"Periwinkle Blues"

It's been a few weeks since I've updated my post because I've been in three different group shows in three different states. The intensity of preparing and participating in them has been a great learning experience, very very fun, and I'm happy to report a success on several levels. I've never been comfortable meeting and greeting people at openings but after these shows I feel quite at ease. Now I hope to get caught up on life and back to painting some of our fall colors before the first snow.
"Periwinkle Blues" is a series I started right in my garden. I realized something was eating my blue mystery flowers. So over a few early mornings, I sat with a warm mug of coffee and painted what I think are heather and ???. What attracted me to these scenes was the haziness of the dawn light.
12"x12" and 14"x11" (framed $340. each)

St. Louis Show

I'm in the middle of trying to pack my compact car with +30 paintings. I've come to the realization that I just can't take some of my favorites because they're TO BIG!!! I love to paint large and use a huge bakers spatula because I feel like I've physically stepped into the creating process. This series of 11"x14" will be the bulk of my newest for this St. Louis show and with luck I'll be able to tuck some 40"x30" along.

Enter at Will

"Enter At Will" 6"x8" oil
I've started investigating a new series of plein air paintings which revolves around small openings into ??? I guess it's rather voyeuristic. One of my primary problems has been how to compose these close-up passages. I hope my shadows on the foreground help create the illusion of a flat plan/ground, leading to the door.

yes, more poppies (sold)

More poppies because I'm having fun sloshing lots of thick paint around in my studio. The first is a 8"x8" sort of from my imagination/reference plein air landscapes. The latter is a 24"x24" previous posted but reworked. I think it's stronger now that I simplified the landscape. Also mostly from my imagination. I've never worked this way before and am not sure what promoted me to start. Oddly enough I think it was from painting blue bells earlier this spring as they popped up around my village. I kept the values in mind but changed the color. Also have some sketches in oils and pencil of poppies done years ago in Europe.

Caldwell Lily Pond

"Lily Pond" Oil on Linen 24"x24"

Over the past four years, Caldwell Lily Pond has become one of my most favorite places to paint in Chicago. I find it amazingly beautiful even in winter although difficult to get into during the off season. This painting is made in my studio using a few plein air paintings made at Caldwell for reference. I decided to pull into the scene and make it a close-up and amped up the color intensity.

etc. again

So I'm really enjoying my little pochade box. Besides being so handy that it can easily fit into any small bag/purse since it's only 5"x7", it gets me out of the studio faster and allows me to paint more inconspicuously while jotting quick color and value notes in oil. The second photo shows the pochade strapped to my leg instead of hand-held. I came home from work and saw the beautiful shadow crossing my neighbors side door and had to try to catch it.

I'm still obsessed with poppies and thought I'd post a few more of my efforts. The close-up is 8"x8." The last painting, but not the last in my poppy series, is my attempt at inventing a flowing and slightly rolling meadow punctuated with mostly poppies. It's 24"x24," love that square format. If you go to my Etsy site you'll see a few more example of my poppy paintings that I favor. (http://www.susanhongsammons.etsy.com/)

"Poppies"

8"x8" oil "Poppies"

I've been working on small plein air oil sketches with the idea that maybe I could then takes those sketches and turn them into something in my studio. This is a studio piece, small again but actually inspired from some sketches of bluebells.

"Everyone Needs Roots"

I've been experiment with non-traditional Susan compositions. This is the first one I felt happy with so much so I'm willing to blog it. Normally, I don't crop in my still lifes. This whole idea of cropping is really a "shake-up" for my world of paint - I know I'm pathetic. And!,... look at all that negative space. I'm still using my favorite painting tool = palette knife and I'm loving this 8"x8" format.

(available at http://www.susanhongsammons.etsy.com/ for $145.)

"Pub Stop" 8"x6" oil painting

This is one of my favorite pub corners in Bucktown because it looks more like an old fashion corner shop. Maybe it was at one point in time. Can you believe I forgot to put in the type on the front sign?

"Black Plums"

I have post-ums all over my studio with scribbled reminders. Thought I'd share a few of my favorites. Most are from various art teachers and art friends from the past ten years.

*Paint the light and shadow

*See it, mix it, put it down

*Color temperature is relative to other colors

*A painting always has movement, find it

*Open edges continue, hard edges stop

*Simplify everything into shapes and value

*step back and observe

*fewer values=greater impact

There's so much to think about when your painting. It's nice getting lost in all that.

8"x8" oil on gallery-wrapped linen

A different kind of animal

This morning was my second attempt to paint in a section of Bucktown called six corners. This is the loudest place I've ever tried to paint. I can not express strongly enough just how loud painting at this intersection. I spent half the time with my fingers in my ears because the sirens combined with motor vehicles, subway and general hustle of a day sounds hurt my head. After a second attempt, I realize this animal had me and I didn't care. Time to pack up and find another location to paint. Someday I'll be back but not until I'm better equip to mentally and artistically handle "the animal."

p.s. I called it "the animal" because Karen Phipps best put her finger on the situation. We were discussing what went wrong and what went right and why it was a tough experience. Wisely she said, "Cityscapes are a different animal."

"Pond Gazing" (Caldwell Lily Pond, Chicago)

Caldwell Lily Pond is another favorite retreats of mine, not just for painting but for day dreaming too. The textures in this smaller city lily garden always change and the sounds of the city itself is greatly muffled by the thick grasses, shrubs and trees. So this morning I headed here to paint and also, to embarrass myself. I'd been painting about an hour totally focused on my work and enjoying the secluded little nuck I had planted my easel when I heard a group of people approaching, loudly. It was so out of place because people always are so quiet when wandering through these paths. Of course they parked themselves as close to me as possible all the while talking excitedly. Before I knew or even thought about it I "shhhhed" them all in this awful snake-like sound. I was immediately ashamed and apologetic but one can't take back a shhhh. It's just out there. Fortunately after a quiet moment they started to laugh and apologise back and so, all ended well. But I'm still really embarrassed that I did that. They were just so happy and excited to be there together in this beautiful place.

As for the painting, the lily pads are almost all gone. Some remain in almost a skeleton form floating on the surface. But I felt the colors were more varied than in the summer when the lily pads are dark greens and cover the water almost totally. This one is larger, 8"x10." Also painted on oil primed linen mounted on board and created with a palette knife.

Anyone else willing to share an embarrassing plein air moment???

"Tranquillity" (Savanna Oaks Forest Preserve)

Yesterday morning I had planned on returning to the city to finish a street scene but I woke to a beautiful misty fog. So I switched gears mentally and ran to a neighboring forest preserve. I was anxious the fog would burn away before I had a chance to paint. Well, the whole experience was soothing to the soul. I didn't see anyone or hear any traffic and even though the fog was quickly disappearing, within the woods it lay heavy enough for me to paint.
So I like this painting but maybe because I so enjoyed the whole process. I like it because I feel I captured a tranquil mystery that is present with mist as well as a sense of depth to draw you into the painting. 6"x8" oil on linen mounted on board. Once again painted with my favorite palette knife. ($145.)

"Riverside Ramblings"

Today I returned with a friend and fellow plein air artist to one of my favorite paint sites. I've been painting this same area for a couple of years through it's various seasons and changes and many moods. Everytime I come here, it's different and new. It's been interesting to look at paintings from a few years ago and compare them to my present works. I see a drastic change in how I'm explaining/painting the scene. I feel I'm doing less copying what's in front of me and more personal interpretation. Also, I'm really curious about painting something that looks almost like a "nothing" but hopefully the painting will tell the story.
6"x8" oil on linen mounted on archival museum board. ($145. framed)

oil sketch (8"x10")

I love teaching and today was the first day of classes. I'm teaching at a new place with mostly new faces, so fun. We made a huge mess, took lots of chances, and made mistakes which resulted in the creation of some really excellent pieces. By the time for my second class I was out of canvases for their demo. So I took a canvas which I intended to plein air paint on tomorrow. I love plein air painting on top of an old palette knife painting because the paint sticks so well. The surface is really texturally which I think at times is quite fun for a palette knife landscape. I never used such a "textural" surface for a still life but since as artists we're visual learners I like to do mini demos as I teach. Here is the result. Maybe the edges are to hard???

sketching and playing with oil paints

I started painting three fishing buddies on a dock because their reflections were beautiful. Unfortunately shortly after I started they packed up and left for the day. I took this as a sign to focus on just sketching some ideas and not worry about going for a full finish. My premise was to focus on the abstract and simple shapes. But of course I couldn't resist getting fussy at the end. I really loved painting today despite the heat and humidity. I know I'm blessed to have such a supportive and encouraging family.

Quebec, Canada

We had a wonderful family trip exploring Quebec and the surrounding area. I most enjoyed exploring their beautiful countryside. The people were probably the warmest I've met on a trip. So much so I now want to learn French. One very new and different painting experience I had in Quebec city was when I decided to join one of their plein air events. I set up with several others in the old part of the city but saw that everyone was painting from a photo or copying a painting they had already painted. Since I don't speak a word of French I had no idea why this was happening. I was the only one painting the street scene. Anyone out there able to shed some light on this???

The above oil paintings are a sampling of some of the plein air pieces I painted and saved. They are 8x6 oil on linen mounted on 8ply museum archival board.

"Quilt Garden Paint-Out" and McCord Gallery Plein Air Exhibition

"Palos Woodlands" 6"x8" oil on Classens Belgium linen mounted on archival museum board

McCord Gallery is hosting a juried plein air exhibition of anything in the Palos Hills, Palos Park, Palos Heights area. They are surrounded by gorgeous forest preserves so that's where this one was painted. I was very much intrigued by how the warm humid air affected the quality of light and shadow.
I'm going to say it in ink, I'm happy with the balance between representationalism and the abstractness of paint application in this one.

Karen painting at the Quilt Garden Plein Air Paint-Out this past weekend.

The wind was very strong every day we painted and knocked us over a few times. We had all kinds of wild weather except for snow so it was a doubly fun experience. Sycamore Fine Art Gallery did an excellent job of organizing this event and I highly recommend all you plein air painters in the neighborhood to join next summer.

once again,...

I worked on a number of landscapes this week and thought these two sums up my efforts. I realized that I am now using a palette knife almost exclusively and I'm not sure why. And why do I keep carrying all those brushes that aren't getting used???

Karen and I are off again on another plein air competition/show, this time in Indiana. wish us luck!

"Off The Vine" (Fruit of the Vine series)

I've been so busy enjoying plein air painting that I haven't worked in my studio in over a month. But here is my first still life of the summer. I love these elongated horizontal formates and red grapes are one of my favorite challenges. Just as with the plein air pieces, I'm trying to find the right balance (for me) between abstract expressionism and classical realism. Hopefully I didn't make the grapes which are in the light too sparkly.
This palette knife oil painting is 10"x20" on gallery-wrapped oil prime linen, $995.

P.S. One of my large oil paintings was selected for the show called "ArtPrize." This international exhibition will be in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Several different venues will be hosting art work from around the world. The jurors are you, the public. Voting done mostly through Facebook, Twitter, etc with the grand prize of $250,000., wow! Stay tune for more info or go check out their website http://www.artprize.org/. The show opens mid September 2009.