Showing posts with label Seattle. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Seattle. Show all posts

Wednesday, September 2, 2009

Linen

Linen
6" x 8"
oil on canvas board

I was in a bit of a hurry to get this one posted, and I am afraid the colors aren't living up to reality. As it turns out, I really like this one, so I am putting it aside as another possibility for the Whistle Pik show in December.

I got my website set up and thanks to Fine Art Studios Online, it is beautiful!
Years ago I made the mistake of building my own website. It was a nightmare. I love the set-up on this one, and it is so easy to update!

Check out my fabulous new website: sarawintersart.com

Monday, August 31, 2009

Tourmaline

Tourmaline
9" x 12"
oil on canvas board

My goal is to finish three paintings by Wednesday. This one took me a little longer than I thought it would.
I think my next two are going to have to be smaller to meet my deadline.

I picked the title because tourmaline is a semiprecious bluish green stone. I like it. I like this boat too. Its a little jewel.

I am going to have to make some changes in the type of yellow I use though, because the one I am using has some red in it. I've been having trouble getting the clean, pure color I want.

Wednesday, August 26, 2009

Three Sisters

Three Sisters
9" x 12"
oil on linen canvas board
Click here to purchase.

I took the reference photo for this painting last spring at Fisherman's Wharf in Seattle.


Thursday, June 4, 2009

Ahhhhhh.....

Seattle Boats
6" x 9"
oil on canvas board
Sold

Small paintings move wonderfully fast. I can see why people become daily painters. Instant gratification- ahhhhh!

Wednesday, April 15, 2009

Aha! Not quite as finished as I thought!!!

Fisherman's Wharf
16" x 20"
Oil on Canvas
Click here to purchase.

Now
its finished. I will not be making any more changes to this painting.

I was trying to leave the lettering off the Karsten because I didn't want it to draw attention away from the Phalarope behind it. But lo and behold! leaving off the lettering did the opposite of what I intended. That great white mass was just too much. I like this painting too much to have left it to sink into that crevasse of unwanted paintings.

(The purchase link on the post below will go the same place as the purchase link in this post... to the updated painting in my Etsy shop.)

Monday, April 13, 2009

Fisherman's Wharf

Fisherman's Wharf
16" x 20"
Oil on Stretched Canvas
Click here to purchase.

Finished! This painting was a challenge. Mostly because I took so long to finish it. Have had to make some changes to my studio space

Moving on. I have about 16+ canvases to paint red now.

I have been trying to get my hands on Edgar Payne's Composition of Outdoor Painting for a while now, and could not find a copy for less than $125. Insane. Finally found one though- for less than $30 and still in the printer's shrink wrap!

It came in today. I thumbed through it and can hardly wait to immerse myself in its glorious tutelage! (oooooo! I get shivers just thinking about it.)

Sunday, April 12, 2009

WIP - getting closer!

A few little changes and a bit more paint. Any minute now a whirlwind of paint is going to hit this painting and it will be finished. I pretty much just have some whites and an orange-ish spot and a blue-ish spot.

Oh... And a bit more lettering on the boat in the foreground.

Almost finished!

Thursday, April 9, 2009

WIP - a bit more

Coming along... I just saw something I need to change. Man! Blogging is helpful! This is the first painting that I have pretty substantial reflections from the water appearing on the boats. This is a new challenge. I like it so far.

Lettering is hard. It has to be just right otherwise it looks sloppy and awkward. Talk about awkward- awkward is one of the most awkward words I have ever seen. Good fit.

My lettering on the Phalarope needs a bit more work... the beginning of the word hangs down further than the rest. .... hmmm...

Tuesday, April 7, 2009

WIP - bit by bit

Woohoo! I got a little bit done today. Feels good.

I really had to fight the impulse to make all those grays in the upper left hand corner the same. But things like that make a difference. There are bluish grays, reddish grays, yellowish grays... It would be a shame to ignore all those wonderful little differences.

Its funny, but the more things get filled around the boats, the more excited I get about painting them. Icing.

Sunday, March 22, 2009

WIP - More Port Townsend Boats, and a bit of a ramble

I took this tonight because I didn't want to wait until morning when I have the proper lighting... The colors are a little off.

We went to Seattle this weekend and loaded me up with SOOOOOOOO many wonderful boat pictures! Oh! I am so excited! Wait until you see some of the beauties I got! Saturday evening we ran over to Fisherman's Terminal. Brad got himself a fish taco to go from Chinooks- which he said was awesome. I don't care for the taste of fish. I took his word for it. The day had been overcast, but seconds after Brad got back in the car with his dinner the sun broke through the clouds. I booked it for the boat docks. There were so many wonderful things to see. I took around 200 pictures there. Then we went down the road to a Marina just below the Fremont Troll and got a few golden hour pictures. I am so excited! I can hardly wait!

We had an interesting stay at the Mediterranean Inn. Someone pulled the fire alarm around 3 am. It was chilly, but a nice night. I think there was a dominant feeling of goodwill coming from the relief of knowing that we were all out and safe. The hotel was pretty small, so it didn't take long to clear the building. No fire. The suspect was a lonely drunk guy in a beret, apparently looking for some company in the wee hours of the morning. There was only one person there who seemed angry about the whole deal, but he seemed like a nice fellow. He was running about taking pictures of everyone standing around outside in their pajamas with their bed hair sticking out in all directions. I spent the rest of the night going over in my head how I could get out of a building faster if we were ever in another fire alarm situation.

I love Seattle. The city itself has so much personality. I remember someone telling me they hated the place because all the buildings were a dirty gray... I saw so much color there. Even with the overcast and rainy skies. The buildings are tastefully colored, muted, not obscene. Not the glaringly hideous colors you see on the houses in mountain towns.

There is art everywhere in Seattle. And artists too. On our way into town yesterday we saw a man riding a bicycle with a french easel strapped to his back. It was a very pretty easel too. Looked a warm red, like cherry wood. I wonder where he found such a pretty thing. Maybe he stained it himself.

I remember seeing an artist painting at a busy intersection a couple of years ago. His subject was a cute little bar/cafe, and he was painting on a rather large canvas, in my opinion, for painting outside. It was definitely larger than a 16x20. I was impressed. And then there was little ol' me running around like a maniac trying to get as many boat pictures as I could before the light vanished. But as far as anyone else knew, I was just an enormous dork caught up in a shutter frenzy.

I had so much fun running up and down the docks.

Seattle = Good Food.
Woah! let me tell you. We have never eaten at a bad restaurant in Seattle. This morning I was dying for a hometown-hangin'-with-the-cronies kind of breakfast. I was looking doubtfully at a Greek breakfast menu when Brad opened the door of the next cafe, took one look inside and said "We need to eat here." I was skeptical at first because it was called Mecca Cafe. I was thinking "middle eastern food for breakfast... not today." The place was a tiny bar/cafe done down in red, black, and silver. It was like Mephistopheles bought himself a little 50s diner. The waitresses had pasty skin and black hair and fingernails and dark dark lipstick- not quite Goth though. They took the look and gave it a real down home feel- if you can imagine that. It was all very well done! And the food was wonderful. I had a massive plate of scrambled eggs, rye toast with strawberry jam and the biggest pile of hash browns I have ever seen in a cafe- all for a whopping $4.99.

I was musing over the fact that we have yet to eat crummy food in Seattle, and Brad said it is because they have loads of competition and access to all kinds of fresh ingredients. A mediocre eating establishment can't survive in that kind of an atmosphere.

I love Seattle.