</b><br /><br />© Marian Fortunati<br />4"x6" Oil on Hardboard</td></tr></tbody></table>I finished up the paintings I was working on for shows and now am free to work on the paintings my daughter asked for.<br /><br />I was kind of flattered that she asked me to create party favors for her upcoming baby shower. My daughter, Francesca, is due with her first child in March. I'm looking forward to the new little fellow's arrival and wanted to help her out with a shower. However, she lives in Santa Barbara and she didn't want to have a shower in my neck of the woods so she's arranging it all and basically has assigned me and her mother-in-law tasks to help out. She thought that little paintings of "jungle" animals might make cute favors. So here I am painting away. If nothing else, I'm getting a lot of practice in.<br /><br /><table align="left" border="0"><tbody><tr><td><img border="0" src="http://images.fasocdn.com/5196_788372m.jpg?cv=201111121609" /></td><td><br /></td></tr><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><b>Come On Dad!</b><br /><br />© Marian Fortunati<br />5"x7" Oil on Hardboard</td><td><br /></td></tr></tbody></table>My husband cut up a big masonite board into small sizes and I'm tackling the paintings. She thinks there will be 25 guests. I started on January 1st with the intent of painting one a day until I have enough. Life and many events have happened and I am now behind. But I will catch up. <br /><br />It is sort of fun trying to paint these as I'm not too concerned about making fabulous art... just in creating a cute little something for the shower. <br /><br />I will continue to post the little paintings as I finish them. Hopefully, they will all be done in time for the shower!!<br /><br />In the meantime, Happy New Year!</div><br /><a class="blogfront-link-linktopost" href="http://marianfortunati.com/blog/38734/two-down-twenty-three-to-go" title="Two Down, Twenty-Three To Go">Comment on or Share this Article </a><div class="blogger-post-footer">art, impressionism, continual learning, art community, plein air, figurative, still life, California artist<img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7144629511562088306-1244722167468190628?l=marianfortunationpaintingdaily.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Marian Fortunatihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11107085447074524162noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7144629511562088306.post-27984682998697768682012-01-06T08:49:00.000-08:002012-01-07T10:03:08.165-08:00Heading Home: Evaluating Results and Setting Goals<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-TRL-AK1azuo/TwclffKr5UI/AAAAAAAACxk/d0QVgLWreVQ/s1600/M.+Fortunati+Heading+Home+10x20+%2524750.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="160" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-TRL-AK1azuo/TwclffKr5UI/AAAAAAAACxk/d0QVgLWreVQ/s320/M.+Fortunati+Heading+Home+10x20+%2524750.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><span class="blogfront-label-comment-count"></span> <span class="blogfront-section-image"><br /><span class="blogfront-data-image-caption"></span></span> <br /><div class="blogfront-data-entry-text"><table align="center" border="0"><tbody><tr> <td><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/goog_844085002"><b>Heading Home</b></a><br /><a href="http://www.blogger.com/goog_844085002">© Marian Fortunati</a><br /><a href="http://www.blogger.com/goog_844085002">10" x 20" Oil on Canvas Panel</a></div><a href="http://marianfortunati.com/works/723118/heading-home" target="_blank"><br /></a></td> <td></td> </tr><tr> <td style="text-align: center;">Please click on the above link<br />for additional details<br /><br /></td> <td></td> </tr></tbody> </table><br /><div style="text-align: center;">Sometimes on a weary ride through Los Angeles' freeway system, the skies are so magnificent that you can forget the traffic and delays getting home and just enjoy the beauty in front of your eyes.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><hr /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><b>What will the new year bring??</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">I'm always trying to figure out what I want out of this art journey of mine. You would think I would know my own heart and mind. In reality I'm really enjoying all I am doing and I have so much trouble coming to grips with benchmark steps to reach annual goals when I don't really know what my goals SHOULD be.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Silly, huh??</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Although painting well IS the goal, I suppose it is a goal I'll never reach because as I improve, I realize that there is so much more room for improvement. I also still struggle with being the judge of my own progress and for that reason I rely on outside evaluations such as being juried into shows, winning awards and selling my work. So I guess I will set some goals using those measures.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">To set goals, of course I looked at last year's goals and whether or not I met them. I will ramp up those I met and figure out a reasonable benchmark to set next year's goals. <br /><br />In the sales department, I decided to use the advice Carolyn Henderson suggested in one of her wonderful FASO blog posts. I looked at my 2011 sales and analysed the paintings which sold, the collectors, and the "venues" where they were sold. Here are some interesting results from the analysis:</div><ul><li>Over 40% of the people who bought my paintings were strangers to me. <i>I'll need to do follow up to "get to know" these people -- they might refer friends to me.</i></li><li>A third of my sales were from people looking at my website or coming to my website from FB or my newsletter. <i>Guess I should keep promoting my art through these vehicles. I wonder how to ramp it up.</i></li><li>Half of the paintings sold were sold from exhibitions. <i>--A good reason to look for more "selling" venues.</i></li><li>Only about 33% of the paintings sold were in the landscape category. <i>I am going to keep painting landscapes because I love to do so, but it is interesting that despite the fact that the vast majority of paintings I create ARE landscapes, they are not the ones that sold best last year.</i></li><li>Less than 20% of my sales were plein air paintings -- the type I enjoy painting the most. <i>Disappointing</i></li><li>Less than 20% of my sales were to people who already own my paintings. <i>I wonder if there is a better way to promote to current collectors without turning them off.</i></li></ul>Well, these are interesting statistics, but I think these statistics are similar to those on our Fine Artist Studio Online (FASO). I often look at how many people visit my website, but it is really difficult to draw any conclusions about this. Really, what does it matter whether 25 or 55 people visit the website a day? Does it matter whether the average person looked at one page or if they looked at 150? <br /><br />Are the # of sales and/or visitors to my website in ANY way related to the real or perceived quality of the work?<br /><br />I just don't know...<br /><br />Do you?<br /><br /><br /></div><a class="blogfront-link-linktopost" href="http://marianfortunati.com/blog/38646/heading-home-evaluating-results-and-setting-goals" title="Heading Home: Evaluating Results and Setting Goals">Comment on or Share this Article >></a><div class="blogger-post-footer">art, impressionism, continual learning, art community, plein air, figurative, still life, California artist<img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7144629511562088306-2798468299869776868?l=marianfortunationpaintingdaily.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Marian Fortunatihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11107085447074524162noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7144629511562088306.post-74112731100324012532012-01-02T23:13:00.000-08:002012-01-03T07:06:58.360-08:00Garrapata Coastline - A California Art Club Exhibit Painting<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-k_ld08f9Wh4/TwKmC4Qyk2I/AAAAAAAACxU/yeEevflDzrU/s1600/Garapata+Coastline+redo+small.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-k_ld08f9Wh4/TwKmC4Qyk2I/AAAAAAAACxU/yeEevflDzrU/s320/Garapata+Coastline+redo+small.JPG" width="255" /></a></div><span class="blogfront-label-comment-count"></span> <span class="blogfront-section-image"><br /><span class="blogfront-data-image-caption"></span></span> <br /><div class="blogfront-data-entry-text"><div style="text-align: center;">The Central California Coastline is a heavenly masterpiece that is one of California's gem-like attractions. The weather changes and the mood changes, but it is always beautiful.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">This is another painting from my summer trip with our niece up the California coast toward Monterey!!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">I worked hard to capture the color and mood in this scene and was excited to find out that my painting will be in the upcoming California Art Club Exhibit at the Altadena Town and Country Club. The other good news was that the other painting I created to submit for this show was purchased before the show opens. It was a great way to ring out the 2011 year!<br /><br /><div _mce_style="text-align: center;" style="text-align: center;"><br /></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="left" border="0"><tbody><tr> <td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://marianfortunati.com/works/768074/garrapata-coastline" target="_blank"><b>Garrapata Coastline</b><br />© Marian Fortunati<br />20" x 16" Oil on Canvas Panel</a><br /><br /></td> <td></td> </tr><tr> <td style="text-align: center;">Please click on the above<br />link for additional details<br /><br /></td> <td></td> </tr></tbody> </table><table align="center" border="0"><tbody><tr> <td><img border="0" src="http://images.fasocdn.com/5196_784178l.jpg?cv=201111121609" /></td> <td><br /></td> </tr><tr> <td><br /></td> <td><br /></td> </tr></tbody> </table><div style="text-align: center;">If you live anywhere nearby, please plan on coming to the reception.<br /><br />It's on Sunday, January 29, 2012</div><div style="text-align: center;">4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div></div><a class="blogfront-link-linktopost" href="http://marianfortunati.com/blog/38504/garrapata-coastline-being-shown-in-the-upcoming-california-art-club-exhibit" title="Garrapata Coastline - Being Shown In The Upcoming California Art Club Exhibit!">Comment on or Share this Article >></a><div class="blogger-post-footer">art, impressionism, continual learning, art community, plein air, figurative, still life, California artist<img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7144629511562088306-7411273110032401253?l=marianfortunationpaintingdaily.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Marian Fortunatihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11107085447074524162noreply@blogger.com12Garrapata State Park, Carmel, CA 93923, USA36.4679829 -121.9074858999999836.4397759 -121.93280839999998 36.496189900000005 -121.88216339999998tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7144629511562088306.post-75576837782008704632011-12-29T19:01:00.000-08:002011-12-29T19:03:22.410-08:00Last One In -- (Reviewing 2011Goals)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-TayJq0seVEM/Tv0QIzfPR8I/AAAAAAAACxI/S5tiYEsYBsE/s1600/Last+One+In+small.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-TayJq0seVEM/Tv0QIzfPR8I/AAAAAAAACxI/S5tiYEsYBsE/s320/Last+One+In+small.JPG" width="255" /></a></div><span class="blogfront-label-comment-count"></span> <span class="blogfront-section-image"><br /><span class="blogfront-data-image-caption"></span></span> <br /><div class="blogfront-data-entry-text"><table align="left" border="0"><tbody><tr> <td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://marianfortunati.com/works/781536/last-one-in" target="_blank"><b>Last One In</b><br />© Marian Fortunati<br />10" x 8" Oil on RayMar Canvas</a></td> <td></td> </tr><tr> <td style="text-align: center;">For additional details, click on<br />the link above.<br /><br /></td> <td></td> </tr></tbody> </table><div style="text-align: center;"><br />Sometimes I just have fun playing with paint.<br /><br />I used two different photo references from a trip I took aboard a 50 foot sailboat to the British Virgin Islands (The BVI) to create the sketch for this painting. My daughter and I had soooooooo much fun on this trip!!! It was exotic, exciting and beautiful. It was one of those memories that will never fade.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">I find that I enjoy working with a palette knife. I suppose the more I do it, the better I'll get! As I was creating this colorful scene, I thought it might look as exotic as the place that inspired it.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><hr /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><b>THE YEAR IN REVIEW</b></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div>I guess it's time to look back at the goals I set last year and see how I did. I've been avoiding this, because I suspect I didn't meet many of them.... but here goes:<br /><br /><ul><li><span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;">Increase my painting skills though continual daily painting. <br /><span style="font-family: andale mono,times;">Okay.... I think I did well with this one. I did paint ALMOST every day and I do think my skills have improved. Of course I will always hope to improve, and there are a variety ways of evaluating this... but for now, I'd say this goal has been met. (YAY)</span></span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;">Study regularly with a high level plein air and studio artist so that I regularly can take plein air studies to make larger, studio pieces.<br /><span style="font-family: andale mono,times;">Ha! ... Met this one too. So far, so good. I studied with David Gallup for most of the year. I took some time off toward the end of the year, but plan to return to his regular classes in the new year. (Check)</span></span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;">Paint en plein air AT LEAST three times a month.<br /><span style="font-family: andale mono,times;">Yep!!.. Another one met... With pleasure and joy!</span></span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;">Sketch or draw at least weekly.<br /><span style="font-family: andale mono,times;">Oops... Not weekly... maybe monthly... if you're just talking about sketching and drawing and not counting the sketches to get ready to paint. :o(</span></span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;">Continue exhibiting in "La Galeria Gitana" and seek other appropriate venues to exhibit my work.<br /><span style="font-family: andale mono,times;">Met... but I really need to work on this one. The themes for La Galeria Gitana aren't ones I think I'd like to work at so I'll need to seek another regular venue.../ gallery.</span></span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;">Show in appropriate venues that will enable me to expand my collector base.<br /><span style="font-family: andale mono,times;">Also met. I've gained quite a few new collectors this year and they were mostly sold from galleries and new venues.</span></span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;">Sell 50% more paintings (and make more $) than in 2010.<br /><span style="font-family: andale mono,times;">NOPE... not met. I made approximately the same $$ that I did in 2010. I'll have to evaluate this one a bit more. Not sure if it's my work, the economy or "just because".</span></span></li></ul>I guess I didn't do as badly as I had feared. Of course there is still lots of room for growth. I've read several blog posts from artists and other experts on marketing and on evaluating and setting goals so I'll look through those and use them to help set goals for 2012.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">I hope your 2012 is filled with joyous occasions and satisfaction!!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div></div><a class="blogfront-link-linktopost" href="http://marianfortunati.com/blog/38349/last-one-in" title="Last One In">Comment on or Share this Article >></a><div class="blogger-post-footer">art, impressionism, continual learning, art community, plein air, figurative, still life, California artist<img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7144629511562088306-7557683778200870463?l=marianfortunationpaintingdaily.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Marian Fortunatihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11107085447074524162noreply@blogger.com11British Virgin Islands18.420695 -64.6399680000000118.202346 -64.9290555 18.639044 -64.35088050000002tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7144629511562088306.post-50588131448513406702011-12-26T17:42:00.000-08:002011-12-26T17:42:52.346-08:00September Moon - a Moonrise Plein Air Nocturne -- Santa Cruz Island<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-5GA8OADQaak/TvkhuB1Xq9I/AAAAAAAACw8/RCetif1zt70/s1600/September+Moon+small.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-5GA8OADQaak/TvkhuB1Xq9I/AAAAAAAACw8/RCetif1zt70/s320/September+Moon+small.JPG" width="255" /></a></div><span class="blogfront-label-comment-count"></span> <span class="blogfront-section-image"><br /><span class="blogfront-data-image-caption"></span></span> <br /><div class="blogfront-data-entry-text"><table align="center" border="0"><tbody><tr> <td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://marianfortunati.com/works/778030/september-moon" target="_blank"><strong>September Moon</strong><br />© Marian Fortunati<br />10"x8" Oil on RayMar Panel</a></td> <td> </td> </tr><tr> <td style="text-align: center;">Click on the link above for<br />additional details<br /></td> <td> </td> </tr></tbody> </table><div style="text-align: center;">This plein air nocturne was so much fun to paint!!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">When David Gallup planned our Channel Islands Adventure each year, he checked to see when we would have full moons. This September, however, the weather wasn't cooperating. We had lots of clouds and some fog. <br /><br />But on one spectacular night we saw what I thought of as a harvest moon. The moon peeked through the layers of clouds and each time I looked up from my palette it changed. I was pretty much just trying to get the canvas covered with my impression of the moonrise before it changed too dramatically.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" border="0"><tbody><tr> <td><img border="0" src="http://images.fasocdn.com/5196_778033m.jpg?cv=201111121609" /></td> <td> </td> </tr><tr> <td style="text-align: center;">Isn't this a silly picture?<br />Painting nocturnes really brings out the <br />"weird" element I think.</td> <td> </td> </tr></tbody> </table><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><strong>~~~I hope each of you has a wonderful 2012~~~</strong></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div></div><a class="blogfront-link-linktopost" href="http://marianfortunati.com/blog/38240/september-moon" title="September Moon">Comment on or Share this Article >></a><div class="blogger-post-footer">art, impressionism, continual learning, art community, plein air, figurative, still life, California artist<img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7144629511562088306-5058813144851340670?l=marianfortunationpaintingdaily.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Marian Fortunatihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11107085447074524162noreply@blogger.com3Santa Cruz Island, Channel Islands National Park, CA 93001, USA34.0232056 -119.765766333.9632291 -119.96809379999999 34.083182099999995 -119.5634388tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7144629511562088306.post-10728701128551910312011-12-23T09:10:00.000-08:002011-12-23T09:10:23.195-08:00Sea Arch - A Plein Air View off the Coast of Santa Cruz Island<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-UE4pMFHSc_Y/TvS1KNxmA_I/AAAAAAAACww/0Vgj9qd3ebY/s1600/Sea+Arch+small.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-UE4pMFHSc_Y/TvS1KNxmA_I/AAAAAAAACww/0Vgj9qd3ebY/s320/Sea+Arch+small.JPG" width="239" /></a></div><span class="blogfront-label-comment-count"></span> <span class="blogfront-section-image"><br /><span class="blogfront-data-image-caption"></span></span> <br /><div class="blogfront-data-entry-text"><table align="left" border="0"><tbody><tr> <td style="text-align: center;"> <a href="http://marianfortunati.com/works/777260/sea-arch" target="_blank"><strong>Sea Arch</strong><br />© Marian Fortunati<br />10"x8" Oil On RayMar Panel</a><br /><br /></td> <td> </td> </tr><tr> <td style="text-align: center;"> Click on the link above for<br />additional details<br /><br /></td> <td> </td> </tr></tbody> </table>Twenty-seven painters and adventurers were aboard the Conception last September. Each of us was having a wonderful experience that I doubt any of us will forget.<br /><br />We pulled up to the beautiful Arch Rock off of Santa Cruz Island. It is an absolutely GORGEOUS area! Last year after returning from the Channel Islands trip, I painted a nice large painting of Arch Rock which I titled<br /><br /><strong> </strong><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><strong><a href="http://marianfortunati.com/works/518968/channel-islands-awe" target="_blank">"Channel Islands Awe"</a>. </strong></div><div style="text-align: center;"><strong><br /></strong></div><table align="right" border="0"><tbody><tr> <td> </td> <td> <img border="0" src="http://images.fasocdn.com/5196_778073m.jpg?cv=201111121609" /></td> </tr><tr> <td> </td> <td style="text-align: center;"> Photo of critique session courtesy of<br />Dorene White</td> </tr></tbody> </table><br />This time when I arrived at Arch Rock, I decided to paint the arch NEXT to Arch Rock. Most of the other painters did lovely paintings of Arch Rock.<br /><br />On the way home, David Gallup, who was leading this adventure, took some time and critiqued most of our work. I enjoyed hearing about how my work and that of others can be made better. This 9x12 inch plein air was one of David Gallup's favorites during our critique session. He liked the composition. I guess we all have our favorites among our own work but we sure can learn from other's opinions too.<br /><br /></div><a class="blogfront-link-linktopost" href="http://marianfortunati.com/blog/38154/sea-arch" title="Sea Arch">Comment on or Share this Article >></a><div class="blogger-post-footer">art, impressionism, continual learning, art community, plein air, figurative, still life, California artist<img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7144629511562088306-1072870112855191031?l=marianfortunationpaintingdaily.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Marian Fortunatihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11107085447074524162noreply@blogger.com5Santa Cruz Island, Channel Islands National Park, CA 93001, USA34.0232056 -119.765766333.9632291 -119.96809379999999 34.083182099999995 -119.5634388tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7144629511562088306.post-24908232572760709512011-12-20T21:25:00.000-08:002011-12-20T21:25:43.442-08:00You Never Know..<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-x9Xzwl5im5M/TvFss_1hHtI/AAAAAAAACwk/aGCNtGoxPAM/s1600/View+From+A+Kayak+small.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="242" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-x9Xzwl5im5M/TvFss_1hHtI/AAAAAAAACwk/aGCNtGoxPAM/s320/View+From+A+Kayak+small.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><span class="blogfront-label-comment-count"></span> <span class="blogfront-section-image"><br /><span class="blogfront-data-image-caption"></span></span> <br /><div class="blogfront-data-entry-text"><table align="left" border="0"><tbody><tr> <td style="text-align: center;"> <a href="http://marianfortunati.com/works/777209/view-from-a-kayak" target="_blank"><strong>View From A Kayak</strong><br />© Marian Fortunati<br />6"x8" Oil on Linen</a><br /><br /></td> <td> </td> </tr><tr> <td style="text-align: center;"> Click on the link above<br />for additional details<br /><br /></td> <td> </td> </tr></tbody> </table><strong><br />You Never Know</strong><br />You may remember that I went to the Channel Islands back in September with David Gallup and a group of artists. We all had a wonderful time and I painted many studies during the trip and several studio pieces afterwards. I posted and talked about the trip so much that I figured everyone who reads this blog had grown tired of it. I never posted the last three plein air pieces from the trip.<br /><br />Lately I've been really busy painting some more complicated pieces. Once again I'm trying to paint for a show. All painting... nothing finished enough to post and no blog posts. I guess I need to catch up.<br /><br />The good news is that three of the last shows my work has been in have sold my paintings!!! What a thrill!<br /><table align="right" border="0"><tbody><tr> <td> </td> <td><img border="0" src="http://images.fasocdn.com/5196_777296m.jpg?cv=201111121609" style="border: 0;" /></td> </tr><tr> <td> </td> <td style="text-align: center;">From the kayak</td> </tr></tbody> </table><br /><strong>A Surprise</strong><br />Then the other night, a wonderful follower from the internet told me she wanted to buy one of my Channel Island plein air paintings. She wanted it as a gift for her husband. She hasn't even been the the Channel Islands, but maybe she will one day. I hope so... just so she can see them in person! It's a place that should not be missed.<br /><br />You just never know. I was figuring that no one was really interested in even seeing any more of my Channel Island plein airs. Now that someone seems to have been interested enough to purchase one, I decided that just to finish up posting the series. I will post the last three before I post any of my current work.<br /><br />For this little painting, we were anchored off the largest Island of the Channel Islands, Santa Cruz Island. We were either at Twin Harbor or Platts Harbor (I can't remember which). Most of us who were on the ship had gone out on a kayak to paint. Having done it once before, I decided to try paddling out to paint once again. I found my spot. I was trying to capture the beautiful shadow and light pattern on the sides of the cliff in the inlet.<br /><br />I had a great time. This time I had more trouble because the kelp bed I "parked" in wasn't very thick and the strands kept letting my kayak drift away. I had to keep paddling back to my spot and trying to re-attach. However, I didn't lose my camera overboard and I was able to paint a little study.<br /><br />It was a beautiful way to spend the morning!<br /><br /> </div><a class="blogfront-link-linktopost" href="http://marianfortunati.com/blog/38104/you-never-know" title="You Never Know....">Comment on or Share this Article >></a><div class="blogger-post-footer">art, impressionism, continual learning, art community, plein air, figurative, still life, California artist<img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7144629511562088306-2490823257276070951?l=marianfortunationpaintingdaily.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Marian Fortunatihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11107085447074524162noreply@blogger.com11Santa Cruz Island, Channel Islands National Park, CA 93001, USA34.0232056 -119.765766333.9632291 -119.96809379999999 34.083182099999995 -119.5634388tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7144629511562088306.post-17049708698408311252011-12-13T17:36:00.000-08:002011-12-13T17:36:43.631-08:00California Sunshine -- Enjoying A Plein Air Moment<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/--nTXnS6Pth8/Tuf5q1yLi7I/AAAAAAAACwU/XBF8TBUqKEg/s1600/California+Sunshine+small.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/--nTXnS6Pth8/Tuf5q1yLi7I/AAAAAAAACwU/XBF8TBUqKEg/s320/California+Sunshine+small.JPG" width="239" /></a></div><span class="blogfront-label-comment-count"></span> <span class="blogfront-section-image"><br /><span class="blogfront-data-image-caption"></span></span> <br /><div class="blogfront-data-entry-text"><table align="left" border="0"><tbody><tr> <td style="text-align: center;"> <strong> </strong><br /><hr /> <strong> California Sunshine</strong><br />© Marian Fortunati<br />12"x9" Oil on RayMar Panel <br /><br /></td> <td> </td> </tr><tr> <td style="text-align: center;"> Please click on the above<br />link for additional information.<br /><br /></td> <td> </td> </tr></tbody> </table>One of the many wonderful things I enjoy about plein air painting is when I get to discover a beautiful new hidden corner of my world. <br /><br />On Facebook, your birthday is announced and all of your FB friends tend to send you well wishes. Many of them suggested that I spend my day doing what I love best and I sure did!!!<br /><br />I went out painting... I decided to paint with the San Gabriel group called "Thursdays En Plein Air". It is led by <a href="http://www.facebook.com/swensonsart">Brenda Swenson</a> and Walter McNall. Last Thursday, on my birthday, I painted at E. Ward Ranch in Sierra Madre. There is an orange / citrus grove right in the middle of a residential neighborhood with barns and equipment all ready for creating delicious jams and preserves from the harvest. I almost drove right on past it ... thank goodness for GPS! <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Z4spcYuE9Kk/Tuf51gERRnI/AAAAAAAACwc/Oh6D5Pr4PFA/s1600/Brenda.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Z4spcYuE9Kk/Tuf51gERRnI/AAAAAAAACwc/Oh6D5Pr4PFA/s200/Brenda.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><br />I rarely paint with this group because the locations are usually pretty far for me to drive but all of my usual painting buddies were either layed-up or out of town so I joined them and had an absolutely WONDERFUL day!! I saw many painting friends and talked with some new ones. I continue to challenge myself to select and compose a scene which isn't "ordinary". That's a pretty tall order ... I know all of it has been painted before, but one more postcard landscape is something I'm trying to avoid.<br /><br />Walter and Brenda always do a critique session during lunch so we all learned something... always a good thing>>>>> AND... I didn't embarrass myself.<br /><h6 class="uiStreamMessage" style="text-align: center;"><span class="messageBody" style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span class="text_exposed_show"> <span style="font-size: small;">A GREAT Great day.... Thanks to all of you who encourage and support my love for the outdoors and for painting!</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: small;">****************************************<br /><br />My Holiday Newsletter is coming soon!</span></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://marianfortunati.com/email-newsletter" target="_blank">http://marianfortunati.com/email-newsletter</a><br /><br />Sign up if you don't already receive my free newsletter.<br /></span><hr /> </h6><h6 class="uiStreamMessage" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /><span>Interested in a unique holiday gift for a friend or family member?</span><br />Browse my portfolio or contact me for suggestions!<br /></span></h6><table align="left" border="0"><tbody><tr> <td><span style="font-size: small;"><img border="0" src="http://images.fasocdn.com/5196_773010m.jpg?cv=201111121609" /></span></td> <td><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></td> </tr><tr> <td><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></td> <td><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></td> </tr></tbody> </table><h6 class="uiStreamMessage" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://marianfortunati.com/works">Portfolio of work<br /></a><a href="mailto:marian@fortunatifineart.com" target="_blank">Contact me</a><br /><br /><special offer!=""><a href="http://marianfortunati.com/works"><br /></a>10% discount for those who already own my work <br /><br />10% discount if you AND a friend each purchase a painting</special></span><br /></h6></div><a class="blogfront-link-linktopost" href="http://marianfortunati.com/blog/37862/california-sunshine-enjoying-the-moment" title="California Sunshine: Enjoying The Moment">Comment on this:</a><div class="blogger-post-footer">art, impressionism, continual learning, art community, plein air, figurative, still life, California artist<img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7144629511562088306-1704970869840831125?l=marianfortunationpaintingdaily.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Marian Fortunatihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11107085447074524162noreply@blogger.com5Sierra Madre, CA, USA34.1616729 -118.0528456000000134.1503809 -118.07221160000002 34.1729649 -118.0334796tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7144629511562088306.post-1999465175600961262011-12-10T14:21:00.000-08:002011-12-10T14:21:53.696-08:00Warmth Within - A Chapel In The Forest<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-b5YaB0LubDM/TuPaxse1E8I/AAAAAAAACwM/hQKUsHL8ko0/s1600/Warmth+Within+small.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="248" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-b5YaB0LubDM/TuPaxse1E8I/AAAAAAAACwM/hQKUsHL8ko0/s320/Warmth+Within+small.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><span class="blogfront-label-comment-count"></span> <span class="blogfront-section-image"><br /><span class="blogfront-data-image-caption"></span></span> <br /><div class="blogfront-data-entry-text"><table align="left" border="0"><tbody><tr> <td style="text-align: center;"> <a href="http://marianfortunati.com/works/771146/warmth-within" target="_blank"><strong>Warmth Within</strong><br />© Marian Fortunati<br />11"x14" Oil on RayMar<br />linen panel</a><br /><br />Photo reference by<br />Aaron Dahlstedt<br /><br /></td> <td> </td> </tr><tr> <td style="text-align: center;">Click the link above for<br />additional details</td> <td> </td> </tr></tbody> </table><div style="text-align: left;"><br />As a gift, my girlfriend, Beverly, sent her son, Aaron, to a winter photography workshop in Yosemite National Park. Photography is one of his passions and he is very good at it. He took many, many excellent photos. <br />He captures beauty often and has been generous with sharing his work with me. <br /><br />Since here in SoCal I rarely get a chance to even get close to snow, and I wanted to paint a snow scene, I decided to use one of Aaron's photographs on which to base my painting. Happily he gave me permission. It was difficult trying to decide which snowy scene to choose as a reference, but I thought this one might be nice and would be appropriate for the season.<br /><br />One of these days -- perhaps this winter -- I'm actually going to try to go out and paint a snowy scene en plein air. Hopefully my SoCal blood isn't too thin!!!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /><br />Many thanks to <span style="text-decoration: underline;">Aaron Dahlstedt</span> whose original photograph inspired my experiment with painting winter and snow.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Enjoy</div></div><a class="blogfront-link-linktopost" href="http://marianfortunati.com/blog/37748/warmth-within" title="Warmth Within">Comment on or Share this Article >></a><div class="blogger-post-footer">art, impressionism, continual learning, art community, plein air, figurative, still life, California artist<img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7144629511562088306-199946517560096126?l=marianfortunationpaintingdaily.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Marian Fortunatihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11107085447074524162noreply@blogger.com2Yosemite National Park, 9039 Village Dr, Yosemite National Park, CA 95389, USA37.7705963 -119.5107707999999937.4253628 -119.85631129999999 38.1158298 -119.16523029999999tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7144629511562088306.post-68953278447824919742011-12-06T10:23:00.000-08:002011-12-13T18:59:16.290-08:00Santa Monica Sunset - California Dreamin' In Paint<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UD8eCzINXFM/Tt5bG3w3jSI/AAAAAAAACwE/lxXxGBOMNug/s1600/Santa+Monica+Sunset+small.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UD8eCzINXFM/Tt5bG3w3jSI/AAAAAAAACwE/lxXxGBOMNug/s320/Santa+Monica+Sunset+small.JPG" width="241" /></a></div><span class="blogfront-label-comment-count"></span> <span class="blogfront-section-image"><br /><span class="blogfront-data-image-caption"></span></span> <br /><div class="blogfront-data-entry-text"><table align="left" border="0"><tbody><tr> <td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://marianfortunati.com/works/767848/santa-monica-sunset" target="_blank"><b>Santa Monica Sunset</b><br />© Marian Fortunati<br />12"x9" Oil on canvas<br /><span style="color: red;"><b>SOLD</b></span></a><br /><br /></td> <td></td> </tr><tr> <td style="text-align: center;">Click the link above for<br />price and other details.<br /><br /></td> <td></td> </tr></tbody> </table><br />Last summer my husband and I were visiting down in Venice Beach.... Santa Monica, CA. In the years before and after I first met my husband, Gastone, in Venice Italy, I was living in Venice, California. We laughed because I traveled from one Venice to meet him in another. We met in the summer in Venice and then the winter after we met he flew out to California. He met my parents and proposed. We were married the next summer in Venice.... The Italian Venice. Many a time that winter we walked the beach at sunset.<br /><br />On this day last summer, we did it again. It was dream-like.<br /><br />I decided I would use one of the photos I had taken to try to capture that "California feeling". I sort of painted it in layers. I put in the background sky and mountains, sea and sand and used a red as a "background ground" for where I was planning to put the palms. After the background was mostly dry, I used a palette knife for the palms and a credit card edge to put in the volley ball net.<br /><br />Right now our California weather, while certainly not nearly as harsh as in many states, isn't all that idyllic. It's cold and VERY windy. It doesn't lend much to painting outdoors... I could maybe deal with the cold... but the winds have been brutal. The nearby San Gabriel Valley was practically blown and torn apart by the recent winds. Hopefully all the repairs will be made soon... trees chopped up and removed, power restored and buildings repaired.<br /><br />In the meantime I'll paint sunsets and palms from my warm upstairs studio. Hmmmm... Maybe I should have titled this one, "California Dreamin'". What do you think?<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">**********************<br />Can you believe it??? This week I posted my 500th post!!<br />Guess you can tell that I enjoy blogging.<br />Hope you enjoy your visits.</div><br /><br /></div><a class="blogfront-link-linktopost" href="http://marianfortunati.com/blog/37613/santa-monica-sunset" title="Santa Monica Sunset">Comment on or Share this Article</a><div class="blogger-post-footer">art, impressionism, continual learning, art community, plein air, figurative, still life, California artist<img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7144629511562088306-6895327844782491974?l=marianfortunationpaintingdaily.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Marian Fortunatihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11107085447074524162noreply@blogger.com4Los Angeles, CA, USA33.9764002 -118.4667451999999933.6595732 -118.7231887 34.293227200000004 -118.21030169999999tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7144629511562088306.post-74632456941968673872011-12-02T21:28:00.000-08:002011-12-02T21:28:06.548-08:00Using The Masters' Work To Learn And Grow (POST # 500!!)<span class="blogfront-label-comment-count"></span> <br /><div class="blogfront-data-entry-text"><table align="left" border="0"><tbody><tr> <td><img border="0" src="http://images.fasocdn.com/5196_765914l.jpg?cv=201111121609" style="border: 0;" width="450" /></td> </tr><tr> </tr><tr> </tr><tr> </tr><tr> <td><br /></td> </tr><tr> <td> <div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><strong>"In The High Sierra"</strong> - Jack Wilkinson Smith</div><div style="text-align: center;">Private Collection Courtesy of the Irvine Museum</div></td> <td> </td> </tr></tbody> </table><br />Each time I take classes from wonderful artists and teachers they inspire me not just because of their skills and knowledge but because they share the work of other artists.<br /><br />I not only get to hear what my teacher thinks are important points about line, composition, color, style, brushwork, etc. but I can see how different artists have applied those points in their own work.<br /><br />Those of you who have followed my blog, know that painting rocks has always been difficult for me. In my last post I featured a recent painting I had done to study what rushing water looks like, but there were also lots of rocks.<br /><br />After I had finished most of it, I decided to look to the masters. I have MANY art books, but one of my more recent purchases is called "California Light - A Century of Landscapes: Paintings of the California Art Club". The book was written and edited by Jean Stern and Molly Siple. It is a beautiful book filled with inspiring stories and beautiful colored plates of the work of some of California's most wonderful landscape painters --- from the past and also present day masters.<br /><table align="right" border="0"><tbody><tr> <td> </td> <td><img border="0" id="5196_762926" src="http://images.fasocdn.com/5196_762926m.jpg?cv=201111121609" style="border: 0;" width="200" /></td> </tr><tr> <td> </td> <td style="text-align: center;"> <span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="http://marianfortunati.com/works/762926/cascade" target="_blank"><strong>Cascade</strong></a></span><br /><br /><br /></td> </tr></tbody> </table><br />I was stopped in my tracks by this painting called "In the High Sierra" by Jack Wilkinson Smith (1873-1949). Just look at the beautiful color of the rocks and of the rushing water. <br /><br /><table align="left" border="0"><tbody><tr> <td><img border="0" src="http://images.fasocdn.com/5196_765920m.jpg?cv=201111121609" /></td> <td> </td> </tr><tr> <td style="text-align: center;"> <strong>California Light</strong><br /><br /></td> <td> </td> </tr></tbody> </table>I know that my "Cascade" doesn't compare, but I will continue to use examples from the masters as I work on developing my skills and my ability to capture the color and the light and the composition as well as Smith did.<br /><br />If you're interested in a beautiful gift for the holidays, you should consider purchasing, "California Light" for anyone who loves art or just enjoys lovely landscape scenery. <br /><br />It is available from the California Art Club or from Amazon.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.californiaartclub.org/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=2&products_id=125"><img alt="California Light: A Century of Landscapes" class="listingProductImage" src="http://www.californiaartclub.org/store/images/cacbook.jpg" title=" California Light: A Century of Landscapes " width="88" /></a><br /><h3 class="itemTitle"><a href="http://www.californiaartclub.org/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=2&products_id=125">California Light: A Century of Landscapes</a></h3>Published for the California Art Club's Centennial, this beautiful 278-page book features the artwork and history of the CAC.<br /><hr /> <br />If you haven't done so already, please feel free to sign up for my free email Newsletter. Additionally, if you know hikers, campers, fishermen or other people who enjoy the outdoors and scenes of beautiful spots around the state, send them a link to the newsletter. <br /><br />Here is the link:<br /> <span style="font-size: medium;"><strong> <a href="http://marianfortunati.com/email-newsletter" target="_blank">http://marianfortunati.com/email-newsletter</a></strong></span><br /></div><a class="blogfront-link-linktopost" href="http://marianfortunati.com/blog/37518/using-the-masters-work-to-learn-and-grow" title="Using The Masters' Work To Learn And Grow">Comment on or Share this Article >></a><div class="blogger-post-footer">art, impressionism, continual learning, art community, plein air, figurative, still life, California artist<img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7144629511562088306-7463245694196867387?l=marianfortunationpaintingdaily.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Marian Fortunatihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11107085447074524162noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7144629511562088306.post-67870342118005717782011-11-30T21:58:00.000-08:002011-12-01T09:31:51.750-08:00Cascade: Time Seems To Rush Like Water In A Fast Stream<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YoXlIxKRvvw/TtcWVPwQs7I/AAAAAAAACv8/U0dt5wzMuQ0/s1600/Cascade+small.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YoXlIxKRvvw/TtcWVPwQs7I/AAAAAAAACv8/U0dt5wzMuQ0/s320/Cascade+small.JPG" width="239" /></a></div><span class="blogfront-label-comment-count"></span> <span class="blogfront-section-image"><br /><span class="blogfront-data-image-caption"></span></span> <br /><div class="blogfront-data-entry-text"><table align="right" border="0"><tbody><tr> <td style="text-align: center;"><br /></td> <td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://marianfortunati.com/works/762926/cascade" target="_blank"><b>Cascade</b><br />© Marian Fortunati<br />12"x9" Oil on Canvas</a><br /><br /></td> </tr><tr> <td></td> <td style="text-align: center;">Click on the above link<br />for additional details.<br /><br /></td> </tr></tbody> </table><b>Rivers:</b><br />I've been traveling around lately and have come across many rivers in many moods. Some like this little stretch of the Kern River are wild and joyful as they cascade down through the rocks. Others are lazy, enjoying the sun and beautiful surroundings as they slowly move toward the sea.<br /><br />I have been busy painting every spare moment I have. This painting, "Cascade", is one of many I'm working on at the moment. It came about because I've become fascinated with capturing the feel or the expression of the movement of water rushing and crashing along over rocks and other impediments.<br /><br /><b>Life:</b><br />In a way I almost feel like life becomes out of control like that. Take today for example. Up early to do my exercises and drag on something decent to wear so that I can get our 11-year-old to school on time. Then a brief respite for a bite to eat between a visit to the cleaners and a return home to pick up materials for the day. Off to the gallery to help one of my clubs with take in for the Winter Show. Happily I'm teaching a new person my job and this is the last time I'll be doing this particular duty. Every club needs volunteers. The clubs benefit so many but it's the few that seem to do the work that hold it all together. I've been Membership Chair for the club for 5 years and it's time someone else does the job. ANYWAY... as the juror came in and all of us worker bees were asked to leave, I took off to pick up the 11-year-old to take to the doctor for an appointment. Then home. Supervising some homework while I finished of the inside of the Show Program and created and printed the wall labels and awards for the show. Missed dinner... (husband very annoyed) because I had to drive the labels and other paperwork BACK to the gallery, so that the poor people who were doing the hanging of the artwork could finish up and get out of there.<br /><br />Probably those who never volunteer have no idea of how much time, creative energy and just plan old grunt work it takes to make things happen for a club activity. We'd all be pretty sad if there were not clubs, but for sure they wouldn't be there if it wasn't for those willing souls who do volunteer.<br /><br />Sometimes I wonder why I care whether I show my work. But... I do. I'm proud of it.<br /><br /><b>Show Opening on Saturday:</b><br />Both of my pieces were juried in to the show that opens this Saturday at the NoHo PAC. One was awarded a prize!<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><b><a href="http://marianfortunati.com/works/735713/garrapata-fog" target="_blank">Garrapata Fog</a> <a href="http://marianfortunati.com/works/715004/view-from-the-top" target="_blank">View From The Top</a></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Reception: Saturday from 6:00 - 8:00 p.m.<br />I will be at the reception from 7:00-8:00<br />NoHo PAC<br /><span class="adr"> </span></div><div class="events-data-address street-address" style="text-align: center;">11020 Magnolia Blvd. (west of Vineland)</div><div class="events-data-csz" style="text-align: center;"><span class="locality">North Hollywood</span>, <span class="region">CA</span> 91601</div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><br /></div><a class="blogfront-link-linktopost" href="http://marianfortunati.com/blog/37431/cascade-time-seems-to-rush-like-water-in-a-fast-stream" title="Cascade: Time Seems To Rush Like Water In A Fast Stream">Comment on or Share this Article >></a><div class="blogger-post-footer">art, impressionism, continual learning, art community, plein air, figurative, still life, California artist<img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7144629511562088306-6787034211800571778?l=marianfortunationpaintingdaily.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Marian Fortunatihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11107085447074524162noreply@blogger.com4Kern, California, USA35.4937274 -118.859680434.9899309 -120.1486589 35.9975239 -117.5707019tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7144629511562088306.post-13936229516879242292011-11-27T15:09:00.000-08:002011-11-27T15:09:54.867-08:00Donkey With A Degree<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-3MH_PoRy23Y/TtLCcLAV2XI/AAAAAAAACv0/eeUOk-hgvk4/s1600/Donkey+With+A+Degree+small.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-3MH_PoRy23Y/TtLCcLAV2XI/AAAAAAAACv0/eeUOk-hgvk4/s320/Donkey+With+A+Degree+small.JPG" width="253" /></a></div><span class="blogfront-label-comment-count"></span> <span class="blogfront-section-image"><br /><span class="blogfront-data-image-caption"></span></span> <br /><div class="blogfront-data-entry-text"><table align="right" border="0"><tbody><tr> <td> </td> <td style="text-align: center;"> <a href="http://marianfortunati.com/works/733478/donkey-with-a-degree" target="_blank"><strong>Donkey With A Degree</strong><br />© Marian Fortunati<br />10"x8" Oil on Linen</a><br /><br /></td> </tr><tr> <td> </td> <td> Click on the line above<br />for additional details.<br /><br /></td> </tr></tbody> </table>While exploring the Pierce College Agricultural area... the farm, I came across a pen of "exotic animals" -- donkeys.<br /><br />This little guy was curious... or perhaps he thought I had a treat for him, so he kept coming closer to where I was peering into the pen to take a look ... or receive an offering. I'm not sure WHY there are donkeys at Pierce. Except that they are kind of cute and the students and visitors to the campus like to see them.<br /><br />I painted this one over a failed painting I had started at Pierce. It was horrible, so I just sanded it down and painted Mr. Donkey over it. It can be seen at <a href="http://www.galeriagitana.com/" target="_blank">La Galeria Gitana</a>, as part of the group show, <b><i> "Rural Remnants of the San Fernando Valley"</i></b>. The show will be up until the end of the year so if you're in San Fernando, please drop by and enjoy the art and say hi to Karen, the curator/director of the gallery.<br /><br />I thought these were really funny and since they were there at the college, I decided that this was a donkey with a degree -- a smart ass -- so to speak.<br /><br /> </div><a class="blogfront-link-linktopost" href="http://marianfortunati.com/blog/37325/donkey-with-a-degree" title="Donkey With A Degree">Comment on or Share this Article >></a><div class="blogger-post-footer">art, impressionism, continual learning, art community, plein air, figurative, still life, California artist<img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7144629511562088306-1393622951687924229?l=marianfortunationpaintingdaily.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Marian Fortunatihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11107085447074524162noreply@blogger.com6Pierce College, 6201 Winnetka Ave, Woodland Hills, CA 91371, USA34.1847736 -118.5827160999999734.1801866 -118.59151759999997 34.1893606 -118.57391459999997tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7144629511562088306.post-53719136941261978852011-11-23T18:16:00.000-08:002011-11-23T18:16:22.177-08:00Sunning - A Cat's Life -- And Wonderful Thanksgiving Wishes For You<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-A3k3rfDC6N4/Ts2oXHIHG_I/AAAAAAAACvs/gYVsdCUNe0A/s1600/Sunning+small.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-A3k3rfDC6N4/Ts2oXHIHG_I/AAAAAAAACvs/gYVsdCUNe0A/s320/Sunning+small.JPG" width="315" /></a></div><span class="blogfront-label-comment-count"></span> <span class="blogfront-section-image"><br /><span class="blogfront-data-image-caption"></span></span> <br /><div class="blogfront-data-entry-text"><table align="left" border="0"><tbody><tr> <td style="text-align: center;"> <a href="http://marianfortunati.com/works/754499/sunning" target="_blank"><strong>Sunning</strong><br />© Marian Fortunati<br />6"x6" Oil on RayMar Canvas</a><br /><br /></td> <td> </td> </tr><tr> <td style="text-align: center;"> Click on the above link for <br />details about this painting.<br /><br /></td> <td> </td> </tr></tbody> </table><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Lazy day... Sunning on a window sill. It's a cat's life!<br /><br />I know that some people think that retirement should be like this cat's life. Sitting in the sun.... walking over for a rub... napping. I like to relax but a cat's life isn't for me.<br /><br />I sometimes wonder why I feel the need to keep so busy, but I guess I just do. I like exploring and painting and meeting with friends. To some extent, I even like the challenge of shows... marketing and meeting new people.<br /><br />There are days, however when a cat's life sounds a bit appealing. <br /><br />I hope your Thanksgiving is restful and just interesting enough to keep you smiling.<br /><br /> </div><a class="blogfront-link-linktopost" href="http://marianfortunati.com/blog/37216/sunning-rest-and-relax-over-this-thanksgiving-holiday" title="Sunning --- Rest and Relax Over This Thanksgiving Holiday!!!">Comment on or Share this Article >></a><div class="blogger-post-footer">art, impressionism, continual learning, art community, plein air, figurative, still life, California artist<img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7144629511562088306-5371913694126197885?l=marianfortunationpaintingdaily.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Marian Fortunatihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11107085447074524162noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7144629511562088306.post-90501055390240820012011-11-20T11:51:00.000-08:002011-11-20T11:51:28.245-08:00Caballero Canyon Sycamore -- A Southern California Plein Air Landscape<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-86u4WGYZ-do/TslZAmBf2II/AAAAAAAACvk/rlrHuzufHgQ/s1600/Caballero+Canyon+Sycamore+small.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-86u4WGYZ-do/TslZAmBf2II/AAAAAAAACvk/rlrHuzufHgQ/s320/Caballero+Canyon+Sycamore+small.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><span class="blogfront-label-comment-count"></span> <span class="blogfront-section-image"><br /><span class="blogfront-data-image-caption"></span></span> <br /><div class="blogfront-data-entry-text"><table align="left" border="0"><tbody><tr> <td> <div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://marianfortunati.com/works/756072/caballero-canyon-sycamore" target="_blank">Caballero Canyon Sycamore<br />© Marian Fortunati<br />12"x9" Oil on RayMar Panel</a></div><br /></td> <td> </td> </tr><tr> <td style="text-align: center;"> Click on the link above for<br />additional details.<br /><br /></td> <td> </td> </tr></tbody> </table><br />Sometimes we forget to look for inspiration close to home. We get caught up in the search and forget the treasures we have near at hand.<br /><br />Caballero Canyon is a hop skip and a jump from my home. It is a beautiful little canyon which nestles alongside and below Reseda Blvd. as it stretches up the mountain toward Mulholland Drive. There is a trail head about a half mile from my door which dips down into the canyon. Mountain bikers often pass by as do plenty of hikers. Serious hikers could start in Caballero Canyon and walk all the way across the mountains to Will Rogers State Park. I've done it once.<br /><br />Never the less it is always a lovely canyon --- changing with the seasons as do all natural spaces. I think, however, that fall when the sycamores are turning is my favorite. <br /><br />Monday was a free day. The weather was warm and dry although rain was forecast for later in the week. I dropped Tyler off for school and heading into the canyon for a lovely morning of painting. What a joy!<br /><br /></div><a class="blogfront-link-linktopost" href="http://marianfortunati.com/blog/37114/caballero-canyon-sycamore-treasures-close-to-home" title="Caballero Canyon Sycamore -- Treasures Close to Home">Comment on or Share this Article >></a><div class="blogger-post-footer">art, impressionism, continual learning, art community, plein air, figurative, still life, California artist<img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7144629511562088306-9050105539024082001?l=marianfortunationpaintingdaily.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Marian Fortunatihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11107085447074524162noreply@blogger.com3Tarzana, Los Angeles, CA, USA34.1356497 -118.5462552000000234.1077237 -118.56901970000001 34.1635757 -118.52349070000002tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7144629511562088306.post-16188497062147976522011-11-16T16:58:00.000-08:002011-11-16T16:58:03.610-08:00Mugu Arch - A Small Format Coastal Oil Painting<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-iBmpe0nhsAM/TsRbJqvesEI/AAAAAAAACvc/O-SuIdYLlLU/s1600/Mugu+Arch+small.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-iBmpe0nhsAM/TsRbJqvesEI/AAAAAAAACvc/O-SuIdYLlLU/s320/Mugu+Arch+small.JPG" width="314" /></a></div><span class="blogfront-label-comment-count"></span> <span class="blogfront-section-image"><br /><span class="blogfront-data-image-caption"></span></span> <br /><div class="blogfront-data-entry-text"><table align="left" border="0"><tbody><tr> <td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://marianfortunati.com/works/750179/mugu-arch" target="_blank"><strong>Mugu Arch</strong><br />© Marian Fortunati<br />6"x6" Oil on Wood Pane</a>l</td> <td> </td> </tr><tr> <td style="text-align: center;">Click on the above link for <br />details about this painting.</td> <td> </td> </tr></tbody> </table><br /><br /><br /><br /><strong><br /><br />Upcoming exhibit opportunity</strong><br />I had been considering entering a show which only accepts 6"x6" work, so I painted a few paintings of scenes and things I loved. This is a scene that I had originally painted en plein air at Point Mugu, CA. After a lot of thought, however, I decided that the venue was too far away and I knew if I got work accepted, I wouldn't be able to go to the reception anyway because I have two other openings on the same night as the 6"x6" opening.<br /><br /><strong>Using different surfaces</strong><br />I painted this little 6"x6" on a gessoed hardboard. I am finding that I like the hardboard more and more. It seems that the ground on which you work really affects the flow of paint and the look of the finished painting. Linen has a wonderful look... but it's pretty expensive so I have to be feeling expansive when I choose to use it. Of course canvas and canvas panels work very well... but there is just something wonderful about painting on other surfaces that almost asks you to vary your approach. There is a very loose weaved canvas that I saw the other day at a restaurant that also has a distinctive look... I've never tried it but I may someday. Some of the hardboard which have a slick finish are NOT my favorites, as the paint seems to slide all over the place -- Yuck! However... Hardboard which I've gessoed works nicely and is VERY inexpensive. <br /><br /><strong>Knowing when to hold 'em</strong><br />It's always a struggle trying to figure out which shows to enter and WHETHER to enter shows. I mean the jury fees begin to add up. If your work is accepted, you may have to ship it, frame it a certain way, or expend additional money just to show the work. As an artist, I want to have opportunities for new people to see my work, but even if there is a sale, it's not always a lucrative situation. I almost feel like you need to be a good poker player and know when to hold 'em or know when to fold 'em.<br /><br /><strong>Still happy to be painting</strong><br />However, even though I didn't choose to submit this painting for a show I think it's a nice little painting and I enjoyed working on it. I hope you enjoy looking at it too.<br /><br /> </div><a class="blogfront-link-linktopost" href="http://marianfortunati.com/blog/37006/mugu-arch-entering-shows-or-not" title="Mugu Arch --- Entering Shows... or Not">Comment on or Share this Article >></a><div class="blogger-post-footer">art, impressionism, continual learning, art community, plein air, figurative, still life, California artist<img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7144629511562088306-1618849706214797652?l=marianfortunationpaintingdaily.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Marian Fortunatihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11107085447074524162noreply@blogger.com6Point Mugu State Park, Triunfo Pass-Coastal, CA 90265, USA34.0835989 -119.0350786999999934.042708399999995 -119.10654219999998 34.1244894 -118.96361519999999tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7144629511562088306.post-29652531766086137042011-11-13T12:13:00.000-08:002011-11-13T12:13:39.758-08:00Silo - A Rural Scene In An Urban Setting -- And An Exhibition Review<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-N2rAn0LpHMY/TsAi6U8DX0I/AAAAAAAACvU/g4-XfnHuWgw/s1600/Silo2+framed+small.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-N2rAn0LpHMY/TsAi6U8DX0I/AAAAAAAACvU/g4-XfnHuWgw/s320/Silo2+framed+small.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Silo (framed)</td></tr></tbody></table><span class="blogfront-label-comment-count"></span> <span class="blogfront-section-image"><span class="blogfront-data-image-caption"></span></span> <br /><div class="blogfront-data-entry-text"><br />Last night I had a real treat. I attended and enjoyed the reception for a fabulous exhibit of Urban Art. <br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;"><strong>"City To A Fault, Los Angeles and Environs"<br />Subject Matter: Urban Plein Air Paintings<br /></strong></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;"><strong>Dates of Show: November 1 - 29, 2011<br />Artists: <a href="http://josedejuan.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Jose De Juan</a>, <a href="http://alexanderschaefer.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Alex Schaefer</a>, <a href="http://williamwray.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">William Wray</a>, <a href="http://www.oscararroyo.com/" target="_blank">Oscar Arroyo</a>, <a href="http://www.johnkilduff.com/" target="_blank">John Kilduff </a></strong></span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana;"> </span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana;">José Vera Fine Art & Antiques<br />2012 Colorado Blvd.<br />Los Angeles, CA 90041<br />p. 323.258.5050</span></div><br />I went to the opening for several reasons and certainly was not disappointed. <br /><ul><li>I've gotten to paint with and learn from Jose De Juan, whose work just absolutely sings. I saw so many of his incredible pieces at the show, I couldn't decide which I liked best. I'm going to have to go back to see if I can find my own little "gem".</li><li>I've admired the work of William Wray for quite a while and wanted another chance to analyse how Wray manages to make such mundane and unattractive objects and city spaces appealing. I also wanted to meet him again -- just because. </li><li>Alex Schaefer (of "burning bank" fame) and Oscar Arroyo are also among those whose work I enjoy and admire. (Congratulations, Oscar, and collector on the sale!) I wasn't familiar with John Kilduff's work, but enjoyed seeing it as well. </li><li>I enjoyed chatting with several artists I admire who also were visiting the show.... always fun.</li></ul><strong>All in all, I hope those of you who live anywhere nearby take some time and visit the show. </strong><br /><br />As I mentioned earlier, I have long admired the work of William Wray. David Gallup suggested at one point that I try to paint a "copy" of a Wray so that I could get a better feel for his work and learn why I like it. I started to do that, but never finished. I thought it better to analyze the work and to see if I could figure out WHY I find it appealing.<br /><br />This is what I ended up doing: I was looking for subject matter for an upcoming show my work will be in at La Galeria Gitana and while wandering around the farm at Pierce College in Woodland Hills, CA, I came across this piece of equipment that somehow attracted me. I finally figured out that it is a small grain silo which would hold food for the many farm animals who live there. Cattle, goats, donkeys, chickens and other animals are all part of a wonderful little rural pocket right in the San Fernando Valley... a very suburban part of Los Angeles.<br /><br />Somehow when I decided that I wanted to paint this... all I could think of was the work of William Wray, a terrific artist who paints things that normally seem ugly or unnoticeable. The way he paints them with layers of paints and interesting colors makes them always attractive and edgy. His work always draws you in for a closer look. Although I'm no William Wray, I did have fun trying to "channel" him when I painted this little silo.<br /><br />Trying to analyze Wray's work, I thought these are major elements... ----some I used, others I didn't:<br /><ul><li>Urban... I never remember seeing "natural" elements in Wray's work. (obviously this is different in this painting)</li><li>Color.... Wray uses color in unusual ways... He makes it up and creates a story with it rather than using the "real" color of the thing he is representing.</li><li>Composition and design... Wray's is masterful.... mine... less so.</li><li>Wray often paints night scenes or uses lighting in unusual ways. (Didn't do that did I... sigh...)</li><li>Edges... Wray's technical drawing skills are clear but he obfuscates edges with a variety of techniques using texture, color, scrape outs, and a whole lot of other methods. </li><li>Texture.... Texture of the older work I had observed seemed to be a lot more prominent with a variety of layers and applications than the work I saw last night, but texture was still an element in much of his work in the show. (another miss..)</li></ul>I guess on the whole, I didn't really even come close to using Wray's techniques... but it was a fun exercise ---- I learned ----- and I like what I did. I hope you do too. <br /><table align="center" border="0"><tbody><tr> <td style="text-align: center;"> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-0kZHn5yJD9A/TsAi04jlGiI/AAAAAAAACvM/1iHwRjzhZiw/s1600/Silo2+small.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="145" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-0kZHn5yJD9A/TsAi04jlGiI/AAAAAAAACvM/1iHwRjzhZiw/s200/Silo2+small.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><a href="http://marianfortunati.com/works/746035/silo" target="_blank"><b>Silo</b><br />© Marian Fortunati<br />9"x12" Oil on board</a><br /><br /></td> <td> </td> </tr><tr> <td style="text-align: center;"> Click on the above link<br />for additional details</td> <td> </td> </tr></tbody> </table>Don't forget to go see all of the work before their show closes. It's worth it. <strong> </strong><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><strong>Oh.... and by the way... the opening reception for the show at <a href="http://www.galeriagitana.com/" target="_blank">La Galeria Gitana</a> -- </strong></div><div style="text-align: center;"><strong>"Rural Remnants of the San Fernando Valley" </strong></div><div style="text-align: center;"><strong>is next Saturday evening, November 19th from 6 - 10 p.m. <br />La Galeria Gitana is in San Fernando, CA </strong></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><strong>I'd love to see you there! </strong></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div></div><a class="blogfront-link-linktopost" href="http://marianfortunati.com/blog/36892/silo-inspiration-and-exhibits" title="Silo -- Inspiration and Exhibits">Comment on or Share this Article >></a><div class="blogger-post-footer">art, impressionism, continual learning, art community, plein air, figurative, still life, California artist<img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7144629511562088306-2965253176608613704?l=marianfortunationpaintingdaily.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Marian Fortunatihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11107085447074524162noreply@blogger.com3San Fernando, CA, USA34.2819461 -118.4389719000000134.266257599999996 -118.4592934 34.2976346 -118.41865040000002tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7144629511562088306.post-66730128498646654202011-11-10T22:21:00.000-08:002011-11-12T14:24:23.594-08:00Onyx Hills - A Southern California landscape -- Southern Sierras<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-QSl_ixH0-5I/Tr7yAtoMNqI/AAAAAAAACvE/Brd4MkHI7_w/s1600/Onyx+Hills+3+small.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-QSl_ixH0-5I/Tr7yAtoMNqI/AAAAAAAACvE/Brd4MkHI7_w/s320/Onyx+Hills+3+small.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Onyx Hills</b></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><span class="blogfront-label-comment-count"></span> <span class="blogfront-section-image"><span class="blogfront-data-image-caption"></span></span> <br /><div class="blogfront-data-entry-text"><table align="center" border="0"><tbody><tr> <td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://marianfortunati.com/works/748602/onyx-hills">Click on this link<br />for details about this <br />painting.</a></td> <td></td> </tr><tr> <td></td> <td></td> </tr></tbody> </table>Our girls' painting adventure was almost over. We were heading home... this time heading east toward Mojave instead of south toward Bakersfield. Leaving Kern and Lake Isabella and heading east past Walker Pass is a little town called Onyx nestled up against the yellow hills. As we headed home, we passed farmland with picturesque old barns and many paintable spots, but the long shadows cast across the hills of the late afternoon near Onyx were where we stopped for our last plein air painting of the trip. <br /><br />We had once again been attracted by the rabbitbush and the buckwheat which spread out across the area. This time, the buckwheat was more mature and had lost most of the rust color which seems to precede a pale wheat colored puff. <br /><br />Two of us looked south and the others looked north. We painted until the light was too dim to paint and then headed home... happy after a wonderful painting trip in the Southern Sierras.<br /><br />We were all tired but satisfied with our three-day adventure together and vowed to return for another season and another time enjoying fellowship and the joy of painting in beautiful places together.<br /><br /></div><a class="blogfront-link-linktopost" href="http://marianfortunati.com/blog/36816/onyx-hills" title="Onyx Hills">Comment on or Share this Article >></a><div class="blogger-post-footer">art, impressionism, continual learning, art community, plein air, figurative, still life, California artist<img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7144629511562088306-6673012849864665420?l=marianfortunationpaintingdaily.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Marian Fortunatihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11107085447074524162noreply@blogger.com8Kern, California, USA35.6624527 -118.026739935.1586562 -119.3157184 36.1662492 -116.7377614tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7144629511562088306.post-47557197546671342102011-11-08T20:02:00.000-08:002011-11-10T10:25:41.310-08:00Kernville River Park - Plein Air River Painting<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Ox2yRVyF7jc/Trn6J9ekYPI/AAAAAAAACu0/k2KI6Hnub3o/s1600/Kernville+River+Park+small.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="255" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Ox2yRVyF7jc/Trn6J9ekYPI/AAAAAAAACu0/k2KI6Hnub3o/s320/Kernville+River+Park+small.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><span class="blogfront-label-comment-count"></span> <span class="blogfront-section-image"><br /><span class="blogfront-data-image-caption"></span></span> <br /><div class="blogfront-data-entry-text"><table align="left" border="0"><tbody><tr> <td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://marianfortunati.com/works/747350/kernville-river-park" target="_blank"><b>Kernville River Park</b><br />© Marian Fortunati<br />8"x10" Oil on Canvas</a><br /><br /></td> <td></td> </tr><tr> <td style="text-align: center;">Click on the above line for<br />additional details about<br />this painting.<br /><br /></td> <td></td> </tr></tbody> </table><br />Running through the town of Kernville, CA, the Kern River takes on a lively but less wild demeanor. The water moves swiftly, but seems to spread out and enjoy its visit through the town, stopping here and there to chat with a boulder, a clump of weeds or to rest in a placid inlet. During the busy season, children and their families can be seen fishing near the bridge and all year-long, people enjoy a walk along the river, listening to its chatter as it heads toward the steep and deep wild rapids section further south.<br /><table align="right" border="0"><tbody><tr> <td></td> <td><img border="0" src="http://images.faso.edgesuite.net/5196_747499m.jpg" style="border: 0;" width="250" /></td> </tr><tr> <td></td> <td style="text-align: center;">Sunshine across the trees</td> </tr><tr> <td></td> <td><img border="0" src="http://images.faso.edgesuite.net/5196_747501m.jpg" style="border: 0;" width="250" /></td> </tr><tr> <td></td> <td style="text-align: center;">Looking north toward the<br />bridge</td> </tr></tbody> </table><br />On the last day of our all girls painting trip, we woke up early and went to the park a short distance from the <b>Sierra Gateway Cottages</b> where we were staying. Our plan was to paint in the morning and return to the cottages for lunch before heading home. We hoped to be able to stop to paint somewhere on the way home as well.<br /><br />I think the sunlight which touched the tops of the trees first thing that morning stole the breath from all of us. It was a crisp, clear and beautiful morning. The distant mountains were just touched by the sunlight and even seemed to glow a bit right at the point where the light first touched. Three of us painted looking south along the river toward the gentle curve at the end of the park. Sharon Weaver and Laura Wambsgans were painting from the river bank beach while I painted from a bench higher up in the park. Diane Nelson-Gold painted looking north toward the mountains that were glowing with morning sun.<br /><br />We broke for our last lunch in Kern and headed out past lake Isabella (we vowed we would return to paint the lake at sunset) and across Walker Pass. <br /><br />****<br /><br />Several followers of the blog have made suggestions that will help me revise the rabbitbush painting posted in the last post. Thanks so much. When I finish my trip log (one more painting to go) and then revise that rabbitbush painting, I will repost it and let you know what I did and what everyone had suggested. In the meantime... thank you all for being my "critical friends". That is such an important part of any type of growth!<br /><br /></div><a class="blogfront-link-linktopost" href="http://marianfortunati.com/blog/36750/kernville-river-park-the-last-day-of-a-wonderful-all-gals-trip" title="Kernville River Park -- The Last Day Of A Wonderful All GALS Trip">Comment on or Share this Article >></a><div class="blogger-post-footer">art, impressionism, continual learning, art community, plein air, figurative, still life, California artist<img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7144629511562088306-4755719754667134210?l=marianfortunationpaintingdaily.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Marian Fortunatihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11107085447074524162noreply@blogger.com5Kernville, CA, USA35.75467320000001 -118.425362735.695318700000016 -118.45699719999999 35.81402770000001 -118.3937282tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7144629511562088306.post-55090298338742952072011-11-06T10:44:00.000-08:002011-11-06T10:44:43.630-08:00Chasing Rabbitbush and Buckwheat -- Plein Air Painting With Friends<div style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Y1K6MiCSBAE/TrbUz0TcKuI/AAAAAAAACus/Lz3VZ_Uyr7g/s1600/Chasing+Rabbitbush+and+Buckwheat+small.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Y1K6MiCSBAE/TrbUz0TcKuI/AAAAAAAACus/Lz3VZ_Uyr7g/s320/Chasing+Rabbitbush+and+Buckwheat+small.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><span class="blogfront-label-comment-count"></span> <span class="blogfront-section-image"><br /><span class="blogfront-data-image-caption"></span></span> <br /><div class="blogfront-data-entry-text"><table align="left" border="0"><tbody><tr> <td> <div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://marianfortunati.com/works/746038/chasing-rabbitbush-and-buckwheat" target="_blank"><strong>Chasing Rabbitbush and Buckwheat</strong><br />© Marian Fortunati<br />12"x9" Oil on Canvas panel</a></div><br /></td> <td> </td> </tr><tr> <td style="text-align: center;"> Click on the link above to see more<br />details about this artwork.<br /><br /></td> <td> </td> </tr></tbody> </table><br />A group of women painters enjoyed a few days up near Kernville in Southern California this October. We all were able to briefly put aside the joys and obligations of family to spend a few days away together in a lovely river recreation area. On the way up to our adventures, we stopped to paint the wild water and rapids of the Kern River and the next morning we painted a more placid river as it is seen further north.<br /><br />After a lunch break and a walk through the cute little town, we set off to find a spot to paint the beautiful fields of rabbitbush and buckwheat that we had enjoyed seeing on the way up. Well, what we thought would be an easy jaunt turned epic as we wandered far afield. Although we saw<br /><table align="left" border="0"><tbody><tr> <td><img border="0" src="http://images.faso.edgesuite.net/5196_746077m.jpg" /></td> <td> </td> </tr><tr> <td style="text-align: center;">Marian painting in Kern</td> <td> </td> </tr></tbody> </table>some pretty amazing sights we really couldn't find what had drawn us to the area in the first place. <br /><br />Finally we found an area near the Kern River that was just beautiful. We all raced to set up our easels and paint because the sun was dropping behind the mountains quickly and we didn't have very much time to capture the backlit bushes and trees. Never the less we had another terrific time.<br /><br />Laura painted down closer to the river, but Diane, Sharon and I were up on the hillside looking down toward the river.<br /><br />Painting is a joy, but it is also an activity that brings us to be in places that we might not normally be. We see more of our world than we might have. We get to see the world in different ways than we might have. Painting provides a lens that allows us a bit more beauty, awe, and joyousness than we had before we looked at the world through artists eyes.<br /><br /> </div><a class="blogfront-link-linktopost" href="http://marianfortunati.com/blog/36646/chasing-rabbitbush-and-buckwheat" title="Chasing Rabbitbush and Buckwheat">Comment on or Share this Article >></a><div class="blogger-post-footer">art, impressionism, continual learning, art community, plein air, figurative, still life, California artist<img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7144629511562088306-5509029833874295207?l=marianfortunationpaintingdaily.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Marian Fortunatihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11107085447074524162noreply@blogger.com5Sequoia National Forest, 1839 S Newcomb St, Porterville, CA 93257-9353, USA35.574190602929306 -118.601501689062534.8125011029293 -119.2566036890625 36.33588010292931 -117.9463996890625tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7144629511562088306.post-91667474046175178712011-11-04T11:27:00.000-07:002011-11-04T11:27:50.934-07:00Riverkern Reflections - Part Of A Plein Air Adventure With Friends<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-OJoz3dUZwzg/TrQt0udiWII/AAAAAAAACuk/JGuMMSrbl68/s1600/Riverkern+Reflections+small.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-OJoz3dUZwzg/TrQt0udiWII/AAAAAAAACuk/JGuMMSrbl68/s320/Riverkern+Reflections+small.JPG" width="319" /></a></div><div class="blogfront-data-entry-text"><table align="center" border="0"><tbody><tr> <td style="text-align: center;"> <a href="http://marianfortunati.com/works/743767/riverkern-reflections" target="_blank"><strong>Riverkern Reflections</strong><br />© Marian Fortunati<br />12"x12" Oil on linen panel</a><br /><br /></td> <td> </td> </tr><tr> <td style="text-align: center;"> Click on the above link for<br />additional details<br /><br /></td> <td> </td> </tr></tbody> </table>Riverkern is a picnic area near several established camping areas north of Kernville, California along the beautiful Kern River. The river seems to have many faces. In some areas it's wild and quite dangerous. In other areas the smooth surface seems to invite a languid nap in the sunshine atop a raft. Riverkern was a calming delightful area and I urge you to stop by ... to just sit, to fish, to raft or ... to paint!!"<br /><br />On the morning of the second day of our girls' painting trip (Diane Gold, Sharon Weaver, Laura Wambsgans and me), we were out the door and at our car at the agreed upon time of 8:00 a.m. We had planned to head north toward the area of the giant sequoia but found instead a sad, sad area of totally burnt out forest. Two years in a row of forest fires had just wiped out what had once been a beautiful pine forest. We decided not to venture on toward Sequoia National Park, but instead turned around to look for a likely painting spot.<br /><table align="right" border="0"><tbody><tr> <td> </td> <td><img border="0" src="http://images.faso.edgesuite.net/5196_744655m.jpg" style="border: 0pt none;" width="250" /></td> </tr><tr> <td> </td> <td style="text-align: center;">Different views of Riverkern</td> </tr></tbody> </table><br />We had passed Riverkern on the way north, and almost stopped then, but decided that we WOULD stop on the way back. Once again we spread out to find our "spots". While we all painted in separate areas from separate viewpoints and we all have very different styles, each of us was totally enjoying ourselves.<br /><br />After we had finished, we drove back to the Sierra Gateway Cottages where we were staying to eat lunch and talk about our paintings. What a great morning! Companionship, critiques, and a cozy pied-à-terre!<br /><br /> </div><a class="blogfront-link-linktopost" href="http://marianfortunati.com/blog/36584/riverkern-reflections-the-next-morning" title="Riverkern Reflections -- The Next Morning">Comment on or Share this Article >></a><div class="blogger-post-footer">art, impressionism, continual learning, art community, plein air, figurative, still life, California artist<img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7144629511562088306-9166747404617517871?l=marianfortunationpaintingdaily.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Marian Fortunatihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11107085447074524162noreply@blogger.com4Kern, California, USA35.7896726 -118.4470299999999835.2858761 -119.73600849999998 36.2934691 -117.15805149999998tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7144629511562088306.post-77380281719631078182011-11-02T18:18:00.000-07:002011-11-02T18:18:48.177-07:00Kern River Rapids - The GALS Go On A Painting Trip<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-5TCfy_WNOF0/TrHrNKAXNTI/AAAAAAAACuc/M49Zp1YwnIM/s1600/Kern+River+Rapids+small.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="254" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-5TCfy_WNOF0/TrHrNKAXNTI/AAAAAAAACuc/M49Zp1YwnIM/s320/Kern+River+Rapids+small.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><span class="blogfront-data-byline"></span><span class="blogfront-label-comment-count"><a class="page_links" href="http://marianfortunati.com/dataviewer.asp?keyvalue=5196&page=Blog&subkeyvalue=36522#POSTCOMMENT"></a></span><span class="blogfront-section-image"><br /><span class="blogfront-data-image-caption"></span></span> <br /><div class="blogfront-data-entry-text"><table align="left" border="0"><tbody><tr> <td style="text-align: center;"> <a href="http://marianfortunati.com/works/743103/kern-river-rapids" target="_blank"><strong>Kern River Rapids</strong><br />© Marian Fortunati<br />8"x10" Oil on Linen Board</a><br /><br /></td> <td> </td> </tr><tr> <td style="text-align: center;"> Click on the above link for<br />details<br /><br /></td> <td> </td> </tr></tbody> </table><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />On our way up to Kern for a painting adventure, four of us artists stopped at a turn-out to view the river. We couldn't help ourselves. It was simply wildly beautiful. Each of us found our spot, some looking down river, others up river and we painted and smiled and totally had a great time.<br /><br />I crawled out onto some rocks where a tree had built up a blockade and painted the view looking toward Lake Isabella and Kernville. This is the roaring wild side of the the Kern River where it rushes through the canyon on its way downhill toward the valley below.<br /><br />I often paint with my friends, but so often I've jealously watched the facebook postings of groups of guys, many of whom I know, who join together and travel somewhere to paint. It always looks like such fun! Trying to get a group of women painters together isn't always easy but the four of us, <a href="http://www.laurawambsgans.com/" target="_blank">Laura Wambsgans</a>, <a href="http://sharonweaver.com/" target="_blank">Sharon Weaver</a>, <a href="http://www.dianegoldart.com/" target="_blank">Diane Nelson-Gold</a> and me all have been wishing we could go somewhere to paint together. Recently the California Art Club hosted an outing at a ranch that seemed like lots of fun, but most of us couldn't go. So, since my son and his wife own vacation cottages for rent (<a href="http://www.sierragatewaycottages.net/" target="_blank">Sierra Gateway Cottages</a>) in Kern, I suggested we plan for a trip to paint the fall colors up along the river. We all cleared it with our families and had looked forward to it for months.<br /><br />Well, the colors hadn't quite turned... they were just starting.... but the trip was all we had hoped it would be. We packed up our EasyLs (isn't it funny?... We ALL have EasyL pochade boxes!) some food a few clothes and off we went. We painted on the way up, all day on the second day and all day and on the way back on the third. We arrived home exhausted and happy. What a great time! <br /><br />Thank you, painting buddies!!! -Loved the learning, the laughter and the great memories.<br /><br /> </div><a class="blogfront-link-linktopost" href="http://marianfortunati.com/blog/36522/kern-river-rapids-the-gals-go-on-a-painting-trip" title="Kern River Rapids -- The GALS Go On a Painting Trip">Comment on or Share this Article >></a><div class="blogger-post-footer">art, impressionism, continual learning, art community, plein air, figurative, still life, California artist<img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7144629511562088306-7738028171963107818?l=marianfortunationpaintingdaily.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Marian Fortunatihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11107085447074524162noreply@blogger.com6Sequoia National Forest, 1839 S Newcomb St, Porterville, CA 93257-9353, USA35.54795352240379 -118.6165742057617134.786264022403785 -119.27167620576171 36.30964302240379 -117.96147220576171tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7144629511562088306.post-52899125257293471602011-10-31T20:40:00.000-07:002011-10-31T20:40:22.779-07:00Pierce College Barn - A Rural Landscape Oil Painting<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-wJCkfaT22kc/Tq9kOG14FQI/AAAAAAAACuU/pliPQwEmcvo/s1600/Pierce+College+Barn+small.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-wJCkfaT22kc/Tq9kOG14FQI/AAAAAAAACuU/pliPQwEmcvo/s320/Pierce+College+Barn+small.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Pierce College Barn</b></span><br />by Marian Fortunati<br />12" x 18" Oil on Canvas</td></tr></tbody></table><span class="blogfront-label-comment-count"></span> <span class="blogfront-section-image"><br /><span class="blogfront-data-image-caption"></span></span> <br /><div class="blogfront-data-entry-text">Pierce College is in the heart of the South-West San Fernando Valley. Although most of the huge campus teams with students seeking their AA degrees, a good portion of the campus is the home of the Valley's agricultural past and offers students a chance to learn about animal husbandry in a hands on setting.<br /><br />This painting will be one of several of my paintings that will be part of a group show called "Rural Remnants of the San Fernando Valley". La Galeria Gitana is a beautiful jewel of a gallery in San Fernando, CA. I have been fortunate to have my work in several shows here over the last two years. If you get a chance, please come by the show.<br /><br /><table align="center" border="0" height="268" style="width: 507px;"><tbody><tr> <td><table class="events-section-event vevent"><tbody><tr> <td class="events-section-image"><br /></td> <td class="events-section-info"><a href="http://marianfortunati.com/event/31026"> </a><br /><h2 class="events-data-name summary" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://marianfortunati.com/event/31026">Rural Remnants of the San Fernando Valley</a></h2><br /><div class="events-section-dates" style="text-align: center;"><b>Event Dates: 11/19/2011 - 1/10/2012</b></div><div class="events-section-reception" style="text-align: center;"><b>Reception: 11/19/2011 4:00 - 6:00 p.m.</b></div><div class="events-section-reception" style="text-align: center;"></div><div class="location vcard"><div class="events-section-location" style="text-align: center;">Location: <b>La Galeria Gitana</b></div><div class="events-data-phone" style="text-align: center;"> <span class="skype_pnh_container" dir="ltr" tabindex="-1"> <span class="skype_pnh_highlighting_inactive_common" dir="ltr" title="Call this phone number in United States of America with Skype: +18188987708"><span class="skype_pnh_left_span" title="Skype actions"> </span><span class="skype_pnh_dropart_span" title="Skype actions"><span class="skype_pnh_dropart_flag_span" style="background-position: -5849px 1px ! important;"> </span> </span><span class="skype_pnh_textarea_span"><span class="skype_pnh_text_span">(818) 898-7708</span></span><span class="skype_pnh_right_span"> </span></span> </span> </div><div class="events-data-address street-address" style="text-align: center;">120 N. Maclay Ave. Ste. E </div><div class="events-data-csz" style="text-align: center;">San Fernando CA 91340</div><div class="events-data-csz" style="text-align: center;"></div><div class="events-data-csz" style="text-align: center;"></div><div class="events-section-url" style="text-align: center;"><b><a class="events-link-url url" href="http://www.galeriagitana.com/">http://www.galeriagitana.com</a></b></div></div></td> </tr></tbody> </table></td> <td></td> </tr><tr> <td><br /></td> <td></td> </tr></tbody> </table></div><a class="blogfront-link-linktopost" href="http://marianfortunati.com/blog/36465/pierce-college-barn" title="Pierce College Barn">Comment on or Share this Article >></a><div class="blogger-post-footer">art, impressionism, continual learning, art community, plein air, figurative, still life, California artist<img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7144629511562088306-5289912525729347160?l=marianfortunationpaintingdaily.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Marian Fortunatihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11107085447074524162noreply@blogger.com6Pierce College, 6201 Winnetka Ave, Woodland Hills, CA 91371, USA34.1847736 -118.5827160999999734.1801866 -118.59151759999997 34.1893606 -118.57391459999997tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7144629511562088306.post-31647928910223663642011-10-28T17:34:00.000-07:002011-10-28T17:34:32.031-07:00Among The Roses - A Plein Air Floral -- California Art Club Paint-Out<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1Wb54WTrxY8/TqtGYJeG8UI/AAAAAAAACuM/tw_SJtOxDC0/s1600/Among+The+Roses+small.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1Wb54WTrxY8/TqtGYJeG8UI/AAAAAAAACuM/tw_SJtOxDC0/s320/Among+The+Roses+small.JPG" width="255" /></a></div><span class="blogfront-label-comment-count"></span> <span class="blogfront-section-image"><br /><span class="blogfront-data-image-caption"></span></span> <br /><div class="blogfront-data-entry-text"><table align="left" border="0"><tbody><tr> <td style="text-align: center;"> <strong>Among The Roses</strong><br />© Marian Fortunati<br />10"x8" Oil on linen<br /><br /></td> <td> </td> </tr><tr> <td style="text-align: center;"> Click on the link<br />above for more details<br /><br /></td> <td> </td> </tr></tbody> </table>Every month I look forward to the monthly paint-out of the Ventura / Malibu Chapter of the <strong><a href="http://www.californiaartclub.org/" target="_blank">California Art Club</a>.</strong> It's always a way to get out .. sometimes to a new site ... sometimes to a familiar one. It's a great way to connect with other artists and learn about their art and aspirations. Artists of all levels and a variety of media participate... it's great! If you don't have a local group of painters to join, I highly encourage you to form one of your own... and invite strangers.<br /><br />A week ago last Wednesday was such a day. I have been SOOOO busy lately... Meetings, paint-outs, multiple-show deadlines, and a painting trip all piled on top on each other, I never got a chance to blog about the day. So here goes.<br /><br />I know the weather in Southern California is something to luxuriate in. Usually it's clear... We almost NEVER have snow and we rarely have rain. We often have blistering hot summers, but our falls are usually relatively pleasant. Wednesday was NOT such a day. It was a cool day of FOG. What is referred to as "low-level clouds" or a "low-pressure marine layer" totally grayed out the day. My friend, <a href="http://sharonweaver.com/" target="_blank">Sharon Weaver</a>, and I had planned to drive out to King Gillette Ranch, our meeting place, together. I almost didn't go, but I really wanted to paint. Now Sharon is a person who can paint anywhere, anytime and almost always comes up with something wonderful. Not ME. However, when we got there, the place Sharon had planned to paint... a row of trees disappearing into the distant fog, was blocked off with construction work. Hey!... that's part of the joy and the challenge of plein air, isn't it? Kinda like Forrest Gump's box of chocolates... "You never know what you're going to get."<br /><table align="right" border="0"><tbody><tr> <td> </td> <td><img border="0" src="http://data.fineartstudioonline.com/websites/MarianFortunati/works/5196_740103m.jpg" style="border: 0;" width="250" /></td> </tr><tr> <td> </td> <td style="text-align: center;">My "spot"</td> </tr></tbody> </table><br />We both scouted around to find our "spot". Sharon ended up painting a gorgeous painting of the fog as it lifted over the distant hills. I decided to cozy up inside a bed of roses to get a more intimate view. I've really been trying not to paint the usual post card scenes that I most often go for. I know I like them, but I've challenged myself to try for a different look now and then, so I settled in with the roses. (Hoping I didn't move the wrong way and bleed out from thorn wounds.) All went well and I was fairly happy with my painting, too. (You can see in the photo how the weather had cleared by the time we broke for lunch. What we started with was NOT what we ended with.)<br /><br />We all broke for lunch and it was great exchanging experiences and information with new friends and old friends. Many thanks to the CAC and to George Malone, who organizes these monthly paint outs for Chapter Chair, Sharon Burkett Kaiser and the CAC.<br /><br /> </div><a class="blogfront-link-linktopost" href="http://marianfortunati.com/blog/36378/among-the-roses-monthly-cac-paint-out-what-fun" title="Among The Roses - Monthly CAC Paint Out.... What FUN!!!">Comment on or Share this Article >></a><div class="blogger-post-footer">art, impressionism, continual learning, art community, plein air, figurative, still life, California artist<img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7144629511562088306-3164792891022366364?l=marianfortunationpaintingdaily.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Marian Fortunatihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11107085447074524162noreply@blogger.com6King Gillette Ranch Park, 26800 Mulholland Hwy, Calabasas, CA 91302-1940, USA34.1024475 -118.7046239999999734.099864 -118.71133799999997 34.105031 -118.69790999999996tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7144629511562088306.post-25312086154922516862011-10-22T20:46:00.000-07:002011-10-22T20:46:15.471-07:00Garrapata Fog -- A California Coastal Landscape Painting<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/--mEVJrzGe6A/TqONSeNijKI/AAAAAAAACtw/0Ofe3SWB7oo/s1600/Garrapata+Fog+small.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="317" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/--mEVJrzGe6A/TqONSeNijKI/AAAAAAAACtw/0Ofe3SWB7oo/s320/Garrapata+Fog+small.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><span class="blogfront-label-comment-count"></span> <span class="blogfront-section-image"><br /><span class="blogfront-data-image-caption"></span></span> <br /><div class="blogfront-data-entry-text"><table align="left" border="0"><tbody><tr> <td style="text-align: center;"> <a href="http://marianfortunati.com/works/735713/garrapata-fog" target="_blank"><strong>Garrapata Fog</strong><br />© Marian Fortunati<br />12"x12" Oil on RayMar Panel</a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div></td> <td> </td> </tr><tr> <td style="text-align: center;"> Click on the link above for<br />additional details<br /><br /></td> <td> </td> </tr></tbody> </table><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />It was such an unusual day when we drove up the coast to show our niece a bit of California. She was visiting from Italy and was soon to start her first year of college. For the first few weeks, she shopped. I think single-handedly she improved our poor economy.<br /><br />But this week we all enjoyed a road trip. On our way up the coast, we were mesmerized by the play of fog. First we would be socked in... unable to see anything. Then it would clear up and the skies would be bright and blue... Sometimes the fog crept in and teased us all. It was really quite beautiful.<br /><br />I knew I wanted to paint this scene... it was too beautiful not to. I thought the square format would be interesting. Once I had most of the bones in I put it away for a while. When I pulled it out I worked on trying to make the water feel like it was flat and receding. I also tried to create interesting brushwork in the foreground and color in both the sky and in the water. Hopefully I succeeded.<br /><br /></div><a class="blogfront-link-linktopost" href="http://marianfortunati.com/blog/36195/garrapata-fog" title="Garrapata Fog">Comment on or Share this Article >></a><div class="blogger-post-footer">art, impressionism, continual learning, art community, plein air, figurative, still life, California artist<img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7144629511562088306-2531208615492251686?l=marianfortunationpaintingdaily.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Marian Fortunatihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11107085447074524162noreply@blogger.com8Garrapata State Park, Carmel, CA 93923, USA36.4679829 -121.9074858999999836.4397759 -121.93280839999998 36.496189900000005 -121.88216339999998tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7144629511562088306.post-64220624296726715132011-10-18T18:22:00.000-07:002011-10-18T21:12:08.640-07:00College Cow - A figurative painting for an upcoming show<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-oFdQX2NRrvM/Tp4litNmQ0I/AAAAAAAACto/k4gMRvGNyFc/s1600/College+Cow+small.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-oFdQX2NRrvM/Tp4litNmQ0I/AAAAAAAACto/k4gMRvGNyFc/s320/College+Cow+small.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><span class="blogfront-label-comment-count"></span> <span class="blogfront-section-image"><br /><span class="blogfront-data-image-caption"></span></span> <br /><div class="blogfront-data-entry-text"><table align="right" border="0"><tbody><tr> <td></td> <td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://marianfortunati.com/works/730852/college-cow" target="_blank"><b>College Cow</b><br />© Marian Fortunati<br />8"x8" Oil On Hardboard</a><br /><br /></td> </tr><tr> <td></td> <td style="text-align: center;">Click the above link for details<br /><br /></td> </tr></tbody> </table><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />I recently have spent some time wandering through a remnant of our rural San Fernando Valley past. Only 4 miles away, Pierce Community College has a large tract of its campus which is dedicated to agriculture. As a child I remember being taken out to Pierce to see the cows and other animals that live there... learning where milk, cheese and REALLY came from.<br /><br />A few of my children took classes at Pierce as they began to experiment with college and I took one or two extension classes there, but I had not really visited in years. Because of a show coming up soon, I decided to explore further and began tramping around to visit the cows, the goats and donkeys... even the chickens. I know there is often a debate about whether we actually NEED to offer agricultural classes to city folk... but just having this wonderful area available in our midst is a real plus. I hope it will always remain.<br /><br />In a field of mostly brunettes, this "blond" stood out in the crowd. She was enjoying a few strands of tall drying grass in the field and happened to look up long enough so I could enjoy her.<br /><br />This is one of several my paintings that will be part of a group show at <b><a href="http://www.galeriagitana.com/" target="_blank">La Galeria Gitana</a></b> entitled <b>"Rural Remnants of The San Fernando Valley"</b>. The show runs from November 19 until early January. Galeria Gitana is a beautiful gallery located in San Fernando, CA. The reception will be on Saturday night (11-19-11) from 6:00 to 10:00 p.m. -- If you can make it by, it will be a great show and I hope to see you there, so mark your calendar!<br /><br /></div><a class="blogfront-link-linktopost" href="http://marianfortunati.com/blog/36064/college-cow" title="College Cow">Comment on or Share this Article >></a><div class="blogger-post-footer">art, impressionism, continual learning, art community, plein air, figurative, still life, California artist<img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7144629511562088306-6422062429672671513?l=marianfortunationpaintingdaily.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Marian Fortunatihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11107085447074524162noreply@blogger.com4Pierce College, 6201 Winnetka Ave, Woodland Hills, CA 91371, USA34.1847736 -118.5827160999999734.1801866 -118.59151759999997 34.1893606 -118.57391459999997tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7144629511562088306.post-24761342191553485212011-10-14T11:50:00.000-07:002011-10-14T11:50:18.739-07:00Inspiration Along The Wall -- California Coastal abstract landscape<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-1cz9RGDccqA/TpiC9ru-WiI/AAAAAAAACtg/3Ijk-9IeIqw/s1600/On+The+Wall+small.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="318" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-1cz9RGDccqA/TpiC9ru-WiI/AAAAAAAACtg/3Ijk-9IeIqw/s320/On+The+Wall+small.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><span class="blogfront-label-comment-count"></span> <span class="blogfront-section-image"><br /><span class="blogfront-data-image-caption"></span></span> <br /><div class="blogfront-data-entry-text"><table align="left" border="0"><tbody><tr> <td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://marianfortunati.com/works/730879/on-the-wall" target="_blank"><strong>On The Wall</strong><br />© Marian Fortunati<br />6"x6" Oil on RayMar Canvas</a><br /></td> <td><br /><br /><br /></td> </tr><tr> <td style="text-align: center;"> Click the link above for details<br />and Pay Pal information<br /><br /></td> <td> </td> </tr></tbody> </table><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />The opportunity to snorkel or kayak around the various anchorages on Santa Cruz Island in the Channel Islands National Park really enabled those of us on this wonderful painting adventure to confront differences in sea life along different spots on the islands. <br /><br />While we were in Twin Harbor Anchorage, all of us were totally entranced by the beautiful sea stars that inhabited the waters and walls surrounding the anchorage. I marveled at the variety of colors of these animals and wondered WHY when most animals try to make themselves invisible, these creatures seemed to glory in standing out. <br /><br />The stars were gorgeous and the water was beautifully reflecting and refracting colors... creating an almost abstract design... I just had to try to paint it.... I may even try to paint a larger version!<br /><br />Here's what National Geographic has to say about sea stars:<br /><div class="aside extended"> <div class="map"> <h3 class="title ">Map</h3><img alt="Map: Starfish range" src="http://images.nationalgeographic.com/wpf/media-live/graphic/map-starfish-160-cb1273165218.gif" /> <table align="right" border="0"><tbody><tr> <td> </td> <td><img border="0" src="http://data.fineartstudioonline.com/websites/MarianFortunati/works/5196_730909m.jpg" /></td> </tr><tr> <td> </td> <td style="text-align: center;">Alana with a multi-armed<br />sea star</td> </tr><tr> <td> </td> <td><img border="0" src="http://data.fineartstudioonline.com/websites/MarianFortunati/works/5196_730912m.jpg" /></td> </tr><tr> <td> </td> <td style="text-align: center;">A beautiful undersea world</td> </tr><tr> <td> </td> <td><img border="0" src="http://data.fineartstudioonline.com/websites/MarianFortunati/works/5196_730913m.jpg" /></td> </tr><tr> <td> </td> <td style="text-align: center;">A tiny brittle star</td> </tr></tbody> </table>Starfish (Sea Star) Range<br /></div><div class="dictionary"> <h3 class="title">Fast Facts</h3><dl><dt><strong>Type:</strong></dt><dd>Invertebrate</dd><dt><strong>Diet:</strong></dt><dd>Carnivore</dd><dt><strong>Average life span in the wild:</strong></dt><dd>Up to 35 years</dd><dt><strong>Size:</strong></dt><dd>4.7 to 9.4 in (12 to 24 cm)</dd><dt><strong>Weight:</strong></dt><dd>Up to 11 lbs (5 kg)</dd><dt><strong>Did you know?</strong></dt><dd>Sea stars have no brains and no blood. Their nervous system is spread through their arms and their “blood” is actually filtered sea water.</dd><dt><strong>Size relative to a tea cup:</strong></dt><dd class="image"> <img alt="Illustration: Starfish compared with tea cup" src="http://images.nationalgeographic.com/wpf/media-live/graphic/size-starfish-160-2903-cb1273165218.gif" /> </dd></dl></div></div><div class="article_text"> Marine scientists have undertaken the difficult task of replacing the beloved starfish’s common name with sea star because, well, the starfish is not a fish. It’s an echinoderm, closely related to sea urchins and sand dollars.<br />There are some 2,000 species of sea star living in all the world’s oceans, from tropical habitats to the cold seafloor. The five-arm varieties are the most common, hence their name, but species with 10, 20, and even 40 arms exist.<br />They have bony, calcified skin, which protects them from most predators, and many wear striking colors that camouflage them or scare off potential attackers. Purely marine animals, there are no freshwater sea stars, and only a few live in brackish water.<br />Beyond their distinctive shape, sea stars are famous for their ability to regenerate limbs, and in some cases, entire bodies. They accomplish this by housing most or all of their vital organs in their arms. Some require the central body to be intact to regenerate, but a few species can grow an entirely new sea star just from a portion of a severed limb.<br />Most sea stars also have the remarkable ability to consume prey outside their bodies. Using tiny, suction-cupped tube feet, they pry open clams or oysters, and their sack-like cardiac stomach emerges from their mouth and oozes inside the shell. The stomach then envelops the prey to digest it, and finally withdraws back into the body.<br /><br />Interesting, huh???<br />I've also included a few photos of Alana, a fellow painter and adventurer on our trip, (who is also a wonderful artists' model) as she played with a sea star one of the scuba divers had brought up on board.<br /><br /></div></div><a class="blogfront-link-linktopost" href="http://marianfortunati.com/blog/35967/along-the-wall-beauty-is-everywhere-we-look" title="Along The Wall --- Beauty is Everywhere We Look">Comment on or Share this Article >></a><div class="blogger-post-footer">art, impressionism, continual learning, art community, plein air, figurative, still life, California artist<img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7144629511562088306-2476134219155348521?l=marianfortunationpaintingdaily.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Marian Fortunatihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11107085447074524162noreply@blogger.com4Channel Islands National Park, 1901 Spinnaker Dr, Ventura, CA 93001-4354, USA33.9615695 -119.997176933.782928000000005 -120.6040789 34.140211 -119.3902749tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7144629511562088306.post-83386205924005876362011-10-11T17:19:00.000-07:002011-10-13T12:45:10.258-07:00Catching The Last Light - An Evening Beach Oil Painting<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-EcuEaBaegFo/TpTceFAN0sI/AAAAAAAACtY/ieC_sLfoecM/s1600/Catching+The+Last+Light+small.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="243" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-EcuEaBaegFo/TpTceFAN0sI/AAAAAAAACtY/ieC_sLfoecM/s320/Catching+The+Last+Light+small.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">From a photo taken by Shelley Smart <br />and posted on her "A Year At The Beach" blog<br />on blogspot.</td></tr></tbody></table><span class="blogfront-label-comment-count"></span> <span class="blogfront-section-image"><br /><span class="blogfront-data-image-caption"></span></span> <br /><div class="blogfront-data-entry-text">Walks on the beach are sometimes romantic and sometimes just a great way to reflect on life and relax as the day's annoyances fall off with each step. Gulls and sandpipers add lively, beautiful and sometimes humorous moments to our dreamy strolls.<br /><br />My focus for this painting was to catch the day's last light as it reflected off the foamy surf and shone through the wings of the gull.<br /><br />I am so pleased that this painting was one of two juried in to the upcoming <b>"Winter's Light" Exhibition</b> which will hang at the Historic Blinn House in Pasadena, CA from November 1, 2011 to January 31, 2012. The exhibition is curated by Margaret Danielak, who does a marvelous job of helping potential collectors examine their own tastes and make informed decisions about collecting art.<br /><a href="http://marianfortunati.com/dataviewer.asp?keyvalue=5196&subkeyvalue=726869&page=WorksZoom" target="_blank"><br /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://marianfortunati.com/dataviewer.asp?keyvalue=5196&subkeyvalue=726869&page=WorksZoom" target="_blank">Click HERE to see details about "Catching The Last Light"</a><br /><br /><a href="http://marianfortunati.com/dataviewer.asp?keyvalue=5196&subkeyvalue=721693&page=WorksZoom" target="_blank">Click HERE to see details about "Candlelight and Ribbons"</a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">*******<br /><br />I send out a free newsletter almost every month providing updates on art, events in my life, good books and upcoming shows. I somehow missed sending out a newsletter for the month of September but October's will be flashing through cyberspace to the email inboxes of all of the wonderful people who have subscribed.<br /><br />If you haven't already subscribed, but would like to receive my free updates, please take a moment and sign up<br /><a href="http://marianfortunati.com/email-newsletter" target="_blank"><b>HERE.</b></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><br /> </b></div></div><a class="blogfront-link-linktopost" href="http://marianfortunati.com/blog/35857/catching-the-last-light" title="Catching The Last Light">Comment on or Share this Article >></a><div class="blogger-post-footer">art, impressionism, continual learning, art community, plein air, figurative, still life, California artist<img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7144629511562088306-8338620592400587636?l=marianfortunationpaintingdaily.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Marian Fortunatihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11107085447074524162noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7144629511562088306.post-6374529480457366682011-10-08T14:59:00.000-07:002011-10-08T15:05:57.639-07:00Painting From a Kayak<span class="blogfront-label-comment-count"></span> <br /><div class="blogfront-data-entry-text"><table align="center" border="0" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr> <td><img alt="" border="0" src="http://data.fineartstudioonline.com/websites/MarianFortunati/works/5196_727087m.jpg" /></td> <td></td> </tr><tr> <td style="text-align: center;"><b>Kayaking Cueva Valdez</b>© Marian Fortunati<br />6"x8" Oil/Canvas Panel<br /><br /></td> <td></td> </tr></tbody> </table>While anchored in the Cueva Valdez anchorage on Santa Cruz Island, all of us had many options for passing our time. Some napped. Some painted from the ship. Some kayaked to the shore inside this cave and painted looking out toward the ship. Some opted to get a massage.. (Yes, we had a masseuse on board!) Some snorkeled or scuba dove.<br /><br />We ALL enjoyed delicious gourmet meals (breakfast, lunch, snack and dinner). At Cueva Valdez we had a great and unusual lunch… Mangoes with curried shrimp and rice with cocoa nut milk. Spinach salad with peanut butter dressing. Yum! Hip Hip Hooray for the chefs!!<br /><br />Of course we all did many different things... trying to pack as many new adventures into our experiences as possible.<br /><br />On our Channel Islands trip last year, Rich Brimer, was the only painter who tried painting from a kayak. This year I tried it.... and so did many others. Of course trying to balance your paints, palettes, brushes and canvas on your lap was really a trick. But the thrill was... I did it!!! And so did the others. Mary Gail took her tiny water color kit out on the kayak. (Several people thought she was looking in a mirror to adjust her make up... It was funny!) I would have thought water color would be an easier medium in those circumstances, but she pointed out that the salt water did strange things to the water color... whereas those of us using oil paints, simply patted the water off our canvas panel and moved on each time we got splashed.<br /><br />This tiny 6x8 was my first attempt to paint from a kayak. I found a huge bed of seaweed, paddled right into the middle of it and was set for a bit until I finished the study. The seaweed anchored me so I didn't have to fight the surges and shifts of directions or drifting I would have otherwise.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><object width="320" height="266" class="BLOGGER-youtube-video" classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0" data-thumbnail-src="http://i.ytimg.com/vi/zk4RbOkLmPA/0.jpg"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/zk4RbOkLmPA?version=3&f=user_uploads&c=google-webdrive-0&app=youtube_gdata" /><param name="bgcolor" value="#FFFFFF" /><embed width="320" height="266" src="http://www.youtube.com/v/zk4RbOkLmPA?version=3&f=user_uploads&c=google-webdrive-0&app=youtube_gdata" type="application/x-shockwave-flash"></embed></object></div>I will try to include a little video I took from the kayak. It's short but sort of fun. I wanted to study the way the water falls off the rocks as it rushes up then comes trickling back. After the video is a little study of a similar scene where I tried to capture the way the water looks as it comes back down into the sea.<br /><table align="right" border="0"><tbody><tr> <td></td> <td><img alt="" border="0" src="http://data.fineartstudioonline.com/websites/MarianFortunati/works/5196_727213m.jpg" /></td> </tr><tr> <td></td> <td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://marianfortunati.com/works/727224/rush-to-the-sea" target="_blank"><b>Rush To The Sea</b><br />© Marian Fortunati<br />6"x8" Oil on RayMar Linen</a><br /><br />Click on the link above for details and<br />PayPal information.</td> </tr></tbody> </table><br /><span id="goog_1005755755"></span><span id="goog_1005755756"></span><br />The second video is even shorter, but if you listen you can hear the sea lions playing alongside us and in the caves!<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><object width="320" height="266" class="BLOGGER-youtube-video" classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0" data-thumbnail-src="http://i.ytimg.com/vi/F_0RqkdPbjI/0.jpg"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/F_0RqkdPbjI?version=3&f=user_uploads&c=google-webdrive-0&app=youtube_gdata" /><param name="bgcolor" value="#FFFFFF" /><embed width="320" height="266" src="http://www.youtube.com/v/F_0RqkdPbjI?version=3&f=user_uploads&c=google-webdrive-0&app=youtube_gdata" type="application/x-shockwave-flash"></embed></object></div><br /><br />Hope you didn't get too seasick.... Handling the camera (which wasn't waterproof) AND the kayak at the same time was a bit much. Next year I'll have a WATERPROOF camera!!! (I can take pictures underwater then too... Way cool.)<br /><br /></div><a class="blogfront-link-linktopost" href="http://marianfortunati.com/blog/35778/painting-from-a-kayak" title="Painting From a Kayak">Comment on or Share this Article </a><div class="blogger-post-footer">art, impressionism, continual learning, art community, plein air, figurative, still life, California artist<img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7144629511562088306-637452948045736668?l=marianfortunationpaintingdaily.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Marian Fortunatihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11107085447074524162noreply@blogger.com7Channel Islands National Park, 1901 Spinnaker Dr, Ventura, CA 93001-4354, USA33.9615695 -119.997176933.782928000000005 -120.6040789 34.140211 -119.3902749tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7144629511562088306.post-22764711654393880542011-10-05T11:42:00.000-07:002011-10-05T11:42:51.723-07:00Cueva Valdez - A Plein Air Coastal California Landscape<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-JioaJr1I9BI/ToykT1S4rfI/AAAAAAAACtU/_7QUC_zhkaM/s1600/Cueva+Valdez+small.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="238" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-JioaJr1I9BI/ToykT1S4rfI/AAAAAAAACtU/_7QUC_zhkaM/s320/Cueva+Valdez+small.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><span class="blogfront-label-comment-count"></span> <span class="blogfront-section-image"><br /><span class="blogfront-data-image-caption"></span></span> <br /><div class="blogfront-data-entry-text"><table align="right" border="0"><tbody><tr> <td> </td> <td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://marianfortunati.com/works/725145/cueva-valdez" target="_blank"><strong>Cueva Valdez</strong><br />© Marian Fortunati<br />9"x12" Oil on RayMar Panel</a></td> </tr><tr> <td> </td> <td> Click on the above link for <br />details and PayPal information<br /><br /></td> </tr></tbody> </table>On the third morning of our fabulous Channel Islands Adventure, I woke up at 6:00 at Cueva Valdez Anchorage (Santa Cruz Island), staggered up the steps to the deck and got out my gear to paint the sunrise. <a href="http://marianfortunati.com/blog/35616/daybreak-chasing-the-sun-en-plein-air" target="_blank">(See previous post.)</a><br /><br />Later, after breakfast, I painted again while looking at the cliffs of Cueva Valdez from the top deck of the boat. I was trying to paint something that was not the same as everything else. - Something with a slightly different perspective, perhaps. I was looking for something in the all around beautiful scenery which stood out as unique. Finding the "something different" or looking at a scene differently has long been one of my challenges. I tend toward "postcard" art. <br /><br /><table align="left" border="0"><tbody><tr> <td><img alt="" border="0" src="http://data.fineartstudioonline.com/websites/MarianFortunati/works/5196_725428m.jpg" style="border: 0;" width="250" /></td> <td> </td> <td><img alt="" border="0" src="http://data.fineartstudioonline.com/websites/MarianFortunati/works/5196_725431m.jpg" style="border: 0;" width="250" /></td> <td> </td> </tr><tr> <td style="text-align: center;">Tiny kayaks and long shadows</td> <td> </td> <td style="text-align: center;">Looking down to where other artists<br />painted.</td> <td> </td> </tr></tbody> </table>Although this is not a TOTALLY unique view, I cropped down the "postcard" scene to focus on the cliff colors as they contrasted with the water colors. It was fun. This 9x12 was an attempt to capture the beauty of the orange and buff cliffs with a golden shaped rock and a little bit of turquoise and white at the edge of the rocks. The water reflected the colors of the cliffsides and the light danced across the waves.<br /><br />It was just another glorious day off of Santa Cruz Island in the Channel Islands National Park. Thank you, David Gallup, for providing us all with this unique opportunity... and with your great lessons.<br /></div><a class="blogfront-link-linktopost" href="http://marianfortunati.com/blog/35666/cueva-valdez-plein-air-coastal" title="Cueva Valdez - Plein Air Coastal">Comment on or Share this Article</a><div class="blogger-post-footer">art, impressionism, continual learning, art community, plein air, figurative, still life, California artist<img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7144629511562088306-2276471165439388054?l=marianfortunationpaintingdaily.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Marian Fortunatihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11107085447074524162noreply@blogger.com5Channel Islands National Park, 1901 Spinnaker Dr, Ventura, CA 93001-4354, USA33.9615695 -119.997176933.782928000000005 -120.6040789 34.140211 -119.3902749tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7144629511562088306.post-62417225704505478022011-10-03T18:11:00.000-07:002011-10-03T18:11:52.003-07:00Daybreak - A Plein Air Study ... Chasing the Sun<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-uqF0ChlYUxg/TopdLJlcNvI/AAAAAAAACtQ/kKQU_6vOLag/s1600/Pelican+Daybreak+small.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-uqF0ChlYUxg/TopdLJlcNvI/AAAAAAAACtQ/kKQU_6vOLag/s320/Pelican+Daybreak+small.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><span class="blogfront-label-comment-count"></span> <span class="blogfront-section-image"><br /><span class="blogfront-data-image-caption"></span></span> <br /><div class="blogfront-data-entry-text"><br /><table align="right" border="0" height="168" style="width: 128px;"><tbody><tr> <td> </td> <td style="text-align: center;"> <a href="http://marianfortunati.com/works/724478/daybreak" target="_blank"><strong>Daybreak</strong><br />6"x8" Oil Study</a><br /><br /></td> </tr><tr> <td> </td> <td>Click on the link<br />for Pay Pal info.</td> </tr></tbody> </table>Weather in general varied during the days of our idyllic Channel Islands excursion. We experienced low clouds, clear and balmy days, breezy and brisk afternoons and sometimes we had foggy weather during our five days. We only had two nights on which we could have painted moonscapes because the clouds obscured the moon on most nights. On this particular morning the sunrise was stunning. I straggled out on deck, and tried to set up and paint as the dawn very quickly went from a pale dawn filled with greyish colors to a vivid sky as the sun edged closer to daybreak ... it was a race... I think the dawn won!<br /><br /><table align="left" border="0"><tbody><tr> <td><img alt="" border="0" src="http://data.fineartstudioonline.com/websites/MarianFortunati/works/5196_724495m.jpg" style="border: 0;" width="250" /></td> <td> </td> <td><img alt="" border="0" src="http://data.fineartstudioonline.com/websites/MarianFortunati/works/5196_724498m.jpg" style="border: 0;" width="250" /></td> <td> </td> </tr><tr> <td style="text-align: center;">Pelicans perching on the rocks</td> <td> </td> <td style="text-align: center;">A fellow painter has kayaked to the<br />beach inside a nearby cave</td> <td> </td> </tr><tr> <td><img alt="" border="0" src="http://data.fineartstudioonline.com/websites/MarianFortunati/works/5196_724501m.jpg" style="border: 0;" width="250" /></td> <td> </td> <td> </td> <td> </td> </tr><tr> <td style="text-align: center;">Dorene is painting from the kayak.<br />The Conception is in the background.</td> <td> </td> <td> </td> <td> </td> </tr></tbody> </table>The pelicans and cormorants are the most common birds found on the islands. One day we were graced by the beautiful sight of a bald eagle in flight. What a joy.<br /><br />I had been reading a book called "When The Killing Stops" by T.C. Boyle, so when I saw the bald eagle, I knew that it had been reintroduced to the Islands from Alaska. The native bald eagles were killed off by drainage of DDT into the waters and subsequent weak shells. Then the golden eagle took over the territory. However, the golden eagle were preying on the island foxes and THEIR number were dwindling. So the Park Service captured the goldens and returned them to the mainland and reintroduced the bald eagles hatched from their Alaskan cousins.<br /><br />The antics and interrelationships of the Channel Islands flora and fauna is beyond fascinating. What a joy to witness some them first-hand.<br /><br />Each of us tried to capture studies of the island moods and beauty ... from the deck of the Conception, from the shore and even from the kayaks!<br /></div><a class="blogfront-link-linktopost" href="http://marianfortunati.com/blog/35616/daybreak-chasing-the-sun-en-plein-air" title="Daybreak - Chasing the Sun En Plein Air">Comment on or Share this Article >></a><div class="blogger-post-footer">art, impressionism, continual learning, art community, plein air, figurative, still life, California artist<img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7144629511562088306-6241722570450547802?l=marianfortunationpaintingdaily.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Marian Fortunatihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11107085447074524162noreply@blogger.com3Channel Islands National Park, 1901 Spinnaker Dr, Ventura, CA 93001-4354, USA33.9615695 -119.997176933.782928000000005 -120.6040789 34.140211 -119.3902749tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7144629511562088306.post-66884517809840420992011-09-30T16:56:00.000-07:002011-12-13T19:00:54.578-08:00Candlelight and Ribbons - A Figurative Oil Painting<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-icDVR6CNilE/ToZWyqfgN6I/AAAAAAAACtM/whLlP7jZBys/s1600/Candlelight+and+Ribbons+small.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="260" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-icDVR6CNilE/ToZWyqfgN6I/AAAAAAAACtM/whLlP7jZBys/s320/Candlelight+and+Ribbons+small.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><span class="blogfront-label-comment-count"></span> <span class="blogfront-section-image"><br /><span class="blogfront-data-image-caption"></span></span> <br /><div class="blogfront-data-entry-text"><table align="left" border="0"><tbody><tr> <td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://marianfortunati.com/dataviewer.asp?keyvalue=5196&subkeyvalue=721693&page=WorksZoom" target="_blank"><b>Candlelight and Ribbons</b><br />© Marian Fortunati<br />8"x10" Oil on Canvas Panel<br /><span style="color: red;"><b>SOLD</b></span></a><br /><br /></td> <td></td> </tr><tr> <td style="text-align: center;">Click on the link above for <br />more details and PayPal information.<br /><br /></td> <td></td> </tr></tbody> </table>Suddenly I realized that the deadline for an exhibition I wanted to enter is fast approaching! I have been totally immersed in thoughts of my Channel Islands painting adventure. I've even painted one new painting of Santa Rosa since the trip and have planned a few more but WAIT!! These paintings will definitely NOT fit in with the theme of the upcoming show!!! --- Even if the jurors fudge and decide to loosely interpret the theme... paintings of the islands just won't fly.<br /><br />Well... I thought about the paintings in "my body of work". I have LOTS of paintings, mind you... but not many... no matter how loosely I imagined the theme, would do. I had to paint. I hate painting FOR a show. I really should always paint for me and then see what fits. It's more fun and usually turns out better. Additionally all of the regular things of life have piled up ... trying to get my 11-year-old off to a good start in middle school, celebrating Dad's birthday and all the while my wonderful supportive husband is out-of-town!<br /><br />I remembered a few themed shows at a gallery that invited me to show my work and how well that ended up. Painting for those shows really stretched me. I painted scenes (like urban landscapes) I usually don't paint and I enjoyed exploring and trying something a bit different. So... I've been painting and painting!!! I've painted six paintings since it suddenly dawned on me that I was running out of time. (Actually one still needs some work... but I've got most of tonight and tomorrow to finish it up. Ten entries can be submitted. I have about three in my "files" which might also fit. That's enough. Surely the jurors will be able to find one or two that are acceptable! .... (I hope.)<br /><br />The theme is "Winter's Light", but I really didn't want to paint lots of snow pictures. Even though there's not a lot of snow here in Southern California ... (at least nearby).... I figured everyone would be painting mountains and or snow-covered mountains. I wanted to do<br /><table align="right" border="0"><tbody><tr> <td></td> <td><img alt="" border="0" src="http://data.fineartstudioonline.com/websites/MarianFortunati/works/5196_721704m.jpg" /></td> </tr><tr> <td></td> <td style="text-align: center;"><b>Boo!</b></td> </tr></tbody> </table>something a bit different with some of my submissions, so I thought about light... We have seasons in SoCal... They're just not like seasons in most of the rest of the USA.<br /><br />I started this painting on a small panel that was already toned black. I had purchased it a while back and thought it might be an interesting experiment. As the painting progressed, it began to look more like a Halloween painting than one of winter or light but I persevered. I thought the candlelight added a magical aspect to this girl's pretty face. I played with texture and color a bit... using purple, burnt sienna, cad red and alizarin to create skin and hair. I so enjoy playing!<br /><br />Although photographing this dark painting was problematic... I decided I like it. Hopefully the juror will too.<br /><br /></div><a class="blogfront-link-linktopost" href="http://marianfortunati.com/blog/35487/candlelight-and-ribbons" title="Candlelight and Ribbons">Comment on or Share this Article</a><div class="blogger-post-footer">art, impressionism, continual learning, art community, plein air, figurative, still life, California artist<img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7144629511562088306-6688451780984042099?l=marianfortunationpaintingdaily.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Marian Fortunatihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11107085447074524162noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7144629511562088306.post-15655291341414083882011-09-27T10:24:00.000-07:002011-09-27T10:24:11.943-07:00Happy Birthday, Dad!!<span class="blogfront-label-comment-count"></span> <br /><div class="blogfront-data-entry-text"><table align="center" border="0"><tbody><tr> <td><img alt="" border="0" id="5196_153338" src="http://data.fineartstudioonline.com/websites/5196/works/5196_153338m.jpg" /></td> <td></td> </tr><tr> <td style="text-align: center;"><b>The Lesson</b><br />© Marian Fortunati<br />Private Collection</td> <td></td> </tr></tbody> </table><br />Today is my Dad's 93rd birthday. Since he's my #1 blog reader and usually even takes the time to comment on my posts on my website blog, I'm dedicating this post to him.<br /><br />HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DADDY!!<br /><table align="right" border="0"><tbody><tr> <td><img alt="" border="0" src="http://data.fineartstudioonline.com/websites/MarianFortunati/works/5196_719904m.jpg" /></td> <td></td> </tr><tr> <td style="text-align: center;"> Celebrating last night with his grandson and<br />grand-daughter-in-law</td> <td></td> </tr></tbody> </table><br /><br />I've painted him in my paintings a few times, but this is one of my favorites. Dad has taught me things all of his and my life. In this painting, his great grandson, Tyler, is "teaching" him about a program on the computer. Dad may be 93, but he still does it all! He's creative, thoughtful, caring, resourceful. When I was growing up he was an aeronautical engineer at Lockheed Aircraft, heading many important projects. After retiring he had many things he enjoyed doing and sharing... jewelry ... casting molds for the gold and silver settings. etc. He also writes short stories and articles for retiree newsletters. He has also won many awards for amateur videography. All in all he's a multi-faceted guy who enjoys people, learning and doing!<br /><br />Please enjoy a couple of his videos that are now on U-Tube: <br /><br /><br />This first one is about William Mulholland and the Collapse of the San Francisquito Canyon Dam:<br /><br /><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/4ZW3foZN-bs" width="420"></iframe><br /><br /><br />He made this one last summer between bouts in the hospital... He talks about casting a silver handle for his cane:<br /><br /><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/GP8cHtW4MC0" width="420"></iframe><br /><br /></div><a class="blogfront-link-linktopost" href="http://marianfortunati.com/blog/35393/happy-birthday-dad" title="Happy Birthday, Dad!!">Comment on or Share this Article </a><div class="blogger-post-footer">art, impressionism, continual learning, art community, plein air, figurative, still life, California artist<img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7144629511562088306-1565529134141408388?l=marianfortunationpaintingdaily.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Marian Fortunatihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11107085447074524162noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7144629511562088306.post-6881007193718937282011-09-25T13:57:00.000-07:002011-09-25T16:56:45.153-07:00Painted Cave - Santa Cruz Island Painting and Kayak Adventure<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Oaq_eqmVYwg/Tn-UxUD6foI/AAAAAAAACtI/6u1di4HmaJc/s1600/Painted+Cave+small.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Oaq_eqmVYwg/Tn-UxUD6foI/AAAAAAAACtI/6u1di4HmaJc/s320/Painted+Cave+small.JPG" width="253" /></a></div><span class="blogfront-data-byline"></span><span class="blogfront-label-comment-count"><a class="page_links" href="http://marianfortunati.com/dataviewer.asp?keyvalue=5196&page=Blog&subkeyvalue=35325#POSTCOMMENT"></a></span><span class="blogfront-section-image"><br /><span class="blogfront-data-image-caption"></span></span> <br /><div class="blogfront-data-entry-text"><table align="left" border="0"><tbody><tr> <td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://marianfortunati.com/works/718753/painted-cave" target="_blank"><b>Painted Cave</b><br />© Marian Fortunati<br />10"x8" Oil on RayMar Panel</a><br /><br /></td> <td></td> </tr><tr> <td style="text-align: center;">Click on the link above for<br />details and Pay Pal info.<br /><br /></td> <td></td> </tr></tbody> </table>The second day of our trip was spent anchored in front of Painted Cave, on the largest island of the Park, Santa Cruz. One of the largest and deepest sea caves in the world, Painted Cave, is found on the northwest coastline of Santa Cruz. Named because of its colorful rock types, lichens, and algaes, Painted Cave is nearly a quarter-mile long and 100 feet wide, with an entrance ceiling of 160 feet and a waterfall over this entrance in the spring.<br /><br />Just as he had last year, Captain Jerry thrilled us all by motoring the 85 foot dive boat right into the mouth of the cave <a href="http://marianfortunati.com/blog/23771/santa-cruz-sea-cave-adventure" target="_blank">(SEE LAST YEAR'S POST)</a>. - A totally amazing experience. This year, however, we anchored the boat in front of the cave and had the entire day to kayak into the cave and around the cave. Some snorkeled. Some painted from the boat while others painted from their kayak.<br /><table align="right" border="0" height="143" style="width: 220px;"><tbody><tr> <td><br /></td> <td><img alt="" border="0" id="5196_718772" src="http://data.fineartstudioonline.com/websites/5196/works/5196_718772m.jpg" /></td> </tr><tr> <td style="text-align: center;"><br /></td> <td> Close up of cave painting</td> </tr></tbody> </table><br /><br />I kayaked into Painted Cave. I found the experience thrilling but a bit frightening as the surges were intense each time they swept into the mouth of the huge sea cave. After exploring inside as far as I dared, I paddled around to the north of the cave and found other beautiful but smaller caves. One was sort of a tunnel. As you entered you could see the light from under the water and sometimes from actual "air" as the water swirled around between the Siamese twin caves. The whole day was a bit of heaven on earth!<br /><br /><table align="left" border="0"><tbody><tr> <td><img alt="" border="0" src="http://data.fineartstudioonline.com/websites/MarianFortunati/works/5196_718785m.jpg" style="border: 0;" width="200" /></td> <td></td> <td><img alt="" border="0" src="http://data.fineartstudioonline.com/websites/MarianFortunati/works/5196_718786m.jpg" style="border: 0;" width="200" /></td> <td></td> </tr><tr> <td style="text-align: center;">Motoring into the mouth of<br />Painted Cave</td> <td></td> <td style="text-align: center;">Me looking up from the bow<br />of the Concepcion</td> <td></td> </tr><tr> <td><img alt="" border="0" src="http://data.fineartstudioonline.com/websites/MarianFortunati/works/5196_718787m.jpg" style="border: 0;" width="200" /></td> <td></td> <td><img alt="" border="0" src="http://data.fineartstudioonline.com/websites/MarianFortunati/works/5196_718789m.jpg" style="border: 0;" width="200" /></td> <td></td> </tr><tr> <td style="text-align: center;">Looking out from inside</td> <td></td> <td style="text-align: center;">Inside Painted Cave</td> <td></td> </tr><tr> <td><img alt="" border="0" src="http://data.fineartstudioonline.com/websites/MarianFortunati/works/5196_718791m.jpg" style="border: 0;" width="200" /></td> <td></td> <td><img alt="" border="0" src="http://data.fineartstudioonline.com/websites/MarianFortunati/works/5196_718792m.jpg" style="border: 0;" width="200" /></td> <td></td> </tr><tr> <td style="text-align: center;">Light peeking through</td> <td></td> <td style="text-align: center;">Another cave "mouth"</td> <td></td> </tr></tbody> </table></div><a class="blogfront-link-linktopost" href="http://marianfortunati.com/blog/35325/painted-cave-an-idyllic-day-painting-and-living-life" title="Painted Cave - An Idyllic Day -- Painting And Living Life!">Comment on on this post</a><div class="blogger-post-footer">art, impressionism, continual learning, art community, plein air, figurative, still life, California artist<img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7144629511562088306-688100719371893728?l=marianfortunationpaintingdaily.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Marian Fortunatihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11107085447074524162noreply@blogger.com4Channel Islands National Park, 1901 Spinnaker Dr, Ventura, CA 93001-4354, USA33.9615695 -119.997176933.782928000000005 -120.6040789 34.140211 -119.3902749tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7144629511562088306.post-50296745297781033542011-09-22T11:34:00.000-07:002011-09-22T11:34:35.851-07:00Becher's Bay - Santa Rosa Island - A Southern California Plein Air Coastal Adventure<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-l5B-FkcPh9M/Tnt-8koQejI/AAAAAAAACtE/axf6d5HxBbE/s1600/Cliffside+small.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-l5B-FkcPh9M/Tnt-8koQejI/AAAAAAAACtE/axf6d5HxBbE/s320/Cliffside+small.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><span class="blogfront-data-byline"></span><span class="blogfront-label-comment-count"></span><span class="blogfront-section-image"><br /><span class="blogfront-data-image-caption"></span></span> <br /><div class="blogfront-data-entry-text"><table align="left" border="0"><tbody><tr> <td style="text-align: center;"> <a href="http://marianfortunati.com/works/717013/bechers-bay" target="_blank"><strong>Becher's Bay</strong><br />© Marian Fortunati<br />9"x12" Oil on RayMar Panel</a><br /><br /></td> <td> </td> </tr><tr> <td style="text-align: center;"> Click on the link above for<br />further details and PayPal<br />information.<br /><br /></td> <td> </td> </tr></tbody> </table>In 1980, Santa Rosa Island was included within Channel Islands National Park. The island's owners since 1902, Vail & Vickers Company of Santa Barbara, was opposed to inclusion of the island in the park. Vail & Vickers used the island for cattle ranching and a private hunting reserve. Vail & Vickers successfully lobbied to have the legislation stipulate that purchase of their land would be the highest priority of the Channel Islands National Park. Vail & Vickers, under threat of condemnation and planned government appraisals, sold the island in 1986 for the appraised value of nearly $30 million, which worked out to around $550 per acre. The initial agreement allowed continuation of the ranching and hunting operation for 25 years via a series of five-year renewable special use permits issued by the National Park Service. A lawsuit by the National Parks Conservation Association in 1996 resulted in a court-approved settlement agreement which included removal of all cattle from the island and phased reduction by Vail & Vickers of the non-native deer and elk by 2011.<br /><br />Just before and during this trip, I had been reading a book titled "When The Killing Stops" written by T.C. Boyle. It's a historical fiction account of the Islands and all of the political and ecological issues involved with the changes that modern times have brought. It became very real when we landed on Santa Rosa and were told that we had to stay in certain areas, because the hunters were out hunting the elk and they didn't want us to get shot by accident.<br /><br />After taking the inflatable to shore at Santa Rosa Island, we hiked up the cliff and then up the mountain through the Torrey Pine forest to the top of the island. When we came down several of us set up on the edge of the cliff and looked across Becher's Bay to Carrington Point. I could see two piers in the distance, but left them out of the painting.<br /><br /><table align="right" border="0"><tbody><tr> <td> </td> <td><img alt="" border="0" src="http://data.fineartstudioonline.com/websites/MarianFortunati/works/5196_717320m.jpg" style="border: 0;" width="200" /></td> </tr><tr> <td> </td> <td>Here I am overlooking Becher's<br />Bay on the edge of the cliff.</td> </tr></tbody> </table><table align="left" border="0"><tbody><tr> <td><img alt="" border="0" src="http://data.fineartstudioonline.com/websites/MarianFortunati/works/5196_717323m.jpg" style="border: 0;" width="200" /></td> <td> </td> </tr><tr> <td style="text-align: center;">Cindy painting toward <br />Carrington Point.</td> <td> </td> </tr></tbody> </table>In the photo on the right, taken by my painting buddy, <a href="http://www.cindyfineart.com/Home_Page.html" target="_blank">Cindy Compert</a>, I'm sitting with my legs dangling on the edge of the cliff with my pochade box on the ground in front of me. Cindy can be seen in the photo on the right.<br /><br /><br />The day was beginning to warm as the sun was high in the sky. Cindy and I sat cliffside to paint until it was time to wade back to the inflatable with our paintings and full packs to return to the Concepcion -- our wonderful 45-foot diveboat home of five days.<br /><br /></div><a class="blogfront-link-linktopost" href="http://marianfortunati.com/blog/35217/bechers-bay" title="Becher's Bay">Comment on or Share this Article >></a><div class="blogger-post-footer">art, impressionism, continual learning, art community, plein air, figurative, still life, California artist<img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7144629511562088306-5029674529778103354?l=marianfortunationpaintingdaily.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Marian Fortunatihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11107085447074524162noreply@blogger.com6Channel Islands National Park, 1901 Spinnaker Dr, Ventura, CA 93001-4354, USA33.9615695 -119.997176933.782928000000005 -120.6040789 34.140211 -119.3902749tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7144629511562088306.post-51170938743711504712011-09-19T16:58:00.000-07:002011-09-19T16:58:43.215-07:00View From The Top - The Channel Islands Adventure Continues<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/--ccc9w-1XTc/TnfFAr5m6tI/AAAAAAAACtA/t76aHWmgtS4/s1600/View+From+The+Top+small.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="319" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/--ccc9w-1XTc/TnfFAr5m6tI/AAAAAAAACtA/t76aHWmgtS4/s320/View+From+The+Top+small.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><span class="blogfront-label-comment-count"></span> <span class="blogfront-section-image"><br /><span class="blogfront-data-image-caption"></span></span> <br /><div class="blogfront-data-entry-text"><table align="left" border="0"><tbody><tr> <td style="text-align: center;"> <a href="http://marianfortunati.com/works/715004/view-from-the-top" target="_blank"><strong>View From The Top</strong><br />© Marian Fortunati<br />12"x12" Oil on RayMar Panel</a><br /><br /></td> <td> </td> </tr><tr> <td style="text-align: center;"> Click on the link above for <br />further details and Pay Pal information<br /><br /></td> <td> </td> </tr></tbody> </table>The first day of our Channel Islands odyssey we left the diveboat "Concepcion" in an inflatable raft. All of us were fully loaded up with our packs of artist gear. We hiked up the cliff then down the trail and up, up, up the hill to the beautiful Torrey Pine forest. I will admit that of our group I was the slow-poke. But just like the proverbial tortoise, I was slow and steady and made it to the top. On the way down, the views were breathtaking. <br /><br />I didn't paint this painting en plein air, but really wanted to capture my version of this view as soon as possible. David Gallup often paints from memory. I know he uses references to help him with elements of a painting but he doesn't paint from photos per se'. I haven't been able to do that. I snapped many photos on the way down and this view was one of my favorites. <br /><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div> </div><table border="0" height="208" style="margin-left: 0px; margin-right: auto; text-align: left; width: 640px;"><tbody><tr> <td style="text-align: left;"></td><td style="text-align: center;"></td><td style="text-align: left;"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://data.fineartstudioonline.com/websites/MarianFortunati/works/5196_715033m.jpg" style="border: 0;" width="200" /></td> <td> </td> <td><br /></td> <td><br /></td> </tr><tr> <td style="text-align: center;"><br /></td> <td style="text-align: center;"></td><td style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;"> Looking over the top</div><br /></td> <td style="text-align: center;"> </td> <td style="text-align: center;"><br /></td> <td style="text-align: center;"><br /></td> </tr></tbody> </table><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><table border="0" height="208" style="width: 640px;"><tbody><tr></tr><tr align="left"><td> </td><td><img alt="" border="0" src="http://data.fineartstudioonline.com/websites/MarianFortunati/works/5196_715032m.jpg" style="border: 0pt none;" width="200" /></td></tr><tr><td style="text-align: left;"> </td><td style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div style="text-align: left;">The trail through the pines</div><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><table border="0" height="208" style="width: 640px;"><tbody><tr></tr><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://data.fineartstudioonline.com/websites/MarianFortunati/works/5196_715030m.jpg" style="border: 0;" width="200" /></td></tr><tr><td style="text-align: center;"> Close up of painting<br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table>David Gallup's California Channel Islands Exhibit delighted viewers at the Weisman Museum for the entire summer. As part of that exhibition, he published a book which includes most of the paintings from the show and lots of wonderful information about the islands. Here is an excerpt about the Torrey Pine forest from his book: "Over 10,000 years old, they are among the rarest pine species in the world. They favor dry sandy soil and a harsh foggy climate -- which helps them thrive in this one-square mile patch on Santa Rosa Island; but nowhere else except for San Diego County where these endangered trees are revered as icons." If you are interested in seeing his work and reading about the islands, his book is available by contacting <a href="http://www.dgallup.com/">David through his website</a>. You would LOVE seeing the paintings of this same area that David did. They are fabulous!<br /><br /></div><a class="blogfront-link-linktopost" href="http://marianfortunati.com/blog/35126/view-from-the-top-the-channel-islands-adventure-continues" title="View From The Top - The Channel Islands Adventure Continues">Comment on or Share this Article >></a><div class="blogger-post-footer">art, impressionism, continual learning, art community, plein air, figurative, still life, California artist<img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7144629511562088306-5117093874371150471?l=marianfortunationpaintingdaily.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Marian Fortunatihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11107085447074524162noreply@blogger.com2Channel Islands National Park, 1901 Spinnaker Dr, Ventura, CA 93001-4354, USA33.9615695 -119.997176933.782928000000005 -120.6040789 34.140211 -119.3902749tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7144629511562088306.post-2180970883563865552011-09-16T14:18:00.000-07:002011-09-16T16:20:46.923-07:00Grey Day, Golden Hills - Santa Rosa Island<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ODnElmUo8j4/TnO75pQVtNI/AAAAAAAACs8/tBzhMhcHr6A/s1600/Grey+Day%252C+Golden+Hills+-+Santa+Rosa+Island+small.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ODnElmUo8j4/TnO75pQVtNI/AAAAAAAACs8/tBzhMhcHr6A/s320/Grey+Day%252C+Golden+Hills+-+Santa+Rosa+Island+small.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><span class="blogfront-label-comment-count"></span> <span class="blogfront-section-image"><br /><span class="blogfront-data-image-caption"></span></span> <br /><div class="blogfront-data-entry-text"><table align="left" border="0"><tbody><tr> <td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://marianfortunati.com/dataviewer.asp?keyvalue=5196&subkeyvalue=713583&page=WorksZoom" target="_blank"><b>Grey Day, Golden Hills - Santa Rosa Island</b><br />© Marian Fortunati<br />8"x8" Oil on Canvas Panel</a><br /><br /></td> <td></td> </tr><tr> <td style="text-align: center;">Click on the link above for further details<br />and Pay Pal information.<br /><br /></td> <td></td> </tr></tbody> </table><b>Channel Islands Painting Adventure - 2011<br />David Gallup and Jennifer Moses: workshop leaders</b><br />Our first morning in the Channel Islands started out as a grey, overcast day. This year, we started out on Santa Rosa Island, which is the second most northern island of the chain of eight islands. The five northernmost islands, San Miguel, Santa Rosa, Santa Cruz, Anacapa and Santa Barbara make up The Channel Islands National Park.<br /><br />The passage during the wee hours of the morning was rough due to a thunderstorm that hit the Santa Barbara / Ventura area in the late night. It was, however, not stormy in the morning.... only grey. A few of the 27 painters and adventurers on this year's Channel Islands trip, led by David Gallup, started out sick, just as I had last year. This year, happily, I was better prepared (Bonine and a acupressure bracelet) so I didn't get sick. My day started out great, so I broke out my pochade box and painted the view along the Santa Rosa Coast from the boat.<br /><table align="right" border="0"><tbody><tr> <td></td> <td><img alt="" border="0" src="http://data.fineartstudioonline.com/websites/MarianFortunati/works/5196_713617m.jpg" /></td> </tr><tr> <td></td> <td style="text-align: center;">Landing at Santa Rosa Island</td> </tr></tbody> </table><br />Toward the end of the trip David had time to critique most of our work. One of the things he said needed to be improved about the original version of this painting was that the bands of sky and land and sea were fairly equally layed out. He is constantly reminding us about the importance of design. Anyway, I tweaked this plein air piece a bit in the studio and now hopefully, the symmetry is gone and it's a stronger piece.<br /><br />I remember last year we had approached Santa Rosa at dawn after staying on San Miguel for several days. The crew had hoped to be able to disembark all of us but prevailing winds and a high wave surge made that unsafe. This year, however, we were looking forward to a great hike up into the hills and the Torrey pine forest.<br /><br />In the photo on the right, you can see the inflatable approaching the small shore where we landed to climb up the cliff. Our 85 foot dive boat (The Conception out of Santa Barbara) is in the background. All of us had full packs of painting gear and were ready and eager for the hike to come. (We were also happy, that although we got wet up to our knees, we didn't have to wait there in the cold California water for each group of 5-6 painters to be ferried ashore.) Happily, none of us fell all the way in or lost any gear.<br /><br />More about the hike and the fabulous views from atop the cliffs and hills in future posts.<br /><br />I have to say that I will be eternally grateful for being able to experience this beautiful National Park once again!<br /></div><a class="blogfront-link-linktopost" href="http://marianfortunati.com/blog/35049/grey-day-golden-hills-santa-rosa-island" title="Grey Day, Golden Hills - Santa Rosa Island">Comment on or Share this Article </a><div class="blogger-post-footer">art, impressionism, continual learning, art community, plein air, figurative, still life, California artist<img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7144629511562088306-218097088356386555?l=marianfortunationpaintingdaily.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Marian Fortunatihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11107085447074524162noreply@blogger.com4Santa Barbara, California, USA33.874959597235495 -120.0630948687533.023132597235495 -120.94892186875 34.726786597235495 -119.17726786875tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7144629511562088306.post-37100385670999696422011-09-08T20:16:00.000-07:002011-09-08T20:16:57.416-07:00Two Art Openings and an Adventure<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-nwRLwh01_rw/Tml_A8_1b_I/AAAAAAAACs4/2iQhwYBJpzk/s1600/Pelican+Bay+-+Late+Afternoon+14x18+Oil+Canvas+Panel+%2524900+small.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="153" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-nwRLwh01_rw/Tml_A8_1b_I/AAAAAAAACs4/2iQhwYBJpzk/s200/Pelican+Bay+-+Late+Afternoon+14x18+Oil+Canvas+Panel+%2524900+small.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><span class="blogfront-label-comment-count"></span> <span class="blogfront-label-comment-count"></span> <span class="blogfront-section-image"><br /><span class="blogfront-data-image-caption"></span></span> <br /><div class="blogfront-data-entry-text"><br />Pelican Bay, the scene in this painting, is a popular safe harbor along Santa Cruz Island in the Channel Islands National Park. Santa Cruz is the largest of the islands and has many beautiful spots filled with light and beautiful sea caves, interesting and varied vegetation and sea life. Although we will probably revisit Santa Cruz, we will also be hiking and painting on nearby Santa Rosa Island. I am so excited to be leaving for the islands to paint with 20 artist friends very soon!<br /><br />I am thrilled that my work was juried into <strong>two shows</strong> recently. They both have opening receptions THIS WEEKEND! If you are anywhere near the area, I think both shows will be very interesting and you might enjoy seeing all of the art being displayed.<br /><br /><table align="center" border="0"><tbody><tr> <td> <div id="rootDiv" style="background-color: white; margin: 0px;"> <table border="0" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="0" style="width: 600px;"><tbody><tr> <td width="100%"> <table bgcolor="#774b4c" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" id="content_LETTER.BLOCK1" style="background-color: #774b4c;"><tbody><tr> <td align="center" valign="bottom"><img alt="New Logo with tile" border="0" height="124" hspace="5" src="http://ih.constantcontact.com/fs019/1101138862167/img/805.jpg" vspace="5" width="593" /></td> </tr></tbody> </table></td> </tr><tr> <td bgcolor="#663333" style="background-color: #663333;"> <table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr> <td bgcolor="#ffffcc" style="background-color: #ffffcc; padding: 30px 10px;" valign="top" width="100%"> <table border="0" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0" id="content_LETTER.BLOCK2" style="margin-bottom: 6px;"><tbody><tr> <td align="left" style="color: #ff9900; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 14pt; text-align: left;" valign="top"> <div style="color: #001a81; font-family: Calibri,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 16pt; text-align: center;"><em><strong> <div><span style="color: black;">At the Foothills of the San Gabriels:</span></div><div><span style="color: black;">California Art Club at the Altadena Town & Country Club</span></div></strong></em><span style="color: black;"><strong> <div style="font-size: 8pt; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br /></div><div style="color: black;"> ~ Inaugural Exhibition ~</div></strong></span></div><div style="color: #d96d1a; font-family: Calibri,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 8pt; text-align: center;"><span style="color: black;"><strong> </strong></span></div><div style="color: #a6a22d; font-family: Calibri,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14pt; text-align: center;"><span style="color: black;"><strong>Opening Reception</strong></span></div><div style="color: #a6a22d; font-family: Calibri,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14pt; text-align: center;"><span style="color: black;"><strong>Sunday, September 11; 4 - 6 p.m.</strong></span></div><div style="font-size: 8pt;"> </div></td> </tr></tbody> </table><table border="0" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0" id="content_LETTER.BLOCK3" style="margin-bottom: 6px;"><tbody><tr> <td align="left" style="color: white; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; text-align: left;" valign="bottom"> <div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #006699; font-family: 'Garamond','Times New Roman','Times','Serif';"><strong><span style="font-size: 8pt;"><img alt="Ron Guthrie - Myrtle Avenue" border="0" height="374" src="http://ih.constantcontact.com/fs019/1101138862167/img/1020.jpg" style="border: 0; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-top: 5px;" vspace="5" width="300" /> </span><br /> </strong></span><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: 'Garamond','Times New Roman','Times','Serif';"><strong> </strong></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="color: #333333;"><strong>Ron Guthrie, <em>Myrtle Avenue, Oil, 20"x16"</em></strong></span></span></span><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: 'Garamond','Times New Roman','Times','Serif';"><span style="font-family: 'Arial','Helvetica','sans-serif'; font-size: 8pt;"><strong> </strong></span></span></span><span style="color: #001a81; font-family: 'Arial','Helvetica','sans-serif'; font-size: 8pt;"><strong> </strong></span></div><div style="font-size: 8pt; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br /></div></td> </tr></tbody> </table><table border="0" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0" id="content_LETTER.BLOCK8" style="display: table; margin-bottom: 6px;"><tbody><tr> <td align="left" class="ccFontUpdated" style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; text-align: left;"> <div> <div> <div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="color: #333333;"><strong><span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt;">WHERE</span></strong></span><span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="color: #333333;"><strong> Altadena Town & Country Club</strong></span><br /><span style="color: #333333;"><strong> 2290 Country Club Drive</strong></span><br /><span style="color: #333333;"><strong> Altadena, CA 91001</strong></span><br /><span style="color: #333333;"><strong> 626/794-7163</strong></span><br /><br /></span></span><span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt;"><strong> </strong></span><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt;"><strong>EVENT</strong> </span></span><span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt;">Reception with the Artists</span><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt;"><br /><br /><strong>COST</strong> </span></span><span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt;">Free</span><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt;"> <br /><br /><strong>AUDIENCE</strong> </span></span><span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt;">All CAC members and their friends</span><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt;"><br /><span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt;"><strong>DETAILS</strong></span><span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt;"> </span></span></span><span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt;">Please join our CAC Associate Artist Members for the</span><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt;"> </span></span></span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt;">opening reception of the inaugural exhibition, </span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt;"> <em><strong> At the Foothills of the San Gabriels: California Art Club</strong></em></span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt;"> <em><strong>at the Altadena Town & Country Club </strong></em>this Sunday.</span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt;"> <br /> Featuring works by <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?llr=xci8pqbab&et=1107529001118&s=2622&e=0010Cmr62Wg-J8Vo34jmiLkfCgM-xlJlxLJ6NL6vivNdX66YsG3jxTAATye42uPF2jygGI4R5FBiyYQiZklYTT4yIx9JTkeiYwFSzz9kUBuNAE0IWr31mlikfzLtSMf9PzY" style="color: blue; text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank" title="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?llr=xci8pqbab&et=1107529001118&s=2622&e=0010Cmr62Wg-J8Vo34jmiLkfCgM-xlJlxLJ6NL6vivNdX66YsG3jxTAATye42uPF2jygGI4R5FBiyYQiZklYTT4yIx9JTkeiYwFSzz9kUBuNAE0IWr31mlikfzLtSMf9PzY">California Art Club</a> Associate</span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt;"> Artist Members,<em> William Anderson, Giuliana Aubert,</em></span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt;"><em> Linda Brown, Kathy Dooling, Lynne Fearman,</em></span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt;"><em> Marian Fortunati, Diane Nelson Gold, Ron Guthrie, </em></span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt;"><em> Nita Harper, Desdy Kellogg, Veronica Korz, Mark Monsarrat, </em></span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt;"><em> Lisa Mozzini-McDill, Joseph Napolitano, Terumi Paganini,</em></span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt;"><em> Gil Park, Jean Tannhauser, Alfred Tse, Laura Wambsgans,</em></span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt;"><em> James Wisnowski, Darryl Yee</em> and<em> Chris Zambon. </em></span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt;"><em> </em></span><span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt;"> </span></span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt;"> This exhibition continues through January 10, 2012.</span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br /></div></div></div></td> </tr></tbody> </table></td> </tr></tbody> </table></td> </tr></tbody> </table></div><div style="background-color: white;"> <table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="text-align: left;"><tbody><tr> <td> <table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="background-color: white; color: #2f2f2f; font-family: tahoma,sans-serif; font-size: 11px; width: 619px;"><tbody><tr> <td><span style="color: black; font-family: tahoma,sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;"> </span></td> </tr></tbody> </table></td> </tr></tbody> </table></div></td> <td><br /></td> </tr></tbody> </table>I was excited to see that MY painting that was selected for the article in the local newspaper to let everyone know about this inaugural exhibition. PLEASE CLICK ON THIS LINK TO SEE THE SHORT ARTICLE AND MY PAINTING:<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><strong><a href="http://hometown-pasadena.com/events/california-art-club-show-at-the-atcc/" target="_blank">Hometown Pasadena Article</a></strong></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><strong><a href="http://marianfortunati.com/works/677763/arlington-garden-irises" target="_blank">Arlington Gardens Irises</a></strong></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" border="0"><tbody><tr> <td><img alt="" border="0" src="http://data.fineartstudioonline.com/websites/MarianFortunati/works/5196_709039l.jpg" /></td> <td> </td> </tr><tr> <td> </td> <td> </td> </tr></tbody> </table><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://marianfortunati.com/works/522757/pelican-bay-late-afternoon" target="_blank"><br /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><strong><a href="http://marianfortunati.com/works/522757/pelican-bay-late-afternoon" target="_blank">Pelican Bay - Late Afternoon</a></strong></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><strong><a href="http://marianfortunati.com/works/616851/evening-song" target="_blank">Evening Song</a></strong></span></div><br />Unfortunately, I will miss both openings, but I am not at all unhappy about the reason I will miss them. I will be painting on and off a boat at the Channel Islands in California from Friday until Wednesday night. In the meantime I hope you too will be doing something wonderful..... perhaps going to an art show opening!!! :o)<br /> </div><a class="blogfront-link-linktopost" href="http://marianfortunati.com/blog/34821/two-art-openings-and-an-adventure" title="Two Art Openings and an Adventure">Comment on or Share this Article >></a><a class="blogfront-link-linktopost" href="http://marianfortunati.com/blog/34821/two-art-openings-and-an-adventure" title="Two Art Openings and an Adventure"></a><div class="blogger-post-footer">art, impressionism, continual learning, art community, plein air, figurative, still life, California artist<img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7144629511562088306-3710038567099969642?l=marianfortunationpaintingdaily.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Marian Fortunatihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11107085447074524162noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7144629511562088306.post-36227657710505428662011-09-05T16:59:00.000-07:002011-09-05T17:06:05.493-07:00California Coastal - A Plein Air California Coastal Scene at Leo Carrillo State Beach<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-4nG4s0rB6zc/TmViES_m9SI/AAAAAAAACs0/DaPwl9N0SU0/s1600/California+Coastal+small.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="253" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-4nG4s0rB6zc/TmViES_m9SI/AAAAAAAACs0/DaPwl9N0SU0/s320/California+Coastal+small.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><span class="blogfront-label-comment-count"></span> <span class="blogfront-section-image"><br /><span class="blogfront-data-image-caption"></span></span> <br /><div class="blogfront-data-entry-text"><table align="left" border="0"><tbody><tr> <td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://marianfortunati.com/dataviewer.asp?keyvalue=5196&subkeyvalue=702808&page=WorksZoom" target="_blank"><b>California Coastal</b><br />© Marian Fortunati<br />8"x10" Oil on RayMar Panel</a><br /><br /></td> <td></td> </tr><tr> <td>Click on the above link for<br />details and Pay Pal information<br /><br /></td> <td></td> </tr></tbody> </table>I had the opportunity to visit Leo Carrillo State Beach twice in the same week. Actually I think I could visit it every day and find a different scene each time. On this day I joined with friends from the California Art Club. George Malone, who schedules the monthly paint outs for the Ventura/Malibu Chapter of the CAC scheduled this one in the late afternoon. <br /><br />I usually paint in the morning. The light is totally different in the afternoon. The shadows are long and the sky reflects into the sea differently. For this painting, I walked down to the northern beach and looked south toward the rocks and cliffs. I was trying to catch the play of light on the waves and the long shadows cast by the rocks. At that time of the day, the light changes rapidly and by the time I had to leave, the scene was entirely different.... almost mystical.<br /><br />A week or so after I painted this my Dad called me up to let me know that Hewell Houser was having a show at Leo Carrillo. I don't usually watch that show, but turned it on because he suggested it. Actually I learned a lot about the movie lore of the area and even discovered a new spot to paint. Now I'll have to go back.... Want to try to time it around low tide so I can discover the "pirate" cave on my own. LOL<br /><br />There's really very little better than painting with friends on a gorgeous day. Here are a few photos of some of my CAC friends painting on that beautiful afternoon:<br /><br /><table align="center" border="0"><tbody><tr> <td><img alt="" border="0" height="150" src="http://data.fineartstudioonline.com/websites/MarianFortunati/works/5196_707083m.jpg" style="border: 0pt none;" width="200" /></td> <td></td> <td><img alt="" border="0" height="150" src="http://data.fineartstudioonline.com/websites/MarianFortunati/works/5196_707084m.jpg" style="border: 0pt none;" width="200" /></td> <td></td> </tr><tr> <td style="text-align: center;"> Bernard Fallon and <br />Diane Nelson-Gold laugh it up.</td> <td style="text-align: center;"></td> <td style="text-align: center;"> Joe Napolitano, George Malone,<br />and Dyane Jackson chat.</td> <td></td> </tr><tr> <td></td> <td></td> <td></td> <td></td> </tr></tbody> </table><br /><br />I'm getting very excited. I leave this coming Friday for another Channel Islands Adventure. I went last year with David Gallup and 20 or so fabulous artists. It was a grand adventure and a chance to see a unique and beautiful part of our Southern California. I can't wait to see it again. I'll post once before Friday but then I'll be off-line for a while.<br /><br />When I return, it will be about the time for my monthly newsletter. I'd be honored if you are interested and take a moment to sign up to receive free updates in information by clicking here: <br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://marianfortunati.com/email-newsletter" target="_blank">Marian's Free Monthly Newsletter</a></div><br /> </div><a class="blogfront-link-linktopost" href="http://marianfortunati.com/blog/34737/california-coastal-a-plein-air-oil-from-leo-carrillo" title="California Coastal - A Plein Air Oil from Leo Carrillo">Comment on or Share this Article >></a><div class="blogger-post-footer">art, impressionism, continual learning, art community, plein air, figurative, still life, California artist<img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7144629511562088306-3622765771050542866?l=marianfortunationpaintingdaily.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Marian Fortunatihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11107085447074524162noreply@blogger.com10Leo Carrillo State Beach, 35000 Pacific Coast Hwy, Malibu, CA 90265, USA34.0617139 -118.9353968000000434.043824900000004 -118.95627130000004 34.0796029 -118.91452230000003tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7144629511562088306.post-48111789970406535822011-09-02T17:20:00.000-07:002011-09-02T17:22:07.392-07:00Carrillo Splash Zone - A Plein Air California Coastal Scene<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-8pHmPPPnwx0/TmFxJA7zoPI/AAAAAAAACsw/59XAWMw5dG0/s1600/Carrillo+Spash+Zone+small.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-8pHmPPPnwx0/TmFxJA7zoPI/AAAAAAAACsw/59XAWMw5dG0/s320/Carrillo+Spash+Zone+small.JPG" width="237" /></a></div><span class="blogfront-label-comment-count"></span> <span class="blogfront-section-image"><br /><span class="blogfront-data-image-caption"></span></span> <br /><div class="blogfront-data-entry-text"><table align="left" border="0"><tbody>
<tr> <td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://marianfortunati.com/works/702798/carrillo-spash-zone" target="_blank"><b>Carrillo Splash Zone</b><br />© Marian Fortunati<br />8"x6" Oil on RayMar Panel</a><br /><br /></td> <td></td> </tr>
<tr> <td style="text-align: center;">Click on the above link<br />for details and Pay Pal info.<br /><br /></td> <td></td> </tr>
</tbody> </table><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Leo Carrillo State Beach is a beautiful place with wide sandy beaches, cliffs and rocky outcroppings that reach out into the pounding surf. While several of us were out painting on this day we looked beyond the rocks to the kelp forest a few hundred feet off shore to see a pod of bottle-nosed dolphins slowly swimming along the rim of the kelp. Up and down they went as they gracefully and patiently nosed through the water looking for food or, possibly, simply enjoying a beautiful day like we were!<br /><br />This was the second plein air piece I completed in our Master Class with David Gallup. My friend Laura Wambsgans and I were just having too great a time to leave so we stayed a bit after David left to work on our paintings in the beautiful SoCal afternoon. I am trying very hard not to paint ordinary "postcard scenes". Although there is nothing really unique about the landscape... it's beautiful and all around us... the trick is to find our own voice when chosing a scene. It is one way to set ourselves apart from a myriad of other wonderful artists. I continue on this journey... it's a long but enjoyable one!!<br /><br />David did a demo when we first arrived while the weather was still overcast. During his demo he described his philosophy about finding a subject and composing or arranging the elements while creating a painting. <a href="http://marianfortunati.com/blog/34531/spirit-of-the-sea" target="_blank">(See my earlier post.)</a> Here are a few photos from David's demo earlier in the day:<br /><table align="center" border="0"><tbody>
<tr> <td><img alt="" border="0" src="http://data.fineartstudioonline.com/websites/MarianFortunati/works/5196_705472m.jpg" style="border: 0;" width="225" /></td> <td></td> <td><img alt="" border="0" height="225" src="http://data.fineartstudioonline.com/websites/MarianFortunati/works/5196_705473m.jpg" style="border: 0;" /></td> <td><br /></td> <td><br /></td> <td></td><td></td> </tr>
<tr> <td style="text-align: center;">David explains "the gift" of the<br />painting. (See my last post)</td> <td></td> <td style="text-align: center;">Almost done.</td> <td><br /></td> <td style="text-align: center;"><br /></td> <td></td> </tr>
</tbody> </table></div><br /><table align="center" border="0"><tbody>
<tr></tr>
<tr><td></td><td><img alt="" border="0" src="http://data.fineartstudioonline.com/websites/MarianFortunati/works/5196_705474m.jpg" style="border: 0pt none;" width="225" /></td></tr>
<tr><td></td><td style="text-align: center;">Now it's our turn.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br /><br /><a class="blogfront-link-linktopost" href="http://marianfortunati.com/blog/34655/carrillo-spash-zone" title="Carrillo Spash Zone">Comment on or Share this Article >></a><div class="blogger-post-footer">art, impressionism, continual learning, art community, plein air, figurative, still life, California artist<img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7144629511562088306-4811178997040653582?l=marianfortunationpaintingdaily.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Marian Fortunatihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11107085447074524162noreply@blogger.com3Leo Carrillo State Beach, 35000 Pacific Coast Hwy, Malibu, CA 90265, USA34.0617139 -118.9353968000000434.043824900000004 -118.95627130000004 34.0796029 -118.91452230000003tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7144629511562088306.post-42482612284858444882011-08-30T08:54:00.000-07:002011-08-30T17:18:23.110-07:00Spirit of the Sea - A Plein Air Seascape<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-SU2CleEjKVU/Tl0HMFA8bMI/AAAAAAAACss/i8DTVqB5yK8/s1600/Spirit+of+the+Sea2+small.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="255" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-SU2CleEjKVU/Tl0HMFA8bMI/AAAAAAAACss/i8DTVqB5yK8/s320/Spirit+of+the+Sea2+small.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><span class="blogfront-label-comment-count"></span> <span class="blogfront-section-image"><br /><span class="blogfront-data-image-caption"></span></span> <br /><div class="blogfront-data-entry-text"><table align="left" border="0" height="100" style="width: 205px;"><tbody>
<tr> <td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://marianfortunati.com/works/701763/spirit-of-the-sea" target="_blank"><b>Spirit of the Sea</b><br />© Marian Fortunati<br />8"x10" Oil on RayMar Panel</a><br /><br /></td> <td></td> </tr>
<tr> <td style="text-align: center;">Click on the above link for details about this painting or Pay Pal information</td> <td></td> </tr>
</tbody> </table>Leo Carrillo State Beach sits on the coast north of Malibu and South of Point Mugu. It is a paradise for earth lovers and painters, having a wide variety of types of scenes... from beach and waves, to long-range coastal to more intimate ones featuring the dance between sea and rocky shore. I've painted here many times and each time it is different in temperature, mood, color and feeling. I love Leo Carrillo!<br /><br />On this particular day we were together in a Master Class with David Gallup. He did a demo of the same view and I tried really hard to do it as well as he had done. I painted two paintings on this day, so I'll include photos of some of the steps of his demo on my next post.<br /><br />However, one thing that David said really stuck with me.. It absolutely resonated. I'm going to try to paraphrase the essence of what he said: He told us to look at that particular moment of whatever it was that caught our eye...-- in this case the brief moment of the spray of sea foam as it rushed out from the rocks after certain waves crashed upon them ... and to think of that special moment of "being" as a special gift ... a gift to capture in our painting and to share with others.<br /><br /><br /><a class="blogfront-link-linktopost" href="http://marianfortunati.com/blog/34531/spirit-of-the-sea" title="Spirit of the Sea">Comment on or Share this Article >></a></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">art, impressionism, continual learning, art community, plein air, figurative, still life, California artist<img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7144629511562088306-4248261228485844488?l=marianfortunationpaintingdaily.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Marian Fortunatihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11107085447074524162noreply@blogger.com12Leo Carrillo State Beach, 35000 Pacific Coast Hwy, Malibu, CA 90265, USA34.0617139 -118.9353968000000434.043824900000004 -118.95627130000004 34.0796029 -118.91452230000003tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7144629511562088306.post-31532682469873260332011-08-26T22:32:00.000-07:002011-08-26T22:32:00.260-07:00California Hillside -- Our Beautiful State<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-hpgtZEuNQUo/TlhllDZUU4I/AAAAAAAACso/MFLy7AU4DZY/s1600/California+Hillside+small.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-hpgtZEuNQUo/TlhllDZUU4I/AAAAAAAACso/MFLy7AU4DZY/s400/California+Hillside+small.JPG" width="398" /></a></div><table align="center" border="0" class="mceItemTable"><tbody>
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<tr> <td _mce_style="text-align: center;" style="text-align: center;"><a _mce_href="http://marianfortunati.com/works/697256/california-hillside" href="http://marianfortunati.com/works/697256/california-hillside" target="_blank"><strong>California Hillside</strong><br />© Marian Fortunati<br />20"x20"x2" Oil on canvas</a><br /><br />Click on the link above for more details<br />and Pay Pal information</td> <td> </td> </tr>
</tbody> </table><br />My brother-in-law and niece have been visiting from Italy for a few weeks. My niece will be starting college near her home in Venice, Italy, in September and her Dad brought her out as a sort of celebration of her hard work and success. Mostly they wanted to shop. I hate shopping. They shopped at the malls all around. I took them to the outlet stores. They didn't get enough so the next day they went back. Happily most of the time they were perfectly happy shopping on their own. I think they may have single-handedly given our American economy a needed boost.<br /><br />After my brother-in-law flew home, my husband decided we'd take our niece on a road trip. We drove up the coast on highway 1. It was absolutely gorgeous, but really quite different from the way I've seen it before. The fog was playing hide-and-seek with us. One moment we were shrouded in fog and the next the sky was startlingly clear overhead. I snapped pictures like mad..... Lots of future coastal paintings will be painted in the next few months I'm sure. Hopefully I'll be able to incorporate some of that stunning atmosphere into some of them.<br /><br />Today we headed home. When we left Monterey this morning it was overcast, drizzling and around 60 degrees. We drove home on the faster inland route. By the time we arrived home this evening at 5:00, it was clear and 110 degrees. Ouch!!<br /><br />The whole way home we drove through beautiful California hillsides... those iconic oaks and grasses that give our state the title of the "green and golden" state. The hillsides looked a lot like the painting I posted above. (but they stretched out far and away.)<br /><br />I started on this painting over a year ago, when I was first toying with using the square format. The thing is, I LIKE other people's square format paintings.... I just haven't seemed to be able to get my head around them for ME. Anyhow, I started this painting, but after I got the canvas covered, it just seemed so static and cut out. The beautiful scene I was trying to depict was missing... it was simply unattractive and stiff. So I put it aside and it has leaned against my wall all of this time, patiently waiting for me to look over and bring it back up to my easel to revisit it.<br /><br />Before the relatives arrived, I decided to work on it again. I did a few things which I think helped... I added some playful color. I added a lot of thick layers of paint and some varied brushwork. I tried to keep the grasses interesting enough so that the eye would travel around and up through the oaks and shadow areas to the top tree on the hillside..... Then maybe the viewer's eyes would meander back down and around again. <br /><br />I like it a lot better now. And after my drive today... I decided it's just right for our beautiful state!<div class="blogger-post-footer">art, impressionism, continual learning, art community, plein air, figurative, still life, California artist<img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7144629511562088306-3153268246987326033?l=marianfortunationpaintingdaily.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Marian Fortunatihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11107085447074524162noreply@blogger.com9Los Angeles, California, USA34.09148545685499 -118.6919862726562733.05490895685499 -119.34504477265627 35.12806195685499 -118.03892777265627tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7144629511562088306.post-82049128861714243832011-08-22T22:05:00.000-07:002011-08-22T22:25:31.757-07:00Heartland -- And Several WIP Steps<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-18mV5g436rY/TlMu3hPlxwI/AAAAAAAACsc/dX4rWDAbTnc/s1600/Valley+Heartland+small.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-18mV5g436rY/TlMu3hPlxwI/AAAAAAAACsc/dX4rWDAbTnc/s320/Valley+Heartland+small.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><span class="blogfront-label-comment-count"></span> <span class="blogfront-section-image"><br /><span class="blogfront-data-image-caption"></span></span> <br /><div class="blogfront-data-entry-text"><br /><table border="0"><tbody>
<tr> <td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://marianfortunati.com/works/697690/heartland" target="_blank"><b>Heartland</b><br />© Marian Fortunati<br />12"x16" Oil on RayMar Panel</a><br /><br /></td> <td></td> </tr>
<tr> <td style="text-align: center;"><br />Click on the link above for details <br />and Pay Pal information.<br /><br /></td> <td></td> </tr>
</tbody> </table>Right smack dab in the middle of our very suburban San Fernando Valley (north-west of downtown Los Angeles in California) there are still relics of an older, more pastoral past. Surrounded by condos, homes and apartments, this vestige of an earlier time stays to remind us of a valley way of life that existed not long ago.<br /><br />Every time I pass by, I'm always relieved to see that it hasn't been lost to urban development.<br /><br />I took a few photos along the way so I could visually explain the "no sketching" process I'm trying to practice:<br /><br /><table align="center" border="0"><tbody>
<tr> <td><img alt="" border="0" src="http://data.fineartstudioonline.com/websites/MarianFortunati/works/5196_697700m.jpg" /></td> <td></td> <td></td> <td></td> <td></td> <td></td> </tr>
<tr> <td style="text-align: center;">First tone the canvas using the middle tone. <br />Wipe out the lights.</td> <td></td> <td style="text-align: center;"><br /></td> <td><br /></td> <td style="text-align: center;"><br /></td> <td><br /></td> </tr>
</tbody> </table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-isR49oJ1Ncw/TlMxJqbzQkI/AAAAAAAACsg/fhDJhEOybQU/s1600/Barn+WIP2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-isR49oJ1Ncw/TlMxJqbzQkI/AAAAAAAACsg/fhDJhEOybQU/s320/Barn+WIP2.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Begin putting in darks and lights.</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table></div><div class="blogfront-data-entry-text"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-wpOSLIZScyg/TlMxdhtZiGI/AAAAAAAACsk/nw0_MSq2z-A/s1600/Barn+WIP3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-wpOSLIZScyg/TlMxdhtZiGI/AAAAAAAACsk/nw0_MSq2z-A/s320/Barn+WIP3.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Continue adding color and interest... Vary brushwork.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>I finally finish up by making corrections in the drawing or adjustments in the composition and color. It was interesting... I almost forgot to put the "color" into the roof of the barn. <br /><br />This is a "finished" painting.... but I've begun to finally learn over time that sometimes letting a painting sit against the wall to be revisited after the first blush of painting has worn off helps you see things that will enable you to improve the painting. Does it work that way for you? <br /><br /></div><a class="blogfront-link-linktopost" href="http://marianfortunati.com/blog/34306/heartland" title="Heartland">Comment on or Share this Article >></a><div class="blogger-post-footer">art, impressionism, continual learning, art community, plein air, figurative, still life, California artist<img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7144629511562088306-8204912886171424383?l=marianfortunationpaintingdaily.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Marian Fortunatihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11107085447074524162noreply@blogger.com4Reseda, Los Angeles, CA, USA34.194053688988504 -118.4957818627929734.1798651889885 -118.53508686279297 34.20824218898851 -118.45647686279297tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7144629511562088306.post-61795452806134779452011-08-19T11:21:00.000-07:002011-08-19T11:21:34.119-07:00Nick - The Value of Doing<span class="blogfront-label-comment-count"></span> <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-PvIPFkJA0ag/Tk6o3IHoA6I/AAAAAAAACsY/F7dZgW1VmqE/s1600/Nick+small.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-PvIPFkJA0ag/Tk6o3IHoA6I/AAAAAAAACsY/F7dZgW1VmqE/s320/Nick+small.JPG" width="239" /></a></div><div class="blogfront-data-entry-text"><table align="right" border="0"><tbody>
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<tr> <td> </td> <td style="text-align: center;"><strong>Nick</strong><br />© Marian Fortunati<br />12"x9" Oil on canvas panel<br /></td> </tr>
</tbody> </table><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />One of the many things I've learned over time is that painting -- whatever genre you decide to embrace, takes lots and lots and lots of practice. I've also recently realized that my true goal... what I REALLY WANT .... is to continually grow and become a better painter each time I paint. Of course I'd like to sell my work.... show my work... market my work.... and I read and learn from all of you who share your ideas and expertise, but my true goal is continual growth.<br /><br />And to do that I need to always be drawing, and painting. It doesn't really matter WHAT I draw or paint. Those of you who follow my blog know that my heart soars when I'm outside painting in the beautiful areas I get to see not far from my home. But painting rolls of paper towels and turp jars to learn about values and edges and color like we did in David Gallup's class two weeks ago, is learning. Sketching faces frozen by my "pause" button on my TV is learning. And going to the uninstructed figure class that Julie Snyder organizes to paint a model is learning.<br /><table align="left" border="0"><tbody>
<tr> <td><img alt="" border="0" src="http://data.fineartstudioonline.com/websites/MarianFortunati/works/5196_695782m.jpg" /></td> <td><br /></td> </tr>
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</tbody> </table><br />Last week we painted Nick at the McGroarty Art Center. Nick is a civil engineering student who dances (with long sheets of cloth) and now, happily for us, he models. Although I arrived late, I still was able to find a spot I liked from which to paint. It was fun to try to capture a bit of a likeness in the short class. It's not perfect. His head is up too high, but I was pretty happy because I used the method David Gallup uses of toning the canvas in a mid range value and wiping out the lights instead of drawing in the figure. David says that when we draw things in we become enamored with the sketch and don't want to paint outside the lines. So while keeping the likeness, I tried hard to vary my edges and to create interesting color, values, brushwork and edge work. <br /><br />Like I said.... all it takes is practice, practice and more practice. I so love learning!<br /><br /> </div><a class="blogfront-link-linktopost" href="http://marianfortunati.com/blog/34198/nick-the-value-of-doing" title="Nick -- The Value of Doing">Comment on or Share this Article >></a><div class="blogger-post-footer">art, impressionism, continual learning, art community, plein air, figurative, still life, California artist<img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7144629511562088306-6179545280613477945?l=marianfortunationpaintingdaily.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Marian Fortunatihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11107085447074524162noreply@blogger.com2Sunland, Los Angeles, CA, USA34.2506651 -118.297839734.2282216 -118.3317537 34.2731086 -118.2639257tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7144629511562088306.post-50743082903551366132011-08-15T08:40:00.000-07:002011-08-15T08:56:03.770-07:00Another Perfect Day!!<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-aZ64uK-4PcM/Tkk7wzfu0pI/AAAAAAAACsU/uWWVPrlsK2M/s1600/Splash+Point+small.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="256" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-aZ64uK-4PcM/Tkk7wzfu0pI/AAAAAAAACsU/uWWVPrlsK2M/s320/Splash+Point+small.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
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<tr><td><div style="text-align: center;"><a _mce_href="http://marianfortunati.com/works/691761/splash-point" href="http://marianfortunati.com/works/691761/splash-point" target="_blank"><b> Splash Point</b><br /> © Marian Fortunati<br /> 8"x10" Oil on RayMar Linen</a></div><br /></td></tr>
<tr><td> Click on the above link for more<br /> details and Pay Pal information</td></tr>
</tbody></table></td></tr>
</tbody></table><span class="blogfront-label-comment-count"></span> <span class="blogfront-section-image"><span class="blogfront-data-image-caption"></span></span>There's really very little that is more fun than discovering a beautiful scene with friends. My painter friends, Sharon Weaver and Diane Nelson-Gold, joined me for a trip up the coast to Point Mugu.<br /><div class="blogfront-data-entry-text"><br />This was the second plein air painting I did that afternoon. Earlier I had been sitting out on the edge of a cliff being buffeted and chilled by strong winds but for this one, I found a more protected viewpoint and tried to capture the pounding surf hitting the rocks a few yards further north. I always think about various artists as I paint. Vic Riseau's lovely colored "white" sea foam came to mind. And always David Gallup's advice about beautiful color and interesting texture.<br /><br />The day was perfect and seemed to inspire me to paint my best.<br /><br />I might try to make a larger version of this scene also .... I was pretty happy with both plein air pieces I painted that lovely afternoon at Point Mugu.<br /><br />Today (August 15th) is my 40th wedding anniversary. My husband, Gastone, and I were married in Venice, Italy. What a fairy-book tale. <b> If you want to read about our <a href="http://marianfortunati.com/blog/12980/love-story" target="_blank">LOVE STORY, click on the link</a>.</b><br /><br /><b>My newsletter just went out.</b> If you are interested in reading it, or in signing up to receive it in the future, click on this link <a href="http://marianfortunati.com/nl/?nid=22189&type=html" target="_blank">HERE.</a><br /><br />Thanks for dropping by!<br /><br /></div><a class="blogfront-link-linktopost" href="http://marianfortunati.com/blog/34046/splash-point" title="Splash Point">Comment on or Share this Article >></a><div class="blogger-post-footer">art, impressionism, continual learning, art community, plein air, figurative, still life, California artist<img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7144629511562088306-5074308290355136613?l=marianfortunationpaintingdaily.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Marian Fortunatihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11107085447074524162noreply@blogger.com8Point Mugu, Triunfo Pass-Coastal, CA 90265, USA34.08556240000001 -119.06093499999997-0.8818900999999926 -178.82655999999997 69.05301490000001 -59.29530999999997tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7144629511562088306.post-23628644239397745022011-08-11T21:40:00.000-07:002011-08-11T21:40:50.178-07:00Mugu - A Plein Air Southern California Coastal Scene<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-rhKih1e7-xs/TkSteYXj_AI/AAAAAAAACsQ/MsfsWBAs_7Y/s1600/Mugu+small.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-rhKih1e7-xs/TkSteYXj_AI/AAAAAAAACsQ/MsfsWBAs_7Y/s320/Mugu+small.JPG" width="253" /></a></div><span class="blogfront-label-comment-count"></span> <span class="blogfront-section-image"><br /><span class="blogfront-data-image-caption"></span></span> <br /><div class="blogfront-data-entry-text"><table align="left" border="0"><tbody>
<tr> <td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://marianfortunati.com/works/690300/mugu" target="_blank"><strong>Mugu</strong><br />© Marian Fortunati<br />Oil on Canvas Panel</a></td> <td> </td> </tr>
<tr> <td style="text-align: center;"> <br />Click on the above link<br />for more details and for <br />PalPal information<br /><br /></td> <td> </td> </tr>
</tbody> </table>There's really very little that is more fun than discovering a beautiful scene with friends. My painter friends, <a href="http://sharonweaver.com/" target="_blank">Sharon Weaver</a> and <a href="http://www.dianegoldart.com/page9224.htm" target="_blank">Diane Nelson-Gold</a>, joined me for a trip up the coast to Point Mugu. Although I had been there to paint before, I hadn't walked behind the "no trespassing" signs that block off the old section of the Pacific Coast Highway which had fallen off into the sea. <br /><br />When we arrived we all hiked around a bit enjoying the warm sun and the beautiful brilliant green-blue of the sea. It was quite spectacular! We'd gone up in the late afternoon thinking we might catch a gorgeous and unusual sunset, but the time of year and clear sky weren't in our favor. I eventually ended up back out on the point despite the strong wind which was threatening to tear me and my painting equipment off the side of the cliff. Diane painted on the sand and Sharon painted from up in the parking lot. She actually had a good idea as several beachgoers approached her about purchasing paintings, so she was able to pass out several of her cards. You never know when you'll get a new collector!<br /><br />But there I was, clinging to my hat and my easel and hoping I wouldn't slip down the side of the cliff. My spot wasn't much good for marketing, but it sure was an incentive to paint quickly and get out of there!! I just LOVED the view. As I painted, I tried to keep <a href="http://www.dgallup.com/" target="_blank">David Gallup's</a> advice in mind regarding creating paths of like-value and using beautiful color and interesting texture which the eye could follow through the painting. Painting outside is often uncomfortable ... sometimes too hot... sometimes too windy... sometimes the bugs are unbearable... sometimes it's freezing cold... But always ---- just always ---- it's a GREAT experience!!!<br /><br />It was really fun creating this quick painting. As soon as I was satisfied with my little painting though, I gathered my equipment, hurried back to the car, put on a sweater and found another spot in a more protect area to paint. I painted another small one before we left. I am really happy I captured the strength of Mighty Mugu before the wind swept me away.<br /><br />I liked this scene so much just might try to make a larger version --- which will take a bit longer, of course.<br /><br /></div><a class="blogfront-link-linktopost" href="http://marianfortunati.com/blog/33953/mugu-enjoying-plein-air-with-friends" title="Mugu -- Enjoying Plein Air With Friends">Comment on or Share this Article >></a><div class="blogger-post-footer">art, impressionism, continual learning, art community, plein air, figurative, still life, California artist<img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7144629511562088306-2362864423939774502?l=marianfortunationpaintingdaily.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Marian Fortunatihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11107085447074524162noreply@blogger.com7California, USA34.08556240000001 -119.0609349999999729.345219900000007 -124.23633099999998 38.825904900000005 -113.88553899999997tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7144629511562088306.post-30283991971180620942011-08-08T08:31:00.000-07:002011-08-11T11:32:46.757-07:00Getting The Bird<span class="blogfront-label-comment-count"></span> <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JXVk63Q92dQ/TkAAxFL2rkI/AAAAAAAACsM/jIFz2T0zR8Y/s1600/Flying+Home+small.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="251" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JXVk63Q92dQ/TkAAxFL2rkI/AAAAAAAACsM/jIFz2T0zR8Y/s320/Flying+Home+small.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="blogfront-data-entry-text"><table align="center" border="0"><tbody>
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<tr> <td style="text-align: center;"><b> Flying Home</b><br />© Marian Fortunati<br />11"x14" Oil on Linen Panel</td><td><br /></td></tr>
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</tbody></table><b>Why did I title this post this way?</b><br />This is the painting I started on the Wednesday morning of the CAC's monthly paint out. We met at Malibu Lagoon all set for a great time together. I was too ambitious however, because I started an 11"x14" even though I knew I had to leave early. The fog was drifting above the hills and promised to burn off by lunchtime. It was beautiful. I was entranced while trying to capture the fluid colors of it, but, alas, never completed the lower quarter of the painting even though I had blocked it in.<br /><br />I returned to Malibu Lagoon the next Tuesday to see if I could finish the painting en plein air, but the lagoon looked so totally different on that bright sunny day that I simply painted another small lagoon scene. (<a href="http://marianfortunati.com/works/687073/malibu-lagoon" target="_blank">Refer to my earlier post to see THAT painting.</a>) You could paint there every day and not repeat yourself.<br /><br />Anyhow, I completed the beautiful lacy flowers in the foreground at home. (Does anyone know what those flowers are?) I liked the<br /><table align="right" border="0"><tbody>
<tr> <td></td> <td><img alt="" border="0" src="http://data.fineartstudioonline.com/websites/MarianFortunati/works/5196_687964m.jpg" style="border: 0;" width="200" /></td> </tr>
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</tbody> </table>color. I liked the foreground flowers and grassy sandbars. I liked the wispy fog creeping down over the closer hills and hiding the hills behind them. However, after fooling with the painting a bit longer, I decided there was still something missing. <br /><br />The bird, of course!!<br /><br /><b>Getting to the point..</b><br />Egrets -- both the giant great egrets and the smaller snowy egrets were in abundance both days at the lagoon, so when trying to figure out how to make this painting more visually interesting, I thought I should add in a bird. I had taken lots and lots of reference photos of the birds, so I chose one I liked and painted it in. <br /><br />There was still something not quite right about it so I asked my husband. He said it needed another bird or two in the distance to lead the eye around. This reminded me of another one of my lagoon paintings <a href="http://marianfortunati.com/works/331195/lagoon" target="_blank">("Lagoon") (which recently sold --- YAY)</a>. On that painting too, I kept adding, painting over and changing the placement of the birds until it seemed "right". <b><br /><br />What do you think?</b><br />Did I get the bird.... right??? One, egret, two egrets, no egrets, more??? What's your opinion???<b><br /></b></div><a class="blogfront-link-linktopost" href="http://marianfortunati.com/blog/33806/getting-the-bird" title="Getting The Bird">Comment on or Share this Article >></a><div class="blogger-post-footer">art, impressionism, continual learning, art community, plein air, figurative, still life, California artist<img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7144629511562088306-3028399197118062094?l=marianfortunationpaintingdaily.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Marian Fortunatihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11107085447074524162noreply@blogger.com10Malibu, CA, USA34.0050079 -118.8100893000000233.944772900000004 -119.00090030000001 34.0652429 -118.61927830000002tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7144629511562088306.post-1012708487905673362011-08-05T15:52:00.000-07:002011-08-05T15:52:35.637-07:00Malibu Lagoon - A Southern California Coastal Plein Air Landscape<span class="blogfront-label-comment-count"></span> <br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Fg-VwBS6dX8/TjxygLQSKEI/AAAAAAAACsI/i1bH2yrWYP4/s1600/Malibu+Lagoon+2+small.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="254" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Fg-VwBS6dX8/TjxygLQSKEI/AAAAAAAACsI/i1bH2yrWYP4/s320/Malibu+Lagoon+2+small.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><table align="left" border="0"><tbody><tr></tr><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr><tr><td style="text-align: center;"> <a href="http://marianfortunati.com/works/687073/malibu-lagoon" target="_blank"><strong>Malibu Lagoon</strong><br />© Marian Fortunati<br />8"x10" Oil on RayMar Linen Panel</a><br /><br /></td></tr><tr><td style="text-align: center;"> For details and information about<br />purchasing this artwork,<br />click on the link above.<br /><br /></td></tr></tbody> </table></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><table align="left" border="0"><tbody></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="blogfront-data-entry-text"><table align="left" border="0"><tbody><tr> <td style="text-align: center;"><br /></td> <td> </td> </tr><tr> <td style="text-align: center;"><br /></td> <td> </td> </tr><tr> <td style="text-align: center;"></td> <td><br /></td> </tr></tbody> </table><br />A few weeks back, the California Art Club met at Malibu Lagoon. I always love painting with this group and hadn't been to the lagoon in a while, so despite an early afternoon doctor's appointment, I headed off to paint with them. Past excursions to the coast with the group had been shrouded in fog and I was hoping this wouldn't happen on that day. As it turned out there was some fog, but it looked like it might burn off, so I set up and started painting. I enjoyed seeing the other painters as they came up the path to set up. <br /><br />Malibu Lagoon is a beautiful spot on the Southern California Coast. It is in the heart of Malibu... just north of Surf Rider Beach and southwest of Pepperdine University.<br /><br />It is a paradise for bird watchers, environmentalists, nature lovers, beach goers and surfers. I love being there in the inspiring scenery while watching the multitude of wildlife that inhabits the area.<br /><table align="right" border="0"><tbody><tr> <td> </td> <td><img alt="" border="0" src="http://data.fineartstudioonline.com/websites/MarianFortunati/works/5196_687194m.jpg" /></td> </tr><tr> <td> </td> <td> </td> </tr></tbody> </table><br />I put an 11x14 panel on my easel. This turned out to be unwise, because I didn't have enough time to finish. However, I got a good start trying to capture the ins and outs of the clearing mists and the lovely lagoon. Unfortunately, I had to leave with an unfinished panel.<br /><br />SO.... thinking I might finish my painting with another excursion, I headed back to the lagoon a few days later. Well, it was a totally different scene on Monday when I went alone. The sun was shining and the tides had pushed water back into the lagoon. The birds were even more abundant than they had been the previous week. I decided to start a new painting... a small 8x10. I had a great time bird watching, painting, people watching and enjoying the beautiful weather. <br /><br />I even thought my painting turned out nicely! -- A lovely day indeed!<br /></div><a class="blogfront-link-linktopost" href="http://marianfortunati.com/blog/33728/malibu-lagoon" title="Malibu Lagoon">Comment on or Share this Article >></a><div class="blogger-post-footer">art, impressionism, continual learning, art community, plein air, figurative, still life, California artist<img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7144629511562088306-101270848790567336?l=marianfortunationpaintingdaily.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Marian Fortunatihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11107085447074524162noreply@blogger.com2Malibu, CA, USA34.0050079 -118.8100893000000233.944772900000004 -119.00090030000001 34.0652429 -118.61927830000002tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7144629511562088306.post-37764587164407971332011-08-03T17:41:00.000-07:002011-08-03T17:41:00.865-07:00Color Head Study - Alanna Again<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-X4LD_rZK-Ww/TjnoMK2U1WI/AAAAAAAACsE/k2guF5NONao/s1600/Color+Study+of+Alanna.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-X4LD_rZK-Ww/TjnoMK2U1WI/AAAAAAAACsE/k2guF5NONao/s320/Color+Study+of+Alanna.JPG" width="247" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Color Head Study - Alanna<br />16"x12" - Oil</td></tr></tbody></table><br />I'm running behind on this blog. I've got four paintings going... one of them is a commission which is just KILLING me. But I keep plugging away at it. The others are landscapes and I've found it helpful to let them sit and rotate around before I say they're "finished".<br /><br />This head study was done a bit over a week ago in Julie Snyder's uninstructed figure workshop at McGroarty Arts Center. For whatever reason, I was running late and arrived after everyone had already started. <br /><br />Happily the class wasn't crowded. I had decided to play with color a bit more than I did last time. We had the same model - Alanna. My study is a long way from perfect, but I was pleased.<br /><br />Apparently it's a decent likeness because I took it to David Gallup's class the next day and he knew that it was Alanna right away. (Although she missed last week, she's a student in David's class.)<br /><br />I liked playing with the color of the skin, but have so much more to learn about that. I decided that what I put down in class was all the time I wanted to invest in this one so it is as it was when I left class. <br /><br />Practice, practice... experiment... practice some more.<div class="blogger-post-footer">art, impressionism, continual learning, art community, plein air, figurative, still life, California artist<img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7144629511562088306-3776458716440797133?l=marianfortunationpaintingdaily.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Marian Fortunatihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11107085447074524162noreply@blogger.com4Sunland, Los Angeles, CA, USA34.2506651 -118.297839734.2282216 -118.3317537 34.2731086 -118.2639257tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7144629511562088306.post-67507915528560189212011-08-01T15:43:00.000-07:002011-08-01T15:43:06.866-07:00Searching for Fun<span class="blogfront-label-comment-count"></span> <br /><div class="blogfront-data-entry-text"><table align="left" border="0"><tbody><tr> <td><span style="font-size: xx-small;">"You can't cross a sea by merely</span><br /><span style="font-size: xx-small;">staring into the water."<br />-Rabindranath Tagore</span></td> <td> </td> </tr><tr> <td> </td> <td> </td> </tr></tbody> </table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zbhown3hkf8/TjcrWJXpRnI/AAAAAAAACsA/kfejT-hPktg/s1600/Arroyo+Burro+Cliffs+small.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="259" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zbhown3hkf8/TjcrWJXpRnI/AAAAAAAACsA/kfejT-hPktg/s320/Arroyo+Burro+Cliffs+small.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><strong>A week away at Camp Pali</strong><br />We drove Tyler up to Running Springs / Arrowhead this morning for his first week long stay away camp. Tyler has been so excited for weeks! He had everything packed by last<br /><table align="right" border="0"><tbody><tr> <td> </td> <td></td> </tr><tr> <td> </td> <td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://marianfortunati.com/works/682094/arroyo-burro-cliffs" target="_blank"><strong>Arroyo Burro Cliffs</strong><br />© Marian Fortunati<br />8"x10" Oil on RayMar Canvas Panel</a></td> </tr><tr> <td> </td> <td style="text-align: center;">Click on the above link for details<br />and Pay Pal information</td> </tr></tbody> </table>Friday. His best friend, Jacob, is going too, but Jacob's parents wanted the experience of driving him up rather than us carpooling, so we each drove separately. It's not too far -- a couple of hours drive from our home in Tarzana toward San Bernardino. We left fairly early and arrived a little before the camp began their intake procedures. My plan had been to do a bit of exploring in the mountains. I thought I might get some good reference photos for painting. <br /><br />It wasn't to be. By the time we got within 35 miles of the camp, it was pouring rain! Honestly.. It's almost August!! Southern California is NOT a rainy place ... It's usually far too dry. But here we were, heading up to drop Tyler off at camp in the pouring rain. All I could think of was that I was glad I wasn't trying to run a camp for 250 kids who were excited to be in the mountains and doing all sorts of hiking, and other outdoor activities but were instead stuck inside because it was raining!! Well, everyone was cheerful and seemed to have everything in hand. Just like the quote at the beginning of the blog... If the kids turned around and went home, for sure they wouldn't have a good time, so off the boys went to have the great week they both had planned.<br /><br />When we arrived back home in mid-afternoon, the temperature was 95 degrees! The weatherman says the tropical thunderstorms are supposed to be gone by tomorrow. I hope so and I'll bet everyone at that camp do too.<br /><br /><strong>Good news TWO times over!</strong><br />In the meantime, I have received notices from two different shows to which I submitted images for juring. Happily, my work was accepted into BOTH of them, so I'm jazzed. <br />These are the paintings juried in:<br /><ul><li><a href="http://marianfortunati.com/works/616851/evening-song" target="_blank">Evening Song</a></li><li><a href="http://marianfortunati.com/works/522757/pelican-bay-late-afternoon" target="_blank">Pelican Bay - Late Afternoon</a></li><li><a href="http://marianfortunati.com/works/677763/arlington-garden-irises" target="_blank">Arlington Garden Irises</a></li></ul>I've been vascilating lately -- teeter tottering between deciding not to submit to shows and then going back and deciding to do it. <em><span style="text-decoration: underline;">The quote I put at the top of this post just really rang true for me so</span></em>, I guess I'll keep on painting and I'll keep on submitting my work for juried shows. Honestly... I love painting and my real goal is to just keep improving and keep on painting. But somehow, I also want to show my work in "public" and have it accepted by my peers and others so ... I submit. It's nice to get in. Maybe I'll really get lucky and sell some at these shows. More about those shows later. They are both opening in September.<br /><br /><strong>Another plein air painting from Santa Barbara</strong><br />This is another painting from our weekend visiting our daughter in Santa Barbara over the last weekend. The scene is Arroyo Burro Beach looking back at the cliffs toward Hendry's. South on this beach, people bring their dogs to romp in the surf. The north side is dogless. It was a great day with the fog drifting away by the time I set up to paint, then drifting back in just as I was finishing up. A perfect way to end my weekend up north. The summer is just flashing by and I'm trying to enjoy each moment!!<br /><br /></div><a class="blogfront-link-linktopost" href="http://marianfortunati.com/blog/33541/searching-for-fun" title="Searching For Fun">Comment on or Share this Article >></a><div class="blogger-post-footer">art, impressionism, continual learning, art community, plein air, figurative, still life, California artist<img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7144629511562088306-6750791552856018921?l=marianfortunationpaintingdaily.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Marian Fortunatihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11107085447074524162noreply@blogger.com2Arroyo Burro Beach Park, Santa Barbara, CA 93109, USA34.404036 -119.74346200000002-0.46166250000000275 -179.50908700000002 69.2697345 -59.97783700000002tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7144629511562088306.post-65502342092312807222011-07-28T16:02:00.000-07:002011-07-28T16:02:33.234-07:00Fun In The Sun and Sand -- Goleta Slough<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-jjw21vqKW7s/TjHpqJMC87I/AAAAAAAACr8/S85niSo1Z0s/s1600/Goleta+Slough+2+small.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="241" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-jjw21vqKW7s/TjHpqJMC87I/AAAAAAAACr8/S85niSo1Z0s/s320/Goleta+Slough+2+small.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><span class="blogfront-label-comment-count"></span> <span class="blogfront-section-image"><br /><span class="blogfront-data-image-caption"></span></span> <br /><div class="blogfront-data-entry-text"><table align="left" border="0"><tbody><tr> <td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://marianfortunati.com/works/682086/goleta-slough" target="_blank"><strong>Goleta Slough<br /></strong>© Marian Fortunati<br />9"x12" Oil on RayMar <br />Canvas Panel</a></td> <td> </td> </tr><tr> <td style="text-align: center;"> <br />Click on the above link <br />for further details<br />and Pay Pal information.<br />.<br /></td> <td> </td> </tr></tbody> </table>While visiting my daughter in Santa Barbara, I stole a chance to get out to the beach on a gorgeous summer day. South of UCSB is the Goleta Slough. UCSB was my alma mater many years ago and I totally enjoyed the beautiful campus and nearby Isla Vista, where I lived, but I rarely visited this area. My zoölogy major made me too intent on studies and ... oh... beer and boys, as well, maybe.<br /><br />Nowadays I wish that I had spent more time exploring the off campus areas (without a keg nearby). <br /><br />This last weekend was spent sitting in the sand while painting near the end of the sand spit. There were many families in the sand and in the water ... both in the low breaking surf area and in the calmer slough area. The beautiful white cliffs gleamed on the other side of the inlet while the tide was swiftly coming in to the slough. Adults tried to ford the inlet, but were often swept off their feet. They'd come up sputtering and laughing. <br /><br />It was a fun day!<br /><br /> </div><a class="blogfront-link-linktopost" href="http://marianfortunati.com/blog/33466/goleta-slough-play-and-painting-in-the-sand" title="Goleta Slough ... Play and Painting In The Sand">Comment on or Share this Article >></a><div class="blogger-post-footer">art, impressionism, continual learning, art community, plein air, figurative, still life, California artist<img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7144629511562088306-6550234209231280722?l=marianfortunationpaintingdaily.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Marian Fortunatihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11107085447074524162noreply@blogger.com6Goleta Beach County Park, Santa Barbara, CA, USA34.417135 -119.8305280999999834.4158095 -119.83720959999998 34.4184605 -119.82384659999998tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7144629511562088306.post-27799170788947875672011-07-25T19:52:00.000-07:002011-07-25T20:36:35.396-07:00Alanna - A Figurative Study<span class="blogfront-label-comment-count"></span> <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-dsrGUfJnNTs/Ti4q1VlJCOI/AAAAAAAACr4/lxro8I4v-Co/s1600/Alanna+Study+small.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-dsrGUfJnNTs/Ti4q1VlJCOI/AAAAAAAACr4/lxro8I4v-Co/s320/Alanna+Study+small.JPG" width="249" /></a></div><div class="blogfront-data-entry-text"><table align="right" border="0"><tbody><tr> <td></td> <td></td> </tr><tr> <td></td> <td style="text-align: center;"><b>Alanna<br /></b>© Marian Fortunati<br />16"x12" Oil on canvas board<br /><br /><br /></td> </tr></tbody> </table><br />Every Monday <a href="http://www.juliesnyder.com/gallery.html" target="_blank">Julie Snyder</a> hosts an uninstructed figure painting opportunity at McGroarty Art Center in Tujunga, CA. I can't remember where I heard about it... perhaps from my friend, <a href="http://www.laniemanuel.com/#home" target="_blank">Lani Emanuel</a>, but a few years back I tried to paint there every so often.<br /><br />Although figure painting isn't my main love, a number of things conspired to send me back to the Art Center again last week:<br /><ul><li>Julie announced on FB that she was starting the sessions up again.</li><li>A total stranger from back east contacted me and wanted to buy one of the studies (A Boxer Study) I had painted a couple of years back. (ALWAYS a pleasant thing to happen!)</li><li>A good painter friend and I were talking, and as I was complaining about my need to improve my drawing skills, she suggested that rather than complain about it, that I should work on it.</li><li>David Gallup's Master Class assignment was to write down our artist career goals, influences (contemporary and historical) and what about them influenced us AND the steps we are taking to reach the goals.</li></ul>Well, since I realized that I enjoy <i>looking</i> at figurative work - Julie's is amazing -, and since I need to improve my ability to draw, these uninstructed sessions with a live model would be ideal for helping me along my path. Although the sessions are not instructional... they really are because so many of the artists who attend are excellent and it's instructive just to see how they approach the drawing/ painting of these figures.<br /><br /><table align="left" border="0"><tbody><tr> <td><img alt="" border="0" height="200" src="http://data.fineartstudioonline.com/websites/MarianFortunati/works/5196_680791m.jpg" width="150" /></td> <td></td> </tr><tr> <td style="text-align: center;"> The set up</td> <td></td> </tr></tbody> </table>As it turned out, the model was Alanna, who is also a fellow student in David's Master class. That was kind of fun, as I could talk with her about the session the next day in class.<br /><table align="right" border="0"><tbody><tr> <td><img alt="" border="0" height="200" src="http://data.fineartstudioonline.com/websites/MarianFortunati/works/5196_680794m.jpg" width="162" /></td> <td></td> </tr><tr> <td style="text-align: center;"> Alanna Study<br />(of the Study)<br />10"x8" O/C</td> <td><br /></td> </tr></tbody> </table><br />I decided that I was really very pleased (and relieved) with my ability to get a likeness, but when compared to a master like Julie Snyder and some of the other students, I had a lot of work to do. The color I used was okay but not "fun". Edges are still my nemesis.<br /><br />During the next week and between several plein air trips, I tried to paint Alanna again using the study as a study. It's a bit more colorful, but I discovered how easy it is to lose the likeness. It's amazing how tiny bits of color or value in the wrong place change the way someone looks!<br /><br />Oh well, practice and more practice and more practice... That's what I will do.<br /><br /></div><a class="blogfront-link-linktopost" href="http://marianfortunati.com/blog/33363/alanna-studies-are-to-study-right" title="Alanna - Studies are to Study, Right???">Comment on or Share this Article >></a><div class="blogger-post-footer">art, impressionism, continual learning, art community, plein air, figurative, still life, California artist<img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7144629511562088306-2779917078894787567?l=marianfortunationpaintingdaily.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Marian Fortunatihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11107085447074524162noreply@blogger.com3Tujunga, Glendale, CA 91042, USA34.252225 -118.288410525.191815500000004 -133.229817 43.3126345 -103.347004tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7144629511562088306.post-6574466347236516412011-07-22T14:23:00.000-07:002011-07-23T06:57:31.096-07:00Arlington Garden Irises - A Floral Landscape<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Y_vMYoKey2k/Tinowhlg5VI/AAAAAAAACr0/mXvwINc1-yQ/s1600/Arlington+Garden+Irises+2+small.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Y_vMYoKey2k/Tinowhlg5VI/AAAAAAAACr0/mXvwINc1-yQ/s320/Arlington+Garden+Irises+2+small.JPG" width="239" /></a></div><span class="blogfront-label-comment-count"></span> <span class="blogfront-section-image"><br /><span class="blogfront-data-image-caption"></span></span> <br /><div class="blogfront-data-entry-text"><table align="left" border="0"><tbody><tr> <td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://marianfortunati.com/works/677763/arlington-garden-irises" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Arlington Garden Irises</b></span><br />© Marian Fortunati<br />12"x9" Oil on Canvas</a><br /><br /></td> <td> </td> </tr><tr> <td style="text-align: center;">Click on the above link for <br />details and a Pay Pal link<br />.</td><td style="text-align: center;"></td><td style="text-align: center;"></td> <td></td> </tr></tbody> </table>Within the city of South Pasadena in the San Gabriel Valley is a community garden called Arlington Gardens. I've had the privilege of painting there several times in the last couple of years. Just wandering through the wonderful areas filled with flowers and plants can uplift anyone's spirits. Congratulations to those who envisioned it and continually make it a place of peace and beauty.<br /><br />Varieties of irises are endless and it's fun to try to examine them all. They go from fancy bearded ones to the beautifully delicate and simple ones we found up in the mountain meadow. They are fun to paint as well.<br /><br />In my mind, there was a WIP shot showing how the painting was blocked in with less initial drawing than I usually do, but alas, I can't find it. David Gallup has suggested that drawing things first tends to make us "paint inside the lines" and I know he's right. I think, however that one has to have a better rendering skill set to "see" the painting as it emerges from loosely blocked in shapes. But I will practice...... and practice...... and practice again.<br /><br />One of my fellow painters suggested that the portrait set-up of this painting always brings Van Gogh's irises to mind, so she thought I should try a horizontal painting of irises to be a bit different. Although I certainly wouldn't mind having people think of Van Gogh's irises when they look at this, I think I'll take her advice and do a square iris painting next ... for a change of pace AND more practice!<br /><br /></div><a class="blogfront-link-linktopost" href="http://marianfortunati.com/blog/33220/arlington-garden-irises" title="Arlington Garden Irises">Comment on or Share this Article >></a><div class="blogger-post-footer">art, impressionism, continual learning, art community, plein air, figurative, still life, California artist<img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7144629511562088306-657446634723651641?l=marianfortunationpaintingdaily.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Marian Fortunatihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11107085447074524162noreply@blogger.com5Arlington Dr, Pasadena, CA 91105, USA34.1282939 -118.1547021999999734.127693900000004 -118.15945019999998 34.1288939 -118.14995419999997tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7144629511562088306.post-9302528753986146392011-07-18T21:30:00.000-07:002011-07-19T09:37:14.142-07:00Springtime Along Eaton Canyon Trail<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-fLM-ZEvDuNk/TiTzugjgwgI/AAAAAAAACrw/X4l1YdreAYE/s1600/Springtime+Along+Eaton+Canyon+Trail+small2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-fLM-ZEvDuNk/TiTzugjgwgI/AAAAAAAACrw/X4l1YdreAYE/s320/Springtime+Along+Eaton+Canyon+Trail+small2.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><span class="blogfront-label-comment-count"></span> <span class="blogfront-section-image"><br /><span class="blogfront-data-image-caption"></span></span> <br /><div class="blogfront-data-entry-text"><table align="left" border="0"><tbody><tr> <td><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://marianfortunati.com/works/676437/springtime-on-eaton-canyon-trail" target="_blank"><b>Springtime Along Eaton Canyon Trail</b></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://marianfortunati.com/works/676437/springtime-on-eaton-canyon-trail" target="_blank">© Marian Fortunati<br />12"x9" Oil on Canvas</a></div></td> <td></td> </tr><tr> <td style="text-align: center;">For more information about this painting,<br />click the highlighted link.<br /><br /><br /></td> <td><br /><br /></td> </tr></tbody> </table>A few weeks back I had to drop off paintings for a show in Pasadena. Because I was already there in the San Gabriel Valley, (quite a distance from my home) I decided to take advantage of being there. My plan was to paint in Eaton Canyon --a lovely canyon far east of my normal haunts, but where I have painted several times before. <br />I got there early in the morning and decided to explore before the day warmed up. Normally, I paint not far into the canyon, but there was lots of running water in the creek, creating many gorgeous possibilities and I hiked on a bit further, looking for that "perfect spot". As I walked further along, I noticed a sign indicating the waterfall which was further up the canyon. I'd forgotten about the waterfall. Well, as it turned out, I hiked and hiked and got all the way to the waterfall! ... a feat I was proud of.... not so much because it was a mile and a half up the hill, but because the trail kept crossing the creek and I had to navigate back and forth across the rocks or logs spread across the creek without falling in. I did get my toes damp once, but managed to balance well enough that I made it up and back without killing myself or doing any damage. It was a glorious day.<br /><br />I took many photos and will use them over time to help remember that beautiful day in Eaton Canyon.<br /><br />When I decided to paint this scene, I kept the work of Margi Lucena's pastels of brushy arid areas in mind. I loved the little buckwheat brush "flowers" along the trail as well as the lovely long lanky stalks with the red flowers on them. (Looks like I need to get myself a field guide for flowers and native plants. Do any of you know what those red flowers are?) I've also long enjoyed Cylde Aspevig's "Land Snorkeling" series, and wished I could do justice to brushes and grasses like he does. Additionally... as some of you know... ROCKS have been one of my stumbling blocks (so to speak) so I've been trying to paint them as often as I can on the theory that the more I painted rocks, the better I'd get doing it. And so I painted rocks and weeds and wildflowers.<br /><br />I have another scene in mind which includes many rocks in the creek.... That will come along soon. I'm always trying to set a new challenge for myself!<br /> </div><a class="blogfront-link-linktopost" href="http://marianfortunati.com/blog/33078/springtime-along-eaton-canyon-trail" title="Springtime Along Eaton Canyon Trail">Comment on or Share this Article </a><div class="blogger-post-footer">art, impressionism, continual learning, art community, plein air, figurative, still life, California artist<img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7144629511562088306-930252875398614639?l=marianfortunationpaintingdaily.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Marian Fortunatihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11107085447074524162noreply@blogger.com10Eaton Canyon, Pasadena, CA 91107, USA34.16224 -118.08499999999998-0.7808125000000032 -177.85062499999998 69.10529249999999 -58.31937499999998tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7144629511562088306.post-76718699353726598562011-07-15T17:05:00.000-07:002011-07-19T19:29:06.648-07:00From the Mountains to the Sea -- "El Pescador" a Southern California Plein Air Coastal Oil Painting<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ARLjyRXC6tQ/TiDUHmGZk-I/AAAAAAAACrs/cAh9yr5hYLc/s1600/El+Pescador+small.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="255" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ARLjyRXC6tQ/TiDUHmGZk-I/AAAAAAAACrs/cAh9yr5hYLc/s320/El+Pescador+small.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><span class="blogfront-label-comment-count"></span><span class="blogfront-section-image"><br /><span class="blogfront-data-image-caption"></span></span> <br /><div class="blogfront-data-entry-text"><table align="left" border="0"><tbody><tr> <td></td> <td style="text-align: center;"><b><a href="http://marianfortunati.com/works/674492/el-pescador" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: small;">El Pescador</span><br />© Marian Fortunati<br />8" x 10" Oil on Raymar Canvas Panel</a></b></td> </tr><tr> <td></td> <td style="text-align: center;"> <span style="color: red;"><strong> SOLD</strong></span></td> </tr></tbody> </table><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />This week has been overcast. - Pleasant temperature-wise but not beautiful painting weather.<br /><br />Last week, however, was clear and pretty. On Thursday things worked out and I was free to do as I wished so I hopped in my car and headed toward the beach. Happily the coastal fog which often shrouds the coast during May, June and July was not present. It was a wonderful day.<br /><br />I decided to go to a new painting spot. I headed up on past Malibu and my more common painting spot at El Matador. I explored a few beaches and decided to stay at El Pescador which is south of Point Mugu and Leo Carrillo State Beach.<br /><br />When I arrived it was just me and a few surfers. I walked around, enjoying the sounds and smells of the beach. I took photos looking south, looking out at the surfers and of the beach birds. Then I settled down near the cliff looking north. I just had a delightful time painting and enjoying the scene.<br /><br />I almost expected to see Gidget step out of the little beach shack (which belongs to a much larger home up on the top of the cliff). I thought she'd enjoy showing all of the surfer boys how well she could handle the surfboard!!! (LOL)<br /><br />As I packed up, I turned around and was surprised to see the once empty beach filling with families happily enjoying themselves at this less popular Southern California beach.</div><a class="blogfront-link-linktopost" href="http://marianfortunati.com/blog/32952/from-the-mountains-to-the-sea" title="From the Mountains to the Sea">Comment on or Share this Article >></a><div class="blogger-post-footer">art, impressionism, continual learning, art community, plein air, figurative, still life, California artist<img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7144629511562088306-7671869935372659856?l=marianfortunationpaintingdaily.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Marian Fortunatihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11107085447074524162noreply@blogger.com12Western Malibu, Malibu, CA, USA34.0400686 -118.8925566000000334.0132826 -118.94868210000003 34.0668546 -118.83643110000004tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7144629511562088306.post-38115701919287238592011-07-13T11:47:00.000-07:002011-07-13T11:47:00.384-07:00Painting in the "Middle of The Earth" - A Plein Air California Mountain Landscape<span class="blogfront-label-comment-count"></span> <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rkYME-kLF0I/Th21FHGUjJI/AAAAAAAACro/I8pOZpiL3P4/s1600/Middle+Earth+Majesty+small.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rkYME-kLF0I/Th21FHGUjJI/AAAAAAAACro/I8pOZpiL3P4/s400/Middle+Earth+Majesty+small.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="blogfront-data-entry-text"><table align="center" border="0"><tbody><tr> <td></td> <td> </td> </tr><tr> <td style="text-align: center;"> <a href="http://marianfortunati.com/works/671065/middle-earth-majesty" target="_blank"><strong>Middle Earth Majesty</strong><br />© Marian Fortunati<br />12" x 12" Oil on RayMar Canvas Panel<br />click on the above link for further details and Pay Pal</a><br /><br /></td> <td> </td> </tr></tbody> </table><br /><table align="right" border="0"><tbody><tr> <td><img alt="" border="0" id="5196_672977" src="http://data.fineartstudioonline.com/websites/5196/works/5196_672977m.jpg" /></td> <td> </td> </tr><tr> <td> <div style="text-align: center;">Susan, Marian, Diane, Ernie,</div><div style="text-align: center;">Lorelle and Laura<br /></div></td> <td> </td> </tr></tbody> </table>Five artists traveled up to Frazier Park in July to visit with another artist who lives up there. She had told us stories of wild irises spread out in a little valley. The six of us had one of our best painting days ever. Susan, who lives there told us that the native Californian Chumash tribe considers the little meadow in the valley, "The Middle Of The Earth". What a joy to be in such a magical place.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.ssjoberg.com/" target="_blank">Susan Sjoberg</a> invited me up to paint near her home and I brought along four other artists. Painting and eating were <a href="http://www.laurawambsgans.com/">Laura Wambsgans</a>, <a href="http://www.dianegoldart.com/" target="_blank">Diane-Nelson Gold</a>, <a href="http://www.lorellemiller.com/" target="_blank">Lorelle Miller</a> and <a href="http://erniedollman.net/" target="_blank">Ernie Dollman</a>. Check out their paintings.<br /><br /><table align="left" border="0"><tbody><tr> <td><img alt="" border="0" src="http://data.fineartstudioonline.com/websites/MarianFortunati/works/5196_672976m.jpg" /></td> <td> </td> </tr><tr> <td style="text-align: center;">Wild Irises</td> <td> </td> </tr></tbody> </table><br />I painted the painting above after we broke for lunch. We had a great time talking about places, our art and other friends we had in common.<br /><br />The entire day was just a dream. Susan described the "next<br /><table align="right" border="0"><tbody><tr> <td><img alt="" border="0" src="http://data.fineartstudioonline.com/websites/MarianFortunati/works/5196_672981m.jpg" /></td> <td> </td> </tr><tr> <td style="text-align: center;">At the reception<br />after a beautiful day of painting<br /></td> <td> </td> </tr></tbody> </table>wave of flowers". We're all thinking about coming back up for the giant lupines or the calla lilies which will cover the meadow floor in the months to come.<br /><br />I had to leave before evening because I was going to the reception for my show. As it was I barely made it.. almost missed some of the people who came to see me. (My painting, <a href="http://marianfortunati.com/works/657417/poppy-path" target="_blank"><strong>"Poppy Path"</strong></a> won a nice cash award!! YAY!! ). <br /><br />The next time we go up, we may plan it so we stay even later and try to catch the last light in the meadow. <br /><br />Can you imagine how THAT will look???<br /><br />I posted my <a href="http://marianfortunati.com/works/671063/mountain-meadow" target="_blank">morning painting called "Mountain Meadow"</a> on my last blog. Which of the two, "Mountain Meadow" or "Middle Earth Majesty" do YOU like better?<br /><br /></div><a class="blogfront-link-linktopost" href="http://marianfortunati.com/blog/32866/painting-in-the-middle-of-the-earth" title="Painting in the "Middle of the Earth"">Comment on or Share this Article >></a><div class="blogger-post-footer">art, impressionism, continual learning, art community, plein air, figurative, still life, California artist<img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7144629511562088306-3811570191928723859?l=marianfortunationpaintingdaily.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Marian Fortunatihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11107085447074524162noreply@blogger.com4Mt Pinos, Los Padres National Forest, Los Padres, CA 93252, USA34.811645 -119.147330300000020.07776299999999736 -178.91295530000002 69.54552699999999 -59.38170530000002tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7144629511562088306.post-66408274971915119852011-07-10T21:24:00.000-07:002011-07-10T21:24:09.597-07:00OMG -- A Southern California Mountain Meadow Plein Air Landscape<span class="blogfront-label-comment-count"></span> <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-k6TOiWh4LaE/Thp5NHTEhoI/AAAAAAAACrk/Dl0I4Y5WU2I/s1600/Mountain+Meadow+small.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-k6TOiWh4LaE/Thp5NHTEhoI/AAAAAAAACrk/Dl0I4Y5WU2I/s400/Mountain+Meadow+small.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><div class="blogfront-data-entry-text"><table align="right" border="0"><tbody><tr> <td> </td> <td></td> </tr><tr> <td> </td> <td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://marianfortunati.com/works/671063/mountain-meadow" target="_blank"><strong>Mountain Meadow</strong><br />© Marian Fortunati<br />12" x 9" Oil on RayMar Canvas<br /><b>click on this link for price</b></a></td> </tr></tbody> </table><br /><br />For those of you who have followed this blog, you may know that I've been in a kind of slump... No muse.<br /><br />Well, if there is ANYTHING that can get you out of the painting blues, it's getting out into a totally gorgeous spot which can inspire and make your heart sing. <br /><br /><div class="worksdetail-data-comments"> Hidden high up and nestled just below the summit is a little slice of heaven. In July the wild irises are in bloom and spread their delicate pale blue petals across the meadow. California's native Americans, the Chumash, have their gatherings up near the meadow each year and celebrate the beauty of this place they call "the Middle of the Earth".<br /><br />Five artists traveled up to Frazier Park in July to visit with another artist who lives up there. She had told us stories of wild irises spread out in a little valley. The six of us had one of our best painting days ever. What a joy to be in such a magical place.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.ssjoberg.com/" target="_blank">Susan Sjoberg</a> invited me up to paint near her home and I brought along four other artists. Painting and eating were <a href="http://www.laurawambsgans.com/">Laura Wambsgans</a>, <a href="http://www.dianegoldart.com/" target="_blank">Diane-Nelson Gold</a>, <a href="http://www.lorellemiller.com/" target="_blank">Lorelle Miller</a> and <a href="http://erniedollman.net/" target="_blank">Ernie Dollman</a>. Check out their paintings.<br /><br />This was the painting I did before lunch. I'll show my "after lunch" painting on another blog post. Funny... I liked the second one better ( I'll show you that one on the next post), but everyone else seems to like this one the best. I was really happy with them both, but liked the 12"x12" I did after lunch the best. <br /><br /><br /></div></div><a class="blogfront-link-linktopost" href="http://marianfortunati.com/blog/32773/omg" title="OMG">Comment on or Share this Article >></a><div class="blogger-post-footer">art, impressionism, continual learning, art community, plein air, figurative, still life, California artist<img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7144629511562088306-6640827497191511985?l=marianfortunationpaintingdaily.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Marian Fortunatihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11107085447074524162noreply@blogger.com6Frazier Park, CA 93225, USA34.8227556 -118.9448218999999734.8011276 -118.97744239999996 34.8443836 -118.91220139999997tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7144629511562088306.post-36371535767177150802011-07-05T21:29:00.000-07:002011-07-05T21:29:03.655-07:00You Never Know..<span class="blogfront-label-comment-count"></span> <br /><div class="blogfront-data-entry-text"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZZNNzO0Rd1s/ThPiv8RzQ0I/AAAAAAAACrc/wtgA5IAtcrs/s1600/WPW+Summer+Show+Card.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZZNNzO0Rd1s/ThPiv8RzQ0I/AAAAAAAACrc/wtgA5IAtcrs/s400/WPW+Summer+Show+Card.jpg" width="303" /></a><table align="center" border="0" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr> <td><br /></td> <td> </td> </tr><tr> <td> </td> <td> </td> </tr></tbody> </table><br />I've been struggling with trying to paint anything worthwhile lately.<br /><br /><strong>A Commission and a Missing Muse</strong><br />Actually about a month ago I was commissioned to do a painting. This made me feel very humble since the client has already purchased three of my paintings. But for any number of reasons, I've put off trying to work on it. (Fear of failure, perhaps??) After a few back and forth exchanges with the client, and several attempts on a smaller format, we've settled on a larger sized canvas. Even at the larger size, the figure --which is important to the client-- is tiny and is proving to be extremely difficult to make resemble the client's relative as he stands in front of his mountain cabin. Ah well... Nothing ventured, nothing gained. <br /><br />And other paintings that I have in the works are just NOT moving the way I'd like either. I think I've had the summer time blues or my painting muse is off surfing somewhere... or something.<br /><br /><strong>Musical Chairs</strong><br />In my <a href="http://marianfortunati.com/blog/32105/musical-chairs" target="_blank">last post I talked a bit about the musical chairs feeling</a> of trying to decide which events to submit to and then which paintings to submit to which event. Over the weekend I finally decided to submit to a local event and to forgo another event because of the cost. Both exhibitions were being sponsored by Women Painters West, a club that, in general, highlights work which is less traditional than mine. I usually don't get juried in to this group's shows.<br /><br /><strong>Honoring Jane</strong><br />The exhibition didn't have the snazzy venue, but a valued long time family friend, (<a href="http://articles.glendalenewspress.com/2011-03-29/news/tn-gnp-0330-obit_1_arts-activist-women-painters-brand-library" target="_blank">Jane Friend - a wonderful water color artist</a>) had encouraged me to join Women Painters West. (She was a lifetime member). Since she recently passed away at 93, one of the prizes offered was given in her name. I entered this show to honor her and her good hopes for me. (Jane also taught at the venue where the show would be hung). I figured I wouldn't enter the other exhibition at the fancier venue -- only this one.<br /><br />Before I left, I put on a <a href="http://www.dianegoldart.com/15435/index.htm" target="_blank">lovely stone bracelet which my friend, Diane Nelson-Gold</a>, had given me