"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?

"Riverbend Bluebells" (oil on stretched canvas; 16" x 20")

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There is a place in Great Falls,VA, called Riverbend Park.  It is a pretty park where kids go for school outings to see American-Indian artifacts and practice archery.  When Virginia bluebells are in season in the spring, it turns into an enchanted forest by the river.  Imagine acres and acres of delicate blue flowers on long stems catching light or in deep shadows.  I tried to capture that sense of joy and wonder in my dotted painting.

"Shady Cove" (watercolor; matted, 12" x 10") sold

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I thought I would play around with watercolors for a change of pace, starting with this small landscape.  It depicts a lovely shady cove along the Potomac River.

"Dupont Circle Fountain" (oil on linen; 8" x 10") sold

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I have a good friend, a fellow artist who happens to be a purist.  She only paints from life, whether she is painting a landscape, figure, or still life.  She went to the famous Iwo Jima Memorial in Arlington, VA to work on a 16" x 20" painting seven times!  It is indeed a marvelous painting.  I joined her only once and whipped out a painting in one session.  Both paintings got juried into the same show at the Art League Gallery in Alexandria, VA.  How about that!

Anyhow, this friend suggested that we should paint the Dupont Circle Fountain in Washington, DC on location.  This well-known local landmark happens to be at the intersection of Massachusetts Avenue, Connecticut Avenue, New Hampshire Avenue, P Street, and 19th Street.  Imagine the noise, not alone the crowd and possibly heat and wind as well!  I ain't a purist.  I said no, took some pictures, and painted "Dupont Circle Fountain" in the comforts of my studio.  Am I bad?

"Crossing the Mississippi, Minnesota" (oil on linen; 8" x 10") sold

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I love Minnesota so much that I married a Minnesotan!  He has many relatives there, so we try to visit it as often as we can, which is not often enough.  During the last visit two summers ago, we went to Itasca State Park, the headwaters of the Mississippi River, in north central Minnesota.  The kids of all ages can cross the mighty river and feel mighty themselves.  You can walk across the small wooden foot bridge, like the family with a dog in my painting.  Or, if you feel particularly brave, you can wade the river barefoot, like those in the picture below. What would you do, if you were there?

My daughter had a lot of fun crossing the Mississippi!

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 Twelve of Leslie Saeta's 30 in 30 Challenge.  18 more paintings to go!

"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?

"Spring Creek" (oil on linen; 12" x 12")

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"Spring Creek" half finished

Reference photo

Last Friday was the last day of Gregory Packard's workshop.  I was sneezing, headachy, and burning up with fever.  Besides, I had a two-hour drive back home on I-95 to deal with.  I could have skipped the last session, but you know me better.  I pulled out a photo of Holmes Run running through Green Spring Gardens Park in Alexandria, VA. Using the same palette as the day before, I painted "Spring Creek" quickly.  The grays have become a lot subtler in five days.  Even without darks and brights, the painting looked luminous.  Greg told me several times not to overwork the painting.

But Greg lives in Colorado and I am on my own now.  Ultimately, I am the one who has to live with the painting.  It looked chalky and unfinished.  So I got to work.  Please don't tell me I ruined it!

What did I learn in Greg's workshop?  I learned a lot about color harmony.  The whole point of mixing piles of grays with a limited palette is to ensure that all the colors in the painting are related to each other.  The predominance of grays--muted, grayed down colors--allows the bright colors to sing.  I am finally beginning to understand what Kevin Macpherson says in his two books.

During the workshop, I also experienced the southern hospitality firsthand.  After the plein-air painting session last Thursday, I was packing up to head back to the hotel.  A local artist whom I met a couple of days ago asked me if I would like to come to her house for a drink.  Of course!  After a nice cold beer on her deck, she asked me to stay for dinner.  After a delicious dinner her husband had prepared, she suggested a walk in the neighborhood park.  Wow.  I made a good friend that day.

The workshop organizers of the Richmond Art Workshops too went out of their way to make the workshop experience memorable.  After the Wednesday sessions, they took us to Laraze Gallery in Charles City, VA, about 45 minutes from Bon Air, VA.  This premier, privately-owned, gallery offers a breath-taking view of the James River.  Once you step inside, you are whisked away to the world of the Russian/Soviet Impressionist art.  You know what?  We were amazed to see how many paintings were made beautiful by the wondrous grays.

The view of the James River from the grounds of the Wurdeman family estate

Kathy Wurdeman on the right greeting us in the main level of Lazare Gallery

The upper level of Lazare Gallery

"Fine Creek Morning" (oil on linen; 9" x 12") sold

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On the fourth day of Gregory Packard's workshop, which was last Thursday, the sun has returned to Richmond, VA.  The workshop organizers had kindly arranged a plein-air painting opportunity for us.  Following our fearless leader, Greg, we trekked for half an hour to the Mill at Fine Creek in Powhatan, VA. Yes, there were the romantic mill ruins, which have become an outdoor dining area and wedding venue.  But the real surprise was the creek itself.  The name apparently comes from General Robert E. Lee, who said that it was a fine creek.  I have never seen anything like it in Virginia.  The entire creek bed was rocks!

The romantic mill ruins at Fine Creek

Fine Creek

Workshop participants painting away

I decided to paint a scene facing the other way.

"Fine Creek Morning" half finished 

There was no shortage of beautiful sceneries: garden flowers, quaint houses, the mill ruins, the creek, etc.  But I didn't feel motivated.  Shocking, isn't it?  Kim Stenberg, a painting addict, not motivated in such a stimulating environment?  I didn't know it at that time, but I was coming down with a bad cold.  So I took a picture of the above scene that caught my eye and seemed "easy" to paint.  Unfortunately, by the time I was finished setting up my easel (it takes at least 15 minutes to set up the outdoor oil painting gear), the sun disappeared for the rest of the morning!  It actually rained a bit. Dang.

Do you know what I, a sick puppy, did?  I painted the scene from the LCD screen of my camera and memory!  Greg wasn't terribly impressed with my efforts; I wasn't either. The biggest problem with the half-finished painting was the composition.  If you look at it carefully, it is divided into a series of rectangles.  What's up with that?

I called it quits (good for me!), had a sandwich lunch with my new friends, and successfully persuaded Greg into doing a plein-air-painting demo.  I even helped him to unload and carry his painting gear.  He said that he was rusty because he hadn't painted outside for a year.  Tough.

On Monday, I worked on "Fine Creek Morning," focusing on correcting the compositional error.  I am pleased with the final painting.  Please leave comments about what you think!

"English Daffodil Fields" (oil on linen; 10" x 10")

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During our trip to England last month, we had only one day to spare to "hit" a famous estate.  We chose Petworth House and Park in West Sussex, because it was close by and was famous for its art collection.  It is one of the hundreds of properties under the care of the British National Trust.  The village of Petworth is a little blip, compared with the huge Petworth Park.  Look at the stout stone walls that surround the property; it runs for miles!  If you want to take a hike along the five-mile-long trail inside the park, it will take a whole day.

We spent a pleasant day looking at gazillion paintings and other objet d'art at Petworth House.  You should have seen the beautiful sets of copper pans in its kitchen!  But you know what?  Acres of daffodil fields are what I will remember most about Petworth House and Park.

The timing could not have been better. Old-fashioned daffodils that William Wordsworth waxed about two hundred years ago were in full bloom.  Forget the cold weather and the shy sun that kept disappearing behind clouds. My spirit soared when I saw a field after a field, dotted with daffodils.  I ain't Wordsworth.  But I can paint the daffodil fields!

Impressive stone walls that surround Petworth House and Park

Petworth House, built in the late 17th-century, may not look impressive in this picture.

This nice "mansion" is the servant quarters; you can see it in the above picture on the far left.
This should give you an idea how big Petworth House is.

Petworth House is renowned for its huge art collection; it has more than 20  Turners among other masterpieces!

The kitchen, located at the servant quarters, is where they filmed "Downton Abbey".  Just kidding!

"Spring Woods" (oil; 10" x 8") sold; "Spring Woodland" (oil; 14" x 11")

"Spring Woods" (oil, 10" x 8")
sold

"Spring Woodland" (oil, 14" x 11")
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When trees start budding, they turn yellow green.  Leaves are not yet big, so they don't cast heavy shade.  Walk in the early spring woods.  It's airy and bright; it's an enchanting place!  Both paintings are based on a real place--the Virginia native plant trail in the Green Spring Gardens Park in Alexandria, VA.  I haunt the park in early spring, which has always been my favorite time of the year.

Did you notice a red bridge up a small stream in the first painting?  Many flowers populate the second painting, In the distance, one can see the pink redbud in bloom. In the middle ground, the dainty white bells of the common silverbell arc gracefully above the carpet of yellow woodland poppies.  I think I captured in both paintings the light-filled atmosphere of springtime in the woods.

"Old English Church" (oil on linen: 8" x 10") sold

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St. Mary the Virgin, the 12-century parish church, is located at the end of Church Lane in Sidlesham, West Sussex.  We attended the Good Friday service at the church, which was conducted by the parish priest and our host, a retired Lutheran pastor.  It was full moon that night (for some reason, the service took place on Wednesday).  About the only light on the dark lane was the moonlight, which cast long shadows as we walked back home.  We were all silent and reverent.  It was one of the highlights of our trip.

Church Gate Cottage used to be haunted!

Do you believe in ghost stories?  If so, you are in for a treat.  Church Gate Cottage, right by the church yard, used to be haunted.  We had dinner with its current owners one night.  When I learned that they had horses, I managed an invitation for horse riding for my daughter.  Alas, it had been raining for several days; the fields were soggy with lots of puddles.  It was also cold and windy.  Riding was out of the question.  After a short visit to the cottage on the following morning, we went back to Chimes Cottage for elevenses.  That is when I heard a ghost story from Jane, the mother.

There used to be ghosts in Church Gate Cottage.  An Anglican priest who lived there in the 17th century died before his time.  He had a wife and two little children.  Jane's four-year-old daughter could see the ghost kids.  Jane could only hear them laughing. Her husband saw the priest ghost.  Jane was too scared to look up in one of the ghost incidents, but could feel the sudden drop in temperature in the room and hear the sounds.  She contacted an exorcism expert of the Church of England, who treated her with ill-disguised contempt!

Jane called up some spiritual experts, who came to the house to talk to the priest ghost.  He assured them that he would never harm the living children.  What about adults!  The experts firmly demanded that he and his ghost family should move on. And they did.  I don't think Jane was pulling my leg.  After all, she is a no-nonsense special education teacher.  What did I tell you?  Church Lane in Sidlesham is enchanted!

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

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

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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?

"Autumn Central Park" (oil on linen; 8" x 12") sold

sold

Before

Reference photo

The other day, my teenage daughter opened a "wise" fortune cookie that said "a failure is an opportunity in disguise."  She asked me if it was deep enough for me.  Ha!  I don't put much stock in fortune cookies, unlike some people who go out to buy a lottery ticket on account of a particularly lucky fortune after a Chinese meal. 

Nevertheless, the incident got me thinking.  Hm.  I pulled out a "failed" painting to give it another shot.  It was sold on eBay last fall, but alas, the buyer failed to pay up.  So it wasn't my painting but the eBayer that failed.  All the same, I knew right away what to do. 

"Autumn Central Park" was based on a photo I took two years ago when my then college department took a bus-load of students on an educational tour to New York City.  It was mid-November, but we had an unbelievably mild, gorgeous weather!  We walked through Central Park, our destination being the Metropolitan Museum of Arts to see its world-famous Egyptian collection.

I am glad that I still had the painting in my possession so that I got another chance to work on it.  It had a good bone structure, so to speak, but my original execution somehow lacked conviction, especially in the foreground shadows.  The fortune cookie was right, don't you agree?  A failure, indeed, is an opportunity in disguise!

"Smithsonian Castle Rose Garden" (oil on canvas; 18" x 18")

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Reference photo

One spring day, I went to The Mall with my family and saw the rose garden at the eastern end of the Smithsonian Castle.  The air was so thick with the rose perfume that you couldn't have missed it while walking by.  I didn't, however, stop to take pictures because I had company.  So I went back a couple of days later, hoping that the heavy rain the day before didn't damage the flowers in full bloom.  I timed it carefully so that the garden would be basking in morning sun as you can see above.

So far, so good.  Painting the scene was not as easy.  It was tough to make the various components of the picture--the castle with a complicated mock medieval architecture, two big trees, garden, benches, etc--work together harmoniously without drawing too much attention to the castle.  I finally finished "Smithsonian Castle Rose Garden" yesterday.  I am going to enter it in The Art League's annual landscape show in two weeks.  We'll see how it goes.

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

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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")
sold

"Lavender Heaven" (oil on linen; 11" x 14")

Painting No. 1: "Lavender Heaven"
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I love lavender.  Its enchanting scent and lovely colors always make me happy.  My ideal vacation would be a couple of weeks in Provence, painting lavender fields.  Someday....  In the meanwhile, this past weekend I took a workshop with Bobbi Pratte in the lavender fields at Willow Pond Farm in Fairfield, PA.  "Wow!" sums up the experience: the weather was perfect; the views all around, enchanting; the gourmet lunch of all the dishes with lavender in them, heavenly; the camaraderie among the workshop attendants, excellent; Bobbi's instructions, superb.  I think I ran out of adjectives!

My enthusiasm for lavender motivated me to exceed my records as a fast painter.  I have painted up to three small paintings a day.  Guess how many paintings I created during the workshop.  On Saturday morning, I dispatched two paintings.  During a break after the lunch at the farm, I worked on another painting in the shade under a tree.  By the time, we regrouped for the late afternoon painting session, I was pooped out, but no matter.  I did the number four painting of the day!  I was dazed and exhausted; I slept like a log that night.

Painting No. 2: "Lavender Fields and Summer Meadow" (oil, 10" x 8")
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Painting No. 3: "Lavender Patch by the Barn" (oil, 9" x 12")
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Painting No. 4: "Red Hot Poker Summer Garden" (oil, 8" x 10")
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On Sunday morning, after adding some finishing touches on a couple of paintings from the previous day, I "attacked" the lavender fields again, which led to Painting No. 5:

Painting No. 5: "Purple Heaven" (oil, 12" x 12")
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Eventually, alas, the lavender fatigue set in.  The last painting was more or less a rehashing of what I have done so far.  Nobody's perfect, you see.

Painting No. 6: "Lavender Fields on a Summer Afternoon" (oil, 8" x 10")
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Here are some pictures from the workshop I want to share:

Lavender cheese spread container

Lunch table; Bobbi is the lady in orange T and shirt, the second from the right

Lunch spread

Lavender blueberry cheesecake; I have the recipes for all the dishes!

Lavender tour; do you know that lavender and rosemary are close relatives?

Lavender pickers; another painting material after I recover from the lavender fatigue

Painting lavender fields; I just had to take a picture of my friends working so seriously!

LAVENDER FIELDS FOREVER!