This is my contribution to the upcoming exhibit "Ode to Tides"
In too many places worldwide, wetlands have been thought worthless. They were drained then turned into pasture, farms, industrial sites or communities. In hindsight we know now how foolish that was. Beyond being rich incubators of diverse forms of life, they also can cushion inhabited areas from the worst effects of storm surges.
So "Ode to Tides" aims to educate the public while preserving and celebrating Oregons 22 estuaries, including its tide pools and shorelines. This is a project of the Wetlands Conservancy and will travel throughout Oregon in the next year. The opening reception is May 2 at the Giustina Gallery at Oregon State University in Corvallis.
I wanted to participate because these landscapes are important to me. For reasons personal and civic. No matter how huge and refreshing the ocean is, any time I visit the coast, my back is to the sea in short order while I explore the tideline, rivulets, dunes, marshes, rocks and tide pools, all part of the intertidal web of marine relationships. Their conservation is a just cause. In Oregon, the entire coastline belongs to the people. We are so fortunate to have access to the water and all of the ecologies at its edge.
See that orange stuff, those are California poppies! I took this photo from the airplane as I was leaving. I knew from my visit to the soggy Coachella desert last February, things were not as they usually are. And press about the states superbloom has been everywhere. Still, as a native and veteran of droughts my whole life, it was extraordinary to see the state so vibrant. Everyone said it was over too when I arrived in early April. Yet what I saw was the California of dreams.
I was visiting friends and family with challenges that I wanted to see for myself. Everyone was doing the best they could and I got to see grace and courage up close. Witnessing good attitudes under pressure is instructive. I was happy I came.
Two pictures from a moving train on a gorgeous ride from San Luis Obispo to Irvine.
A eucalyptus forest I walked in and got a tick!
The shade of a Live Oak, some of the best climbing trees in the world!
Another artist in my family, Tra is my great-nephew. His grandparents knew good work when they saw it and framed it.
Jason Mayer was my capable instructor when I did monoprints last month. He is giving a three day workshop in his studio in Portland coning up soon. It will be fun, plus this guy has a real feel for open space and lonely landscapes. He is a visual poet.
Ghostprint Studio
Monotype Workshop, May-14-16, $210
Join artist Jason Mayer for a three day workshop on the art of monotypes. Monotype is the most free and painterly style of printing. In this workshop you will learn to layer images to create depth and beauty. Mayer will walk you through the process of reductive and additive techniques that create a unique image with each pressing
10am-4pm Tuesday, Wed, Thurs. Hour lunch break, 12-1.
To register email manifestj71@gmail.com. Class size is limited. A $75 fee is required to hold your spot. Accept PayPal via manifestj71@gmail.com. All materials provided. Ghostprintstudio is located in downtown Portland and easily accessible by the Max line, Trimet, and Ctran.
Ghostprintstudio.com
- My first plein air effort of 2019. I just bought the only portable watercolor outdoor easel Cheap Joe sells and I wanted to try it out. I like it. For one thing I`ll be standing which is what I do in the studio. Everything had its place but I discovered I`m still going to have to lug my lawn chair with me. I need to sit occasionally.
- Here is Eva Bartel`s rig;
- She wants to be comfortable and has figured out a way to transport everything via a golf caddy cart. Her beautiful work can be precise and that takes stable conditions while working. Here`s what she paints;
Eva Bartell
Eva Bartell
Eva Bartel- I`m in awe of her ability to create these thoughtful paintings while being tormented by mosquitos, getting sunburnt, coping with the wind and glare and even with her efficient system, it can`t be easy to get to these places. She`s a hero.
photo by Joe Freeman- Here are some troubling yet compelling landscapes. The area is visible at times, in the distance from the interstate. Joe Freeman doubled back and went to check it out. It`s an interesting if disturbing story and his photos elevate the scene into something powerfully eloquent and foreboding. I live in a house made from old growth timber, the stretchers supporting my paintings are pine, wood is good! yet I have trouble imaging someone taking a saw to one of these monolithic ancient trees.
- Here is advice for the artist from the venerable Willem de Kooning. It`s worth the read.
Creek Alcove oil on canvas 48x48
4 comments:
Randall,
You really have this way with creek beds! Those spaces are so wonderful and intimate. I love the Creek Alcove piece but of course am drawn to the wetlands one as well. I don't think people really focus enough on those in between spaces. The ocean or interior always seems to be the draw.
The airplane shot is pretty incredible. We were told in early April by the docent at the Coachella Valley Reserve that the bloom was over. There was plenty to see everywhere.
I applaud people who can paint outdoors. I am intensely distracted by discomfort so it's not for me. Eva's work is wonderfully precise. She must be really determined.
And I read the piece about de Kooning. That's a guy I would have liked to speak with!
Another very full and awesome post. Thank you! Glad everyone in your family that you visited is doing well.
Thanks,
Libby
Incredibly beautiful painting!
It makes me sad to hear how some areas are so aware of the importance of wetlands and then in my town, palms are greased and houses built on them. One road now is building a barrier in the sound to protect the homes that shouldn't be there in the first place. So sad since this is where I find almost all my inspiration.
Glad to hear you got that easel. Personally, when I see your artist friend with the golf cart, I just want to sigh. I could never lug all that into the field nor do I want to. But each to his or her own.
Glorious superbloom photo. I love the cadmium orange of California poppies ... it's such a rare color to see .... come October, I'll be standing in front of piles of pumpkins, just basking in orange ... last year, the local market put purple flowers in with the pumpkins, it was stunning! Smiles, good to see your first plein air of the year ... so happy the knee is doing what knees do, and you're doing what you love.
Thanks for sharing all this beautiful artwork. Your plein air setup looks a bit burdensome, but I am going to try it this year with a small watercolor palette! The photos of the trees = haunting, sad, so beautiful when you just see the image and don't think of all the destruction. Thanks for sharing that :) Hope you are having a wonderful spring with few mosquitoes and no sunburns.
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