New small paintings

10/19/2013

I just finished two small paintings today that I began some time ago. Sunset on the Ridge, above, began as an in-class demonstration – the one attended by the couple that gave the Napa River Inn and me five stars! I had set it aside, and then moving, the death of my father, and preparations for Open Studios intervened. Today I gave it the last few brushstrokes it needed to be ready for unveiling.

California landscape painting trees by lake

Trees by the Lake is another painting begun some months ago. I worked on it last week, and today it came to completion. I work from photographs; this photograph is taken of a lovely spot on a small ranch where I used to live, not far from Calistoga.

I took the photos of these paintings quickly in late afternoon light today, so it doesn't quite do them justice, but at least you get an idea of something of what they look like. I'm hoping to get them framed this morning before I pack up for the first Calistoga Art Market.

The Art Market is presented by the Calistoga Art Center, today from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Eighteen artists working in various media will be there. I'm looking forward to seeing everyone's work. The Art Center is located at the Napa County Fairgrounds in Calistoga, California, at 1435 North Oak Street.

2 Comments

Stephen Sossaman link

10/21/2013 11:36:16 am

These look like wonderful paintings. I do have a question about canvas size, about your own attitude towards such small works and towards larger works. Leaving aside market issues (although I would welcome your comment on that), I wonder what appeals to you most about 8x10 paintings. Part of my curiosity is because if I ever paint again I would want to paint big, and part probably because (to descend to the mundane) I have a couple of large, empty walls that ask me nicely, every day, for large works. I sometimes think that paintings, like children, need to be presented so as to let each one have your attention for a while, not be crowded together. I am still discomforted by photographs of 19th-century galleries (e.g. the Uffitzi, English manorial estates) whose walls are fully crowded. So, what aspect of small paintings appeals to an artist who, I gather, likes bold and expansive areas of color?

Karen Lynn

10/22/2013 04:08:10 pm

It's a good question. Some years back, enchanted by Julian Merrow-Smith's "Postcards from Provence" - small oil paintings (very realistic) painted postcard-size, I thought I'd try a little series of "Postcards from California" - painted in my style. I painted a few on watercolor paper and matted them, and then painted a series on canvas. Painting on canvas at that size is a frustrating process, though - the texture of the canvas interferes with the brushstrokes.

Then a couple of years ago I picked up some 5"x 7" and 8"x 10" painting panels (like Gessobord), and the experience was completely different. There is no texture to interfere with the brushstrokes. I discovered that painting so small is a very meditative process. Especially with the 5x7s, it's easy to hold them in one hand as I paint.

They take me just as long to paint as paintings three times their size - they are just as layered (sometimes more so), only done with much smaller brushes. But the meditative aspect really is lovely -- there is something about working at this size that makes the whole process much more intimate and personal.

As far as the market issues go, the small paintings do tend to sell well, and often quickly - and that is nice, too!

I do enjoy working large, too - for the most part, I work at sizes I can transport in the back of my Volvo stationwagon (36"x 48" works well). A friend loaned me her van to transport "Dusk in the Vineyards." It was delightful to be able to work at that size. I wouldn't mind working larger, too, if transporting and storing the painting wasn't an issue. It's amazing how many aesthetic choices are governed by practical issues like that. So many painters turn large compositions into diptychs and triptychs for those reasons....

New small paintings

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Karen Lynn Ingalls

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