Intoxicated by Plein Air

Largely employed by the sunny weather, I have nearly abandoned my studio life.... and the electric eye. Alas, I take a moment to check in with you and the world beyond my measure. I love the warmer weather and its lure of adventure and color.  My journey is swift and so is this update.  Be well my friend, as I have not forgotten you.  

~Brenda

"An Alternate Route" 12x16" Pastel  Los Gatos Plein Air ©Brenda Boylan

"Brunch at Zeppo's" 12x16" Pastel  ©Brenda Boylan

Lake Oswego Festival of the Arts "Sponsor's Award"  

"Purple Penumbra" 16x20" Oil ©Brenda Boylan

Willamette Valley Lavender Festival Plein Air event, Honorable Mention

Beowulf & Lavender, 6x6

"Beowulf & Lavender" 6x6" oil

This past week the weather was spectacular here in Oregon and the Lavender Festival Plein Air event was well underway. I had gone out 4 different times to paint with oils and produced 3 presentable ones that I entered into the show.  I felt like I painted so much lavender that I began to suffer from purple-eye-diss. Ack! There is only so much you can paint with rows and rows of purple, but hey, it's so blissfully fragrant.  So, in order to mix things up a bit and paint something different, I asked my daughter to pose for a few artists and I for a live model session with some more...ugh,  lavender.  It was really fun to paint a live model plein air, but I do see some needed adjustments to the piece that I may change later.  After turning in of the work at the show, I immediately went out an painted something urban to help wash any purple-eye-diss. 

After painting my daughter Nikki in the lavender field

Unfortunately, I was unable to make the reception to the show due to a prior engagement, but found out at the conclusion of the show that my work "Mountainside Lavender" won a 2nd place and "A Direct Relative" earned an Honorable Mention.  Woo Hoo!

Surprised and encouraged with my oil paintings "Mountainside Lavender" 

and "A Direct Relative"

These two pieces will be hanging in Currents Gallery in McMinnville for the month of August. Info to your right--->

With all this great weather we are having, I am finding it a challenge to be in the studio to work on the business side of my art.  I have much work to do for a commission as well as preparation for another Pastel Punch! workshop and the Oregon Plein Air Invitational.  So I may not post for a few weeks. Until then, enjoy something summery and wonderfully fun!

Mountainside Lavender, 8x10

"Mountainside Lavender" 8x12" Oil ©Brenda Boylan

Since my return from Los Gatos, I've been taking much needed time with my family and also enjoying the 4th of July events around town. This coming week I will be painting for the Yamhill Lavender Festival's Plein Air show.  It's a small venue and out in the countryside, but it's so worth the hike out there for something off the beaten path. Some lavender farms are more picturesque than others, much like Mountainside Lavender that has a couple of fields full of a variety of lavender.  I love the sun on my skin, the fragrant air, and the sound of bees buzzing.  Many people come out to cut their own lavender for whatever they use it for and while they pick away, I just hope for a moment that they would just hold still enough for me to paint them into my work.  Perhaps I'll challenge myself on the next piece with this idea, eh?  It's funny, I heard someone talking about cooking with lavender while I was painting away, thinking how that would taste. Oh, the thoughts we think as we paint away in pure heaven.  Ahhhh

Here is my painting and the subject.

Market Pause, 9x6

"Market Pause" 9x6" Pastel on sanded paper

This summer has been a whirlwind of activity for me, but today Portland had a summer rain that gave me much needed time to clear off my desk, reconcile a weary check book, and pick through some old photos. Quiet stuff in the studio. Rain in Portland in mid July is not all that unusual, but today it was a downpour. I kept asking myself "Whaz wit dat?"

This piece is just part of a larger one that I was never too pleased with, but after finding it in my 'pile' of old paintings, I figured there was something more to it when cropped. I love cropping a piece and finding more strength in the composition than before. This one is from the Beaverton Farmers Market from a few years back. A quick and gestural piece, not accurate, but still colorful and summerful. Enjoy.

Also on the newsfront, I was awarded first place with my "Bolts of Lavender" piece at the Yamhill Lavender Festival last week. A huge thank you to judge Eric Bowman for selecting my piece! It was a fun event speckled with a few more of those peculiar summer rainy days.

Lavender Laps, 11x15

"Lavender Laps" 11x15" Pastel on sanded paper

Sometimes the winter gets a little too cold for me and so to remedy this, I sometimes like to post something that takes me back to the heat of the summer. This one was painted Plein Air a couple of summers ago in late July when the Lavender farmers are getting ready to harvest their fragrant herb. Oooooh, I can just smell the heavy scent of the lavender and hear the bumbling bees....and just feel the hot wind on my skin. Are we there yet Scotty?

Of Color & Field (study), 6x6

"Of Color & Field" 6x6 Pastel on sanded paper SOLD

This little study is one of my favorites painted over the course of my Open Studio this past October. With the weather going south, it's a wonderful reminder of the warmer temps of August and the heavy frangrance of lavender. Oh, how I long for the summer months! A plein-air trip to the Mountandale area within the Portland, Oregon region, my painting buddy Gretha Lindwood and I go here for our more serious work. The woman with the parasol was delighted to do a few poses for us as reference to future work. Here she is, amongst the summer colors. Available through PayPal, unframed $75.00 (free shipping only to continental US)

Bishops' View, 9x9

What a day! I went out with my painting buddie, Gretha, to plein-air paint at 2 lavender farms today! What a day! The temps rose to around 91 degrees even in the shade, but we kept painting well into the late afternoon till 6pm. We first started out at Jackson School Lavender farm around 10am and worked till we were done at 1:00. Ate our lunches and headed over to Bishop House Lavender farm. Above is the result from that location. Both Gretha and I sold our pieces right off the easel! Now that was fun!

Beyond the Lavender, 15x11

"Beyond the Lavender" 15x11"

Packed my painting bags and went out to Jackson School Lavender farm in the late afternoon to plein-air paint. This was the first for me to paint so late in the day, but what colors there were! As the sun drifted lower and lower, the fields got warmer and warmer. The gravel from which I painted even had a pinkish cast to it. This coming weekend is The lavender festival and many local farmers are hosting artists as well as the general public to come out and enjoy their fields. In this piece, I injected the fields with aqua, rust and yellow ochre to give it some punch, although the colors may seem a bit off due to monitor settings. I spent most of my time on the background this time around, working on the depth of the scene. Enjoy!

My First ImageKind sale!

"North Plains Lavender"

Wow! This afternoon, I logged onto my ImageKind account and found that a sale had been made to an anonymous purchaser! I'm thrilled that something moved from my online gallery! Wooo hooo! Although it isn't enough to go out and buy everyone a latte', it will at least validate my account! ImageKind offers a ton of work and will also offer framing that you can preview before purchasing. It's really neat! I wish I could thank the customer, but it was anonymous so that doesn't help me, but just the same I'm thrilled! Oh, the image above is what was purchased as a giclee'.

EBSQ "Member's Choice" award

"Lavender Afternoon III" 21x23"

EBSQ.com offers it's members opportunities to enter their online art shows. Last month's Flower of the Month (FOTM) show was a Mediterranean favorite, Lavender. I entered my work "Lavender Afternoon III" which is my third rendition of my favorite piece. "Lavender Afternoon III" was awarded the "Member's Choice" award. See my entry here: EBSQ FOTM Show Sold. Giclee' available