Slope in Moonlight, 5x7

Slope in Moonlight, pastel on board by Adriana Meiss

This small pastel was done from an old photo reference and from recollection of colors during early evening. It was painted in November for the Plowshares show, and sadly, I have not painted in pastels since.

This winter has been too cold to paint comfortably in the studio- the electric heater I bought for that purpose did not help much this time. Also, for the first time in years, the cold really got to me and painting was the last thing in my mind. However, In February, after weeks of non relenting cold, a trip to visit family in Costa Rica, and lots of photo references from there, I decided it was time to paint. Since the kitchen is the warmest place in the house due to the wood burning stove being there, my only option was to paint there with oils. The ceiling fan that distributes heat to the rest of the house would have distributed pastel dust all over, so pastels in the kitchen were out of the question. Now I'm interested in seeing how two of the scenes I've painted in oils would turn out in pastel, where I feel I have more control. The last three days have been warm and I hope to be back in my studio soon!

I almost forgot to mention that the winter issue of  Life in the Finger Lakes Magazine has an interview with me done by Tina Manzer.  Here is the link if you want to read it (pg 72 and 70).

Evenfall, 5x7"

Evenfall, pastel on board by Adriana Meiss

   A new year, a new easel to replace the one I got years ago from the curb, and lots of new ideas I'm eager to put into paper or board!

   There was so much frenzy during the whole month of Dec, that I felt I needed a long period of rest. My first pastel of the year was started just 3 days ago and although is coming along very well, it is not ready yet, so I'm posting a small painting done last year for Plowshares. It's based on a photo from Alverna Heights, near Green Lakes State Park.  The body of water in the middle ground doesn't exist but I thought it added interest to the scene.

Some of my plans for this year include painting in oils and selling small paintings from this blog ( yeah, I know I have said this before but this time I've already taken the first steps).  I wish you perseverance to succeed with yours!

Of Crickets and Frogs, 11x14" - Sold

Of Crickets and Frogs, 11x14" pastel on board by Adriana Meiss

      Christmas came earlier for me: I'm thrilled to have this painting accepted in the 2012 International Association of Pastel Societies Web Show. See the show here.

     On another note, I don't like to make "resolutions" for the new year. The word has such a strong meaning --think of resolutions set in stone, that I know beforehand that I will disappoint myself sooner or later for not accomplishing them. I prefer to use the word "goals" because what ever those goals are going to be, it's easier to modify them into long and short-term goals. Here are some of my new goals:

• to participate in 2 more en plein air events
• to submit entries in more pastel competitions
• to teach a pastel workshop

Best wishes to you for the new year!

End of the Day --Reworking an idea

End of the Day, 9x12" pastel on Wallis paper by Adriana Meiss

    I tried fixing so many things in the painting from the previous post, but the more I worked on it the worse it got. The grit of the board was gone in some areas and even though I tried applying pastel grounds, some dark shadows couldn't be covered with light pastel.

    Very frustrated, because I wanted a painting with lots of yellow for the show, I started this new one, using the same reference. I still got into trouble in some areas simply because in my hurry and desperation I didn't "think it through"  before starting so I had to do that halfway into the painting and change gears. The hills in the distance for example, were an afterthought that was needed to break the tree barrier and give distance. I know this one doesn't have the same mood of gold evening light but I like it.

   The other one, I had to wash it off completely--believe me, it hurt. I applied a mix of grounds and pumice to restore the tooth of the board so it can be reused.  I'm a little bit angry at myself for having ruined something that had some good things but  for the moment, an "Aglow" painting is still in the works in my head.

Aglow, 9x12"

Aglow, pastel on board by Adriana Meiss

This painting is based on the same shed of two posts ago, but his time I wanted to play with the yellows of the sunset on the trees.  The foreground bush was an afterthought as I felt something was needed there to give  more balance to the scene. I'm still debating about it's shadow...

This one will be included in my exhibit next month. My goal is to have 15 new paintings and I'm almost done.  I have 4 large ones almost finished, and one that I haven't started yet that I've been ruminating in my head for some time. In general, I'm happy to see there is cohesion in the selected work.

Variations on a Theme

Finger Lakes Vineyard, Adriana Meiss--SOLD

  A while ago, while fixing and old painting done on location the possibility of painting some other scenes based on that one came to mind ( see here). I liked the idea of middle ground with the path disappearing into what seemed to be a valley, and I also wanted to experiment more with yellows and oranges. The ones below are the two resulting paintings, but once you are having fun with something you just continue and that's how Finger Lakes Vineyard  above came about. While the reference is from the recent trip to Canandaigua, the color scheme is the same as that of the two previous paintings.
  I like it a lot since it doesn't have much detail. My plan was to trim most of the sky area, but I found a frame that seemed perfect for it and I ended up extending the edges instead. It sold at the Lavender Festival this past weekend!

Henneberry Field #1, Adriana Meiss

Henneberry Field #2, Adriana Meiss

Intersection, 9x12"

Intersection, pastel on paper by Adriana Meiss

 
    A few years ago my daughter and I went on an exploring trip to neighboring Madison county, mostly to see the numerous windmills that dot the area.
    This view of a half hidden barn captured my attention, but it wasn't until very recently that I finally had the chance to paint it. I pushed the colors to give the idea of a warm afternoon.

Front Yard, 12x16"

I'm very happy to say that this paintings was recently juried into the National Northeast Pastel Competition at Old Forge, NY. 

Generally, the View arts center holds a Walkabout hosted by the juror of awards the day after the award ceremony. Last year's juror, Lucy Petrie, decided to have a more interactive walkabout and had the crowd divided into small groups. Each was given a list with some important points to consider when looking at a given painting. While each juror has his/her own way of determining whether a painting merits an award or not, for me it was very informative to see what where some of the factors she had taken into account when making that decision. Framing was one of them. A frame that calls too much attention to itself, or one that doesn't enhance the painting in any way, or even one that has seen better days (and believe it or not, there was one like that!) will detract a lot from the painting.

 I had a crazy week looking for the perfect frame.  It's so hard to figure from a corner sample if the moulding chosen is the right one. I'll find out very soon...

Otisco Evening, 13x19"

I painted this pastel a year ago purposely for a competition. It did not get in so I just put it aside until this show where it helped me achieve the goal of having at least ten new paintings. As it was, I ended up showing fourteen paintings: eleven new ones and three more done last year.

This is the third painting I've done of this area in Otisco. It's very fascinating seeing and comparing the colors of the crops as the light changes. I'm looking forward to paint it again this year.

Passing Clouds, 18x24"

Another big-sky landscape. This one is near Keuka Lake.

The framing began this week. I have four already framed and there are six more to go for Sunday's setup.

I received some great news: the two paintings I submitted to the Old Forge National Pastel Competition were accepted! Two more to frame... I'll post pics later on.

Cirrus Clouds, 19"x25"

I've decided I'm finally done with this one. It will be be in the cover of the invitations to the exhibit.

There was a lonely, bare tree in the middle of the field, but I removed it to intensify the feeling of big sky and long expanses of land, so typical of the area. Actually, the truth is that I did not feel like dealing with bare branches at a time when I'm in a hurry. There! It's so easy to justify our actions...

Next week I hope to be doing only framing, but I know a new painting will try to sneak in somehow.

Good news: I am now represented by Gallery 54 in Skaneateles!

Winter Shadows, 20" x 16"

One more basically done for the show!

I decided to jump into this one while taking a "break" from my other 3 started paintings.

It was smooth sailing from the get go and I think that's because even when I was taking the reference photo I knew what I was going to do to make the scene work for me: create an opening in the middle ground, add more variety to the foreground hedge, change the direction of the corn-stub rows, and change the time of day.

Even with a good sketch I found myself making a few changes midway, but they were minimal. I know there is more I can do to it but I'll wait. Done on re-coated Ampersand pastelbord.

A Storm is Coming, 5"x7" SOLD

Once again, I have to rely on an old painting to keep up with my blog. This one was actually not so old since I had it ready for the Plowshares show last Dec, where it sold.

I have been working on 3 large paintings for the March show. While I prefer to finish a piece before starting a new one, I feel that I have reached a point where I need to let things rest for a while to see what else I need to do to get the mood I want, so in the mean-time, what else can I do but to start another painting?

I'm getting very excited about the show and hope to share at lest one of the paintings with you soon!

Last Days of Fall, 8" x 10" - sold

This year I had a ball painting fall scenes.
I used to shy away from yellows, ochers and reds because I did not know how handle those colors, but as with almost anything you try, you gain confidence after a few failures.