"My Calistoga" - completed at last!

My Calistoga  •  © 2011 Karen Lynn Ingalls  •  36" x 36" acrylic and collage on canvas

Sometimes it just takes awhile to figure out what a painting needs. I sit and listen, because at this point in the conversation between me and the painting, it needs to tell me what it really wants. And sometimes the painting is quiet. Sometimes they're quiet for months... or years. Sometimes I just say, "Okay - we're done!" and it becomes a moot point.

At last I figured out what My Calistoga needed – it needed gold. So here it is, photographed on the easel, with its added gold (and a little copper). And now it's ready to go out into the world.

And it did – you can see it at the Calistoga Visitor's Center (the Chamber of Commerce) in Calistoga for the next few weeks. Proceeds from its sale will benefit the Calistoga Art Center.

In case you haven't seen the story of its creation, it began as a demonstration piece at the Napa County Fair this summer. Here is its beginning, in my earlier blog posts about it:  Painting Demos at the Napa County Fair  and "My Calistoga" – continued progress.

"My Calistoga" - continued progress

My Calistoga • © 2011 Karen Lynn Ingalls

Here's My Calistoga in its "final" state (to date). As you could see in the previous post, I had a long way to go with My Calistoga after my demonstration times at the fair ended. Here's the process....

My Calistoga in process • © 2011 Karen Lynn Ingalls

Here, I added a scumbled white frame around the sides of the canvas, between the collaged photographs. I've also developed some parts of the central composition a little further.

My Calistoga in process • © 2011 Karen Lynn Ingalls

You may notice variances of light and warmth in the photographs – not to mention varying bits of easels and background around the edges. The photographs were all taken in changing light, at different times of the day, and in different parts of the art center as I worked on the painting. Here I've continued to develop the central composition, especially the palm trees, the area around them, and their reflections. I've worked a little on the "Calistoga" sign at the top, too.

My Calistoga in process • © 2011 Karen Lynn Ingalls

At this stage, I've begun the process of tinting the collaged photographs. I want them to have a kind of old-timey, tinted photograph look (though they've actually been taken over the course of the last few years). I've developed the reflecting pool area a bit more, too.

My Calistoga in process • © 2011 Karen Lynn Ingalls

The most obvious change is scumbling over the scumbled white, which covered an underpainting of reds. This time I've done it with a mid-value brown, mixed from every color in my palette.

Palm tree detail • © 2011 Karen Lynn Ingalls

I continued to add details to the palm trees, although they're subtle. Throughout the painting, I've used scumbling to give a sense of energy and vibrancy, and a kind of mistiness to the geyser. I love letting colors show from underneath.

Palm trees detail • © 2011 Karen Lynn Ingalls

Although there's some detail to the palm fronds, and the negative spaces between them, I haven't developed them overly much. In this painting, they're not as important as the geyser. The studies I did of fan palms in Palm Springs came in handily as I worked on these....

Collaged photograph details • © 2011 Karen Lynn Ingalls

I continued to work on the little collaged photographs, too. Here are a few of them.... Left to right, downtown facing the Palisades; a sunflower from the Farmer's Market (a prizewinning photo for me); and Tom Atkins' tractor, which pulled last year's Art Center float in the Fourth of July parade.

Collaged photograph details • © 2011 Karen Lynn Ingalls

Here, Eden's bicycle, which she kindly let me photograph at a concert in Calistoga's Pioneer Park a couple of weeks ago....

Collaged photograph details • © 2011 Karen Lynn Ingalls

A wonderful old olive tree across Tubbs Lane and over a bit from Chateau Montelena....

Collaged photograph details • © 2011 Karen Lynn Ingalls

Top to bottom, riders (on beautiful Palominos) in the Calistoga Cinco de Mayo parade a few years ago; the Faunce's barn on Foothill Boulevard; and Calistoga City Hall.

Collaged photograph details • © 2011 Karen Lynn Ingalls

Top to bottom – mustard between the rows of vines; the Calistoga Mineral Water truck sculpture; and Mt. St. Helena rising above mustard and vines (the view next to Faunce's barn).

I'm teaching these collage painting techniques this Saturday at the Calistoga Art Center, too. I'm looking forward to it! You can click here for the workshop information:

http://www.napavalleyartworkshops.com/painting-collages1.html

I intended the painting to be kind of iconic of Calistoga (represented by the geyser), surrounded with the small images of so many things and places I love around town. Some stand in symbolically for other places, because I just couldn't fit everything in. I still have a little bit yet to do on the painting, but it's mostly finished.

Combing through my photographs

Franz Valley School Road vineyard • © 2010 Karen Lynn Ingalls

The next stage of my painting process is looking at all those photographs I took when autumn colors were at their loveliest. As I have nearly 650 photographs to go through, it's a pretty extensive part of the process.

Not only do I look through all the images and choose the ones I like best, but I also crop photos to find new compositions, and adjust the lighting to approximate more nearly my memory (and imagination). I resize and save them, labeling them so that I can identify where I took the photo. The photo above, by the way, was taken on the way to my studio.

Thank heavens for digital photography! It allows me to take plenty of photos, giving me lots of images to work with in the paintings I'll be working on throughout the year.

More photos from the road - II

Napa Valley trees and vineyards, Silverado Trail • © 2010 Karen Lynn Ingalls

More photos from the road, taken from along the Silverado Trail.... We had a little respite from the rain, between storms.

Napa Valley trees and vineyards, Three Palms Vineyard, Silverado Trail • © 2010 Karen Lynn Ingalls

Frost has kissed some of the vineyards, browning the colors in them a little, and the wind is blowing leaves off the vines. It's curious how one vineyard can be full of leaves in strong color, while another across the road or next door can be nearing leaflessness....

Napa Valley trees and vineyards, Three Palms Vineyard, Silverado Trail • © 2010 Karen Lynn Ingalls

Three Palms Vineyard is one I keep photographing, nearly every year, though I haven't yet painted it. I love the shapes of the palm trees standing, iconic, in the middle of the vines. It helps that the road rises above the vineyard, giving me a good view of lots of color as I stand on the side of the road. There's a little too much traffic and not enough room there to use my stepladder for added height.

Napa Valley trees and vineyards, just off the Silverado Trail • © 2010 Karen Lynn Ingalls

I particularly love discovering little roads and byways I haven't yet explored. This was one of them, just off the trail. Often these little roads don't lead far, blocked by the Palisades, the steep hills rising to the east – or they become ranch roads, private property unless you know the right people and have connections.

Napa Valley trees and vineyards, Silverado Trail • © 2010 Karen Lynn Ingalls

I don't have connections on this road (yet), but it leads just far back enough to take me to some heavenly views. It was a beautiful afternoon.

More photos from the road

View of upper Napa Valley from Mt. St. Helena • © 2010 Karen Lynn Ingalls

As the rain pounds the roof, I think of the leaves falling to the ground, the cold weather and frost to come, and the inevitable curling and browning of the leaves that will follow it. I am glad I was able to get as many photographs this week as I was, while the weather was good.

View of upper Napa Valley from Mt. St. Helena • © 2010 Karen Lynn Ingalls

I love this time of year, with its glorious riot of colors. The vineyards are here what maple trees are to New England.

View of upper Napa Valley from Mt. St. Helena • © 2010 Karen Lynn Ingalls

It's important to me to take as many photographs as I can. Sorting through them, choosing, cropping, and printing them, all are jobs for rainy days, all preparatory for painting.

View of upper Napa Valley from Mt. St. Helena • © 2010 Karen Lynn Ingalls

I drove up Mt. St. Helena to get some faraway shots of the northern end of the valley, north of Calistoga. I've always thought it would be heavenly to take a balloon ride over the valley - aerial images of the vineyards and fields appeal to me, especially in the intense yellows and reds they wear in autumn. This isn't quite the same, but it's as close as I can manage with a Volvo and a highway....

On the side of Mt. St. Helena: the Volvo and the highway • © 2010 Karen Lynn Ingalls

Preparing for winter

Photographing, south of Calistoga • © 2010 Karen Lynn Ingalls

You might wonder why I haven't been posting many new paintings lately. The reason is that, this time of year, once Open Studios have passed, I and the squirrels are busy preparing for winter.

Grapes hanging on the vines, south of Calistoga • © 2010 Karen Lynn Ingalls

Like squirrels gathering nuts for the winter, I'm busy gathering images. This time of year is, for me, heaven on earth. Last year, our first frosts came in late October, and I'd missed the most beautiful colors. This year, with our weird combination of early rains and a cooler autumn (but no frost yet) is hard on growers and winemakers, but it is giving me beautiful images to photograph. I'm racing against time, though.

Photographing, south of Calistoga, looking towards Sterling Winery • © 2010 Karen Lynn Ingalls

The green grass is coming up, and the leaves really only began turning colors in earnest last week. Now they are proceeding apace – more yellow, more red, more glorious each day. But the rains have come, and they drive the leaves to the ground. I have to squeeze in as much time for photographing as I can, before the leaves have fallen. The days are short, I need to catch the light when it's just right, and I need to be in the right spot at the right time.

Photographing, west of Calistoga • © 2010 Karen Lynn Ingalls

Gathering the images is only the beginning. Then I sort through everything – hundreds of photos (thank heavens for digital cards!), and choose, label, and resort my favorites. Later will come cropping and adjusting the colors and values in each photograph, and printing out the versions I like best, all before I get back to my empty and waiting canvases.

Scarecrows as art - III

Scarecrow by Michael Holmes, from the First Annual Calistoga Scarecrow Contest © photo 2010 Karen Lynn Ingalls

A little bit more from the First Annual Calistoga Scarecrow Contest.... (drumroll) the first place winner is... Michael Holmes, from Napa!

I wanted to share a few wonderful details of Michael Holmes's pumpkinhead scarecrow. Here's an overview – the scarecrow sits on a stump, with cornstalks around him.

Scarecrow by Michael Holmes, from the First Annual Calistoga Scarecrow Contest © photo 2010 Karen Lynn Ingalls

Despite a countenance whose friendliness looks questionable, this fellow shows his heart of gold as he shares popcorn with his crow friends. (Now, that's a nice way to spend your time in a cornfield... or anywhere.)

Scarecrow by Michael Holmes, from the First Annual Calistoga Scarecrow Contest © photo 2010 Karen Lynn Ingalls

There are so many exquisite little details, like the tendrils of the pumpkin stem, and the gestures of each of the crows.

Scarecrow by Michael Holmes, from the First Annual Calistoga Scarecrow Contest © photo 2010 Karen Lynn Ingalls

The crows are happily munching on popcorn. I wonder if the popcorn will bring in real crows, too - there are plenty in the neighborhood. Would they be intimidated by the ones they'd see here?

Crow by Michael Holmes, from the First Annual Calistoga Scarecrow Contest © photo 2010 Karen Lynn Ingalls

I love the simplicity and featheriness of the crow's newspaper wings. They flutter in a breeze.

Scarecrow by Michael Holmes, from the First Annual Calistoga Scarecrow Contest © photo 2010 Karen Lynn Ingalls

More crows enjoying their snacks. It's a nice harvest party....

Crow by Michael Holmes, from the First Annual Calistoga Scarecrow Contest © photo 2010 Karen Lynn Ingalls

This crow holds the scarecrow's number (for the competition). He's #13.

Pheasants by Michael Holmes, from the First Annual Calistoga Scarecrow Contest © photo 2010 Karen Lynn Ingalls

A couple of pheasants have joined the feast. They're made of feathers and natural materials.

Scarecrow by Michael Holmes, from the First Annual Calistoga Scarecrow Contest © photo 2010 Karen Lynn Ingalls

A last look at the tableau.... It really needs a name, don't you think? Scarecrow's Party? Friends' Feast? What name would you choose?

You can see more of Michael Holmes's design work (it's sumptuous and creative) at his website, www.michaelholmesdesigns.com.

Scarecrows as art - II

Scarecrow, from the First Annual Calistoga Scarecrow Contest • photo © 2010 Karen Lynn Ingalls

Here are yet more scarecrows from the Calistoga Scarecrow Contest at Indian Springs Resort and Spa, in Calistoga, California. This first, wine-loving fellow definitely isn't in Kansas anymore...

Scarecrow, from the First Annual Calistoga Scarecrow Contest • photo © 2010 Karen Lynn Ingalls

... and he is generous with his wine, too. No scaring crows away here!

Scarecrow by Gina Cerda, from the First Annual Calistoga Scarecrow Contest • photo © 2010 Karen Lynn Ingalls

Gina Cerda's metal wino scarecrow looks a whole lot more forbidding. A good reminder to keep all things in moderation!

Scarecrows, from the First Annual Calistoga Scarecrow Contest • photo © 2010 Karen Lynn Ingalls

Then there is this couple, with a tub of grapes ready to stomp (and she looks fresh from the spa – is that a mud mask she's wearing? With cucumbers over her eyes?), who are "blown away by the Napa Valley." These really do make me grin. I love seeing what people come up with!

Scarecrow by Beverly Wilson and Carl Ciliax, from the First Annual Calistoga Scarecrow Contest • photo © 2010 Karen Lynn Ingalls

Keeping to a local theme, especially for the foodies among us, Beverly Wilson and Carl Ciliax created this very creative chef, whose recipes ought to scare off any self-respecting crow.

Scarecrow by Beverly Wilson and Carl Ciliax, from the First Annual Calistoga Scarecrow Contest • photo © 2010 Karen Lynn Ingalls

Crow's Nest Soup, Crab Crow-quettes, Crow-Quilles St. Jacques, and Blackbird Pie are on the Specials Menu. What's the matter – doesn't that crow read?

Scarecrow by Sharie Renault and Linda Wilds-Beltz, from the First Annual Calistoga Scarecrow Contest • photo © 2010 Karen Lynn Ingalls

Here's a Day of the Dead Frida Kahlo scarecrow, complete with paintbrush and palette, created by Sharie Renault and Linda Wilds-Beltz. She looks even more colorful than her palette!

Scarecrow, from the First Annual Calistoga Scarecrow Contest • photo © 2010 Karen Lynn Ingalls

Frida is accompanied by Señor Death, with his scythe. In spite of the smile, I wouldn't want to meet him on a dark night....

Indy Crow, by Connor Hitt, from the First Annual Calistoga Scarecrow Contest • photo © 2010 Karen Lynn Ingalls

Here is Indy Crow (notice the Indiana Jones-ish hat and whip?), created by the contest's youngest scarecrow maker, Connor Hitt, who is in third grade. Indy has a skull on the other side, too.

Connor Hitt and Indy Crow, from the First Annual Calistoga Scarecrow Contest • photo © 2010 Karen Lynn Ingalls

Great photo of Connor with Indy Crow, isn't it?

Scarecrow, by Bailey, from the First Annual Calistoga Scarecrow Contest • photo © 2010 Karen Lynn Ingalls

Bailey's bone-and-Spanish-moss-bedecked scarecrow is another one I wouldn't want to meet on a dark night....

Scarecrows, from the First Annual Calistoga Scarecrow Contest • photo © 2010 Karen Lynn Ingalls

And, last but not least, this family of man-and-woman symbols.... Two fellows who work at Indian Springs put these up, grinning, while I was working on my scarecrow last Tuesday. When I told one of them how much I enjoyed it, he said, "Aww... it's just random." Nyaaah... you can read all kinds of things into it....

The scarecrows will be up into November. The best way to see them is to stroll around the grounds at Indian Springs – you'll miss a lot if you only stay in your car.

Scarecrows as art - I

Scarecrow by Michael Holmes, The First Annual Calistoga Scarecrow Contest • photo © 2010 Karen Lynn Ingalls

The First Annual Calistoga Scarecrow Contest brought out scarecrow makers from all over. Here are some of their scarecrows. This giant pumpkin-headed fellow, who so generously shares his bowl of popcorn with visiting crows, was created by Napa artist Michael Holmes.

Scarecrow by Yvonne Henry, The First Annual Calistoga Scarecrow Contest • photo © 2010 Karen Lynn Ingalls

What could be more disturbing than a crying baby? Now, that will surely scare the crows away. This crying baby was created by photographer and artist Yvonne Henry.

Scarecrow by Guy Pederson, The First Annual Calistoga Scarecrow Contest • photo © 2010 Karen Lynn Ingalls

This enormous crow was created by Guy Pederson. He's big enough to scare off all the little crows....

Scarecrow Straw Owl, The First Annual Calistoga Scarecrow Contest • photo © 2010 Karen Lynn Ingalls

Here's a sweet little straw owl.

Scarecrow fashionista, The First Annual Calistoga Scarecrow Contest • photo © 2010 Karen Lynn Ingalls

This fashionista wears a dress made of green tea packets.

Scarecrow, The First Annual Calistoga Scarecrow Contest • photo © 2010 Karen Lynn Ingalls

This friendly, colorful pumpkin-headed fellow looks like he's getting ready for Mardi Gras!

Scarecrow, The First Annual Calistoga Scarecrow Contest • photo © 2010 Karen Lynn Ingalls

I so appreciated the creativity with which many of the artists used natural materials in their scarecrows, such as this one.

Scarecrow pirate, The First Annual Calistoga Scarecrow Contest • photo © 2010 Karen Lynn Ingalls

Here's a pirate with his treasure chest (notice the parrot on his shoulder, too). I don't think I'd want to cross this guy....

Pique assiete scarecrow by Ann Shelby Valentine, The First Annual Calistoga Scarecrow Contest • photo © 2010 Karen Lynn Ingalls

Shelby Valentine, whose Napa River stele – created in pique assiette, a form of mosaic – is part of the Napa Artwalk, made this wonderfully whimsical pique assiette scarecrow.

I'll post more photos of more scarecrows soon. You can see the scarecrows for yourself at Indian Springs Resort and Spa in Calistoga into November.