One of my paintings going in the Rawls Gallery Group Exhibition.
/This plein air was of Gilfillan Farm, Pennsylvania, an amazing place to paint. Quite a few buildings and fields and in the earlier autumn it the colors came alive.
This plein air was of Gilfillan Farm, Pennsylvania, an amazing place to paint. Quite a few buildings and fields and in the earlier autumn it the colors came alive.
Last year, I completed the painting on the right with the boat that had no sails. I had been working from two photos I had taken but with different exposures. In hopes of getting all the values that I remember seeing. Once at a point where I thought that any more work on it would destroy the painting, I stopped. For some reason, I let the size of the painting get to me. It was one of my bigger paintings, and the fact that I had gotten lost on the direction on how to complete it, should have clued me in that it wasn't really done. It's true, that most painters can almost always find something to keep working on . But at what moment are we to really know when that the painting is truly done? Confidence during the process can make the decision easier. Other times, it's not that self evident and we have to struggle within ourselves to know when to stop working. Having mulled it in my mind for a few months of what to do, I decided to go back into the painting and flesh out the problems I hadn't resolved before. I think the result is much better.
This is one of my new studio paintings that I'll exhibiting in the group show with Bernard Conda and Thomas Bradshaw next month. I had a little bit of a struggle with this, as all painters do from time to time. There's a desire to grow and yet stay true to your self. I feel the need to loosen up, but find myself trapped in getting too tight with details. Sometimes your head is in the game, and other times, you feel like you just don't know where to start. I may revisit this one with a major crop to only include the engineer and the front of the train. When I experimented with various crop sizes, it did have a different effect. Particularly making the train seem more massive in size and mass.
One of my favorite plein air sessions had to be from the trailer park near Little Creek. I had passed by this beautiful Chevy Bel Air, a 56 to be exact earlier in the fall. Although, it was sunny when I passed by the first time, the clouds had rolled in when I set up to paint. It was one of my first paintings after I had gotten my Easy L Versa and tripod. If you look closely enough you can see I have hardly any paint on the easel back board. The locals drove by and seemed to appreciate it. What I didn't expect was the trailer park management to drive by and start asking if I had a permit. "What? A permit for what? To paint? Duh, no." I thought. But I was polite and explained the whole reason I was there was to paint the classic car. Then I turned the easel around to show her the progress. That seemed to impress her enough to let me get back to painting. Sometimes it's better to set up and paint and then let things play out if someone is curious enough to ask what I'm doing there. Hopefully by then the painting has gotten far enough that I can show my efforts and can see I'm serious about painting.
With everything else going on, I managed to eek out a painting for the Randy Higbee 6 Squared Exhibition, and got it in. I was stressed to get the paint to dry before sending it off. That is one of the short comings of oil is dry time, but most of the times, I'm not on a shipping deadline. It really does make me wonder how Lyendecker and Rockwell made the Saturday Evening Post deadlines with the shipping of the work. I've heard of horror stories of other artists trying to get their oils to dry in time, but craziest one is when an artist (Whom will remain nameless), tried putting his oil painting in the oven at a low temperature. I wrote to him after reading about it and he was quick to say it was a BAD, BAD, BAD IDEA! So, the only real solution I've read and have been told by illustrators is Crystal Clear by Krylon. I did this to some of my paintings back when I was illustrating, but quickly gave up on it because of the nasty smell it leaves behind for a few days. Surprisingly, I haven't noticed any change of color to the paintings I still have from over 10 years ago. Conservators will say it is not good to do this, and I agree. Better to let it dry naturally and then add varnish after the appropriate time.
Next spring, I'll be attending the Olmsted Plein Air Invitational in Atlanta, Georgia. At the time of getting the invitation from Andy Hall, he explained this was their first year. I forgot to post this awesome palette they sent me earlier. Recently, I looked at the roster of the other artist attending. "Whoa!", I said to myself as I saw a who's who of plein air painters also invited. Needless to say, another cool thing I saw was several artists that I had the pleasure of making friends with at Easton this past summer. My next thought was to look at the terrain of the park. The park was designed by Frederic Law Olmsted, who also designed NYC Central Park, (I instantly flashed back to the movie, "The Park Is Mine", starring Tommy Lee Jones). When I got to the park map legend, there were several diagrams of trees and what? Alligators? For a brief moment the thought popped up I might be painting alongside a pond and out of nowhere an alligator would lurch out at me. My wife, who was over looking with me at the computer, said, "The gator is a work vehicle". Duh, I'm such a dunce! So now, I began to think, I'm a train guy, I paint structures, vehicles and buildings. Not many trees. It became very clear that I was really going to need to study and learn how to paint trees and vegetation much better than I currently do. So, after I get my current painting done, (another train), it's off to paint and study trees and other plant life! Also, it's a indication to me that I need to finish the John Carlson book I started, but haven't finished yet.
I have the distinct honor of showing with two other great Virginian Artists, Bernard Conda and Thomas Bradshaw and I will have our paintings on display. This exhibition will at the Rawls Gallery in Courtland, Virginia. I am really excited about this show, as Bernard and I have painted around a lot of places on the weekends. Some of them very cold, others pretty hot. He is a phenomenal figure painter and I knew that he would do amazing work in plein air once I convinced him on the virtues of outdoor painting. Somehow, I have even managed to end up in his paintings as part of the subject matter, (see below in the blue jacket). Tom and I met through local plein air events and have both made it into the prestigious Plein Air Easton, the biggest competition in the world for plein air painting. He gets out to paint regularly and teaches workshops as well. This is going to be one amazing show and I hope that you have a chance to make it out to the opening reception!
Show opens Dec. 12, 2014.
Rawls Museum Arts
22376 Linden Street
Courtland, Virginia 23837
(757) 653-0754
I’m thinking that this might be my entry for the Higbee 6x6 gallery exhibition. I missed last years event, and I really regretted not getting a painting submitted, so I decided to belt one out last night to see what I could get. Gonna sleep on it and wake up with fresh eyes later on.
If you have never been to Pittsburgh it is a fun town to paint, and the people couldn’t be nicer. I’m technically painting in the street in this photo. But despite the cars parking in front of me and behind me through out the day, the drivers and later on a police officer were all polite and understanding. How can you not love a town that appreciates artists like that?
My trip so far on this journey has been awesome! I've met some new artists and some from Plein Air Easton. The weather on the first day was gray and over cast. Only when I was finished did the sun come out. Monday, proved to be epic and full of brilliant morning light. I wish had more time to take pics, but I wanted to get a jump on the first painting. The second painting was just plain challenging. The clouds came back and brought torrential showers, but I was determined to paint thru it as long as the wind didn't blow too hard. Luck prevailed and I left feeling good at accomplishing a painting thru heavy rain.
"Rusty Engine No.5" is for sale during the URBAN BEAUTY show at the Randy Higbee Gallery. Oct.4th-17th. 102 Kalmus, Costa Mesa, California. Opening Reception this Saturday!
See all the work FOR SALE.
"Easton Afternoon" is for sale during the URBAN BEAUTY show at the Randy HigbeeGallery. Oct.4th-17th. 102 Kalmus, Costa Mesa, California. Opening Reception this Saturday!
See all the work FOR SALE.
"Bank Noir" is for sale during the URBAN BEAUTY show at the Randy HigbeeGallery. Oct.4th-17th. 102 Kalmus, Costa Mesa, California. Opening Reception this Saturday!
See all the work FOR SALE.
The weather couldn't be better, and Cole and I had a great time meeting fellow locals. It was a non stop signing session and even with the signed limited edition posters sold out.
I'll be signing posters this Saturday, Sept.27th, 2-4pm down on the boardwalk for the Neptune Festival. Come by and say hi and get your poster personalized for you or as a gift.
As children, tourists and dogs bounded down Duke of Gloucester Street on Saturday, a dozen artists took in the scene not through the lens of a camera, but through the touch of paintbrush to paper.
For the fourth annual Plein Air Show, presented by Williamsburg Celebrates as part of Williamsburg Fall Arts, painters took to the street to create works of art. They could paint en plein air — French for “in the open air” — prior to the event and display their pieces at a festival tent, or set up an easel at 7 a.m. Saturday and work until the 3 p.m. judging for cash prizes.
Doug Clarke, a painter from Virginia Beach, loves taking his work outdoors. Painting outside combines pleasure and training for him, as he fights the challenge of changing light and gradually shifting landscapes.
“It’s like drag racing with paint to some degree,” Clarke said.
When he started his “Williamsburg Morning,” the sun was barely peeking from behind the gardens across from Bruton Parish Church. By mid-morning, it was beating overhead from an azure sky.
Clarke said he does not aim for the precision of a photograph, but rather tries to capture the essence of a setting in his art. It is a vision that won him first place and a $1,500 cash prize at the end of the day.
Kay Krapfl, painting in the gardens off Duke of Gloucester Street a block away, said painting outside adds an element to art that cannot be created when working from a still snapshot.
“When you copy from a photograph, it loses its depth and feeling,” she said.
She will paint from a photo in the winter, but as soon as the weather gets warm, she longs to be creating outside.
This is her second year participating in Williamsburg Celebrates’ event and — a lover of impressionist painters of nature — she chose her spot for its colorful flowers.
Artist Ginny Fisher scoped out a location prior to setting up her easel Saturday morning. Tucked in the garden behind the plant shop on Duke of Gloucester Street, she wanted to depict the shadows and intricacies of a wheelbarrow, pots and bricks.
She hoped the little details would spark a connection with a viewer, bringing a smile to someone’s face who remembers the old farm of a relative.
“Picket fences – it means home,” Fisher said of her paintings background.
She appreciated the Plein Air Show was tied with the Contemporary Artisans Show in tents up Duke of Gloucester Street, just off Merchants Square. While she painted in a quieter spot away from the heavy foot traffic at the show, Fisher said the two events gave artists a platform for connecting with the community.
All proceeds from the event went to Housing Partnerships Inc., a nonprofit that serves the Historic Triangle with emergency home repairs and installation of indoor plumbing.
Also earning honors for their painting of the day were Bob Carlson, in second place for his piece of the Robert Carter House, and Bob Oller winning third place for “Pomegranate Garden.” They received $1,000 and $500 respectively.
Had a great time at the Williamsburg Plein Air. The morning light was incredible! Met new painters from Yorktown and Williamsburg as well. Ended the day with a sale and first place! Looking forward to next years event!
"Bank Noir" 9x12 oil on canvas - available. I approached this very differently than my other paintings. Some what of a frustrating experience due to the frequent wipe aways and rebuilding the painting. Not sure how I feel about it yet, but it's done. Definitely learned a lot thru the process of this piece.
This was a fun painting based from my travels to San Francisco.
Doug Clarke is a Plein Air and Studio painter based out of Virginia Beach. He works almost exclusively in oils, as well was on location, to create the majority of his paintings. Currently his working on building a collection of work that captures vanishing landscapes from his hometown area of Southeastern Virginia.
Doug Clarke
Landscape and figure painter pursuing his adventures in outdoor painting throughout the country. An accomplished plein air painter, he has won numerous awards for his depiction of rural and urban landscapes.
Latest Oil Painting
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Museum-quality posters made on thick matte paper. Add a wonderful accent to your room and office with these posters that are sure to brighten any environment.
• Paper thickness: 10.3 mil
• Paper weight: 189 g/m²
• Opacity: 94%
• ISO brightness: 104%
• Paper is sourced from Japan
This product is made especially for you as soon as you place an order, which is why it takes us a bit longer to deliver it to you. Making products on demand instead of in bulk helps reduce overproduction, so thank you for making thoughtful purchasing decisions!
CLICK IMAGE TO SEE FULL VIEW
Museum-quality posters made on thick matte paper. Add a wonderful accent to your room and office with these posters that are sure to brighten any environment.
• Paper thickness: 10.3 mil
• Paper weight: 189 g/m²
• Opacity: 94%
• ISO brightness: 104%
• Paper is sourced from Japan
This product is made especially for you as soon as you place an order, which is why it takes us a bit longer to deliver it to you. Making products on demand instead of in bulk helps reduce overproduction, so thank you for making thoughtful purchasing decisions!
• Paper thickness: 10.3 mil
• Paper weight: 189 g/m²
• Opacity: 94%
• ISO brightness: 104%
• Paper is sourced from Japan
This product is made especially for you as soon as you place an order, which is why it takes us a bit longer to deliver it to you. Making products on demand instead of in bulk helps reduce overproduction, so thank you for making thoughtful purchasing decisions!