""Medici Fountain at Luxembourg Garden" (oil on linen; 10" x 8") sold

 

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The Medici Fountain (la fontaine Médicis) is a monumental fountain in the Luxembourg Garden in the 6th arrondissement in Paris. It was built in about 1630 by Marie de' Medici, the widow of King Henry IV of France and regent of King Louis VIII of France. It was moved to its present location and extensively rebuilt in 1864-66.

I visited the famous fountain in late summer on an overcast day in 2019. In the painting I tried to capture the magical serenity of the place with the pointillist style. Do you think I succeeded?

"Summer Marina" (oil on stretched canvas; 12" x 16") sold

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The original state

Lately I have been busy reworking old paintings, trusting that I have become better and can spot and improve troubled aspects of unsatisfactory paintings. "Summer Marina" is one such example.  I never liked the chalkiness of the background trees, although I was happy with the composition of the colorful boats and their sails all grouped together and sandwiched between the dark shapes of the trees and reflections.  So I tackled the background chalkiness and, at the same time, jazzed up the water and boats with dots.  How do you like the new and improved painting?

"Autumn Central Park" (oil on linen; 8" x 10") sold

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I love New York City.  It is big, noisy, and a little scary for a suburbanite such as myself.  But, for culture--both highbrow and the rest, there is no other place like New York in the United States. My pet peeve is that I don't get to visit it often.  I have only three or four paintable pictures of this exciting city from my few visits.

The photo I used for "Autumn Central Park" wasn't taken on an autumn day at all.  It was on an overcast day in May during my family's mini vacation that I took the shot.  No matter.  I Photoshopped the picture, intensifying hue/saturation.  You just can't believe what you see these days, ha!

If you send me your pictures to kimstenbergart@gmail.com, I may make paintings out of them.  How fun is that!  At the end of September, I will do a drawing and one lucky person wins a free painting.  You can buy the painting anytime, but there is no obligation.  Thanks!

Today is Day Sixteen of Leslie Saeta's 30 in 30 Challenge.  I am halfway through!

"Red Boat" (watercolor on Yupo; 8" x 8") sold

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The scene depicts a small charming marina at Luce Creek in Annapolis, MD.  The red boat sings in this green, blue, and purple landscape, doesn't it?  Its actual color was dark blue!  I had a lot of trouble with this painting.  I wiped out and repainted the sky and water.  Still something bothered me.  But I liked the middle section with the boats so much that I couldn't give up.  So I redid the water one more time.  More disappointment.

I was about to toss it into the waste basket, because one cannot mess with a painting forever.  Suddenly a light bulb went off.  Why not crop it and get rid of the offending bottom portion?  I am raising the attitude of "Never give up, never surrender" to an art form!

Reference photo

"After Independence Day" (oil on stretched canvas; 12" x 16") sold

sold

The day after the Independence Day in 2002, I visited a marina along the Potomac River and saw the scene.  The contrast between the brilliant sun-lit boats and those in the shadow made an indelible impression.  Full of enthusiasm, I painted a full-sheet watercolor painting, also titled "After Independence Day."

The painting won the Potomac Valley Watercolorists Award (something like the second-place award) in the prestigious American Landscape Show at the Art League Gallery in August 2002!  It was before the age of the digital camera; I wasn't much of a photographer either.  Unfortunately, I didn't have the chance to get the painting photographed properly in slides before the show.

When the painting got sold on the last day of the show, I didn't know whether I should be happy or sad.  Dang!  All I have left of the entire exhilarating experience is a snapshot.  I took a picture of the picture to prove that I didn't make up the story!

"After Independence Day" (watercolor, 22" x 30"; sold)

I cropped the scene for the new, much smaller, oil painting.  Unlike the original watercolor version, for which I did a lot of careful pencil drawing, the new version was done with a minimal pre-drawing.  The background is barely suggested in the watercolor painting; in the new painting the background is treated more boldly.  The result is that the sun-lit boats are highlighted between the darker values of the background landscape and the foreground boats.  So, which painting do you prefer?

"Sunny Marina" (oil on stretched canvas; 12" x 16")

"Sunny Marina" getting block in, next to the reference photo

A couple of weeks ago, two friends and I went to the Washington Sailing Marina on Daingerfield Island in Alexandria, VA. Believe it or not, it is right next to the Washington National Airport.  It can be noisy there and the weather forecast was HOT. But one doesn't hear anything when absorbed in painting boats.  It was actually quite nice in the breeze too.

A small plein air painting I did on that day turned out so so.  Although there were good things about it, I scraped it instead of sweating out to make it work.  Why not a fresh start?  Why torment myself and the world with a mediocre painting?

"Sunny Marina" is a bigger and more complicated painting than the destroyed painting.  I give a standing ovation to the artists who can paint good boat paintings on location.  Boats have got to be the hardest subject to paint--as hard as portraits. Even with the optimal studio painting conditions, it was taxing to paint the boats all stacked together, like sardines in a can!  By the way, I made one important change from the reference photo.  Can you tell what it is?

"Tidal Basin in Cherry Blossom Season" (oil on linen; 8" x 10") sold

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The Tidal Basin during the National Cherry Blossom Festival in early spring is the mecca for tourists.  In this painting, I nestled the famous Jefferson Memorial in a circle of cherry branches.

"Lincoln Memorial Nocturne" (oil on linen; 8" x 12") sold

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"Lincoln Memorial Nocturne" is the third of my mini-series of Washington nocturnal scenes.  Again I had to let it dry first, then go back to make the reflections look more watery.  Painting water is a tough business, whether done en plein air or with a photo.  I think I finally got it right.

As a matter of fact, among the three nocturnes so far, I like the way I treated water and reflections in this painting the best.  It is kind of Monetesque, don't you think?  All I have to say is that if a subject is particularly hard, instead of avoiding it, keep painting it!

"Morning After Snowfall" (oil on linen; 8" x 10") sold

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I have painted the same scene twice before.  Yes, I like it that much.  It is a creek down the street where I live.  I took the reference photo many years ago before the age of digital cameras.  Because of the severe erosion caused by heavy rainfalls over the years, this stretch of Holmes Run doesn't look quite the same anymore.  As it hasn't snowed much last winter, I keep painting the same enchanting winter wonderland from my old print. 

I have been rereading Kevin Macpherson's Landscape Painting Inside and Out for the umpteenth time. I think I finally get it.  He talks about the light and shadow families and keeping them separate throughout the painting session.  He also emphasizes using MORE PAINT.  I tried my darned best to paint as if I meant it, with as fewest strokes as possible. 

"Fresh Snow" (oil, 8" x 10")
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You probably cannot tell much difference between the new painting and the old one ("Fresh Snow") other than the temperature difference (caused by the quirks of photography), but I assure you that I had a lot more fun with the new one and painted it faster.  Of course, painting fast is not the  goal, but the speed implies decisiveness and enthusiasm.  The way I painted "Morning after Snowfall" is the direction I am pursuing--bolder, fresher, and more lively.

"Jefferson Memorial Nocturne" (oil on linen; 10" x 15") sold

sold

"Jefferson Memorial Nocturne" was the first of my new mini series--mellow nocturnal scenes of Washington landmarks.  Initially it turned out dull and boring instead of evocative and stirring.  So I let it dry and reworked with more paint and colors.  The famous memorial to the great president doesn't look dirty anymore; its reflections in the water have colors instead of mud. 

We are used to seeing Jefferson Memorial and Tidal Basin during the National Cherry Blossom Festival against gazillion, fluffy, pink petals.  I wonder what President Thomas Jefferson feels about that in his grave.  To this man of many talents and great vision, three achievements mattered the most. 

Thus, he penned his own epitaph on his tombstone at Monticello, VA as follows: "Here was buried Thomas Jefferson, author of the Declaration of American Independence, of the Statue of Virginia for religious freedom, and father of the University of Virginia."

"Golden Gate Bridge on Sunny Day" (oil on linen; 9" x 12") sold

sold

The famous Golden Gate Bridge on a sunny day.  Fluffy clouds float by in the sky.  A red ship in the distance is about to glide under the bridge.  The red bridge casts colorful reflections in the choppy water.  I thought of Claude Monet's "The Bridge at Argenteuil" when I was working on the above painting.  I wrote about how much I admire Monet's painting three months ago.  Something about a bridge, boat, clouds in a blue sky, and reflections in the water makes a happy painting.  Don't you agree?

"Can't Wait For Christmas!" (oil on linen; 8" x 8") sold

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Now that my "still-life-painting-a-day" project is in full swing, I am constantly thinking about what to paint next.  I dug up a red-enameled silver bowl from a drawer-full of the wrapped, rarely-used, and tarnished silverware.  Hum.  A light bulb went off.  Once I get this baby cleaned up, it, along with a couple of silver Christmas balls and a Christmasy ribbon, will make a perfect still life setup!  Ah, endless possibilities!

"Georgetown at Sunset" (oil on linen; 9" x 12") sold

sold

Reference photo I

Reference photo II

"Georgetown at Sunset" (oil, 9 x 12") is a view of Key Bridge and Georgetown from the pedestrian bridge to Roosevelt Island in the Potomac. I was captivated by the glows in the underside of the arches of the bridge. Wow!  The sunset sky was equally beautiful, but the reference photo's sky came out all bleached.  So for the sky, I used the second photo. 

I wish I could have painted the scene on location to really see the colors of the trees, reflections, and so on.  The island that houses the statue of President Teddy Roosevelt is not heavily trafficked, so it would have been possible.  My only excuse is that the golden hour of the sunset lasts only for a little while.

"Autumn Walk along the C & O Canal" (oil on linen; 8" x 10") sold

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Before

The scene captured in the painting

In the last  entry, I talked about my harrowing painting experience at Chaco Canyon two years ago.  Here is another such story.  The tranquil scene above is the C & O Canal at Fletcher's Boathouse.  In the fall of 2009, I started taking Sara Linda Poly's  plein-air painting class.  I was absolutely enthralled with the idea of painting outside, but my skill level didn't quite match my enthusiasm as you can see in the original state of "Autumn Walk along the C & O Canal."  But there was another reason for my lackluster performance.

Having covered some popular sites in Alexandria, VA, Sara decided to take us across the Potomac River.  Unless you commute to Washington, DC or Maryland by car, many northern Virginians do not venture out in that direction and some of us get panic-stricken if we have to drive there.  It's like a foreign country to us.  I had never been to the historic Fletcher's Boathouse.  After crossing the river by Chain Bridge, I managed to take a wrong turn and ended up near Georgetown University.  That's when I got a flat tire!  I was rescued by a kind AAA guy, but by that time it was almost noon.  I seriously considered going home.

Not being someone who gives up easily, I changed my mind and eventually found my way to the spot, where Sara's class had been painting for two hours.  Did I say that it was one of those glorious autumn days we often get in the Washington metropolitan area?  There wasn't a breeze to disturb the reflections in the water.  I was glad to join the class.  But I was tired from my adventure; besides, I only had a couple of hours left to whip out a painting.

The painting had been hanging in my garage ever since that eventful day.  Yes, in my garage!  As you know, I have been reworking old paintings for the past few weeks and I am now near the bottom of the pile.  So I took the painting out of the frame, printed out the photo, and went to town.  I am rather pleased with the new and improved painting.

I don't know what the moral of the story is.  You really need a AAA membership?  Bad things do not always happen in threes?  The C & O Canal is a fabulous place to paint?  Never give up, never surrender?

"Autumn C & O Canal" (oil on linen; 12" x 12") sold

sold

Before

The scene captured in the painting

Speaking of bringing life back to an old painting, please have a look at what I did to "Autumn C & O Canal".  I painted it at the end of last October along the C & O Canal at a place called Wide Water, just north of Washington, DC.  It was a chilly day, so my fingers and feet got numb within an hour into the painting.  But the light could not have been better.

Then why does the untouched plein-air painting look wish washy?  This is what happened.  When I started the painting, the sun shined on us brightly (there were about ten of us that day), as you can see in the above photo.  The shadows on the embankment were strong, the reflections of the fall foliage in the murky canal water were absolutely breath-taking.

Then the sun started playing peekaboo with us; clouds rolled in; it became completely overcast by the mid-afternoon.  In other words, the painting was a victim of the typical hazard in plein-air painting.  I got confused, couldn't recall exactly the brilliant, bouncing colors that used to be there.

Using the photo as a guide, I brought back the light to "Autumn C & O Canal."  I may have exaggerated colors a bit, but I like the improved state a lot.  What do you say?

"Summer Canal" (oil on linen; 6" x 8") sold

sold

Reference photo

No, I didn't paint "Summer Canal" on location.  It is murderously hot out there.  Instead, I dug up a photo I took last September while taking a break during a plein-air painting session.  I took a leisurely walk along the historic C & O Canal in Washington, DC.  One of the pictures from my walk inspired "Autumn Bliss," in which I exaggerated the hints of autumnal colors to come up with a glorious fall landscape.  For the new painting, I stayed with a cool palette.  I need to stay cool, at least psychologically.

"Autumn Bliss" (oil, 9" x 12")
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"Sunrise by the Lake" (oil on linen; 7" x 5") sold



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It is summertime.  Time to go to the lakes.  Like Boundary Waters, if you live in Minnesota.  Make sure to get up early to witness a spectacular sunrise or two.  A duck glides on the mirror-like water that reflects what is unfolding in the sky.  

"Fresh Snow" (oil on linen; 9" x 12") sold

"Fresh Snow"
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"Winter Morning" (oil, 9" x 12")
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As you know, I have painted quite a few snowscapes since last fall.  I am pretty much out of the snow reference material in this exceptionally mild, snowless winter.  Out of desperation, I dug out a photo I had used for "Winter Morning," and came up with a new painting, titled "Fresh Snow."  Cheeky!

I remember how pleased I was with the first version.  Now I look at it, I am not impressed at all.  Look at the reflections of the trees.  Don't you think they look anemic?  And what about the treatment of the distant woods?  Half-hearted, I say.  I admit that there is that ineffable softness in the old painting.  Nonetheless, I vote for the new one.  What do you think?

"Kids at Sunset Beach" (oil on linen; 11" x 14") sold

"Kids at Sunset Beach"
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"Moonrise" (oil, 8" x 10")
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"Central Park Reflections" (oil, 12" x 9")
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I am fascinated by water's ability for reflecting things above and around it.  Especially when there is no strong breeze, water acts as a lovely mirror.  At sunrise and sunset, when the sky takes on those ineffable hues of pale yellows, oranges, pinks, mauves, subtle blues and violets, water becomes the enchanting bridesmaid who accompanies the beautiful bride--the sky.  Throw in some magnificent clouds to the mix, we are in heaven on earth!

"Walk along Autumn Canal" (oil on linen; 9" x 12") sold

"Walk along Autumn Canal"
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"Autumn Bliss" (oil, 9" x 12")
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"Autumn Canal" (oil, 12" x 12")

"Autumn Day along the Canal" (oil, 9" x 12")
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Canal is not really one of my series, although it surely looks that way.  The reason has to do with the beauty of Wide Water on the C & O Canal along the Potomac. Some places are like a painter's heaven, a gold mine, a jackpot. You can go there over and over and still find things to paint.  The C & O Canal is one of them. I had a good fortune to discover the place, thanks to the Art League Plein Air Painters, who went there several times this fall. It's always a good idea to paint with friends for safety and conviviality. I joined them twice. Each time, the weather obliged. I still have more pictures to work from. Yippee!

"Autumn Bliss" was the third painting from my "mini" series.  Can you tell whether it was done on location or in studio?  Surprisingly, "Autumn Canal," with all those details, was painted en plein air, whereas "Autumn Bliss," with a bolder design, was painted at home.  You can tell, however, that both have the similar feel in terms of the time of the season.

"Walk along Autumn Canal" (I am running out of titles!) is the latest canal painting.  The vantage point is just a short distance from the one in "Autumn Bliss."  It feels more painterly than "Autumn Bliss."  Perhaps I have finally gotten in touch with the painterly arist's zen.