Why Is This A Boring Painting?

I painted this piece today. It has value, color relationship, shows distance and is pretty. But.. it is definitely boring.   What makes this piece so boring? I do not have a focal point, a main character or a bride. It is a pretty face without any personality.

"American River'  8"x10" on Linen Canvas.

Abstraction

I was very frustrated with this painting. You could say it "abstracted me" during class. LOL.

So where did I go wrong?  First, I did not take time to draw a good composition. Next, I did not block in my darks and making comparisons. Then I whined for about an hour rather than stopping and going back to the drawing board... so to speak.

A Brush With Figures

I was treated to figure drawing today at a local college. The model was wonderful and I loosened up with watercolor and brushes.  Here is one of my pieces.

Gesture  - Watercolor On Paper

Let's See If I Do This

I was painting at the river and was wondering how much I could simplify a scene. I think this needs more information.

Paint Faster! They Are Driving Away!

I painted with the Urban Painters today in Oak Park, CA. It seemed every time I started to paint a car, the owner hopped in my subject and drove away. Then there was the big water truck that parked right in front of me blocking my view . Oh and  the garbage truck that shook the ground so hard that my easel collapsed.
It was still the best day ever!
These were painted on 6"x8" canvas board. I kept them loose.  I tried to describe the focal point and just block in the surrounding shapes.  I am happy with the results.

Blocked by water truck. 

Car drove away. 

Challenging Yourself With A Limited Palette

I needed a challenge in class today and was told to limit my palette with quinacridone red, sap green, cadmium yellow deep, ivory black, ultramarine blue and white.  I used the new Gamblin solvent free gel on linen. Interesting effect.

Key To Happiness

I spent the day painting at the river. I was so happy.  It didn't matter that the paintings were stinkers.  It was a perfect sunny day, the river was beautiful and I was painting outdoors.  Afterwards, I met up with a fellow artist to discuss our art over lunch.

Can You Relate To This Plein Air Experience?

I was happily painting this street scene in my neighborhood and not quite done when...

This van parked right in front of me. Can you relate to this plein air experience?

"Mysterious White Van" - 6"x 8" Oil on Canvas Board

Thank You For Supporting My Art

I want to thank the two cat lovers who purr-chased my Cat Tail Clocks at Wright's Gallery' FOG and Fine Art in Brookings, Oregon.

Cat Tail Clock 

My Art Is For Sale At The Manley Art Center Classroom Panels - May Through June

I have an art panel at the Manley Art Center in Brookings, Oregon from May until June. Please stop by and pick up high fired plant markers, Cat Tail magnets and pins, Cat Tail cards,  Uppity Beach Buttons or an original oil painting.

Re-Usable High Fired Plant Markers

High Fired Uppity Beach Buttons

Plein Air Oil Paintings

High Fired Cat Tail Magnets and Pins

A Large Variety Of My Cat And Dog Cards 

China Beach, Brookings, OR

I hiked down to China Beach the other day with a good friend. This beach is accessible only during low tide. To access it, you walk through a meadow,  a very, dense, dark forest (bring a flashlight just in case the weather changes because it is really dark) and then carefully down the steep, narrow path and over rocks. Then you can get to the beach. It is worth it but please watch the tides. They remind you about ever 10 to 20 minutes that they want their beach back.
There is one other thing you should know, the old path was destroyed in a landslide so watch where you are walking; else, you could find yourself going down the wrong path and over the side of the mountain.

My Art Is The FOG and Fine Art Gallery At Wright's Framing and Art Supplies in Brookings, OR

My art has been accepted into Wright's Framing and Art Supplies' new gallery called FOG and Fine Art in Brookings, Oregon. I am selling my Cat Tail Clocks, local plein air paintings and Cat Tail Cards.

Wright's Framing is located on Highway 101 at  810 Chetco Avenue, Brookings, OR 97415 across from the local McDonald's. It's a small town so you will be able to find it if you are passing through.
You can contact them at (541) 469-7900 or visit their website at  www.wrightsframing.com.

Cards For Cat Lovers

Purr-fect Gift For The Cat Lover In Your Life

Affordable Brookings/Harbor Plein Air Artwork

Whaleshead Storm - PRIVATE COLLECTION

I painted 6 Whaleshead studies the last 3 days. I am enjoying the different weather conditions on the coast. This was a challenge because I have not practiced clouds. So I brought this piece into my studio to finish it. I searched the internet on how to paint clouds. I watched a classic Bob Ross YouTube and found it very helpful.

"Whaleshead Storm" By Eva Marie Tanner-Klaas - 6"X 8" Oil with Brush on Pintura Canvas Board

Thank You For Supporting My Art

Thank you for my recent sales.

"Waiting For The Sun" By Eva Marie Tanner-Klaas - 5"x7" Oil on Gallery Wrap Canvas with Brush - SOLD

"Pine Street Parking" By Eva Marie Tanner-Klaas - 6"x8" SOLD

Painting Indoors

I continued painting Whaleshead with different strokes and color.  This is a 6"x8" oil on canvas board.

"Whaleshead Weather" by Eva Marie Tanner-Klaas - 6"x8"  oil on canvas board 

Squall Is Coming

If you have never heard the term "Squall is coming", it means paint faster because you are about to get wet. First, my easel started to blow from the cold wind so I threw on a warmer coat. I was determined to finish a painting. But then the rain started and I was left alone in the secluded area next to a van covered with handwritten profanity about women.   I decided I should go. I packed so quickly that my heavy duty coat ended up in my palette and when  I got home, I realized I was covered with napel's yellow along with my driver's seat and tailgate. It looked like I squirted the tube all over the place and smeared it with my hands.
So I finished this 8"x10" painting in my nice, warm, dry, profanity free studio.

"Squall Is Coming" By Eva Marie Tanner-Klaas - 8"x10" Oil On Linen Canvas

Hold On To That Easel And Brushes

I was painting at Whaleshead in Oregon today when the wind blew so hard that my brushes flew all over.  As I  hung on tight to my easel, I decided I should pack up and head home.  I completed this  6"x8" painting in my studio. What an exciting plein air adventure.


"Whaleshead" By Eva Marie Tanner-Klaas, 6"x8" Oil With Brush On Canvas Board

Out Of The Fog - SOLD

I had to drive a few miles to get out the fog this morning on the coast to find the sun.
This is an 8"x10" oil painting of Loeb Park outside of Brookings, Oregon. I text-ed the photo to my husband and he said my painting classes were paying off. I will take that as a compliment. Since my  tendency is paint too dark,  I have to watch for this.  I had originally painted the land mass too dark. I fixed this with more white into my warm grey mixture. Then I made adjustments around the painting and varied my brush strokes.  I am happy with this piece. 

"Loeb Park" By Eva Marie Tanner-Klaas - 8"x10" Oil On Tinted Canvas Board

What A View Siamese Cat Tail Clock

This is my What A View Siamese Cat Tail Clock.

I See You Siamese Cat Tail Clock.

Here is my I See You Siamese Cat Tail Clock.

Tiger Tabby Cat Tail Clock

Here is my Tiger Tabby Cat Clock. It is hand painted with Amaco lead-free velvet under glazes, Duncan French Dimensions and then I apply a clear food safe glaze over it. It is fired to cone 05.

Grey and White Tabby Cat Clock

Here is my Grey and White Tabby Cat Clock. It is hand painted with Amaco lead-free velvet under glazes, Duncan French Dimensions and then I apply a clear food safe glaze over it. It is fired to cone 05.

Fluffy Orange and White Cat Clock - Peek A Boo

Here is my Fluffy Orange and White Cat Clock. It is hand painted with Amaco lead-free velvet under glazes, Duncan French Dimensions and then I apply a clear food safe glaze over it. It is fired to cone 05. 

Tabby Cat Clock

Here is my Tabby Cat Clock. It is hand painted with  Amaco lead-free velvet under glazes, Duncan French Dimensions and then I apply a clear food safe glaze over it. It is fired to cone 05. 

I Thought Painting Was Supposed To Be Relaxing

So, I am still reinforcing techniques on how to complete an oil painting.  I need to pay attention to the focal point with sharp edges. Soften the edges of other objects. Check my directional brush strokes. Look at my shadows and re-check my values. Look at my relationships. Ask myself does it make sense? Keep the painting looking fresh.
Hey - this sounds like work.

Don't Brush Off Brushwork

I am constantly learning brushwork. This weekend I attended a 2 day workshop at the School Of Light and Color in Fair Oaks, CA to help improve my brushwork skills. We were taught how to hold a brush, different ways to lay down paint - thick to thin, color mixing techniques and more.
These are just a few of the pieces. Yes - just a few.  The workshop was outstanding!

A small study to learn layering color without mud.

Another small study to practice brushwork.

A painting to reinforce what I learned.

I Swear I Have Been Painting

I have been painting but most are in the stinker stack. Here is better one from a class last week.

Magnolia Study With Palette Knife

Oops - What Happened To My Painting?

I painted with a group at William B. Pond yesterday where I painted a small 5x7. I was happy and packed it away in my guerilla box. When I opened the box at home, I had not packed it properly and  half the painting was wiped away. Oh well,  I still got outdoors to paint. No picture but a nice memory.

Express Yourself Again And Again

This is  my progress of learning expressionism. It it quite challenging. I also have a tendency to paint the same type of compositions.  Hmm. I guess I should be more aware of that, too.

Toss Me The Palette Knife

I truly love creating these palette knife paintings. After I took the picture, I noticed my bottle was a little wonky. Yes - wonky. So I will fix it later.
This originally had two flowers in the still life setup. I struggled for an hour trying to get that other flower painted correctly. Finally, I just scraped it off the canvas telling myself it was my painting and can do whatever I want. Wow - it is about time I figured that out.

"Pucker Up" By Eva Marie Tanner-Klaas- 8"x10" Oil on Canvas Board

This is created with pure color at the beginning. The bottle was pure ultramarine blue and then adjusted. The lemon in the shadow was cad. green light and the light side was lemon yellow. The flower started as a cobalt blue with light. The table cloth started with perm. rose with lots of white and then viridian  carefully layered on top with with lots of white.
My background was magenta and purple.  Oh and the shadows were ultramarine blue for the bottle and thalo blue for the flower and lemon. All are adjusted to the correct value before layering the color.