New Facebook Page Go "Like" It!

Painting the beautiful Oregon Coast

Hello Everyone,

I created a new Facebook page for my art. On it I will update new work and let you know what's new on the easel.   Click on the link below and go "like" my page!!

Gregg Russell Fine Art Facebook


P.S.

Wish you all a great Thanksgiving holiday!

Gearing Up For Winter

"January Color" 12 x 16 in.

Every year around this time I get excited about the up coming snow season.  While I don't particularly like snow in the valley I love to "visit" it in the mountains.  This painting comes from a study I did last year in the Idaho mountains.  It was a great trip as I have gotten about 3-4 paintings out of just a few studies.  Happy painting everyone.

Variety

"Pine Creek" 12 x 16 in.

 

One of the things I have been working on lately is adding more variety in my work.  I've been attempting to add more color, texture, brushwork, and shape variation.  If you truly examine great painters they often have variety in all these phases of their work.  

 

This weeks painting is a studio version of a field study I did a few weeks back. In this version, I attempted to add more variety in the color of the willows and I attempted to change their shape although after uploading this photo I think I may have to change the shape of the back willows as they are all about the same size.  I think I may also play with the willow on the left and make it a tad more wispy and I might have to add some texture variation.....oh the joys of painting....it never ends!!!

 

 

Bennett Mountain Aspen

"Bennett Mountain Aspen" 12 x 16 in.

A quick post of an  aspen grove from Bennett Mountain.  One of the challenges of painting aspens is to add variety to them.  It is easy to paint each tree as if it was molded after the others.   However, rarely do any two tree look a like.  They are kind of like individual people yet the all belong to the same family. 

Art and Wine Carmela Winery

 

Hey Everyone!  I just want to put a little blurb for a wonderful event coming up in the next couple of weeks.  I will be participating in Art and Wine at Carmela Vineyards in Glenns Ferry, ID.  The event features some great art and wonderful wine and hors d'oeuvres. The event runs Saturday October 27th 5-9 pm.  Promises to be a great time!  Hope to see you there!

October's Gold

"October's Gold" 8 x 10 in.

 

 

  

 Pine creek in bad light...still looks good though

Happy fall everyone!  This weeks post comes from eastern Idaho (a.k.a. paradise).   This scene is from Pine Creek which is close to the Teton Valley.  This is the perfect time of year to head to eastern Idaho.  The willows, cottonwood, and aspen trees are all at peak color.  

As great as the color is the fishing is even better so I spent the majority of my time fishing.  However, I was able to squeeze in time for a few small studies. When I started this scene the sun was out and the color was really singing.  However, some afternoon clouds came over and killed the light.  So I stuck to my original idea the best I could. 

I hope everyone gets a chance to head out and enjoy the fall color while it lasts.  Until next time....

Recent Work From the Sawtooths

Here are a couple of recent works from the Sawtooth Mountains in Idaho.  I have been painting these a lot lately and can't seem to get enough of them.  The subject matter in them is truly endless.

 

"Standing Strong"  10 x 8 in. 

This painting was painted from a photo I took while doing my Goat Falls hike (See June 17th post).  Even though it was mid-June and seventy degrees out, there was still plenty of snow around and the willows were  in their winter colors.  What attracted me to this scene was the strong light on the little pine tree.  I also thought the rocks created a nice entry to the focal point.

"Bench Lake" 9 x 12 in.

This painting was painted after my return from Matt Smith's workshop (see last weeks post).  One of the things Matt helped me with was introducing me to some new colors for my palette.  This painting has a lot of Ultramarine Blue in it and it's a nice cool color that really works well in the shadows and helps a mass recede in the distance.  I also love the natural composition of this lake.  It's about a 9 mile hike round-trip to this lake and it's worth every mile!

"Sawtooth Solitude" 8 x 10 in.

This painting was painted on a hike to the Saddleback Lakes.  It is a painting just off the trail in Redfish Canyon.  The canyon runs behind Redfish Lake and was formed by glaciers from the last ice age.  I stood alone for a good hour or so and didn't see or hear a single person thus providing the perfect title.

Matt Smith Workshop

Matt finishing a demo for the class.

I recently had the good fortune to take a workshop with one of the best painters in America, Matt Smith.  Matt is one of the 3 best landscape painters in the country (Clyde Aspevig and Scott Christensen being the other).  So I was very excited to have the opportunity to learn from him.  

It has been many, many years since I took a workshop.  I do not like taking them because I often find they are overpriced or the instruction isn't individually geared.  While I did have some frustration with this workshop, it was well worth it.  Matt is truly a great painter and he is a very honest and demanding teacher.
 

 Matt's process of breaking a landscape down then rebuilding it.

Matt really hits the fundamentals hard.  He really stresses big shapes and breaking a landscape down.  I found that aspect interesting.  Matt compares a painting to building a house. Start with the frame and build on top of that.  He believes an artist should take a subject and build it backwards starting with simple masses and geometric shapes.  This isn't anything revolutionary but what I did find interesting was how purposeful he is in his start.  If his start is not perfect  he will not advance (since he's Matt Smith he never has a bad start).  

Example of Matt's color which is spot on!

Matt's color was the biggest surprise for me.  Matt is actually a very colorful painter who really pushes color!  When I would look at his work I figured he was a more reserved colorist like Scott Christensen but Matt is always trying to push color.  He uses a fairly large palette and he is very picky about what colors he uses and thinks students should use (this was the my biggest frustration because I, like Scott Christensen, strongly believe in a limited palette).   It's safe to say Matt hated my palette but a palette is a very personal thing and every ones palette is unique to the painter.  Anyhow, I did expand my palette for Matt and had a lot of difficulty controlling the colors.  I did actually change my palette a little and have incorporated Ultramarine Blue (I typically use Pthalo which Matt hated!!!!).  I have really been enjoying using Ultramarine and have pretty much switched over. 

 Example of Matt's brushwork which is simply better then anyone!

The main reason I took Matt's workshop was to learn about his brushwork. He is an absolute master with a paint brush.  Matt talked about the type of brush, the consistency of paint, how to load a brush, how much pressure to apply, and even the type of canvas to get certain effects.  It was breathtaking to watch him apply paint. It was like watching Tiger Woods hit a golf ball or Jimmy Hendrix playing guitar.  It was amazing. 

 

Example of Matt contrast in his work which to me was very surprising!

Matt also uses a lot of contrast (value range) in his work.  This is something I feel like I need to push a little more in my work and I have been working on this.  

Overall, I would highly, highly recommend Matt as a teacher.  Even though he is hard and demanding (he was hard on everyone) he was very honest and willing to go the extra mile (he gave me a personally critique which I will blog about at a later time).  I would definitely take a class from him again.

If You Don't Live Near a Forest be Greatful!

 "Grand Canyon Yellowstone" 9 x 12 in.

Today was probably the worst air quality day I have ever experienced in Idaho. There is so much smoke and pollution in the air right now it's not even healthy to breath.  Fire season has hit Idaho's forests pretty hard  and it's really gotten bad of late.  I think the trade winds must have blown all the smoke into the valley and the sun is a eery orange ball in the sky.  Top that off with 95 degrees and it pretty much sucks out.

Having said all that I haven ventured outside to do anything, let alone paint.  So I did a studio version from a photo of a recent trip to Yellowstone.

If you live someplace where the air isn't going to give you lung cancer consider yourself  lucky!

Hanging in a Moment

 "Kanab Moment" 9 x 12 in.

One of the great things about being a painter is capturing fleeting moments.  Capturing certain moments in time that will only last for a few precious minutes is quite a challenge but it is extremely rewarding when you do.

On a recent trip to Arizona, I had the good fortune of passing through southern Utah. I was driving through Kanab as the sun was setting and there were paintings everywhere I looked.  When I rounded a corner I came across this scene and it just screamed "paint me!".  I knew I literally had about 3 minutes of light before this scene was gone so I snapped a photo and just hung in the moment as the light faded.  

Kanab, UT

I then completed the above painting from memory and the photo reference.  Sometimes it's easier to capture fleeting moments from memory rather the race the fading light in plein air.  With paintings like this, the goals is to let the viewer hang in the moment with you.