Wednesday, March 18, 2009

A New Painting

I've been absent from the blog for a while so I could concentrate my energy on my landscape workshops. They are finished now, so I will try and catch up on a backlog of things that I want to post.
I'll be posting a bit about how the workshops went soon. Marian Fortunati came down for the class and she posted about the days adventures most evenings on her blog.

My painting buddy Jerome Greene is visiting for a few weeks. This is a street scene that we painted the other afternoon. The light was fading fast, so I had to finish up a few things in the studio.


"Bajada de Garita", 14" x 11" oil on linen, Frank Gardner © 2009
$950. Available at Galeria Gardner


I love how the street drops down so steeply. The purple jacaranda trees are in full bloom right now.

25 comments:

Anonymous said...

It was fun following your workshop on Marian's blog. You should hire her as a marketing consultant. Sounds like a fun and valuable experience. I'm glad you'll be posting some new work. It's the end of winter in the Pacific NW and I'm looking forward to seeing paintings with sunshine in them.

Billy Guffey said...

Nice painting, Frank. I too read up on the workshop on Marion's blog. Would love to get down that way at some point to attend one.

Come on spring!

Marian Fortunati said...

Beautiful, Frank!!
All of us girls walked to that spot so we could take pictures. I think we each thought it would make a beautiful painting .... doubt any of us could pull it off as well as you did.

Glad you're posting again... Several of your fans have told ME that I need to get YOU blogging again... sheesh!!

I'm still processing all the learning from the workshop. ... As we said on the last night... We've attended a lot of workshops... and yours was one of them.... (LOL)

Seriously... It was FABULOUS!!! Too bad you don't do more.... but I do understand that family and painting come first!!

Logan Maxwell Hagege said...

Glad to see a new post Franklin. You were brave to take on that subject! Good job.

Paula Villanova said...

This is such a nice painting and you're right, it is a great view with the way the road dips. I painted on that exact spot exactly one year ago and the jacarandas were spectacular. I never finished the painting...but now I'm inspired...so, thanks! I also followed Marian's day by day notes on the workshop and it looked fantastic, great painting and great food!

Daniel Corey said...

Nice one Frank, and its good to have you back to the blog, there is balance again in the universe.

Christine Mercer-Vernon said...

nice to see you posting again frank. that's quite a scene you took on, my goodness! love the purple jacaranda's in the background.

Anonymous said...

Glad to see you back on these pages Frank. What's remarkable is how Marian had enough left in her after painting all day, to post the summations' of the days' workshop. It was great to read.

The way you get those sun bleached pales to look vibrant against the neutrals that compliment them is one of your many painting skills.

I can't look at this painting anymore- it's bringing on vertigo!
( another way of saying how well you depicted a challenging scene- I could look at your paintings without end ).

Frank Gardner said...

Hi Bill, yes, Marian wrote some wonderful things about the workshop. A few of the participants offered to write more about the class. They said I did not play up how wonderful all of the food and locations were going to be.
I've got some paintings of sunshine for you.

Thanks Bill G. I only do a couple of these workshops a year, but I'd love to have you down for one of them.

Hi Marian, I'm sure you could pull that scene off. You know how busy that cross street is. There was a constant stream of traffic passing in front of us cutting off the view.
I know, I know, I have been bad about blogging regularly.
Funny, about my workshop being one of them. Made me laugh.

Hey Logan, thanks. It was a pretty complicated scene for fleeting light.

Thanks Paula. Get going on your version of this. It's a great street. I have not painted it in years, but with Jerome around I have been revisiting some of my favorite street scenes.

Glad there is balance again Dan. The Universe needs a good rudder.

Hi Christine, thanks. All that purple and the late afternoon yellow light was fun to stare at.

Thanks Bonnie. I dont know how Marian found the energy. Maybe it was the margaritas.
I'm glad you like how the sun bleached pales look.

Anonymous said...

It's about time! Where the hell have you been!!! I expect you to be posting twice as often now to make up for your disappearing act.

Looks like you and Jerome have managed to knock out a few good ones. And Marian's blog is great for seeing what the workshop was like.

Good to have you back on blogger.

Edward Burton said...

Beautiful painting, Frank. Great colors, textures and atmosphere.

Dean H. said...

Love all the movement and color in this composition, Frank.
Sure missed you posting. Glad to have ya back, my friend!

Anonymous said...

P.S. True Confessions: I was one of your chastisers, via Marian, who told her to let you know you were missed here on the blog-o-rama.
It's always reassuring to see you back.

eLIZabeth Floyd said...

Good to hear from you. I knew you must have been real busy. Love the street scene.

Art with Liz said...

Marion certainly seemed to love your workshop and it was great hearing about it. This is a great painting and it's good to see you back blogging.

Frank Gardner said...

OK Colin, whatever you say.
Thanks.

Thanks a lot Edward.

Hi Dean, thanks.

Ha ha... oh Bonnie. It's nice to know I was missed.

Hi Liz, Yes, I have been super busy and the blogging just had to take a back seat for a while.
Thanks for visiting.

Thanks Liz (Art with Liz), I'm glad that Marion had a good time and was able to pass some of it along on her blog. It was really a fun group to work with. I was actually missing them this week.

Karl Marxhausen said...

Like the way the walls crunch in, the road drops out of sight, the distant forms, and brief wires overhead. Was it Diebenkorn who did vertical cityscpaes? Hmm.
There is vertical slope that comes into my village.a seed for an idea....hemmm......

Solvay said...

FRANK!!!
I got tired of being heartbroken every time I came to your blog to see if you were back yet......so I went away for awhile - just about the time you started writing again, it seems.
Anyway, gone, but not forgotten!!!

I love this painting! The power/phone lines are a favorite aspect, but I love the general cacophony of the city that comes through. AND the long shadows - the warmth on one side of the street and the chilly shadows on the other side. The depth of field, but also the way everything is brought into hi-pitch sensory overload. I can hear this painting! There's not a lot of smell to it, because the breeze I can feel is taking the smells away.

Frank Gardner said...

Hi Karl. Thanks.
Yeah, Diebenkorn did some vertical sloped cityscapes.

Frank Gardner said...

Hi Solveg! It is so good to hear from you. I started to get worried about you. Sorry about the inconsistency of my postings of late.
Thanks for your comments.

Solvay said...

Thanks, Frank.
I had a weird winter, honestly.....
How're YOU doing?
I've been - well, I haven't been worried about you, but you've been in my heart this winter.........I'm sure it's been a unique winter for you and your family..........

No need to apologize for posting inconsistency.....
But, it is nice seeing your wonderful work again, I admit - and reading your wonderful words again, too.
: )
S

Solvay said...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R_6JJUuoKHM


that's a short segment from my favorite part of The Black Stallion. I think it's about 8 minutes long, and if you like it, I think you will be given the links to the rest of the movie. I'm not sure this segment means much if you haven't seen the previous segments, but I thought I'd send it anyway. The soundtrack is hideous, so you might want to watch it with the sound turned down........
Just thought I'd share...


Also, do you know the music of Feist (Leslie Feist)? I found some great footage of her singing in Paris. Here's a link to one of those, in case you're bored.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kgZ8bZ9TuO0

and a second one:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v301mHkPCng

and a goofy one of her singing on a bus:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C8LpNvEobOo

Frank Gardner said...

We are fine Solveg, try to keep moving forward the best we can. Thanks.
I'll check out those links when I get a chance.

Mary Sheehan Winn said...

That's a slammin' painting, Frank. I, too, have had you in my prayers this winter. Glad to see you painting and enjoying life.

Frank Gardner said...

Slammin' Mary? Thanks. Thanks for the prayers and for thinking of me.