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Monday, July 29, 2013

Day 40, project 125 Lone tree and rock wash painterly painting BECKY JOY

Today is another difficult day with my daughter. I painted this morning and also started my next book or most probably a dvd about color. I've been going through notes that I have gathered together over several months and organizing my thoughts. Right now, it is an outline and where I will start. A couple more days and I can start video taping some. I've had so many people ask me about dvd's and especially about color. It's time to start working on it. It will be more intensive than the last book that I put together, because it is a complicated and sometimes difficult subject to understand.

Today, while I was painting this painting I was think more about color itself and how I use it. The range of colors in this painting is in the blues and greens with a little bit of orange and red, which is a split complementary. The complementary colors red and orange are just used as an accent. The painting seems colorful, but it is a small range of colors, but it does harmonize very well. I softened the background with my brush to knock it back, giving more aerial perspective.

I will be taking off real soon to go back to my daughter's house to make dinner for everyone and to have dinner myself for tonight. Back to the painting tomorrow.

How to Create Better Paintings E-Book $14.95.

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Becky Joy

Saturday, July 27, 2013

Day 39, Drifting white clouds plein air oil landscape painting by BECKY JOY

Hi everyone,
I didn't paint yesterday. I had a family situation come up and went to my daughter's late on Thursday night. Yesterday I spent the whole day there. She has been having a difficult time lately. She has three children, has been going to school full time, 4 years and now starting her last year. This summer she has been going through a divorce which, like a lot of cases, hasn't been easy. She needed my help yesterday, so I put the paints and computer away and went over there to help. Everything is better, but we are all tired. My oldest grandson is off to football camp in CA now (his second year of varsity as a sophmore and a great kid). The next one, a young teenage girl has been off doing girl things with a friend, each staying overnight at each other's houses (and last night I took them to the movies). The youngest girl who will be in the third grade has just been playing with her neighborhood friend, back and forth to each others homes. All is well there and now all is well with my daughter. I cleaned, made dinner and took some pressure off of her for the day.

So, on to my painting today. I took it easy today, went out on my back patio and painted the passing clouds, a peaceful scene. I also gathered four paintings and frames that I will be shipping off to the Good Art Company Gallery in Fredericksburg, TX. That was the extent of my day and I don't think I'll be making up the painting I missed yesterday. In the scheme of things, big deal. I may have one or two less paintings.

Join me for an exciting experience in

TUSCANY, ITALY PAINTING WORKSHOP

June 7 - 14, 2014

Book before Aug 31 for a discount. Click here for details.

Have a good weekend and I'll talk to you all tomorrow.
Becky Joy
workshops

How to Create Better Paintings

Using Foundational Concepts

$14.95.

Tuesday, July 23, 2013

Day 36, Project 125 Old Red Shack Painting Revisited, BECKY JOY

Today I painted from an old painting from about two years ago. It is amazing how much my painting has changed in that time. But, I am still on that quest of loosening up a bit. I've always like to look of abstract and realism together. I'm looking to get some of that in my paintings. With this painting, I painted in all the forms, then deconstructed it with my brush. I then went back into it with some strong brushwork. That is what I'm after, it just need some refining and more painting time to get it where I want.

As soon as I'm done here, I'll be gathering my paints together and a larger canvas to take to the Royal Palms Resort tonight. I will be doing a demo this time on a larger canvas. I want to work on some of my thoughts with this painting and my last one. I'll take some photos of it and show you tomorrow the results.

Becky Joy

Monday, July 22, 2013

Day 35, Abandoned Turn-of-the-Century Home oil Painting BECKY JOY

Today was a day of errands. I woke up late, finally got on the treadmill after an hour and a half or so on the computer. While I was on the treadmill, I remembered that I was meeting a bunch of artists today at 11:30. After a quick shower, it was on the road. It was a great lunch-meeting with some good networking. I learned all kinds of things that were going on locally here. Anyway, ideas are forming now. I then stopped at my daughter's house, talked a while with her and the grandkids, went to the store with her and borrowed her camera.

I came home a took some photos of a bunch of paintings. (Her camera is a better one than mine. I use it for special photos here and there.) After that, I finally got down to some painting this afternoon. I intended to work on a large one today, but it didn't happen. This was it! This painting is similar to a plein air that I painted in Oregon. This time, I played with the edges a little more and tried to loosen up with all but the white of the house. The field is looser with a pathway of a couple of strong strokes.

Tomorrow, there's always tomorrow for the big painting and to get that one more little painting caught up. I am behind one now. This weekend I spent most of my time rebuilding my webite, Easel Notes. I opened a website on the computer while I had my webpage open. It attacked my website before I knew it. I had to go into the html to remove it and while I was at it, I was putting in a new header, then a new menu......... Well, it was a big job. I'm not quite done, but it's looking a lot better. Some little changes and additions and it will be in pretty good shape. Then, I'll try to start posting on it more.

Talk to you all later.

Saturday, July 20, 2013

Day 33 and 34, Project 125 Painting the Desert Colors | BECKY JOY

Well, I am having a hard time getting to all the posting as I said. Consistent posting was also a goal of mine in this project. I figured it would be a long enough project to get some habits going here. Maybe. This is another painting playing with color. I'm also trying to simplify the brush strokes, which is much easier to do with small paintings than large.

This is actually from an old painting that I did about 3 years ago. I no longer have the painting, but I do have a photograph. The colors aren't a lot different, but I have loosened up a lot. I would say that my strokes are much more confident. It is hard to get those loose strong brushstrokes without putting some miles behind the brush and feel confident in what you're doing. I remember hearing "paint with confidence". Easy said, when there is so little that you know.

It has been very hot here in Phoenix now, Of course, it's summer. Surprise! We had a good monsoon storm last night, wine, rain, lightening, the works. It's exciting with the weather change like that. I didn't even have to water the lawn today. Yay!

I just got my flyer for the Tuscany workshop. If you sign up before Sept 1, 2013, you will save a substantial amount on the trip. If you are interested in more details, email me at beckyjoy@beckyjoy.com. My workshops are either full or very close to being filled, so make sure to sign up if you are thinking about signing up. workshops

Talk to you all tomorrow.

Thursday, July 18, 2013

Day 32, Project 125 Colorful Sky painting, Playing with Color | BECKY JOY

I worked in the studio on a larger painting most of the day. This was another color study for a large painting. I first painted the large dark shape of the tree, then the mountains. Next, was the lower sky color with the red. Everything was keyed off those colors being subordinate to that. I really wasn't sure what I was going to paint other that a large tree. The larger painting has some distant farm buildings and a field in the middle ground, but the colors are very much like this.

The Good Art Company Gallery in Fredericksburg has been doing very well for me and it's time to send some new work to them. They need more. That's a good thing to hear nowdays.

In Fredericksburg, TX I will be teaching a workshop Oct 24 - 26. The Texas Hill Country is a beautiful area to paint.

I just got more information on my Tuscany, Italy workshop June 7-17, 2014. If you book the workshop before Sept 1, 2013, you will get the lowest price with 2013 prices instead of the 2014 price. Let me know if you are interested and I will get more information for you. beckyjoy@beckyjoy.com

More Workshops

I still have my e-book at a great price of $9.95, Create Beautiful Paintings Using Foundational Concepts

talk to you all tomorrow.

Wednesday, July 17, 2013

Day 31, Oregon Country Road oil landscape painting | BECKY JOY

Click here to purchase.

Back in the studio today blocking in a couple of large paintings. This small one is one that I painted in the studio starting with a photo from Oregon. I blocked-in the 24"x30" using this small painting as a way to work out the colors and composition. It is always a challenge to go from small to large and still have that fresh look. It also takes a big brush.

Today we finally had some rain in Phoenix. It's about time. Not only do we need the moisture, but it does give a reprieve from the incessant heat, even if it is for just a short time. Tomorrow I will be back in the studio continuing on a larger painting and working out another. I've always found the small paintings a good way to experiment.

Talk to you all later.

Monday, July 15, 2013

Day 29 & 30 Sunset oil paintings. Project 125 BECKY JOY

Hi everyone,

I told you that I had another painting done that I hadn't photographed. I pulled it out this afternoon. Day 29, End of the Day was actually painted in Shanna Kunz' studio in Utah before I came home. Today I painted #30, Sunset Stroll. Both are 6"x6" and $125. each. They are both paintings that I was playing with color. I like to put together some combinations of paint that artists don't readily combine, dioxazene purple and bright green, d, purple and lemon yellow, d. purple and cad orange and of course, scooping up all the paint for grays. Experiment, try new combinations.

I'll be painting more studio paintings in the next couple of weeks until I take off for Colorado or maybe a day here and there where I might brave the AZ heat. Or, maybe not. Meantime, back in the studio for some studio work and to supply the galleries. Today's finished painting is below, 16"x20"

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Talk to you all tomorrow.
Becky Joy

Sunday, July 14, 2013

Day 28, Prickly Pear Cactus with Blossoms Painting BECKY JOY

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Today I spent some time with my daughter and grandkids with a little painting in the morning. This was one of the paintings that I worked on. It was actually a complicated scene with a lot going on in the background. I started painting much more of what I saw then realized I needed to simplify. So, I started by keeping the values close together in all but the shadows on the cactus and what was cast on the ground. I kept the background behind the cactus in different colors and a little cooler and grayer than the foreground creating some distance in the painting.

I pulled out some of paintings from the trip and found that some needed a little more work. Below are a couple of those paintings. I also still need to do some photography for a couple of the paintings from project 125 that I haven't posted. Hopefully, I catch up on all this tomorrow and get paintings ready to ship too.

Click here to purchase.

I painted this in Southwest Idaho in the late afternoon before going to my friend Shanna Kunz' house. I love the farms in that area and just had to pull off the interstate to paint. I hadn't eaten lunch by the time I started painting. I was painting away in the heat and felt a little sick toward the end, so I had to pack it up and finish a little bit of the painting in the studio. The clouds needed a little more work and I had to deepen the values of the farm buildings a little. So, that was my job this morning.

Click here to purchase.

I painted this one at the old farm in Oregon with my friend Romona Youngquist. I thought I had finished it at the time, but I decided there were two things wrong with it. First, I had a solid line along the field in the light orange color dividing the distant hills and field. I broke that up by adding the small group of trees along that line. It helps to connect the field and the background hills. Secondly, that line was going downhill too much to the right. I raised that line a little on the right. I felt by doing so that it balanced the painting more.

I still have openings in my workshop in Hood River, OR on Sept 4 for a 1 day plein air class. All my students in the workshops will receive a copy of the e-book, How to Create Beautiful Paintings Using Foundational Concepts, that I just published.

Talk to you all tomorrow when I post some more paintings.

Project 125

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Day 27, I'm home from painting in CA, OR, ID and UT BECKY JOY

I arrived home late last night, LATE, after driving all day, about 14 hours. Needless to say, I didn't got much done in the way of painting. Although, I did paint a little. I cleaned up all my things, washing, putting things back in the studio and pulling out paintings. I've got a few paintings that I felt need some more work. This was one of them. I actually painted this in Texas when I was at the OPA show. I felt the reflections were a little weak. I deepened some of the colors in them and added a couple more brushstrokes on the shoreline the it was texture against the smooth water. I have a couple more that I worked on today and photographed a few paintings also.

Tonight I will be at the Royal Palms Resort doing a demo as I have done on some previous Friday nights. It's late notice now, but if you are in the area stop by. I will be there next Friday also. I'll be back in the studio tomorrow packing some sold paintings and prints, cleaning up and getting ready for some serious studio painting. The sales on my e-book, How to Create Beautiful Paintings Using Foundational Concepts have been going very well. There have been a couple of glitches. 1. I inverted two terms, but corrected that and got the new version out the few that bought at first. 2. I set up the sale with paypal, an email with the download link was supposed to go out after your purchase. It has been inconsistent with some people getting the link and others not. I've had to keep an eye on the paypal and send out the link as quickly as I can. So, that is disappointing. I have now talked to the person that works on my website about finding a cart for me to do what I want. Hopefully, this will be resolved soon. In the meantime, if you purchase the ebook and don't get the download link, email me at beckyjoy@beckyjoy.com

Talk to you all later.
Have a good weekend.
Becky Joy
Workshops

Tuesday, July 9, 2013

Day 25, Project 125 Baker City Oregon plein air oil landscape painting BECKY JOY

It is been a challenge with the computer the last couple of days. I left my family in Oregon 2 days ago and have been on the road. I stayed the night in Baker City, Oregon which is in Eastern Oregon. The internet access that I had was verrrrry slow, but I did manage to get some work done. And, that was the problem, some but not all the work. I uploaded my new e-book, but was not able to finish the job. So, those that paid were not getting the e-book. Once I got to my friend, Shanna Kunz' house in Utah I finally got a good connection. This morning I was able to finish everything with the e-book and now trying to catch up with the blogging, emails, etc, etc.

I've got some more photography to take to catch up. But for now, I'm painting with my friend Shanna!

Talk to you all tomorrow.

Thursday, July 4, 2013

Day 23 Rural Austin Texas Dusk, plein air to studio mood painting BECY JOY

rural road trees field mountains sunset painting

This may be Texas, but I'm still in Oregon. I was itching to paint some mood paintings. This is one of them. I used a small 6x6 plein air that I painted in Austin, TX in May while at the OPA Show. Even though I invent the color of my mood paintings, the plein air paintings are very useful to me. The plein air will show me the relationship of colors to each other, which is something that I am still concerned about in paintings that I invent colors. I did change the lighting direction of this painting. I don't always do that, but I felt to balance the painting it was best to have the light come from the right rather than the left. This also left more sky open to put the lightest warmest color in this space. This painting is a little later in the day than the one that I painted yesterday, thus making the sky a cooler color. The ground colors reflect that sky color becoming cooler also.

I'll be off and on the road tomorrow, on my way to Salt Lake City to stop and visit and paint with my friend Shanna Kunz. Can't wait to paint with her. I'll be posting something on the drive there when I take a break.

The next part of my adventure, Salt Lake City, UT.

Fredericksburg, TX plein air workshop Oct 24 - 26

Day 22, Project 125 Rural Road Sunset oil landscape painting by BECKY JOY

Fourth of July today and I'm off to a family pot luck. I decided today was a good day to paint one of my paintings where I translate an image into a mood painting using my own inventive colors. This was a road that I pass from Portland to Newburg. My plein air painting helps me to translate colors into my own thing. Both in plein air and in fantasy colors there are relationships between the colors. If it was a light bright green in daylight, it will be brighter and greener than some of the other colors. It is all about relationships.

I just wrote a new post for Easel Notes if you want to check it out. "Paints: Hooray for the Red, White and Blue."

Talk to you all tomorrow and enjoy the Fourth of July

Tuesday, July 2, 2013

Day 19, Project 125 Gaston, Oregon Farm House plein air oil painting BECKY JOY

Hi everyone, Another great day here in Oregon. I didn't post yesterday, although I did paint in the morning. It was a busy day! This painting was painted along a small quiet gravel country road near Gaston, Oregon in the Willamette Valley. Another place not too far from my parents and sister.

This house was abandoned and it was obvious that no one had lived there for quite some time. In fact, a neighbor who watches the property, came out to check on me, what was I doing there in front of the house. It turned out just fine and she went back into her house up the hill. I love some of the big old farm trees. This one was a maple tree. It towered over the house and such bulk to it.

After painting, I came back home and my sister picked me up just before noon with her 3 Chinese daughters. The oldest was celebrating her 18th birthday. She picked the activities and off we went to Portland. We spent the day there going through a few meager shops in Chinatown in Portland, which is pretty small. A lot of restaurants, but not many shops. After that we went to Voodoo Donuts, interesting shop and a waiting line, but overkill on the sugar. Below is the lineup for the shop. We also went down to Portland State, where she will be going to school in the fall and met my older niece who works there. After starbucks and time to kill before dinner, we walked up to Powell Books. Powell's has always been a stop of mine when I come up. It is the largest bookstore in the US. It's at least 5 stories high and takes up a city block. Over the years different stores were added to it, so it is a maze and each subject has it's own room. Guess where I went! Yes, the art room. I didn't have enough time to really look at a lot and sadly, left with nothing but memories.

At dinner time we met up with my older niece again and went to a Chinese Hot Pot Restaurant. It was a small little restaurant, but the interesting part of this is that the place looked really familiar. The longer I sat there the more I realized I've been here. I asked the owner how old the building was. It was built in the late 60's. That was when the waterfront area was starting to be developed and rebuilt. I realized that this was the same building and space that I worked at for my first job out of beauty school (I was a hairdresser for 19 years). When I walked outside to the parking lot and surveyed the scene, yep, it was the same place. A few changes in 40 years, including apartment buildings in the back of the commercial space, but it was all there. Strange coincidence. Now that brought back memories.

I was too tired and hot to post when I got home, so a day late on that end.

Talk to you later,

Becky

Sunday, June 30, 2013

Day 18, Project 125 Meadow Lake Rd, Oregon plein air painting by BECKY JOY

Day 18 now. I went out early this morning to beat the heat, but instead I spent most of the day out painting, not too surprising! I started the morning driving out in the country. I just turned on a road that looked interesting. I drove down several roads, finding one that had several old farm homes and barns. I spent an hour or more photographing, some while driving. Thank goodness they weren't busy roads. The problem with country roads is that there aren't many places to pull off and park. I then turned down a road with a familiar name, Panther Creek. I knew it was by my sister's old farm.

As I drove I got deeper into forest and I could tell I was heading toward the coast. I stopped when I saw an old abandoned farm house with some big trees and the remnants of an orchard and the plus, there was a place to park. (The painting is below) I almost finished the painting when a man and his high school age daughter stopped to see what I was painting. We talked and he gave me some history on the house. It was his grandmother's house and had been vacant for about 20 years. He lived across the street on part of the family farm. The farm had been in the family for generations and was the old stagecoach stop on Panther Creek from McMinville to the coast.

We also got to talking when I told him that I stopped on Panther Creek, because it was near my sister's old farm. I told them she was a teacher in Carlton and said her name. The daughter asked if she was the one with 3 Chinese daughters in high school. Yep, that's her and with two older kids that are grown. The girl had been a student of her's and she now was in high school with the younger girls. The father then said, "You know there are some Henry's around here." I said both he and his brother lived here, so there are others in the family. I said I knew I was close to there place.

When I left and went out to the next cross street I could see the name of the road, Meadow Lake, the road my sister lived on. I drove about a mile down the road and there was their house up on the hill with the field and oak trees. It has been a good 15 to 20 years since she moved. Strange, I was driving all these roads I didn't know and landed up right there. Anyway, I had to stop along Meadow Lake and paint on the road. The result is the top painting. It was HOT by then!

Talk to you tomorrow,

Saturday, June 29, 2013

Day 17, Project 125 Oregon, Home Grown by BECKY JOY

Today, I spent a lot of time at home, cleaning my car (that was a job), on the computer, and doing nothing. I went out painting late in the day. I had seen this little overgrown place along the highway. I always like those unkept places with more character. I was drawn to the variety of color in the foliage and the house peeking out from the bushes. It had an old rusted tin roof which certainly adds to the character. In the foreground their were some ferns and all kinds of weeds growing. Some of the colors in the foreground were picked up in piles with the brush and layed on like a palette knife.

Tomorrow I think I will get out early. It is hot for this area in the afternoons.

I would like to find out from some of you what you would want me to teach you if you were taking a workshop from me.

Talk to you all tomorrow.

Friday, June 28, 2013

Day 16, Project 125 Oregon Barn Painting by BECKY JOY

This morning I met with Ramona Youngquist, an Oregon painter just living down the road from my family, to go painting. I followed her to an old abandoned farm that she has been painting at since last spring. There were so many paintings there. The views were fantastic and the old house was great. I told her it looked like a "Romona" house. This painting is about texture and shapes. The composition, obviously is simple. I loved the bright yellow-green moss and the peeling paint.

Below are a couple more painting from today. The view, a lot of wineries around this area. In fact, this piece of property was bought by one of the wineries.

Workshops:

Hood River, OR 1 day plein air Sept 4
I just had a cancellation for my Mississippi workshop Nov 3 - 5

Tuscany, Italy June 7 - 14, 2014

Talk to you tomorrow.

Thursday, June 27, 2013

Day 15, Project 125 Oregon Trees, A Green State by Becky joy

If you have never been to Oregon to see the variety of greens, I'm sure you've heard about them. Oregon is a very green state, in more ways than just the color. This is from the back deck of my parents place. I ran around doing errands today and visiting some friends, so there wasn't a lot of painting time. (I'll have to make more tomorrow.) I came home and started painting at about 5 pm.

This painting was really about the greens and showing the subtle differences and varieties. The foreground tree was really the only one in light. The trees are in a ravine with the weeds going down the hillside. The grasses are starting to dry out and turn a warm color. Besides just using color to indicate distance, I used brushstrokes, larger brushstrokes in the foreground and the large diagonal stroke on the left grass to indicate the direction of the land.

The photo of the tree.

Workshops:
Hood River, OR Sept. 4
Phoenix, AZ Oct 3 - 5
Tuscany, Italy, June 7 - 17, 2014

Tomorrow I plan on meeting a painting friend and get out in the area. So talk to you all tomorrow.

Becky Joy
Workshops

Tuesday, June 25, 2013

Day 13, Project 125 Painting Oregon farms by BECKY JOY

I finally made it to my destination in Oregon late last night. It was a light, typical rain almost all through my drive in Oregon. I slept in this morning, but did get out for a short time later in the day. In this scene I was attracted to the clouds that enveloped the top of the mountain and of course, the green field.

Everything is pretty green right now, and a nice, pleasant temperature. It will be heating up by the end of the week, sounds like record temps to me. I visited with family today and will be seeing friends and more family while I'm here. I'm a fourth generation born in Oregon City (my son was a fifth). You can imagine that I have a lot of relatives here. It's funny every time I come up here, I'm struck by how green it is, certainly compared to the desert. Summers are perfect in the Northwest.

Tomorrow I'm hoping to start getting out and doing a little more plein air, hopefully early in the morning. You'll see what I see tomorrow.

I still have space in my one day workshop in Hood River, OR on Sept 4 during the plein air event that I will be judging. Check out the details here.

I'll be here tomorrow.