Last Painting for 2013

"Rain In The City", 8x10 oil on panel

      It is New Years Eve and I have just completed this little 8x10 inch painting for the "Black and White" exhibit at the Salmagundi Club in NYC.  I had to take a break from painting in preparation for Christmas but I am not complaining because we had a wonderful time with family and truly enjoyed the holiday! We are now on the Outer Banks of North Carolina to ring in the New Year and I am catching up on painting and look forward to getting out for a little plein air work. First, however, I wanted to paint this scene I had sketched before leaving home. It will accompany the painting from
my last post. When I get home I will upload an image of that one so I can share the completed piece.

     I have commented in the past about how much I enjoy working in black and white. For those of you just starting out I highly recommend this as an excellent exercise in seeing relative values and concentrating on composition. It is easier to do so when you are not making color decisions and mixing paint.
      The painting above is painted on a Panelli Telati panel covered with very fine canvas. Although already gessoed I like to add a thick layer of my own. I let the brush marks show. When dry I toned the entire canvas with a medium gray, about # 5 or 6 on the gray scale. If you don't have one of those you can easily find one at an art supply store or use an app such as "The Artist's Eye".  Sometimes when I tone a canvas I like the color to be even. Other times, as with this painting I like to get a painterly, uneven effect with the under painting and let those brush marks come through as well. I do this when I know I want parts of the under painting to come through. You can see this around the legs of the main figure. This is a particularly useful technique when painting rain and reflections. The
painting was completed in one session yesterday and I did some minor tweaking this morning. I left
my signing brush at home and the paint had set up too rapidly for me to scratch in a signature.  It will have to wait.

     I hope I will have some work worth sharing over the next couple of days. Until then I wish you a very Happy New Year!

ON EXHIBIT:  "The Thumb Box Exhibit" at the Salmagundi Club, 47 5th Ave., NYC www.salmagundi.org
                           "Small Treasures" at American Painting Gallery, MacArthur Blvd., Washington DC
www.classicamericanpainting.com

Getting Ready for the Black and White Show

"24 Hour Cafe", 11x14 oil on panel

       I just finished this small cityscape as a possible entry for the annual, Black and White exhibit at the Salmagundi Club in NYC. This is the most historic show at SCNY and I believe this January will be the 136th. I would like to have two entries ready to submit on January 3rd. Christmas and a trip to the Outer Banks afterward will make that a challenge. This year the Black and White show will be held at the same time as the Annual Members Exhibit which will celebrate the grand opening of the newly renovated Main Gallery. I really want to be a part of that!  This past year we have had to hold exhibits online and some of the smaller shows in the Lower Gallery next door to the restaurant. It will be great to be back upstairs in that wonderful large space. www.salmagundi.org
     This painting which I have titled "24 Hour Cafe" was inspired by buildings here in DC along H Street. I used a lot of artist's license to create a scene that could be in Greenwich Village as easily as in DC. I am heeding the saying " know your audience". Since we have been enjoying our first couple of snows I decided to add that to the scene.

     I have been using my small tabletop easel a lot lately instead of my large one with the work station.  I stand when I use that one working on larger paintings. I am finding that uncomfortable because I tore two muscles in my left thigh and I need to rest my leg a lot. This is a good time to be doing small works! Speaking of which ......The Small Treasures exhibit at American Paintings Gallery is still up and will be until January 26th. The reception on December 7th was very well attended and I am happy to say I sold two paintings that evening. www.classicamericanpaintings.org
Also still on exhibit is The Thumb Box Exhibit at the Salmagundi Club. That too will be up until January. You can catch that one online if you go to the Salmagundi link I gave you above.  The photo
Below was taken at the American Paintings reception for Small Treasures.

When In Doubt......

"15th St." Still a long way from finished

          Those of you who read my last post will remember my sense of optimism about this painting. 

Uh huh. Well this blog is about the ups and downs of being an artist and today I feel this painting has the makings of a real stinker.  When I am on a roll I need to keep going and letting a painting sit for days often causes me problems. This one has plenty of problems! On top of everything I uploaded a ghastly photo in that last post because it was more expedient to use my iPhone than go get my camera. The above image is closer to the truth. I am hating the buildings on the left. The brushwork is boring and I need to find a way to address that or this is going to get a sanding and a couple of coats of gesso!  I will no doubt stick it in the closet for a while before the final verdict. I would like to think there is still a painting in there.

          To make myself feel better I returned to The Farmhouse. It is great at times like this to turn to something that makes me feel confident and able to then return to the tough ones.

"Last leaves" 6x8 oil on panel

More Progress on 15th Street

Third Session on "15th Street"

     I am at that pleasant stage of a painting when I know where I am going with it.  I really look forward to getting to work when this happens.  I just wish the days were a little longer. I took this photo in the afternoon while the natural light was still good and then I continued to work on the painting into the evening. I have to be careful not to fade out the color when working after the sun goes down.  The studio lights make the warm tones seem warmer than they actually are and if I adjust them accordingly I will be disappointed in the morning. I have been adding more vehicles and people and I want to make some adjustments to the sky. I will post an update tomorrow.

     This Friday, December 7th the artist's reception for "Small Treasures", a Washington Society of Landscape Painters exhibit, will be held at American Paintings Gallery. The reception will be from 5:00 to 7:00 PM and the gallery is located at 5118 MacArthur Blvd., Washington DC. Please join us if you can. www.classicamericanpainting.com

Small Wonders

"South Capitol Street", 9x12 oil on panel

"August Afternoon, Pennsylvania Avenue", 6x12 oil on linen panel

     The Small Wonders Exhibit opened last Friday at American Paintings Gallery on MacArthur Boulevard,Washington DC. www.classicamericanpainting.com This is an annual holiday show by The Washington Society of Landscape Painters featuring paintings and drawings no larger than 9x12 inches. The opening reception will be on Saturday, December 7th from 5:00 to 7:00 PM. I hope I will see some of you there!

      This is my first post from my new iPad and I am happy that I can easily upload images. I talked about issues I was having with the Blogger site when working on my computer. I think part of the problem is my computer but there are still problems with my account because I am having some text issues even here. Still this is much easier so I will start adding images to Picasa to upload when blogging and use my iPad for my blog.I forgot to upload to Picasa the fourth painting I have in this show so I will save it for my next post. 

     The reason I purchased the iPad is so that I can take a seminar being offered by my friend Bobbi Pratte to teach us how to draw and paint on the iPad. I think it will be a great tool particularly outdoors during the winter months. I got a chuckle out of the materials list for the course. It was all apps to download :-) It is a new world. Happy Thanksgiving to all my friends here in the U.S.!

"Pennsylvania Avenue Sunset", 6x12 oil on linen panel

Obsessed with the Farmhouse

"Cold and Windy", 6x8 oil on panel

     How strange. I have been unable to upload images to my blog and thought I would just take a moment to see if that situation had changed and obviously it has.  The only reason I have been taking so many pauses between posts is the trouble I have been having with this site.  I probably should not complain because, after all, it is free.  However, this is my journal.  I actually refer to it, particularly the posts where I show the progress on particular paintings.  I don't always remember how I painted certain paintings and am glad to have a record of them here. I appreciate having so many readers and I regret losing some of you due to the lack of activity here.
     My Farmhouse series continues to interest me and frankly, right now I would rather paint these little paintings than anything else.  This one is from today and I painted it when I got home from the barn using a photo on my iPhone as a reference for the sky.  The day was bitter cold and the winds were in excess of 25mph.  Still, it was a very beautiful day with a spectacular, rapidly changing sky.  I have now painted over 20 of these little pieces and I am beginning to assess them as a whole.  I realize that the farmhouse just happens to be the object in a painting that is really about the sky and atmosphere surrounding the house and storage shed. I have been laying them all out together so I can see what is needed when considering them as one work.  You can see 16 of them on my website and I will be adding more soon. www.jeanschwartzpaingings.com 
ON EXHIBIT:  The Thumb Box Exhibit, Salmagundi Club, NYC www.salmagundi.org
                         Small Wonders Exhbit, American Painting Gallery, www.classicamericanpainting.com
      Here's hoping I will be able to upload work in the next day or two!

First Session Painting "15th Street"

"15th Street", 20x16 oil on panel

      This photo was taken after my first day of work on my latest cityscape, "15th Street". I put a couple of hours in on it again today but will have to wait until morning to photograph it.  It is at an awkward stage and it feels like a struggle at this point but I have learned from experience that some of my best paintings have forced me out of my comfort zone.  I will keep you posted on my progress. 

      Today the annual Thumb Box Exhibit opened at the Salmagundi Club in NYC.  The show is in the Lower Gallery this year due to the continued renovation of the Main Gallery and it will be on exhibit until January 3rd.  I have three paintings in this show and I hope all will be uploaded to the Salmagundi website soon. www.salmagundi.org
     Last Friday I dropped off four paintings for the Small Wonders Exhibit that will open at the American Painting Gallery on Saturday, November 23rd and will run until January 26th. I will upload some of those images over my next few posts. www.classicamericanpainting.com  If you are in either NYC or DC I hope you will be able to catch one of the shows.  The works are priced to sell for the holiday season!

     What a surprise!  Another Farmhouse painting :-)  This is the latest

I Love Fall Color!

      I have been busy painting the spectacular fall color we have experienced this year. Sadly, I think this week will be the end of it as the strong winds are blowing the leaves to the ground.  I painted this little 6x8 addition to the Farmhouse series on Friday and I did another one today that I completed after dark.  I will photograph it in the morning.  I continue to enjoy this series and will have more autumn paintings than I will be including in the initial grouping as they will outweigh the other seasons.
     There are so many benefits from doing these little paintings.  I will have to choose another subject for a 2014 series.  As I view the works together I see the paintings becoming looser and looser.  I like that! It does good things for me.  Not only is the experience a real pleasure but the repetition and familiarity with the subject has allowed me to develop a sort of handwriting. I want to approach my larger works the same way.
     
      I mentioned in a recent post my surprise at the change in color with one of my image uploads.  There was quite a difference between how the photo looked in my folder and how it looked uploaded here.  The same happened with the last image I uploaded in my last post.  This happens very rarely and I have no idea why.  I am going to upload the same image again here and will be curious to see what happens with it.  I did go back and improve the cropping but otherwise it is the same.  Here goes.....

That's much better! 

I am getting ready to start a new painting and will start posting about that soon.  It is a cityscape and is will be a painting of 15th Street in DC.  Below is one of my rough preliminary sketches in my little 4x6 sketchbook.

www.jeanschwartzpaingings.com

Another Nocturne

      I mentioned in my last post that I had painted an October nocturne depicting a slightly different angle on the farmhouse.  This is that painting.  I will not be including this one in the series because of that difference but will be exhibiting it in either the Thumb Box show at the Salmagundi Club or the Small Wonders show at American Painting Gallery. 
      I have begun to focus on the Farmhouse Series as it will be drawing to a close in January.  I have decided that I would like to exhibit 20 of them together and will choose my favorite 20 for that grouping. I have been playing with different layouts and I think they look best arranged in 4 rows of 5 with just an inch or two inches between them.  I have selected a frame to be used on all of them and it is black with an antique gold lip and just two inches wide.  Now all I have to do is convince the gallery owner that this is a good idea :)  I also need to get busy framing as I would hate to have an opportunity arise and have all of them to frame at once!  I do want to show them together before starting to sell them off.  What is interesting is how many different ways they can be grouped.  It would be fabulous if the whole group were to be sold to one buyer as they have quite an impact together.  I could see them in a contemporary space and could be arranged any way the purchaser desires.  What is far more likely is that they will sell individually or in small groups.  I plan to have replacement pieces to fill in with should that be the case as I hope the series will be displayed for a few weeks.  I shall keep you posted!
      I will leave you tonight with two more from the series, a September and an October painting.
www.jeanschwartzpaintings.com

Back to the Farmhouse

      I haven't mentioned the farmhouse series in awhile.  Actually, I haven't mentioned anything in awhile.  Sorry about that.  Now that the days are shorter and I am being driven indoors earlier I suspect I will pick up the pace a bit with my blogging.  But, back to the farmhouse.....I have been continuing this mini series, fitting them in when time is short or when there has been a particularly lovely day to record.  The painting above was an August painting and was a morning rather than afternoon painting which is what most of the series depicts.  I decided in the beginning that the only common denominator was to be the view and the size.  I didn't commit to a specific time of day.  The reason most of them are afternoon paintings is that I found the skies more interesting during that time of day.  This summer enormous clouds would come rolling in around 11:00 AM and the show would continue throughout the day.  Towards the end of August we had some beautiful soft mornings and although the clouds were missing I wanted to record the colors in the sky.
    

      The painting below was painted in September and just as I wanted to have at least one morning painting I wanted to have a nocturne.  What could be better than a full moon in September.  Well, maybe a full moon in October.  I did do another one that I will phtograph tomorrow (thought I had already done so) and it shows the farmhouse from a different angle. I did it for one of the small works shows I will be participating in and will not include it in the mini series.  I would like to explore the nocturne further and attempt some larger paintings. I have always loved them and the mystery they suggest.
      I am being lax about updating my website so you might want to check that in a week or so as I upload more new work.  I am getting back to my cityscapes and would like to do some more "in progress" posts as I get back to larger work in the studio.
      THANK YOU to my regular readers who have hung in there through my silence! You know who you are:-)

More Small Works

    
       I am getting addicted.  Small works are instant gratification.  They are fun!  Today I painted two (not shown here) and I am looking forward to doing more.  I am wondering if I should be concerned that I am not interested in working larger at the moment.  Perhaps it is because I feel the season slipping by and the leaves will soon be off the trees and I am not quite ready for that.  The silver lining here is tht I will have plenty to choose from for the November small works shows I am participating in.  The painting above is a little different for me which is part of the fun.  It is titled "The Road Home" and is 8x10 inches as are the other works I am uploading here tonight.  As I see this image here the colors look a little different how they appeared to me earlier but then my eyes are a little strained right now.  I didn't think I needed to adjust this one on Photo Shop but I may be wrong.
     

     Huh! The colors in this one look different too.  Maybe I'm losing my eyesight.  I guess I am just more tired than I thought.  In any case...this one is titled "Evening on the West River" and is from an evening spent in Galesville MD at the end of August.  What a soft, beautiful evening that was! 
      I am thinking of sending these two to the Salmagundi in November but I haven't yet decided on the third.  Perhaps the sailboat painting off Daingerfield Island that I showed you in my last post.  I am uploading a better photo of that painting here.  I didn't take the time to remove the pinkish color cast in the last photo. 

      I am going to sign off for the night here.  There is more going on that I will talk about in my next post but for now I will leave you with a link to my website and wish you a good night! www.jeanschwartzpaintings.com
                   

AAPL 85th Grand National Exhibit

"Daybreak on the Inlet" 20x16 oil on panel

       I am happy to say that for the third year in a row I have had a painting included in this annual exhibit, the American Artist Professional League's Grand National.  This year marks the 85th year of this show.  You can view the show online from Saturday, October 5th through Monday, October 30th  just go to the following linkwww.americanartistsprofessionalleague.org. If it doesn't work then leave the s off artists but I am pretty sure I have it right.  Use the menu bar at the top of the opening page to view the award winners and all the accepted work which is listed alphabetically.  I think this year's show is a strong one, the figurative work in particular.  Some of the images are not easy ones to view but they are powerful!  I think it is time I join this organization as I appreciate the range of work they select.

       My painting was inspired by a predawn excursion on the coaches launch for the annual fall crew regatta at Cornell University.  The light was really striking and that day yielded three paintings when I returned home.  We were just there for the same regatta last weekend and once again we were on the inlet to Lake Cayuga before dawn.  However, this year we had unseasonably warm weather and were socked in by dense fog.  The fall colors were near peak but on this morning they were glazed with the gray of the low hanging clouds.  Mysterious and beautiful as well.
        What I am currently working on are lots of small 6x8 and 8x10 inch paintings for the upcoming small works shows I will be participating in next month.  I love doing these!  One of the reasons is I find I loosen up and experiment more.  I should take a lesson from this and do the same with my larger works as I can always gesso over the failures.  I am not going to use my farmhouse series paintings for these shows as I want to exhibit the group as a whole before I start selling them off.  I haven't made a final decision as to which paintings are going to which show but I think the one below will be one of my submissions to the Salmagundi Thumb Box Show.
         The painting is 8x10 inches and is of a sailing class taking place off Daingerfield Island where the Washington Sailing Marina is located.  The boats are called Solings.  As you can see the sky was amazing that afternoon.  I had painted another painting earlier that morning before the sky put on this show and since nothing much was happening off the point I painted the boats moored at the marina.  I didn't have time to stay and paint this one on site but I created it as soon as I could after returning home and used my photos as reference.
       

"Upriver From Chain Bridge"



                                            "Upriver From Chain Bridge" 40x30 oil on linen

      The painting shown here is currently on exhibit in the front window of the American Painting Gallery at 5118 MacArthur Blvd., NW Washington DC.  This is in a lovely part of DC known as the Palisades which overlook the Potomac.  I live on the other side of the river in McLean and the Chain Bridge is the bridge I cross when on my way to the gallery or to Georgetown.  I have always loved the bridge and the view from it.  It is hard to believe that this view is just minutes from such a major city as Washington DC.  It has not changed in all the years I have lived here nor will it change in the future.  Thank God for parkland! If you visit my website www.jeanschwartzpaintings.com and go to the landscape page you can see versions of this view and a painting of the bridge from down along the river.
        

          Here is a view of the painting in the window which I think is a terrific window in which to showcase a painting!  I am delighted to be represented by this gallery and look forward to seeing more of my work on the walls here.  The next show I will participate in will be the "Small Wonders" exhibit which will feature the work of the Washington Society of Landscape Painters.  That will be opening on November 23rd and I will post more information about it as the time grows closer.





      I thought fellow history buffs might enjoy seeing what the Chain Bridge looked like during the Civil War.  Today it is much more graceful in appearance and all that overhead wooden structure disappeared long ago. For those of you not familiar with this area the Chain Bridge is located just below Fort Marcy which was constructed during that war for the protection of Washington DC.  As you can see it was heavily guarded by Union troops.  Fort Marcy was ringed by a series of deep ridge works which added to the security of the fort and all the trees were cut down and lookout towers were erected. My house is built at the top of one of those ridges.  Today the fort is heavily wooded but the old cannon are still there as a reminder.

A Well Traveled Path

"A Well Traveled Path" 11x14 oil on panel

     I guess you can tell by now that I don't seem to tire of painting this beautiful property.  I love the barn, I love the farmhouse and I really love the view high over the Potomac.  Another plus is that painting here lets me maximize the time spent enjoying this very pleasant weather.  I can ride my mare Gypsy and then head off to the spot of my choice and paint.  This is the third barn painting I have uploaded here in recent weeks.  I don't know how many times I have ridden that path home to the barn in the last 30 plus years.  I enjoy painting what I know and what I love. 
      When you see the image of the painting on the easel in the photo below you will realize that I have curved the path that in reality is straight.  I painted it straight but when I got home I felt that a curve would be much more fitting in the painting.  The only other adjustment I would like to make is a refinement of the foreground shadow.  It is okay as it crosses the path but it is too heavy as it crosses the lawn.  I think the shadow to the right of the tree is much more successful.  Then all I have to do is sign and frame.

     Riders were coming and going and it might have been good to include one of them but I waited too long. I find if I put figures in at the end they looked tacked on.  This is about where I stopped and then worked on the path at home as well as a little detail on the horse van and the fences.  I have also recently updated my website if you care to visit....www.jeanschwartzpaintings.com

South Capitol Street

                                                   "South Capitol Street", 9x12 oil on panel

         Today I completed this small painting that I had started earlier this week.  It is on of my "from the road" paintings which is what I call those paintings that are inspired by what I see while being a passenger in the car.  I took a quick photo with my i phone and did a rapid fire scribble in my 4x6 sketchbook before the light turned red.  I find it is great fun.  There is no other way I could create this image.  The sky was so wonderful that late afternoon and I loved the fact that the Capitol building was not center stage but rather part of the backdrop.  Road work was being done on the crosstreet and I was tempted to do this in a wider format to include some of that on the right.  Instead I opted to just include one of the workers in his safety vest.  I think his job was to make sure drivers took care when making a right turn.  The red on the commercial building was another asset helping to make this a colorful scene. 

        Here is my quick sketch.  You can see from my notes that I had planned on doing this as a 16x20 but with the upcoming small works shows in mind I decided on 9x12 instead.  This one will be heading to American Painting Gallery on MacArthur Boulevard in November.
        I know there are typos here but I continue to be unable to backtrack and make corrections so you will have to read this in the raw:)  I have found a way to work around the problems with the site so I can continue posting but it is not the way I would like it to be!

Afternoons at the Barn

"From the Barn" 8x10 oil on panel

      The summer is rolling by and there is so much I had planned on painting that I fear I will run out of time.  Time management is always a challenge for me.  There never seem to be enough hours in the day to do all I need to do.  Most mornings are spent with my horse on the beautiful property you see painted here.  You may recognize the scene in the background from my "Farmhouse" series.  I have learned to keep my painting gear packed so that when the occasion arises I am ready.  This week the weather and skies were wonderful so after my time with Gypsy I set to work painting.

      Rather than spend valuable time traveling to different sites I have decided to focus here for awhile.  There is no lack of subject matter and I get to feel good about spending the time out painting and at the same time keep a handle on my time.  The more I paint here the more ideas for future paintings I have.  I think it has something to do with my connection to this place.  I have had horses here for over 30 years. I know and love the place well and I hope that will come across in the paintings.

     The painting below is the most recent one and was painted the day before yesterday on a fairly breezy afternoon.  I had set up my easel under a walnut tree which kept me cool and gave me shade.  It also gave me a knock in the head:) It is early for the tree to be dropping it's fruit but the breeze was strong enough to knock a couple of walnuts free.  I took one to the head and one to the shoulder.  My only concern was taking one to the palette!  That could have been a mess but happily my palette remained walnut free.

"The Barn at the Top of the Hill", 8x10 oil on panel

On Exhibit

"Different Paths", 18x24 oil on panel

         Here we are at the end of August and I realized I never mentioned that the painting above was juried into the annual "Scapes" (International Landscape Show) at the Art League Gallery. The show continues until September 2nd and has been on exhibit since August 6th.  I am always very happy to be juried into this show so please don't read my failure to mention it as being nonchalance.  There are a lot of entries for this very popular show so being included is always a very good thing,
        Also still on exhibit is the Summer Potpourri Show online at the Salmagundi Show. I will give links at the end of this blog entry and if you should visit this exhibit online I am on page 17 (I think, anyway it is alphabetical). I have one of my "Farmhouse" minis on exhibit as well as "Storm Clouds Over Morven Park".  The Salmagundi Club is undergoing a massive renovation so in house exhibits are temporarily on hold.  You might enjoy seeing the photos that have been posted of the work in progress on this wonderful, historic mansion.
       Another show that continues into September is the "Art of DC" at American Paintings Gallery on MacArthur Boulevard in DC.  I still have four paintings left in that show which is a Washington Society of Landscape Painters exhibit.
        Lastly there is River District Arts in Sperryville Virginia where "Blue Ridge" is on exhibit until September 29th.  If you want to take a Sunday drive into some gorgeous country this is only about an hour outside of DC.  This show is also a Washington Society of Landscape Painters exhibit and it is a beauty! 
       I should also mention that the Oil Painters of America Summer Salon Show continues until August 31st but I don't think you can view it on the OPA site any longer.  My painting from that show did sell and I look forward to hearing where it is off to.
      
       I have had to take a brief hiatis from work to take care of some medical issues but I plan to be back to the studio tomorrow.  I have so much that just has to get on paper or canvas.  I have no lack of inspiration at the moment and I love that feeling!  So, here are the promised links.  Happy surfing:)

www.theartleague.org    www.salmagundi.org   www.classicamericanpainting.com (that's the American Painting Gallery)  http://wslp.org (Washington Society of Landscape Painters where you can see all the centennial exhibits including the one at River District mentioned above)  www.jeanschwartzpaintings.com

Ditto on the Title of My Last Post:)

"August on Pennsylvania Avenue", 6x12 oil on line panel

     We have been having one of the best summers on record here in the Metropolitan DC area.  In any case that is my opinion.  I spend as much time as possible outdoors which means I am getting behind in paperwork and things such as this blog.  I am painting and drawing, usually well into the evening.  Good thing too because there are a lot of shows this fall and I need to be ready.  There are three "small works" shows that I am creating paintings for.  The little one above is a companion to the "Pennsylvania Avenue" painting I showed you a couple of posts back.  In this one I am facing the opposite direction.  This came out of a day long sketching excursion to Pennsylvania Avenue last Monday.  It was cool and breezy and a wonderful place to be.  Washington DC empties out in the summer, big time!  It took me 10 minutes to drive from my house and park immediately.  In a couple of weeks that won't happen. 

     My friend Susan and I started at 13th Street near the Old Post Office Pavilion and worked our way down to 7th.  That is the cross street you see in this painting.  On the left the old 19th century building is where the photographer Matthew Brady had his studio. I am sure you are familiar with his photos from the Civil War.  I had three sketch books with me of different sizes and weights of paper.  I worked in pencil, Prismacolor markers and ball point pen.  This painting came from a quickie pencil sketch in my 4x6 inch sketchbook.  Traffic was so light that you could stand in the crossing for awhile.  Actually, at 13th there was construction in the middle of the road and traffic was diverted around it.  Had I known, and if the construction company agreed, I could have set my easel up right in the middle of the avenue!
       Whoops! Text froze and I almost got bounced off.  Better hurry.  I will try to post the latest in the "Farmhouse" mini series.  It was painted just before one of the many summer rains we have been having.  I'll be back with more .......

"Going to Rain", 6x8 oil on panel

Busy Artist = Bad Blogger

     Since I follow several blogs I confess I am disappointed when I visit and there aren't any current entries. For that reason I feel I need to apologize to my regular readers for not posting since July 25th. The reason for this is that I have been overextended lately and by the time evening rolls around I just want to crash!  Add to that the fact that technical problems continue with Blogger.  For instance, you will have to read this typos and all because I cannot back up and make corrections, nor can I add a caption to my photo and then add text.  So... the above painting is a plein air piece I did yesterday above the Potomac River in McLean, VA where I live.  It is a 16x20 oil on linen panel which I have titled "Mather Gorge".  Let's see if I can add more before I get shot off the site:)

Ha! I won't even try to delete the little x in the box above as that was my first attempt to upload this photo.  If I go back I wil be gone. What a pain in the arse!  Anyway, this is my vantage point from yesterday and it was a spectacular day!  The most ideal summer weather!  I was able to finish the painting in one session and I am always happier with the paintings that I can do in one gulp.  They are fresher that way.

I dont' think I will push my luck and upload the painting I did of the Great Falls last week.  I do have to finish a small part of that one as it started to rain after two hours of work. I am finishing it outdoors on my deck working from reference photos and I will show you that progress tomorrow. I will stop while I am ahead:)

From the Road



"Pennsylvania Avenue" 6x12 oil on linen panel

     Here is a better photo of the painting I posted yesterday.  I made some tiny adjustments to the painting and I am quite pleased with it.  I will save this for one of the small works shows I plan to enter in the fall.  This is an example of one of my "from the road " paintings.  I posted about that at the end of my July 15th entry.  What it means is a painting from a vantage point that does not allow me to set up my easel or even have time for a small study in a sketchbook.  In this case I was in the middle of Pennsylvania Avenue clicking off a quick photo before the lights changed and the traffic came bearing down on me. So, a photo and then pencil or water color studies to help me decide on whether or not to do a studio painting.  I liked this one and decided to do an oil study rather than watercolor.  My intention was to use this for a larger painting but I am not sure that is wise.  Sometimes I know I can improve on the study other times I am not sure.  This one hits the mark for me and I hope it does for the viewer.  I might be better served to use what I have learned from this one and do a different view if I go larger.
    

"South Capitol Street" watercolor in my Moleskine sketchbook

      Here is a photo of a watercolor sketch created from the ball point pen drawing I showed you on July 15th.  My husband was driving and we were stopped at a traffic light on S. Capitol.  I loved the red, white and blue of the scene, the huge clouds and the Capitol building in the background.  I liked the idea of the mundane scene with one of the great symbols of Washington in the background but as the focal point.  Next I will do this on a gessoboard panel.  I am tempted to do one for as a small work (no larger than 8x10) but I am afraid I will feel as I do about Pennsylvania Ave. and leave well enough alone.  We'll see....
      www.jeanschwartzpaintings.com

Enjoying the City!

     The painting above is  "Rosslyn at Dusk", 12x24 oil on panel.  I am happy to say it sold last week at American Painting Gallery in DC and it will be residing at a law firm downtown.  It was one of my first attempts at a cityscape and the fact that I included the Potomac was my way of getting my feet wet (bad pun) with depicting an urban subject.  My other two cityscapes done around the same time are those which my recent posts showed you.  Those were NYC paintings. 
  
      I have become more and more interested in painting city and town paintings.  I have joined a Facebook group "Cityscape Paintings" started by a fellow Salmagundian and have been drawing inspiration from it. I have posted this painting as well as "Morning, Washington Square Park" and "5th and Waverly". It  is good to have feedback from fellow artists.  It is also good to study the very high quality paintings by other members of the group as well as the more famous paintings from the last century that are often posted.  This  is an example of how great a tool the interntet can be for the artist.

"Pennsylvania Avenue" 6x12 oil on linen panel

      This afternoon I painted this little study for a larger painting.  It needs some tweaking and an improved photo but you can get the gist. On the left of the painting is the Old Post Office building which now houses restaurants and shops.  I want to paint the Washington I know as more than just monuments.  My enthusiasm for the subject is growing!

CLOSING THIS WEEK: "Celebrating 100 Years", The Washington Society of Landscape Painters at the McBride Gallery in Annapolis MD.  www.mcbridegallery.com  http://wslp.org  You can see all the paintings in the show on either of these sites.  Also check the WSLP site for information on our upcoming show opening on August 3rd at River District Arts in Sperryville, VA.

"Between Storms" Finished!



"Between Storms" 18x24 oil on panel

      Finished, except for one little thing.  The figures on the path did, indeed, drive me nuts.  I don't want them to look too finished but I also didn't mean to eliminate the horse's right hind leg:(  You can see the suggestion of his right fore but when I was making adjustments I forgot to put back a tiny stroke for that hind leg.  So now I am happy except for the three legged horse.  I guess I will do that tomorrow.  Oh good, yet another opportunity to mess it up.
    
     Issues with Blogger continue so I will be brief.  What I intend to work on next is another "from the road" painting.  I call them that because there are times when I am driving and I see something I want to paint but even if I could return to the scene there is no way I can stand in the middle of the road and paint it.  Returning from the opening in Annapolis I was fortunate to have my husband driving so I could whip out my i phone and take photos when a subject appealed to me.  We stopped at a light on South Capitol Street and there was a wonderful view of the Capitol Building in the distance with the huge white clouds and blue sky like you see above.  The foreground was a colorful but mundane city street view.  I liked the contrast, patterns, colors.  There is no way on earth I am painting from the median on South Capitol so I will rely on my photo and quick sketch in my purse size sketch book which I show below.  I'll keep you posted.  Please check the previous post for exhibition information.

Ball point pen sketch in my mini sketchbook on the ride home

More on "Between Storms" and a Favorite Sells

"Between Storms" 18x24 oil on panel (second session)

      I haven't blogged in a couple of days because I am once again encountering technical problems with Blogger.  Attempts seem to be hit or miss but I just got lucky so here I am.  I wonder if I dare upload a second image as that might be my undoing.
      
       The image to the left is "Between Storms" after my second day of working on it.  I painted on it again today and it is almost finished.  I didn't take any photos so the next time you see this it will be a finished painting.  Today I painted out the figure of the girl walking the horse as it looked cartoony (is that a word?) to me.  It will now probably drive me nuts putting it back in.  The horse looked pretty good so I decided to leave it alone.  I have made some value adjustments and worked on the trees on the left side of the painting as well as adding details such as the fencing around the paddock and improving the two structures shown.  I haven't touched the sky.  My only concern right now is whether to leave the two figures in or not.  Somehow I feel they should be there and perhaps I will feel better about them after I repaint the girl.

         In my last post I mentioned that I had sold "5th and Waverly" and it is now residing in LA.  The day after that post I received a check in the mail for my painting "Morning, Washington Square Park", which sold at the Oil Painters of America Summer Salon Show in Petoskey Michigan.  I do not yet know where it is off to and hope to hear about that soon.  That was the companion piece to "5th and Waverly".  Both were inspired by the same summer morning in Washington Square Park.  I will miss those two as they were both favorites and I liked to refer to them from time to time when I got stuck on other paintings.  I think they were two of my best! 
        ON EXHIBIT:  "The Art of DC" at American Painting Gallery on MacArthur Boulevard in DC continues until September.  I have six painting on exhibit there.
                                 "Celebrating 100 Years" The Washington Society of Landscape Painters exhibit at the McBride Gallery in Annapolis, MD is on until July 28th.  I have two paintings in that show. 
                                  "Summer Potpouri" The Salmagundi Club online exhibit.www.salmagundi.org
I forgot to add the gallery links with the other two listings and will add them there because I am unable to move the curser back.  American Painting Gallery is www.classicamericanpaintings.com
                                   The McBride Galelry is www.mcbridegallery.com


"Morning Washington Square Park", 20x16 oil on panel SOLD!



The Business of Art

"5th and Waverly" 20x16 oil on panel SOLD

     I did a number of posts about the progress of this painting, "5th and Waverly", back in September 2011.  Since then it has been one of my favorites.  I am pleased that it is moving on to a new home in Los Angeles but at the same time I am sad to see it go.  While I still have it I have taken a number of up close detail photos of it for future reference.  This is part of the business of art.  I create these images to share not to sit in a closet.  Painting and selling a painting is an achievement.

      Also part of the business of art is publicity for the work and exhibiting it.  That is what has been absorbing me the last week and I am eager to put some of that behind me and get back to the real business which is painting!  I have a lot on exhibit  and now I want to be alone with my easel.  I have so many images running around in my head that what to paint next is not a problem.  The problem is what do I want to paint most!  I have "Between Storms" to finish and I have begun sketches for future paintings, city, country, beach. 
        I am including a couple of photos from the opening of the Washington Society of Landscape Painters "Celebrating 100 Years" exhibit at the McBride Gallery in Annapolis MD.  You can see more at the following link:
www.mcbridegallery.com  You can also now view the Salmagundi Club Summer PotPourri exhibit online at www.salmagundi.org  other links: www.jeanschwartzpaintings.com and http://wslp.org

WSLP members from left, Hiu Lai Chong, Barbara Nuss(President), Lani Browning, Nancy Tankersley, Bill Schmidt, Me, Andrei Kushnir.  We are standing in front of Hiu Lai's beautiful "Autumn, Sky Meadow"

"Different Paths" and Me