reflections, goals, insights

I'm not a person who makes New Year's resolutions, but I do take time to redefine myself and look through fresh eyes occasionally. Working outside my comfort zone and painting with more insight, I hope to become a better painter. I've been self-limiting this year, but reflections on the past only serve to cast more light upon the future.

The subject of this plein air painting is an old oak tree situated on a knoll which overlooks a nearby Civil War battlefield. The tree has become a fixture in many of my paintings. It seems I'm captivated by Nature's light and how it plays across the area. Studying the tree has helped me 'see' rather than just 'look'. I'm always amazed at God's palette and how we mortals struggle to capture His works on canvas.
BJ Wright http://beejw.blogspot.com/

A Holiday message from Bernie

Snowy Path in the Blue Ridge... 6x8" Oil on panel, alla prima, 2008. Click on image to enlarge...

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all my friends at SPAP... Thank you for being a big part of my journey... May your journey bring you Peace, Hope, and Joy in the New Year.

Bernie

A "Blast from the Past"... Me and Santa, Christmas 1962.

Plein Air exhibit by the West Coast Plein Air painters of Florida

Click on the picture for an announcement about upcoming plein air show at Brooker Creek Nature Preserve in Tarpon Springs, FL.

determined plein air painter

This summer Sandra was working on a large acrylic painting of the pre-Civil War Clisby Austin House. But she had forgotten her water container...and her water. But there's no stopping a determined plein air painter. She remembered a punch bowl left in her car after a recent art reception. She dipped water at the spring house, filled the punch bowl, set it on the hood of her car...and she was all set to paint.

Daily Painting 755 Clouds in the Savannas

Plein Air, Alla Prima, 8 x 10, oil. There are a few specks in the sky, they are insects, I will remove them when the painting is dry. $200.

Daily Painting 754 Pickerel Weed in the Savannas

Its plein air, alla prima. It was a very cloudy day with a few showers, I got out there, found a nice spot and sat down to paint and it started to rain. So I got up and went under a pavillion. It stopped raining again and I did this one. It was nice out even with the rain, pretty and silvery. Not too hot or cold. I painted it at the Savanna's Preserve State Park off of Walton Road. Its oil, 5 x 7 $100.

The Tree in Bob's Yard by BJ Wright

I came across this plein air sketch today. I had been working on a series of tree paintings...some featuring a full moon. It's interesting to note that the sketch is Bic pen on a paper napkin. We work with what we have when the opportunity strikes.

Saturday sketch book

Had to go out to Bell Buckle on Saturday and cruised through Christiana on the way home. This scene is near it so I stopped the car and sketched enough info for a future watercolor. This area is Kevin Menck's stomping ground. Go visit his painting blog and give him the business. http://www.kevinmenck.blogspot.com/

The Roof is Red I Say (5x7 acrylic) $70

Yes, this roof is red on this shed and it is in Christiana Tennessee. I test drove the new Golden Open acrylic paints on this and I like them a lot. Going to try a portrait with them sometime.

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Price: $70
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Daily Painting 748 Fatal Embrace Plein Air Alla Prima

I painted this today out at the Fort Pierce Inlet State Park, I have been wanting to paint this strangler fig for a few years now. Its big, one of my fellow painters was standing behind it and I couldn't even see him. Its 8 x 10 oil,

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Price: $300 USD
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My One Woman Show

Here is what I have been doing lately instead of painting! I had just under 60 paintings, above is a collage of a lot of them and my self portrait. Below is me dressed up, I crocheted the purse its out of fun fur yarn. Next two are me when we set up the show yesterday.

The show was put on by Mainstreet Fort Pierce, Inc. http://mainstreetfortpierce.org/
They put on a lovely reception for me, nice music and lots of super food. We had a pretty good turn out, I am guessing 60 people came. I have sold a couple of paintings there so far and maybe a third. It runs till Saturday. Its in the old Beanie Backus home. Beanie was a Florida artist who did beautiful landscapes, I had a few lessons from him.

Cloudland Station's Little Green Schoolhouse

 
This little green "schoolhouse" building was so appealing in the autumn light. I never learned why it is painted green but my guess is it would have something to do with the fact that the country store was bricked in red. Variety is the spice in life. The colors of Autumn were so vivid the Saturday I was able to paint with Sherry, BJ, and Tim in a new locale in North Georgia.
Sandra

"Surf City Crab"... Plein Air painting by Bernie Rosage Jr.

"Surf City Crab"... 8x6" Oil on Panel, alla prima en plein aire, 10-24-2008.

I painted this impressionistic style landscape during a recent paint out with my local plein air group... OOPS. The scene is set in the coastal town of Surf City on Topsail Island, North Carolina. This Surf City Crab sign caught my eye lika a magnet and screamed "Paint Me!".

Click on image to see a larger view...



This original oil painting by American Artist, Bernie Rosage Jr. is available for purchase... email Bernie with the title in the subject line... click HERE... for price and details.

Daily Painting 740 Path to the Ocean Plein Air

Its 8 x 10 oil, $200.

Fall at Fort Keys by BJ Wright

8"x10" oil, painted en plein air, alla prima...$85 including shipping...contact me at beejw@charter.net for purchase. People have asked me if I "tweaked" the colors in this painting. I tell them I usually don't have to tweak the colors...I just have to look at Nature's colors with an artist's eye to see the brilliant palette. The hard part is mixing pigments trying to capture the colors.

Daily Painting 739 Beach Palm Miniature Plein Air

Its 4 x 6 inches, oil, all painting knife. I painted this at Fort Pierce Inlet State Park. $150.

Daily Painting 738 Fishing in the Inlet Miniature Plein Air

Its oil, 4 x 6 inches. You can click on it to see it bigger than life. It was real nice out, windy and chilly but with the sun shining it wasn't too cold. All painting knife, no brush.

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Price: $150 USD
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Return To Mulberry (watercolor)

Return To Mulberry. Sketch in my Aquabee sketchbook.

Daily Painting 736 SOLD Garden Shed at Heathcote Botanical Gardens

SOLDI painted this all morning at Heathcote Botanical Gardens, I thought it would be an easy painting, the more I looked the more I saw. I had a lot of fun with it, it was a perfect day, not too hot or cold. 8 x 10 plein air alla prima

Life of a Tree by BJ Wright

11"x14" oil on linen panel, painted en plein air, alla prima, on November 6th (completed at 11:30) - $160 including shipping - contact me for purchase. Sandra and I painted at Mountain Cove Farm on this warm, breezy November day. The 1800+ acres were ablaze with the glory that is Autumn. Evergreens poked their heads through the warm red, orange and yellow hues and the mountains were shrouded early with a lavender mist.

Row Call

 

This one is finished now. It's just a funky painting with that silly sunflower popping up to say "here" I am.
Sometimes I have to let myself go and be silly. This is the one I began with acrylic primary colors and painted over with oils. It's fun!

Sunflower Family

 

This began out in the sunflower field but it desperately needed some major tweaking. It is so cool compared to the other sunflower paintings I did. I painted til dark one evening. Does it show?

Looking Again by BJ Wright

10" x 8" oil on RayMar panel, painted en plein air, alla prima on November 5th (completed at 4:30)...$85 including shipping...contact me at beejw@charter.net for purchase.
Sandra and I set up our easels in her front yard on Wednesday afternoon. It was simply a gorgeous day with Autumn blazing all around us. Looking directly across the road, this small stand of trees caught my eye. I had seem them dozens of times before, but in looking again.....

Daily Painting 730 Red Iris Heliconia Plein Air Alla Prima

Its oil, 8 x 10, all painting knife, from life at Heathcote Botanical Gardens in Fort Pierce. $200.

Daily Painting 729 Flowers for Barbara Hawkenberry

This painting is part of a memorial exhibition for Barbara Haukenberry. She was very encouraging to numerous artists at The Daily Painters Gallery. She purchased many paintings from us including some of mine. She has passed away now after a hard fight with disease and age. She loved paintings of flowers and birds.
These are lobster claw heliconias, a relative to bird of paradise flowers. Its plein air, I did it from life at Heathcote Botanical Gardens here in Fort Pierce. It was beautiful out there. Its 8 x 10, oil, all painting knife.

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Price: $200 USD
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Morning Side of the Mountain by BJ Wright

9" x 12" oil on RayMar panel, painted en plein air, alla prima, on Saturday November 1st (completed just before noon) - $110 including shipping - contact me at beejw@charter.net for purchase. Several plein air painters were fortunate enough to be invited to paint at Cloudland Station, just south of Flintstone, GA. The morning was perfect - clear blue sky, gorgeous blazing Fall foliage, and the wonder that is Cloudland Station. This small green building is the school house, which is also the office/information center. Be sure to visit their website at http://www.fireflycommunities.com/.

Happy Halloween!!

8"x10" oil - plein air color study done at the "Pumpkin Glow" festival near Flintstone, GA, on October 25th.

Daily Painting 724 Breezy Savanna's Bridge

Its 4 x 6, oil, I did it from life, plein air, alla prima. It was a nice breezy day, crisp and cool.

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Price: $100 USD
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Lynchburg House #2 (oil 5x7)

Turning right after I painted the other home I painted this house on my laptop paintbox. A local lady told me that this used to be a funeral home a good while back.
This painting is available at http://localpalettegallery.com in Lynchburg Tennessee.