More small studies

Knights Valley landscape (untitled study), © 2010 Karen Lynn Ingalls

Here are a couple more small studies painted on gessoed masonite.... These are in the neighborhood of 8"x10".

Both were painted from photographs I took in Knights Valley, during autumn, a few years ago. For some reason, I'd never printed out any of the photos of that day.

Knights Valley trees and vineyard (untitled study), © 2010 Karen Lynn Ingalls

I remember the drive; it was already late afternoon when I began, and I scurried to take as many photos as I could before I lost the light. I was standing, with my camera, on a stepladder in the road — a lightly traveled road — photographing a vineyard, when a truck pulled up beside me, and the fellow inside said, "Turn around! The moon is rising!"

There, behind me, a full moon rose behind Mt. St. Helena. From then on, I photographed the rising moon. I haven't painted it, and don't know that I will. Not all photographs call to me to be painted. But what a beautiful experience....

Acrylic Painting classes at the Calistoga Art Center

The times, they are a-changing, but we're all rolling with the changes.... I've been teaching my Acrylic Painting classes through Napa Valley College Community Education – and, let me tell you, the people who run that program are stellar. I have thoroughly enjoyed working with and for them.

Interior of the current Calistoga Art Center, in the Masonic Building in Calistoga

photo © 2010 Karen Lynn Ingalls

Now that the state is no longer funding the program, the Calistoga Art Center, where I've been teaching the classes, is going to administer the program. I will continue to teach two Acrylic Painting classes this summer, one on Wednesdays from 1:00 to 4:00, and one on Fridays from 1:00 to 4:00. I'm waiting to get confirmation on my workshop dates, and I should know soon.

My new website is coming....

I've been working on my new website, with able assistance from my nephew and media consultant Nathan. I still have to add images and a little more text, but I think I may finish it by next week. Hallelujah!

Even smaller studies

Knights Valley vineyards and mountains (untitled study), © 2010 Karen Lynn Ingalls

The next logical step in working with small studies would be to try it a little smaller, right? So I painted over some small panels, originally little grid paintings from my college days, later glazed over with red. These are about 4 1/2" x 6-ish" in size, close to the size you see them at here.

The red underpainting creates a different feeling from my usual work – maybe a moodiness? It makes an interesting comparison.

Knights Valley vineyards and mountains (untitled study), © 2010 Karen Lynn Ingalls

Working this small reduces the composition to its essential shapes – nothing extraneous. I felt a freedom working on these little babies completely different from my experimentations on small canvases.

Knights Valley trees and mountains (untitled study), © 2010 Karen Lynn Ingalls

I was reminded of Monterey Bay painter Andy Williams, who paints small 4" x 5" panels, in his pochade box, when he's working on location. Then, back in the studio, he creates 6' paintings from those little studies. Over ten years ago, on an Elkhorn Slough paintout in preparation for an Elkhorn Slough Endangered Landscapes show, we painted the same spot at Hudson's Landing, maybe ten or twenty feet apart. I don't remember him taking photos, as I do, to refer to later.

Knights Valley trees and mountains (untitled study), © 2010 Karen Lynn Ingalls

Although I've used thumbnail sketches fairly extensively for working out compositions on location, I've not done much with using painted studies as the basis for future large compositions. I'm thinking that's likely going to change – I'm having too much fun with these little studies.

Small studies

Knights Valley Mountain and Vineyard View (untitled as of yet), © 2010 Karen Lynn Ingalls

Lately I've been working much smaller than usual. It began with a series of paintings, using the same composition but different palettes, done as examples for the classes I teach, to illustrate just how different the same painting can look depending on your color choices.

Because I was working on gessoed panels, rather than canvas, I really enjoyed myself. I realized that I haven't liked working small because of the texture of the canvas, rather than the size itself. The heaviness of the texture, at that size, interfered with my brushwork too much – although I love the texture of the canvas at a large size.

Knights Valley Trees and Vineyards (untitled as of yet), © 2010 Karen Lynn Ingalls

These are two of the paintings, both of Knights Valley scenes. They are each about 7 3/4" wide by 10" high. I'm thinking of using these as studies for larger paintings.