Vigil - watercolors - Santa Barbara

                                              Coastal Stream Study watercolor on yupo 12x9

                                                 Lights on the Shore watercolor and ink 8x8


 The holiday weekend with relatives in an out of my brother`s home felt like a party even though my mother was upstairs in hospice. Having so many loved ones about brought out the best in Mom and she was funny and sweet. Midway into the week we thought her time had come but it has not. Meanwhile I got very sick with a cold and had to return home to my bed. This is the third day and I finally felt well enough to paint some, the two pieces above. Tomorrow I`ll return to her bedside. This is such an important time, I hope I`m a comfort.

 An exhibition including four of my paintings opened last night in Santa Barbara at the Marcia Burtt Studio Gallery. I became friends with Marcia after a lengthy email correspondence. She represents another Northwest artist I`ve admired for years, Michael Ferguson;

Please check out the show if you`re in the area!

MARCIA BURTT STUDIO
517 Laguna St., Santa Barbara, CA
805 962-5588 • Th-Su, 1-5 email

And my show continues at In Bocca al Lupo in beautiful Oregon City;

 Come ask me questions Wed. Dec. 16, 7 pm!

I will be teaching a one day watermedia workshop at the Coos Art Museum in conjunction with my show there Sunday July 10 2016

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Red Surf-hospice

                                                                 oil on canvas 8x8 2010


The ocean is the source of life on earth and our blood is the same salinity as the sea.

My mother entered hospice this week and all trajectory stopped. At 88, after a lifetime of health problems, she said no more treatment. I admire her decision. How marvelous it is to see someone face imminent death without fear. That is a gift to the living. I`ve been present for a birth  and a death and the profound gravity and intimacy are similar. It`s a privilege to be there.
She`s watching a movie tonight, so it appears Mom lives another day!

                                        Barcelona triptych three oil on panels each 24x24


I delivered this commission to the building site of the Barcelona apartments. The project is to provide low income housing in the 'old town' part of Beaverton. I was 'hired' by the Kimberly Kent Art Brokerage. I find commissions really tricky because there isn`t a personal motivation propelling the painting. But the client liked my work, I was given the theme and the specs and I thought I can do this, I`m a professional.


My show in Oregon City continues through Dec. 23, though a couple of holiday related closures are happening. If you`d like to view it, give a call first.

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Columbia Demo and Impressionism

                                         The Storm Lifts off the River watercolor 18x24


 This was the demonstration painting I did at the In Bocca al Lupo Fine Art gallery yesterday. While I`m often told these demos are helpful to others, they sure seem repetitive to me. Yet some of the same people keep watching. To describe the way I work sounds disingenuous, 'I keep moving the paint around until it looks like what I want', but it`s true. So many of my color choices and marks are close to random. Little experiments happening all over the surface. Eventually they coalesce into something like what I remember.
This painting was based on a 20 year old drawing;

                                                               Gorge Sketch


 I was probably with some out of town friends when we pulled off the road into a turnout. While admiring the view, I did this sketch in a tiny book I used to take everywhere in my pocket. The spot is on Highway 14 in Washington and one of the few places one can see an open expanse unobstructed by trees.
This watercolor was painted from the sketch back in the 90`s sometime;

                                                            Columbia Study

                                                         Leaf Light oil on panel 12x12


Also new. This magnificent tree grows on a golf course I walk by. I think it`s interesting that I`m always astonished at the vivid color of Fall. As if I haven`t ever seen it! I bet everyone has that experience.


 It`s blasphemy and I thought I was all alone with my submerged feelings but just recently I learned I`m just one in a large tribe of politically incorrect art lovers who believe Renoir sucks. Yes he does! Look at my comrades;

 Now this is not a great time to be beating up on anything French.
France was our country`s first ally and its noble culture will not be damaged by acts of cowardly violence. Lovers of peace and freedom worldwide, mourn with the French and share their rightful anger.

But Renoir is awful.
Not so crazy about Monet either. There, I said it.
For the best impressionism, look to America even if one of the Americans was in France like Mary Cassat. Now that was a painter! Has anyone ever depicted the mother and child bond as well?

                                                            Mary Cassat


And Daniel Garber was a master of color and light but certainly under celebrated.

                                                           Daniel Garber


My favorite and the most ambitious American impressionist was Frederick Childe Hassam.

                                                      Frederick Childe Hassam

                                                     Frederick Childe Hassam

                                                        Frederick Childe Hassam


France gave birth to impressionism but Americans brought it to fruition. My humble opinion!

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Old, New and Exhibition Shots

                                                     Balch Creek 2 oil on canvas 40x28 1993

 When I moved to the Northwest for good in Nov. 1993, I first lived in a studio apartment near Forest Park. Deliberately. Having fled New Mexico with its 300+ days of sunshine, all I wanted was to hang out in a dark wet forest. My closest access was along Balch Creek and I remember being captivated by the green glowing trees. I still am. Every winter I`m surprised at how electric they look.

 Since hanging my show last Tues. my painting efforts have been pitiful. I was excited to have the time to resume working on paper but nothing really succeeded. These two were the best of the bunch;

                                               Arcadia Moonlight watercolor on Yupo 10x8

                                               Ice Fog and Oaks watercolor on Terraskin 8x8


Before the opening reception last Saturday, I took some pictures of my show;

I will be demonstrating in watercolor this Sat. the 14th at 11 am at the gallery. I`ll show you my tricks.


Though most of his work doesn`t appeal to me much, when it does I`m smitten. Everyone has an opinion about Julian Schnabel, he`s bigger than life and his paintings are enormous! In the 80s I used to go to a local bookstore and flip through a coffee table book of his work just to see this painting;

                                                      Julian Schnabel "Portrait of God"

I still love it!


Take a look at my show!

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Water Woods and Stone Opening Nov. 7 - watercolors

                                             Rainforest Autumn 3 oil on canvas 30x24


This is the last painting I did for my show 'Water Woods and Stone' opening Sat.evening Nov. 7 at In Bocca al Lupo Fine Art in Oregon City. It`s address is  820 Main St. but the entrance is on 9th. Come say hello!

This was John as I prepared for this, the largest show I`ve done;

Here is Roxanne and her able intern Julia installing it yesterday;

Since it`s been finished I`ve done a couple of watercolors on the strange new paper called Terraskin;

                                                       Southeast Wyoming wc 9.5x13.75

                                                     Headland and Moonlight wc 8x8


This morning my friend Leigh sent me a pdf catalog of the Danish artist Henrik Simonsen. This guy is a laser sharp observer of natural phenomena and then he draws what he sees! So accurately the work can look like it was derived from photography. But not the color!

                                                                Henrik Simonsen


The catalog is from his recent show at the Wally Findlay Gallery. If you`d like to see it, contact me and I`ll email it to you.


At the top of my list of places to see is the John Day Fossil Beds. This National Monument has an artist in residency program but they`ve rejected me twice, so I`ll have to go on my own. If any of you kind visitors have recommendations for lodging or restaurants, I`d love to hear from you! It`s only two hundred miles away  or so but the park is in three separate sections with many miles in between. And not close to any sizable towns, so I`ve always felt stymied in planning a trip. I`m not a camper unless I have to and this might be the time.
This is a part of it from above;

                                                           Painted Hills photo by Q Myers

                                                          Painted Hills photo by Q Myers


Q Myers has other interesting aerial views on his/her Flickr page.


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Skies! - Water Woods and Stone

                                         Laramie to Lander 2 watermedia on paper 24x18

 I came out of my self imposed retirement from teaching to work with the Buffalo Grass group once again. They ask good questions, are very respectful and pay well. Instead of haranguing them about the importance of drawing again, I thought maybe a simple topic might be fun. As a landscape painter, I use the sky as a pivotal yet flexible element. It is usually the first thing I concentrate on because if it doesn`t set the right tone, there`s no use in proceeding. I like to think of the sky as the emotional architecture of a landscape. Everyone knows clouds come in an infinite variety and nearly every color known at some point appears in the sky. Often it seems like an after thought in many landscapes I see and it`s a lost opportunity. You can get away with putting all sorts things up there! I love how Ferdinand Hodler used clouds to frame and heighten the majesty of the Alps.

                                     The Lady of the Isenfluh 1902 - Ferdinand Hodler   

This guy is one of my favorite painters, well worth checking out. Thirty years ago I was a tourist in the Bay Area and wandered into the art museum at UC Berkeley and was bowled over by his huge symbolist paintings. Like this;

                                                       Ferdinand Hodler, Day (Truth)



 So that painting up at the top was a practice piece  I did the night before the class. It had been months since I had painted in watermedia and thought I should be prepared. My first demo was on Yupo:

                                                 North Slope watermedia on Yupo 26x20


The next was on Arches cold press 140lb;

                                                       Updraft watermedia on paper 24x18


 Speaking of Yupo, here is a tutorial on my Holy Grail of watercolor; mounting the Yupo on a cradled panel so there is no mat, frame or glass to come between the viewer and the art. Working on paper is such a joy but the whole traditional framing expense is just daunting. And what we usually pay for is glass that gives off an annoying glare! When oh when will museum glass become affordable?


Here is a little video featuring Richard Cartwright and his lyrical landscapes. They are like dreams;

                                           "Sailboat at Midnight" by Richard Cartwright


Look at Fabienne Verdier`s brush!

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Tualatin Riverbank - Last day of PDXOS 2015

                                                                 oil on canvas 30x24


 This is the demonstration painting I`ve worked on this week.
One more day to visit some artists on the Portland Open Studios Tour; Sunday Oct. 18 10am to 5pm

Randall David Tipton
5373 Lakeview Blvd
Lake Oswego OR 97035
#8
[close to I-5]
503-380-4731
randalldavidt@gmail.com

work for sale in my studio