Finding the Way Through by BJ Wright

8"x10" oil on RayMar panel, painted en plein air, alla prima, on July 28th (completed at 1:20pm as lightning started flashing)....$95 including shipping...I recall a science teacher once saying that water finds the path of least resistance, not unlike some of us. We had started painting around 8:30am at Barnsley Gardens near Adairsville, GA, when the sun was perfectly seeking out corners in the ruins. As we ate lunch, the clouds began to bank and we knew we wouldn't have much time before the rains came. Being overcast, the colors were muted and subtle, yet still wondrous.

Rauke Sunday # 118

A nice Sunday on the Bay, 8x10 en plein air......windy, good for sailing, not so good for painting!

15 Minute Sunrise 115 & 116

I decided to paint en Plein Air this morning...sooo......my favorite subject, the sun. We had dew with mist and no clouds. I did (2) 8x10 panels within a 20 minute period. The second panel was something I've seen before, but never was able to get, a misty creamy pastel with a pale yellow sun, no orange (mine has a little). This time I was able to get reasonable photos with my new UV lens. I'll use the photos with the study for a larger painting, I'll do today.

Plein air painting while fresh on the trail of Ben Long's frescoes...

Tami, Liv, and I are enjoying a week in the beautiful Blue Ridge mountains of North Carolina. The weather has been clear and cool... almost an enigma for July in the south. Between hiking, horseback riding, plein air painting, picnicking, and just relaxing... the three of us have manged to visit three of the Ben Long fresco locations on the Fresco Trail.

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Stop #1... St Mary's Church, West Jefferson, NC

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This is one of my favorite spots on the trail... I have painted this small church on several occasions. Last Monday, Tami dropped me off to plein air paint while she and Liv went to the newly remodeled library in West Jefferson.

I found a nice shady spot under a huge Linden tree... 2 1/2 hours of peaceful recollections of my sister, Kristi, and savoring the beauty of this sacred spot.

Finished painting... "St Mary's"... 8x10" Oil on panel by Bernie Rosage Jr, en plein aire, July 20, 2009.

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Stop #2... Holy Trinity Church, Glendale Springs, NC

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We have been going to Glendale Springs for years to visit George Bell's Greenhouse Crafts Shop... our favorite shop in the Blue Ridge. Our journey there would not be complete without a trip across the street to Holy Trinity and the frescoes there. I have painted this small church as well.

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Stop #3... The City of Morganton Municipal Auditorium (CoMMA), Morganton, NC

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We had a cool visit with my cousin Pam (Aunt Pammie) who lives in Morganton. She took us on a tour of the town... what a beautiful town too. The highlight of our tour was the The City of Morganton Municipal Auditorium.. (CoMMA) for short. The crowning jewel of the CoMMA was the ceiling fresco by Ben Long titled... "Sacred Dance & The Muses". We actually sat on recliners on a revolving floor to view the awesome work... how cool is that! You can see Liv enjoying the fresco in this photo.

Liv, Pam, and Tami enjoying the comfort and the artwork.

Ben Long even included a self portrait in this work showing his exhaustion from his labors.

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These wonderful works and experiences only prove my theory that every artist and art patron already knows... There is nothing like viewing art in person!

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Thanks for listening to me ramble... feel free to comment...

Bernie

www.bernierosage.com

Red Earth by BJ Wright

4"x6" oil on sanded panel, painted on July 14th around 10:00am ... Just before time to pack up after a morning of painting, I picked up this little sanded panel and put down some paint. The rough surface slurped up the paint and I could feel it wearing down my brush. It's an interesting surface...don't know if I'll use it again...but interesting.

The trees were glowing as the sun raced across the sky. Paint quick, quick, quick.

15 Minute Sunrise #103

I think our blog needs some sun shine...12x12 oil, Still using black.....I found something interesting...black (not a mix) is very important to landscape painting, especially when you want to nail the actual green and blue colours.....

Southern Moon with following star # 105 &106

The third and last moon study (bottom) This is my favorite, painted en Plein Air @ 1:30 AM on 7/10/09. I started with clouds and adjusted as it cleared, because of something I saw, I followed this up with a small studio painting later the same morning (top). I used the study and a fresh memory as my guide. The finale, for lessons learned during this moon phase.

I didn't know it at the time, this would be the beginning of a major pivotal point. Plein Air served its purpose well, by heightening my observation skills, I'm sure I'll continue to do it, but only as a discovery tool. I found it indispensable, learning how to paint details, such as fast moving rapids, the sun and finally the moon. As I make new discoveries I'll be sure to post! I'll also check daily and see what everyone is doing :=)

Southern Moon # 102

The second study on the morning of 7/9/09 @ 1:00 AM - clear skies, moon in a Southern location. This was the first time I noticed the following star, I didn't include the star in my 12x12 study. The first study, my moon had a thin cloud veil so the normal halo was only a soft glow. I use Ivory black with all colours in my normal palette. The object of the studies, to learn about nocturnal colouring.

Willow and Weeds by BJ Wright

7"x5" oil on RayMar panel, painted en plein air, alla prima, on July 14th (completed at 9:35)...$35 including shipping...While painting at Crown Gardens and Archives, an artist can find inspiration everywhere. This willow caught my eye as the sunlight filtered through its flowing branches.

Southern Moon # 101

First of three moon studies 8x10 12:30 Am 7/9/09

The sky was not clear, but had a very thin cloud veil, it gave the moon a very soft look.

What Kind of Day by BJ Wright

7"x5" oil on RayMar panel, painted en plein air, alla prima, on July 9th (completed 9:35am)....$35 including shipping...I let the shapes of the tree and grasses dictate the direction of this little painting. Upon closer investigation, the reflected light at lower right/center appeared as the center of a breaking ocean wave.

A Different Kind of Day by BJ Wright

8"x10" oil on RayMar panel, painted en plein air, alla prima, on July 7th (completed at 10:30am)...$85 including shipping...The morning began soft and dream-like. As the sun rose over the mountain, shadows deepened and colors popped. I saw the gravel road as a stream, so I painted it as such.

15 Minute Sunrise # 107

Hi all, This morning I had some new colours to play with....HOC H212 Scarlet Lake and Williamsburg (handmade...proof by the price)Fanchon Red or Rouge Vermillonn`e. I have two problems the sun and a pot of geraniums...need I say more!

I like both of these colours, because of the pigment saturation. The Scarlet Lake in this instance was more useful....still trying to get the hot coral colour I'm really after! I think it will probably come from using copal glazes. I used 1/2" and #8 Royal soft grip SG4020 Filbert...short handle, which gives the 8x10 study a different softer look. It was partly cloudy with a blue grey colouring. The mid-ground field is almost always a pop-out feature. The nice thing about this view....I can either have trees or not, simply by moving around the garden.

I used a cadmium yellow deep toned panel....I think it was a mistake!

Morning Stretch by BJ Wright

7"x5" oil on RayMar panel, painted en plein air, alla prima, on July 7th (completed at 8:18am)...$35 including shipping...The clouds were changing colors faster than I could mix the paint and put brush to canvas. Nature painted the sky and this mere mortal painted a canvas.

Soft Morning by BJ Wright

8"x10" oil on RayMar panel, painted en plein air, alla prima, on July 7th (completed at 8:00am)...$95 including shipping....The clouds were banked in a myriad of colors as the sun struggled over the mountain. Photography of this particular painting was difficult. The yellows are much softer and purples are more muted in the original. Apparently I'm entering the 'purple period' of my painting career...it seems to emerge in my more recent works.

Whitman House, Ringgold, GA

General Sherman spent the night in this house. He was a gracious guest but the owner wouldn't accept his money. She only wanted Conferate money. He is said to have made the comment "She hasn't lost yet" about the Civil War.
Originally before the new Ringgold City Hall was built, the Depot could be seen from the upstairs window. That's why I painted this corner. Not to mention the light was right on it.

Cupcake

I had already named this "Cupcake" and the title was confirmed by a man walking his dog in the park this morning.
I still had on my painting apron as I trudged down the steps with my "wheelie" cart. He commented that I must be a cook. Well, then I decided to call it a chocolate cupcake...it looks so brown with the sun in my eyes. I admit I took a little license and moved the sun a bit and didn't move my shadows. I am blind, needless to say. BJ wasn't there to loan me her umbrella and I had left mine in the car. I had already trekked down the road, up through the field and back to the car and back again for my cell phone just in case BJ called. And I decided to paint quickly. I painted this very quickly in about 30 minutes. Well, obviously!!!!

Crown Cotton Mills

We posted last Tuesday (on the blog Painting Georgia) that BJ and I would be painting at Crown Cotton Mills which is now made into condominums. The managers were very hospitable to us and we hope we may get a show there in the winter.
I didn't complete the crown on the spire to my satisfaction but hope to return to do another and get it right next time.

Front Porch Geraniums

Compare this to the beginning of the day. I worked on this around 10 pm last night. I couldn't leave it alone. I hope I kept enough of the AC/Burnt Umber undertones. That was what I was striving for in this painting.
What cha think?

Fuschia Geraniums

Monday morning's private lesson consisted of painting a mass of flowers. It was so much fun! So much color to play with, I got out the Magenta Radiant by Gamblin.

Hannah Stands Against the Maple Tree

 
Grandaughter Hannah modeled for me for about 15 minutes. Then I asked her to come back for about 5 more. She said her foot got into a cramp standing against the root of the tree. She doesn't want me to finish this because she likes it the way it is.

Tunnel Hill Haybales

 
Some days it takes a small canvas to get me going. Hopefully this one did it. Enjoyed painting in the Tunnel Hill Heritage Park with BJ one morning this week.

three this morning

I did 3 plein air pieces this morning, but photographic conditions were terrible after I got them home. I set them into frames and shot them with indoor lighting...bad indoor lighting. The next best thing was to render the image into black and white, and hope for better photographic lighting soon.

Pink Morning Blooms by Sandra Babb

11"x14" oil, painted en plein air (about 95% completed) here. Sandra's geraniums brightened the table just outside the shuttered window of the old general store.