This morning there was an email with notes on this month's assignment for Kevin's Saturday's class. Since I have taken a few days off from work, I thought I would go ahead and do the assignment to loosen up after 3 days of intense days on the computer. The assignment is to do a color harmony painting using a grayish "mother color." ie every color used must have the "mother" in it as well. At least that is my understanding not having been there for the demo and lecture. I was intrigued. I had set up this "still life" inadvertently - just getting the pumpkin out of my way for another project - and have been looking at it for days thinking what a cool juxtaposition it is. It became my subject for the assignment even though it sounds like photo reference was supposed to be used. I don't know if I did the assignment well (next class is 11-21) but I like it and I think it works. This piece is a 12 x 9 and I did it in about an hour. I may have to do a few more of these...
After lunch, being that it was a beautiful Colorado fall day, I went outside to see what I could see. I set up in the alley by my neighbors fence and faced north. I am pleased with this study, done in just over an hour and 15" on an 11x14 panel. I may use it to do a larger version. What a wonderful day it has been.

Urban Serenity, 9" x 12" for $400 won second place at the GTMD 3rd Annual Denver Plein Air Event. I painted this at the Urban Roots garden center located at 10th and Acoma in downtown Denver. Thank you to the judges for the event. I know it was a very difficult decision as there was so much fine work on display.

A few months ago, while on the Judson Art Outfitters website, I checked out a blog I saw as a link. The entry I happen to remember, was on a forgotten American Impressionist painter, Carl W. Peters. I was so enamored of the photo posted with the article that I ordered the book it came from (by Richard H. Love) through prospector at the Denver Public Library. The book is due back on Saturday so I was busy trying to get through as much as I could this evening. Carl was an amazing plein air painter of NY and the harbors along the upper East Coast. Here are a few images I happened to find online this evening - although not the ones I would have preferred to have found, they still show what I am trying to elucidate. I have been struggling with doing cityscapes, ie buildings, in a manner I find pleasing. He, on the other hand, does an amazing job, while making it look like child's play. Very abstract, but he builds one upon the other in unifying way that is starting to make sense to me. I am inspired to take on my French village with renewed vigor. Kevin had suggested I study Richard Diebenkorn for this painting, but I think Richard and Carl are not unlike each other in approach to this subject. And I did study the Diebenkorn book I have, but I think Carl's work pushed me that much further into understanding. Now if I can come close to what I envision will be the question.