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Flyingroc.org: October 2014

http://blog.flyingroc.org/2014_10_01_archive.html

This is one of the paintings I did during our Mount Baker trip. I'm always tempted to paint shadows in bright purple. Most of the time it really does not work; this time is different, I think. Acrylic on archival cardboard. Subscribe to: Posts (Atom). C) Roy Tan. Picture Window template. Powered by Blogger.

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Flyingroc.org: January 2015

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Nature's Gift of Water. I was finally able to go to the "Nature's Gift of Water" art show in at the American Art Company. In Tacoma; this is the annual juried art show by Plein Air Washington. Paintings remind me of warmer, drier days. Who was manning the gallery asked me which was my favorite in the gallery. There were so many good works, I had trouble picking one, but finally pointed to Melanie Thompson's. Melanie Thompson masterfully chronicles the majesty and charm of Eastern Washington. But I encour...

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Flyingroc.org: February 2015

http://blog.flyingroc.org/2015_02_01_archive.html

Apples are a classic still life subject. And being in Washington state, why not paint them! I'm pretty happy with these apples, I feel like I've improved in how I paint them. I've been thinking a lot about practice, and getting better at painting. I am working on my "brush miles" more, and I can see that I'm getting better. But it is still all too easy to be discouraged after making a bad painting. Or feel like you're not improving, or maybe feeling like you're not improving. I'm taking a portrait drawin...

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Flyingroc.org: Pond life

http://blog.flyingroc.org/2015/05/pond-life.html

I painted this from a photo reference I took while painting a the Nisqually park earlier this year. Normally, I find it really difficult to paint from photos. I think that the colors are always different from what I remember them to be. This time, I tried pushing the colors to a more saturated level. I think it worked. I might have to start taking more photo references. Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom). Yakima River Canyon Morning. C) Roy Tan. Picture Window template. Powered by Blogger.

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Flyingroc.org: Alder Woods

http://blog.flyingroc.org/2015/05/alder-woods.html

Have you had that experience where you are in a wooded area and the whole scene in front of you evokes both wonder and calm? This painting is as far as my abilities go in trying to capture my experience of a wooded area. I hope at least I have conveyed some of it. PS, I did not grow up in the US, so I actually don't know a lot about what the local flora are called. But my fellow artists helpfully mentioned that these were alder trees I was painting. Acrylic on archival cardboard.

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Flyingroc.org: August 2014

http://blog.flyingroc.org/2014_08_01_archive.html

I was drawn to paint this bottle of detergent because of its interesting shape. You know, I think that most of the time you need to work with your natural inclinations rather than fight against them. This time I used my natural inclination to procrastinate on house work by painting instead of doing laundry. This is the Methodist Church at Snoqualmie. I entered this at the Snoqualmie Plein Air Paint Out. Picture from the Snoqualmie Valley Record. I don't know, I just like to paint! This is a more recent p...

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Flyingroc.org: March 2015

http://blog.flyingroc.org/2015_03_01_archive.html

I raided my fridge for this one. I think the onion came out good. I tried really hard to get a more accurate drawing for this one, so if you look closely, you can see brush strokes where the corrections happened. Hello from Sedona by the way. I came to do a painting workshop with Michael Chesley Johnson. Starting tomorrow. I haven't really explored much yet. But the landscape is already wowing me. Acrylic on archival cardboard. I'm both sad for leaving, but excited for what's next as well. What I'm g...

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Flyingroc.org: September 2014

http://blog.flyingroc.org/2014_09_01_archive.html

Late Summer at Discovery Park. I've replaced the photo with a better one). I'm really happy with this painting's composition. It really resonates with me somehow. Yep, these are actually my shoes! Night Photography at Mt. Baker. We had a very dark, cloudless, moonless night at Mt. Baker last weekend. That, coupled with being so remote from the city lights, made for ideal conditions for taking pictures of the stars. Campers and the Milky Way. Hikers on Mt Shuksan at night. Postcards from Mt. Baker. This b...

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Flyingroc.org: Yakima River Canyon Morning

http://blog.flyingroc.org/2015/05/yakima-river-canyon-morning.html

Yakima River Canyon Morning. It's amazing how different the landscape is just a couple of hours drive away from Seattle. The Yakima River Canyon's basalt cliffs can rise up 2000 feet. I painted this scene under a pedestrian bridge with Melanie Thompson. A couple of friends from Plein Air Washington's Eastern Washington contingent. You can read about it at the Plein Air Washington blog. I am PAWA's blogger now, I think because I am one of the more active attendees of these plein air paintouts.

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Flyingroc.org: Snoopy Rock

http://blog.flyingroc.org/2015/04/snoopy-rock.html

One of these rocks was supposed to look like Snoopy from a certain angle. But I guess not from our particular vantage point. This is of course another painting from the Sedona workshop with Michael Chesley Johnson. I set a personal goal that day of getting better at drawing accuracy. So I was really gratified when Michael told me that this painting was "well observed.". On the other hand riding the bus has given me opportunities to sketch. Here's one from today:. Acrylic on archival cardboard.