"Night Light" at VCA Summer Arts Fest

Night Light, 12" x 12", oil on panel, is on display through Sunday August 7 at the Vashon Center for the Arts during the Summer Arts Fest.  Come to see on First Friday August 5 from 5-8 pm as well as 12-5 Wednesday through Sunday.  The show comes down August 8, so catch it while you can.  
 

Night Chetzemoka Ferry SOLD

A view of the Chetzemoka Ferry on a run from Tahlequah to Point Defiance.  Dusk is turning to night and the lights of Tacoma are twinkling in the background.  I like the colors of the different lights and reflections.  On my ETSY store. 

Sailboats in Quartermaster

A Sunny day painting of the view from Burton to West Seattle.  Sailboats anchor in Quartermaster Harbor; fluffy clouds dot the turquoise sky, and the dark green trees of portage bring drama to the scene.  24" x 24" oil on panel.  This painting will be in my show at the Summer Art Fest at the Vashon Center for the Arts 19600 Vashon Hwy SW, Vashon, WA 98070.  The show opens Friday August 2; the reception is 6 to 9.  I hope to see you there. 

Dockton Marina

Morning sun lights the boats and shed of the Dockton Marina.   The tide is going out and puddles of water remain on the gray sand.  A larger painting 24 inches square.  On my ETSY store

Blake Island Sunset

A view of sunset across Puget Sound.   Blake Island is silhouetted in the foreground and the Olympic Mountains are hidden by low clouds.  Painted from photos I took while traveling on the Vashon-Fauntleroy ferry.  On my ETSY store

Green-Brown Smoke Ferry SOLD

A painting of the Vashon Ferry against a green-brown hillside. The ferry is pulling away from the shore late in the late afternoon and the smoke from its engines softens the hillside. Yellow sunlight lights up the side of the ferry and the smokestacks.  This painting is at a fund-raising auction for O Space on Vashon "The Golden Age of Mardi Gras Fundraiser & Auction" on Friday Feb 8

Night Light Dockton SOLD

Night is falling and the light on the marina is shining out across the water.  I sold this small painting last weekend at the Vashon Island Art Studio Tour, but the tour continues this weekend and there are lots more paintings.  Showing at stop # 23 in Dockton, opposite the former Dockton store.  

Sunset Over Talequah

A plein air painting from several years ago.  This one is the view looking from Maury Island across Quartermaster Harbor to the tip of Tahlequah and beyond to the hills of Tacoma.  The sun was setting and I was painting very quickly to get all the colors as the sun moved not only from top to bottom but also from left to right.  I had to hold my hand up to squint near the sun without actually looking directly at it.   This was probably painted in November because the sun sets far to the right in the summer time.  8" x 10" oil on panel.  This one will be in the 2017 Spring Art Tour - I'll be at stop # 23 in Dockton -First two weekends in May.

Mt. Rainier in Blue and Pink

An 8 x 0 original oil painting of Mt. Rainier in late afternoon.   The mountain is viewed across the water as the sunlight turns pink and lavender.  The painting is characterized by saturated color and loose bold brushwork.  On my ETSY store

Pt Robinson Llighthouse SOLD

One of the small paintings I did for the Artist Studio Tour.  The important thing about painting small is to simplify the composition.  Too much detail is very busy in a small size.  I moved the fuel shed, the fence and the large metal light tower a little to the left until they left the picture altogether, and I took out the chain link enclosure on the back of the building.  It still looks like the Pt Robinson lighthouse-just simplified.

Coming up this weekend.  I'll be showing paintings of sailboats, paintings of ferries, Vashon scenes and still lifes. 

Sailing around Quartermaster, SOLD

Sailboats in Quartermaster.  Enough of a breeze to unfurl the sails and take advantage of the wind.  A nice day for a sail.  I like the light and shadow on the sail.   This one is at my show at PSCCU Credit Union here on Vashon through October.

Dockton Marina Low Tide

A view of the Dockton Marina and Quartermaster Harbor at low tide.  Early in the morning the water is pale and calm and the pilings are reflected in the still water.    From photographs taken on location.
On My ETSY store.

Crabbing at Low Tide SOLD

When I first saw these guys out with rakes at low tide, I thought perhaps they were digging clams, but they were in water too deep.  Turns out they were looking for crabs.  Painted from photos I took on location.  6" x 12"On my ETSY store

A view of Tramp Harbor on Vashon Island.  Sand and Mud flats are exposed as the tide goes out, and often they are covered in soft green seaweed.  I wanted the flats to show the sparkle of sunshine and painted the vertical strokes to add a sense of vibration to the painting.  24" x 24" 

Night Ferry on the Vashon Run SOLD

Another version of a night ferry painting  (the other was Night Ferry near the dock).  One of the double-decker boats on the run between Vashon Fauntleroy and Southworth.  This is a twilight moment when the sun has set, but there is still light in the sky and the water is still lighter than the distant shore.  I like the multiple sources of light and the reflections in the water broken by ripples.  This one will be in the Vashon Island Artist Studio Tour at Plum Lodge Painters,  14210 SW Reddings Beach Rd, Vashon WA 98070, during the first two weekends of December.  You're invited.  

Red Ferry SOLD

 This painting is from a long distance view from Victor Steinbrueck Park near the Pike Place market in Seattle.  The view is looking across Elliott Bay as the ferries travel from Coleman Dock in Seattle to Bainbridge and Bremerton.  The sky was clear and the sun was setting, turning everything on the horizon yellow and red and then dark red.  I especially like the little bits of light that shine through windows on the top deck of the ferry.   I just took this picture to the Bainbridge Arts and Crafts Gallery in Winslow, WA on Bainbridge Island. 

Night Ferry near the Dock SOLD

A view of a ferry near the Vashon ferry dock late at night.   Night scenes will have multiple sources of illumination and can be confusing but exciting and sparkly.  I simplified the multiple lights by reducing the intensity of distant lights and by leaving out some of the reflections from distant sources.   I like how the darks simplify everything in shadow.  This one is going to Bainbridge Arts and Crafts in Winslow, Washington.  

Ferry Brown Hill Lavender Water

The long summer twilight paints the ferry with warm yellow light and turns the hills behind a warm brown color.  Another painting of the ferry on the run between Vashon, Fauntleroy, and Southworth.  Painted from photos I took on location.  On my ETSY store:  http://gretchenhancock.etsy.com

Lighthouse from the Beach

The Point Robinson Lighthouse on Vashon as seen from the beach at low tide.  Strong light from a hazy day casts a shadow on the roof of the lighthouse, leaving just small patches of bright sunlight on the roof and on the driftwood.  This one will be at Plum Lodge Painters in the Vashon Island Studio Tour the first two weekends of December.