Alla prima

Painting: Celeste Bergin, In the Garden, oil on 10x20 canvas panel

Friday

After painting a batch of green landscapes ....it's fun to turn my attention to RED. I liked working on implying "movement" too. I just have a few touch up type things to do to this and I'll consider it complete. It's a painting based on an Andre Kohn painting.

Painting: Celeste Bergin, Walking in the Rain, (homage painting) oil on 12x24 stretched canvas

Thursday!

Day two (for me) at Elio's Workshop. The location was Rooster Rock Park. Elio gave us a lecture about emphasis, temperature and brushstroke direction. After we were reminded of these important things many of us chose the scene facing east and looking down the Gorge.

Oil study: Celeste Bergin, The Gorge, oil on 8 x 10 canvas panel

Wednesday--!

I went to Elio's workshop in Cascade Locks today. It was super windy and .....unseasonably chilly. Luckily I had two fleece-y things with me, so I wore them both. Elio gave a lecture/demonstration about all manner of things and then we all fanned out to find our own scenes. My first painting was of some daisies, just for "warm up". I then painted a scene looking down the river onto a previously textured surface.  I tried a view of Table Mountain, but it was a complete failure. Well, all is not lost, the location was great and Elio showed me what went wrong on painting #3. ("I never look at a bad painting as a failure or a waste of paper. I look at it as a learning experience". --Vivian Sathre)

Top Painting: Celeste Bergin, Daisies, oil on 9 x 12 canvas panel
Bottom Painting: Celeste Bergin, Near Cascade Locks, oil on 10 x 8 canvas panel
Slideshow of the day:

Sketch day

The "usual suspects" sketched over at Carolyn's today. To see what we came up with....go HERE.

Sketch: Celeste Bergin, Shoes, watercolor and ink on 6x9 paper

Monday!

Oil Sketch, Celeste Bergin, Monochromatic profile, oil on 9 x 12 paper

Revamping

I found an old painting that I didn't care about and I revamped the subject (pun intended). The original painting is of a frumpy woman...but I gave her a makeover.

Painting: Celeste Bergin, In the Rain, oil on 9x12 canvas panel

Saturday!

This afternoon I met Carrie & Carolyn at the Horse Brass Pub on Belmont. Carolyn is finally back from her trip to Washington DC (Hooray!) We had dinner and sketched. The food was good. To see what we all produced.... go HERE. Earlier, I also did this Gerber Daisy study.

Oil Study: Celeste Bergin, Gerber Daisies, oil on 9x 12 canvas panel

Rest in Peace, Amy Winehouse

Sauvie Island

There is lots of green to to be seen at Sauvie Island.

Oil Study: Celeste Bergin, Sauvie Island, oil on 12x9 canvas panel

Thursday!

Maestro from the Italian maestro, means "teacher" and is a title of extreme respect given to a master musician.

Oil sketch: Celeste Bergin, Maestro, oil on 9x12 canvas panel

Wednesday--!

Painting: Celeste Bergin, Wildlife Refuge, oil on 7 x 5 gessoed hardboard

Sketching at Carolyn's

I met up with Carrie after the PPASP breakfast meeting and we sketched things on Carolyn's table. (Carolyn is away, but she'll be back next week). I didn't really achieve the right green of Carrie's handbag...but half the fun for me is just getting something down without overthinking it. Go HERE to see what else we did.

Watercolor sketch: Celeste Bergin, Carrie's Hangbag, watercolor & ink on 9 x 6 paper

Predominate shapes

My goal today was to "care" more about major shapes than to get too fussy with detail. I may leave it like this, or add and subtract. It is always enlightening to look at a painting a full day later.

Painting: Celeste Bergin, After the rain, oil on 10x8 canvas panel

walking in the rain

I took this painting with me yesterday, thinking I might paint over it completely..but, I put in some new signage and changed the umbrella to be canted. I'm not 100% certain I salvaged the painting, but, for now, it lives to see another day.

Painting: Celeste Bergin, Downtown in the rain, oil on 6 x 12 canvas panel

Utrecht Plein Air in the Park

I met Carrie in the Park Blocks and we participated in Utrecht's 5th Annual Plein Air in the Park Blocks. We thoroughly enjoyed the day and and as an extra bonus, Utrecht gave us a nice fabric bag with some art supplies inside....Hey, thanks, Utrecht!

Oil sketch: Celeste Bergin, Painter in the Park, oil on 8 x 10 canvas panel

Kruger Farms, PPASP paint out, July 14, 2011

Many thanks to Dave McBride and Kruger Farms for the great paint out today on Sauvie Island..I had a great time! (slideshow below)

Oil Sketch: Celeste Bergin, Sauvie Late Afternoon, oil on 6x6 canvas panel

Bouquet

Oil Sketch, Celeste Bergin, Bouquet, oil on 6x8 canvas panel

Sketching after the PPASP meeting at Carolyn's (july 12, 2011)

Watercolor sketch: Celeste Bergin, Money Jar, wc and ink on 6 x9

Watercolor sketch: Celeste Bergin, Purple Flowers, wc and ink on 6 x9

(Table at Carolyn's)
As is our Tuesday tradition, Carrie and I sketched at Carolyn's (we never get tired of this). To see what the others did,  go HERE.

In other news, my car "Honey" went to the hospital today to have her crankshaft looked at...bye Honey, come home soon! xoxoxox!

Carrie and I also stopped at Art on Broadway today, we know several of the artists who show there, and we thought today would be a good day to have a look around. Nice place!

Monochromatic woman

In my view, painting in just one color and white is a valuable way to spend time at the easel.

Painting: Celeste Bergin, Woman in Blue, oil on 9 x 12 gessoed paper

The Gorgeous Gorge

It was a beautiful day...went for a drive and wound up walking an easy trail, sketching and painting and topping it off by having lunch at a place called "CXXX" on the river. Hope your Saturday was a good one too!

Painting: Celeste Bergin, From the Washington Side, oil on 12x9 canvas panel

Friday!

Painting, Celeste Bergin, Among the trees, oil on 12x9 canvas panel

Sauvie Island

Painting, Celeste Bergin, Sauvie, Late Morning, oil on 8 x 6 canvas panel

Drawing from yesteryear

I had lots to do today, so I didn't paint. I'll paint tomorrow! Here is a drawing that I keep propped up in my studio. Even though it is more controlled than I currently draw, I still like it after all these years. It was an assignment from my instructor Howard Neufeld at MHCC. The assignment was to draw two versions of the same photo, one freehand and one using a grid. This is my freehand drawing and I always felt satisfaction over the fact that it turned out better than the additional drawing I did using the grid.

Graphite Drawing, Celeste Bergin, Jean Harlow, (1978), Graphite on Illustration Board

Watercolor Sketching

Carrie and I went sketching today at Carolyn's after the PPASP meeting. Carolyn is in Washington DC, but she let us indulge in our Tuesday sketching tradition. There are always interesting things to sketch at Carolyn's. To see my other sketches and what Carrie did, go HERE.

Watercolor sketch, Celeste Bergin, Transferware Teapot, watercolor and ink on 6 x 9 paper

Gesso-ing .......and the week in review

This is what I did today. I like gesso-ing panels! Also, here's a slide show of some recent photos. Bonus points to you if you can figure things out without a explanation. :)

(Top photo) Gesso dries fast in 80 degree weather
(Bottom slideshow) various recent photos

Ketchup practice painting

Oil Sketch, Celeste Bergin, At the Diner, oil on 9 x 12

Saturday!

............Putting down color in simple strokes
Oil Sketch, Celeste Bergin, Floral, oil on 6x6 wood panel