8"x8" "Sweet Bite" sold on www.susanhongsammons.etsy.com

I've been away from my home, my family (including 5 pets), the cold, and my computer because the opportunity to paint in Sedona came my way thanks to Karen. And thanks to painting year around in Chicago, we had the gear necessary to paint in Sedona winter. Each morning we woke to a snow storm which turned to a rain storm which turn to hail. Fortunately the temperatures were mild to us. I think we both derived an off-beat satisfaction of being able to paint in their crazy weather. At one point so much hail and sleet was coming down that they closed the roads but we still manage to paint. Once I figure out how to down-load my pictures from my new camera I'll show some of my plein air paintings of the red rocks as well as several of Karen painting in the storms. I think it was everything a plein air adventure should be.

So why am I showing this painting of a pepper. I'm showing it because I'm attempting to clean up my life style and eat in a healthy manner. Sedona host several excellent raw/vegan groceries and cafes. I use to tease that I was a morning vegan because by the end of the day I'd fall into bad habits, chips, licorice, etc. But now I've discovered green smoothies (which are really yummy and have taken my craving away for the crappy food groups) and juicing. So after shopping for produce I can't help but paint them. Their colors and textures are so inspiring. And after I've painted it,... I can eat it!!!!! (p.s did you know watercress is 84% protein)

"Tea with Lemon" www.hong-sammons.com

Lately I've retreated into my studio more than plein air painting because I've been thinking about, in paint as well as in my head, about some of my notes posted around my studio. One thing milling about is what makes art good. There are so many many different ideas on this subject I would love to hear your thoughts.

I find still life's a great opportunity to pursue some of these qualities which define art for me in undisturbed solitude. For this set up, I was really trying to push creating form from shadow and light but also some of the impressionists ideas of color patches. (6"x12" oil on linen)

"Thing Finding"

So maybe I can't blame it on the canvas totally. I think in the end besides fighting the cotton duck (see post Oct. 10. 09) my design a.k.a concept, a.k.a composition wasn't strong enough. No problem, back to the drawing board or rather, easel.

16"x20" oil on horrible to paint on acrylic primed cotton duck

"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???

"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.

On the Shore

In the evenings I've been playing with small format figure paintings which I recently called my "blop paintings." I'm really having fun in my own little bubble. They seem to work best if I'm working directly from life but that's not always possible so I've started taking a gesture from another painting and using it all on it's own, also working from my horrible little scribbles and photos.

A new collector of mine recently framed four to hang as a grouping. It gave me a boost to see them hanging and revitalizing that space in her home.

This is 6"x8." Which is the largest I think my "blop" paintings should be.

plein air musings plus

The following are some pieces I did outside of my studio. I'm still working on the theme of painting- that -which -normally -doesn't -get -a- second -thought but, I find particularly beautiful.

"Blu Where There Shouldn't Be"
6"x8" Oil










On this morning the weather went from sunny and warm to dark and rainy to sunny and, well you get the picture. It really wasn't the best idea to pick reflections on those conditions. Again I struggle with getting too expressive and loosing the bit of form which gives the viewer a clue as to the fact that it is reflections in water and not purely an abstraction painting.







"River North" (Unfinished)
The sun was out, it was warm for the first time in weeks and weeks so instead of finishing the piece I was distracted by the day.

okay so this isn't a plein air piece but she is "musing" about something.

12"x9" head study in oil w/ a limited palette

"Tea with Lemon"

It's been too cold for me to venture outside and paint. Yesterday it was -24 degrees. So I returned to my tea cup series which was inspired by my daughter. She told me that in colonial days, when a guest had enough, she'd turn her tea cup over and say, "I'll take no more tea today."
11"x14" Oil On Linen
www.hong-sammons.com

Milk Glass with Tulip (value study)

Value studies have dramatically helped me create better paintings. I'm using five values only with pure white being my lightest, pure raw umber as my darkest, and then three other values inbetween. I begin by painting all the darkest shadows first. I'm doing a lot of value studies because I'm trying to improve my ability to use chiaroscuro. Chiaroscuro is the painting technique and philosophy of creating shapes from the shadow as oppose to delineating through contours, outlines.
9x12
oil on linen

"Old Slices" (sold)

I set this up ten days ago but then never felt inspired to paint it. I guess the challenge of painting outside in freezing temperatures was too great. Today I woke to minus 10 so I didn't even think about going outside to paint. Instead I painted these lemons which are starting to

dry out giving slightly different values and colors.

8"x10"

Oil on Linen

Value Study (Claudia)

Once again I painted from life at the Palette and Chisel during their open studio session. This model held a very difficult pose. She crossed and bent her legs and arms. The awkward diagonal thing is part of her arm with her hand tucked under her hair. I think I did better with the values today but I'm not happy with the semi-stiff dough figure. Guess I'll just have to keep going back. It's a journey...

14"x10"

Oil on Linen

portrait study-"John (the Baptist)

(the whitish flecks on the surface of this painting are shards of glass. A lamp broke next to my painting. Once the painting dries, and if it's something I want to save vs. scrape away, the flecks of glass should wipe away clean. A tip for plein air painters in case you should ever have wind blow gravel etc. onto your finished painting.)
This young man posed for a group of us this morning. I need more time, as usual, to finish this portrait study particularly in the highlights.

10"x8"
Oil on Linen

still life/Value study

Painting for myself is so different than painting for a show. And now that my show obligations for 2008 and the beginning of 2009 have been fulfilled I'm enjoying digging into improving my ability to see values accurately. I thought the execution of painting the inside of the orange peel would be difficult but the real challenge was the value relationships of the tabletop to the backdrop. I spent quite a long time scraping away the wrong paint and reapply the correct value. Once that was done the piece came together much better.

12"x9"

Oil on Linen www.hong-sammons.com

City-scapes/Value Studies

It's a luxury to be able to paint for myself. So once again I'm concentrating on value because I feel if the values are off, the painting is weak and spoiled. This is the same intersection, painted an hour apart during the morning rush. I used only black and white oil paints.

7"x5"

Oil on Linen

"Two Turtle Doves"

This little urn with birds reminded me of the tune, "Twelve Days of Christmas." Even though it's not yet Thanksgiving, so much of our culture is pushing holiday shopping. I must admit I enjoy the Christmas tunes.

8"x10"

Oil on Linen

www.hong-sammons.com

"Sweet & Tart"

Today was my last teaching day of 2008. I created a set-up for my remain few students with grapes, pomegranates, limes and copper. They were so enthusiastic about the set-up that I was inspired to paint it as well. I haven't much interest in painting still lifes these days but pushing them and myself to focus and compare the various values made this an interesting piece to paint.
8"x10"
Oil on Linen
($350. framed)

untitled

A fall storm is about to hit. Actually the chill feels like winter is right around the corner. I used only one brush because I was so cold I think I was frozen stiff. Maybe I'm getting to old to plein air paint in the winter.

8"x10"

Oil on Linen

($145.)

"November Chill"

It was wicked cold when I painted this but the lighting was beautiful.

7"x5"

Oil on Linen

($75.)

"The Green Bridge"

Painted this during the last bits of our beautiful fall weather. My daughter wrote (& published) a poem about this bridge which is in our town. I've included a few lines,

The Green Bridge isn't any ordinary bridge

It links us from the busy town to the gracious woods

It allows us to be bathed by the sunlight or calmed by the whispering wind

The bridge sways as the breeze whistles

No work, no insults come to mind

The feeling is like none other than love for the nature...

...of the Green Bridge.

12"x9"

Oil on Linen

www.hong-sammons.com

"Fallen Oak"

This is something I've been wanting to paint for over three years. I don't know when this mighty tree fell but I'm glad that "they" have not remove it. Painted once again with my new favorite tool, a #10 round brush.
8"x10"
Oil on Linen
www.hong-sammons.com