"Spring in the woods"

 

Painting green is a challenge. I picked a photo that show all kinds of greens: the house with a green roof, The trees with fresh green leaves in the spring time, and the green grass in shadow and in light. I have spent two days on this small painting. It feels my handling of green colors has got more sensitive. All the efforts during the pandemic isolation have shown some effects. I am enchanted.

"Tuscany Study"

 

I painted a small study today. The purpose of this study is to investigate the chroma of the color green. Human eyes are very sensitive to green. In the real world, It is rare to have greens with high chroma. Most of the greens are rather close to gray, but our eyes often give us the fake news. We feel we see very pure green, and we tend to use high chroma green colors to paint trees, grass, and other green stuff. Now I have the "Painter's Guide App". I can measure the chroma if I paint from photos. In this painting, all the greens in light are rather dull. Actually, the chroma of the shadow colors are much higher. Is that weird? 

"Backyard Roses"

 Continuing painting plein air in my backyard. I really like this one. I did not work hard on colors this time, but I spent some time on drawing and edges. I must say I have not done enough plein air on flowers. I did most of my florals on my still life setups. I usually buy flowers from grocery stores. The leaves usually are in bad shapes. This one really gives me a good feeling. I want to paint more floral from gardens.

I am on my way to San Angelo, Texas to participate the En Plein Air Texas painting festival. This is my first in-person event since March. I am very excited. I will let you know how it goes.

"Lake Brownwood State Park 3"

I went to the same location where I did my first painting in the Lake Brownwood Park. I was not completely happy about the colors I used for my first painting. It was so dry that all the grass has turned into that yellowish dry grass color. What color I should use to paint the dry grass, and also the green bushes. It was so vibrant green. I decided to paint again. This is what I did. I think I did better this time.

"On a street in San Miguel"

Five years ago I visited San Miguel in Mexico. I took many photos and thought someday I will paint from some of them. Five years have passed. Now I got a chance. I want to do a large painting, but I did this small one to testing my colors first. I think it looks all right.

"Chinese Eyes"

The Novel Coronavirus has devastated my home country, and been threatening the whole world. So far my mother is doing fine in Beijing. Besides the inconvenience of going out, she is all right. I don't know what to do. So I painted this.

"Giverny Impression"

Continuing my water lily painting endeavor. This one is from a photo I took in Monet's Garden in Giverny France. I almost completely used my palette knife for this painting. It is quite interesting.

"Painters in the dark"

This is my nocturne painting during the Plein Air Easton. A few of my fellow artists were painting across the street from me. Beautiful lights from the store gave me chances for color. There was a storm before we started. I like the reflections on the road.

"Painters in the dark" has literally described what is in my mind at this moment. I am experiencing a dark time in my art career and my life. Long term over working has burnt me out. I don't feel as enthusiastic towards art as before. I am looking for new inspirations, but have not seen much. Too often, I am in my off-the-grid place, pondering about the future, just like painting in the dark. Darkness does not mean negativity. Without darkness, light will not show. I have not ever seen so much colors during the day at the corner of this street.

This painting is available. 

"Go Green" --- Sold

I painted another tractor. This one did not go away during my painting time. I just enjoy painting mechanical thingies. The simple shapes like circles, rectangles can form beautiful patterns. I have been amazed by the design work done in the old days. That is why people keep the skeletons of old tractors and cars in their back yard. They just simply beautiful.

"Big Red" --- Sold

During the Plein Air Easton Festival, there happened to be a farm equipment show. I went there on the day after the show. Only a few tractors and farm machinery left. But it was relatively quiet time. I saw this red tractor and decided to paint it. When I got the painting about 2/3 finished. A old gentle man in old blue overall hopped on the tractor and drove it away. He ignored me completely. He said nothing, not even looked at me. That was just the nature of plein air painting. Your subject can disappear any time, mercilessly.

"Washington Headquarter" --- Sold

The rain finally stopped. I went to the Valley Forge National Park, and painted the Washington Headquarter. It was a cold day, but I painted the first time outdoors at this painting festival.

"New Year's Color Study" --- Sold

I have to interrupt my portrait study for a while. At this moment, I am sitting at the airport waiting for my flight to my next workshop teaching. This painting I did right after the New Year to give my still life painting a little change. I am exploring new compositions. Of course, I want to push the envelope of my colors.

"Notre-Dame de Paris"

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I was at Paris last May, and tried of painting the Notre-Dame plein air. I failed badly. The structure is so intricate. It is so difficult to simply and still make sense on canvas. I was pondering this problem since then. Yesterday I was reviewing my photos shot in Paris. This question came to mind again. So I give it try again. I think it works this time.

"Gate to Wisdom"

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This painting is from a photo I took at the Potala Palace in Lhasa Tibet. Tibetan Buddhism is mysterious to me, but I know it is one of the pathways to the utmost wisdom. A group of artists and I visit Lhasa in last September. I was rather sick due to the high altitude when we visited the Potala Palace, but I decided to give it a try. I am glad I did. I got a ton reference photos during my China/Tibet trip. I will try my best to find time to do some paintings with them.

This painting is available for purchase.