Another Recent Painting

Here is another recent painting that I just brought down to the gallery. I really like the shape of the bridge and all of the reflected color bouncing around in the shadows.
Over 20 years painting in San Miguel and I've never painted this view before. Guess it was about time.



"Bridge over Canal St." 18x14" oil. Frank Gardner © 2011
$1,430. Framed. Available at Galeria Gardner

Recent Painting

This is a piece I started on the spot last fall and recently finished up in the studio. It's one of my favorite scenes to paint. On this afternoon I was painting out there with Scott, Sue and Sarah. Sue really liked a little painting I had of this spot at my gallery, so I took them out there to paint.
I often mention that I started a piece on the spot and later finished it in the studio. I actually have a picture of how it came home before any adjustments in the studio, so I thought I'd share that here so you can see a little of my working process. I suppose I could have left the piece as it was and it would have been fine, but I wanted to take this one a little further than the loose look it had. One of the choices we have to make as artists is when to stop. Since I had painted this same scene many times before I wanted to bring it to a little more detailed finish this time around.
In the on location photo you can see that I was working on a neutral toned canvas, a product of an earlier failed painting. I started with my shadow shapes and then added the shapes that were in the light. At this point I had yet to cut in the sky shape. The light was changing pretty quickly at this time of day so I was working fast. Trying to get color/ value notes as accurately as I could.



"A Special Time" 14x11" oil. Frank Gardner © 2011
$1,050. Framed. Available at Galeria Gardner




As it came home from painting on the spot. Frank Gardner © 2011




Painting with friends Sue and Sarah. Frank Gardner © 2011