An added painted collage

Below is another painted collage which was added to the Albany City Hall show called Mountains and Fences. It is 16" x 20" (41cm x 51cm) on a wood panel.

Addition to the Show

Two paintings sold at my Albany City Hall show and here is one of the replacements, an 8" x 8" painted collage called "Gallop the Plains." The exhibit lasts until December 30th.

Other paintings in the show

Iridescent Earrings and Stained Glass Fish

My good friend, Dennis Fehler, is using iridescent acrylic artist paints to produce some very eye-catching hand-made, hand-painted earrings. Take a look at his Glass and Wire Gallery to see the variety he has available.

(Shown by permission of the artist)

Dennis also makes fish sculptures from stained glass and wire that make great Christmas ornaments. Explore his site to see the different types of fish he makes, aluminum mobiles and colorful potted plants that never need watering.

(Shown by permission of the artist)

Collages, Watercolors and Acrylic Paintings

Photos of most of the paintings and collages at my show at Albany City Hall can be seen at my website. The one above is one of my favorites, a 16"x12" painted collage.

The Show is On

Last night we got my paintings and collages hung at Albany City Hall. There are 30 painted collages, watercolors and acrylic paintings. The show will run until Dec. 30 and open hours are 8-5, Monday through Friday. (Map to City Hall)

A couple of photos with the hanging completed...

Texture in the "Front Range"

Here are some close-ups of the "Front Range" painting from the last post to give a better view of the texture and layers of paint. Click on the photo for an even closer look.

Front Range

This is one of the newer paintings that will be in my upcoming show in December - acrylic and watercolor paintings and painted collages at Albany City Hall.

"Front Range" 18" x 24", 46cm x 61cm Acrylic Painting - 2010

This acrylic painting is covered with texture, giving it energy. It could have been too "busy" but strong shapes, values and contrast helped make it work.

Busy times

Lately, I've had a number of things in the works, art and things connected to art. One was putting together the gallery of winning paintings from the latest Watercolor Society of Oregon Exhibit to go online. Lots of good paintings are there with considerable variety for a traditional transparent watercolor show. Karen Vernon was the juror for this WSO Fall Exhibition.

Then there was setting up the online entry for the next exhibition which will appear in Eugene (OR) in March.

The big time crunch now is getting ready for a one-man show which will be held in Albany City Hall for the month of December. There are a number of paintings and collages to mount or frame. Documenting all of the pieces is another part of the process. I found a recent blog post, "Delivering Your Art to an Exhibit Venue: What to Expect", by Alyson B Stanfield, which should come in handy since it has been a while since I have had such a large show.

I'll add photos here soon of some of the artwork that will be included in the show.

Color in the Sky

Late yesterday- first a rainbow, then the sunset...

Fall color

I was beginning to have my doubts, but finally some nice fall color has arrived here. Some photos from a stroll around LBCC (Linn Benton Community College)...

Abstractions

Both of these paintings were done using acrylic paints. This first one, slightly more representational than the one following, was painted with a watercolor consistency on rag mat board. The mat board readily absorbed the paint, giving it an appearance of more depth. This may not be so visible on the computer monitor.


The painting below was made on gesso-coated paper using a thicker consistency paint. This gave it more actual texture and a very different look from the watercolor-type application. The paint sits on top of the surface in this case rather than soaking in.

(Click on the images for a larger view)

The versatility is one of my favorite attributes of acrylic paints. I am using it with a collage that I am currently working on, with acrylic gel medium as an adhesive.

Fun with Glazes

(click the image for a larger view)

This watercolor painting started out with wet-in-wet washes. Then a number of glazes, one on top of another, defined some shapes. The negative space glazes around the yellowish orb in the lower right really makes it stand out. It is the focal point of the painting due to contrast of values but also a contrast in technique or treatment. Difference in sizes of the other orbs keeps the focal point from being overly strong.

...and a Watercolor

Another abstract one, but the blue at the top turns it into a landscape.

Then an acrylic...

Acrylic on paper (click the image for a larger view)

Collage

Posting a few recent images of different media. First a painted collage...

(Click on the image to get a larger view)

Pretty in Pink?

From the garden. I liked the contrast between the pink roses and the spider preparing a captured insect, which most people will likely find repulsive.
I think the narrow range of focus worked well here.

More foggy photos from the Alsea RIver

This first image is a simple one, but I like it for that reason. And the golden side lighting of the boats and water against the dark blue fog in the background added drama to the scene.

(Click on the images to see a larger view.)

The light creating patterns as it came through the vinyl windows is what caught my eye in the scene below. At first I narrowed the image to only those windows, but I liked the composition better when it was expanded to include additional area and elements.



This photo was taken using the warm yellow direct lighting to contrast the glow of the bridge against the bluish fog.

A Moody Image from the Coast

This photo was taken along the Alsea River at Florence, Oregon Saturday morning. The fog and lighting distracted me on my way to a photography convention that morning (the Columbia Council of Camera Clubs convention). I'll post more images when I catch up from being away for the long weekend.

Click to view a larger image.

Train ride to Portland

These are some photos from a trip from Albany to Portland during Labor Day weekend.

Around Albany Station...




Salem Station along the way...

The hydro-electric plant and industry at Willamette Falls...

Pulling out of the Oregon City Station...


Portland's Union Station...



Union Station Tower at Night...

Photographing Bicycle Races

A couple of weekends ago, I photographed bicycle races for the time. The races were local, in downtown Albany (Oregon), with the streets barricaded. Photographing in a new situation like this is certainly a learning experience.
The races provided opportunities for a number of different types of shots. To me, low angle shots, rather than shooting from a standing position, make the action appear more dramatic (thanks for the tip, Dale!). Other things to consider were sun/light position, different angles, backgrounds, and matters of motion. Since the race course was set up as an irregular loop through town, there were plenty of different angles to try while having the riders well-lit. I found head-on shots to be some of my favorites.



Getting in tight on the corners was good for close-ups. You can see the muscles flexing and the looks of determination on the faces of the riders.

Capturing the look of the movement and speed is another challenge when shooting the races. Motion blur conveys that for me and panning can add an extra element.


Photographing the races was a lot of fun and I look forward to doing it again next year. There are more photos of the race on my Flickr Photostream - http://www.flickr.com/photos/robrrobinson/.

Photos from Monterey

To go with the last post of the Leafy Sea Dragon watercolor, here are some photos from the Monterey Bay Aquarium with many more on my Flickr Photostream.